Time Value of Money Essay Example for Free

Time Value of Money Essay Time value of money is useful in making informed business decisions. For example the net present value method can be used to help decide the best alternative among multiple alternative uses of a firm or personal financial resources. By discounting various alternatives to their present value one can compare the alternatives. Time value of money can also answer such questions as what ones investment will be worth at a certain point of time in the future, assuming a certain interest rate. Time value of money can also be used to compute such useful information as car, mortgage and other loan payments. Another use of time value of money in accounting is reporting of certain long-term assets and liabilities. Time value of money is based on the principle of compound interest. Each time there is a compounding period the new principal is increased by the interest from the previous period. Converting Before Using the Tables When using the tables, you may need to convert if, for example, in a lump sum situation there are more than one compounding periods in a year. Or you may need to convert (to monthly compounding) if, for example, you are working with an annuity situation involving a car loan that involves monthly rather than annual periodic payments. You often need to convert whether it is a lump sum or an annuity situation. Do the following conversions before using the tables. See some of the examples which follow these notes. For semi-annual compounding [or for deposits every six months in an annuity], take the annual interest rate and divide it by 2. Take the number of years and multiply by 2. For quarterly compounding [or for quarterly deposits in an annuity] take the annual interest rate and divide it by 4. Take the number of years and multiply by 4. For monthly compounding [or for monthly deposits in an annuity] take the annual interest rate and divide it by 12. Take the number of years and multiply by 12. Lump Sum Amounts Future Value of $1 = Present Value X Future Value of $1 Table Factor Present Value of $1= Future Value X Present Value of $1 Table Factor Use the $1 table when you are dealing only with a lump sum amount. (However when you have an annuity in the problem, do not use the lump sum table; instead use the annuity table. Use the annuity table even if you are looking for a lump sum, as shown in No. 4 which follows these notes.) Notice that there are four variables with lump sum situations: Present Value, Future Value, Interest Rate, and Period. You need to know three out of the four to figure out an unknown. You saw above how to compute Present Value and Future Value. Now suppose you want to find the interest rate. Present Value Approach: PV / FV = computed PV Table factor Go to the PV table. Where the table factor and periods intersect is the interest rate. Use this same approach to figure the number of periods when you know the interest rate and PV and FV. Annuities An annuity means a series of equal periodic deposits, or rents which can be either payments or receipts; they are made at equal periodic intervals. Use the annuity tables when you are dealing with equal periodic payments or receipts at equal periodic intervals. Use Ordinary Annuity table for payments made at the end of the period. Use Annuity Due table for payments made at the beginning of the period. Future Value of an Annuity = Annuity Deposit X Future Amount of an Annuity Table factor. Present Value of an Annuity = Annuity Deposit X PV of Annuity Table Factor Note the Annuity Deposit may be either a payment or receipt. Now say you wish to find the amount of the deposit, which could be either a periodic payment like a car or mortgage payment, or a periodic receipt such winnings from the lottery or more realistically monthly withdrawls of cash during retirement. Rent or Payment/Receipt = PV / PV of annuity table factor or Rent or Payment/Receipt = FV / FV of annuity table factor You cannot just use either of the PV or FV approaches. Use the PV approach if PV is the given information. You would have to use the FV approach if FV is the given information. Often you use the present value approach though. For example if you are buying a car and want to figure out the car payments, the current price of the car is Present Value. It is assumed to be the cash-equivalent price. A Few Practice Problems 1. You want to know how much you should deposit in the bank each month in order to have $10,000 in four years. What type of problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The correct answer is C. First you know this is an annuity because it involves equal periodic payments to the bank at equal intervals. You know it is future value because you are asked to find what future amount your annuity will grow to. Even though it is growing to a single amount, be sure to note that you are looking for the future value of an ANNUITY. 2. You want to know how much you should deposit in the bank now in order to have $10,000 in four years. What type of problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The correct answer is B. 3. Someone will pay you $10,000 in four years. You want to know how much it is worth to you now, assuming a certain interest rate. What kind of problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The correct answer is B. 4. What single amount do you have to deposit in the bank now in order to be able to withraw $200 a month for the next five years? What kind of a problem is this? A. present value of an annuity B. present value of an amount C. future value of an annuity D. future value of an amount The answer is A. Even though a single amount will be deposited, it is still an annuity problem. Hint: any time a problem involves equal periodic payments, use an annuity table. 5. When you were born your parents set up a trust fund designed to accumulate $88,000 by the time you are 50 years old. You are 34 years old today. If you negotiate getting the money today, what will you get? Assume an 8% interest rate and annual compounding. First realize you are looking for present value. Today and now are hints you want present value. Next realize you need to subtract your current age for 50 years to get the number of years, which would be 16 years in this problem. So PV = FV X PV table factor for 8% and 16 years 25,687 = 88,000 X .2919 6. You are very rich and will be retired soon. You want to take out $416,000 every six months for 6 years. You can get a 6% interest rate. How much do you need to deposit in the bank today to make this happen? You are looking for the Present Value of an annuity , since you want the amount to deposit TODAY, and you will be withdrawing equal periodic payments. So use the annuity table even though you are putting a lump sum in the bank. PV annuity = Deposit X PV annuity factor ( 3%, 12 semi-annual periods) = 416,000 X 9.9540 = 4,140,864, the amount you need to deposit today. 7. Trego County wants to raise $4,000,000 to finance the construction of a new high school. The school board wants to make semiannual payments to repay the loan over the next 15 years. What will be the amount of the payments assuming the interest rate of 10%?

Essay --

Aim: To measure the amount of oxygen takes in by the maggots and peas with the help of a respirometer in the experiment. Introduction: Respiration is the process by which organic molecules are broken down in a series of stages to synthesize ATP. Respiratory quotient is a measure of the ratio between oxygen an organism takes in and carbon dioxide the organism eliminates. The use of a device called a respirometer is used to measure an organism’s respiratory quotient by measuring the gases the organism takes in and exhales. Metabolism is all the chemical processes that take place in living organisms for example breathing, circulating blood and controlling body temperature. Since the peas and maggots used in this experiment are living things, they could affect the result since they both expire aerobically and take part in metabolism. With respiration of carbohydrates, the food is then converted to carbohydrates usually hexose sugar before being respired. There is an oxidation of glucose to carbon dioxide and water with the release of energy. Oxygen + glucose → Carbon dioxide + water + energy (in the form of ATP) When there is no use of oxygen it is anaerobic respiration and with usage of oxygen, this is aerobic respiration. In the presence of oxygen there are 4 stages namely glycolysis in the cytoplasm, link reaction and Krebs cycle in the matrix of the mitochondria and electron transport chain in the mitochondrial membranes. ATP is generated when H is lost and used to reduce coenzymes. The reduced Hydrogen carrier can be used to generate ATP by oxidative phosphorylation In the absence of oxygen the Krebs cycle and electron transport system cannot operate and only glycolysis takes place, which yields a two molecules for each g... ... in the sucrose solution contains carbohydrates. Food source would affect respiration, as each food source has a different energy values and respire in a different way. Appendices: This is calculated starting with obtaining the amount of carbon dioxide released by subtracting value b from value a. The respiratory quotient is then found by dividing the volume of carbon dioxide released over the volume of oxygen consumed Peas Maggots Mass (g) 5.60-3.93=1.67 5.06-4.00=1.06 Value (a) with KOH 3.50-2.00=1.50 4.25-2.50=1.75 Value (b) without KOH 3.75-3.75=0.00 3.50-3.00=0.50 Respiratory Quotient per unit 1.00 0.71 1) Volume of CO2 removed by peas is a-b (1.50-0)=1.50 RQ = (volume of carbon dioxide released)/(volume of oxygen consumed) RQ is 1.50/1.50=1 2) Volume of CO2 released by maggots is 1.75-0.50=1.25 With the RQ value is 1.25/1.75=0.71

Die Welle Essay

In the film â€Å"Die Welle†, directed by Dennis Gansel is about a teacher that is assigned to teach autocracy instead of anarchy. In the German setting, where the movie takes place, everybody knows that fascism and the Nazis sucked, they got that. Getting relegated to teaching autocracy was a real bummer since the students were filled with arrogance and laziness. Rainer Wegner constructs an unorthodox experiment, making an autocracy group of their own called â€Å"The Wave† or â€Å"Die Welle†. The real question is to what extent is an Autocratic government superior to all other governments or the counterpart the democratic government? For those who don’t know the difference between autocracy and democracy is that democracy is the form of government ruled by a group of leaders and a president elected by the people of the country. The leadership is chosen by the majority of the people. The epitome of a democratic government that is most known to us is the United States of America. On the other hand, an autocracy is basically a dictatorship is when one person rules the country without any say from the public. The people don’t have any saying at all in how the nation is run. An incredibly good example is Nazi Germany. Die Welle can be considered an allegory to modern day neo-nazism or old nazi Germany. The wave is just like hitler and the nazi group. It can make us reflect if a way of knowing, which is history, can be indeed true. How can we know something is right if we didn’t observe it first-handedly? We can think of it like this way, we can know that modern history is usually accurate since we were present at the times these events happened, and we concur that the events did indeed take place in that certain time frame. History is like police work, you piece together what one thinks happened based on the evidence available, like eye-witnesses or crime scene evidence. Historians can acknowledge these evidence and can say what happened during that time frame based on the evidence provided to us, like the police work. Nazis are basically the same thing since we study the evidence provided to us, like the video and artifacts of Nazism. In the movie, Die Welle, we can allegorize the events that occurred in the movie since after the autocracy nded, the students had many different perspectives about what happened. The events that occured in the movie can be seen in many different ways, it can be seen as very unorthodox since the experiment caused chaos and ultimately a student to get shot. Much like the Nazi-soldiers when their reign was over, many just panicked and killed themselves because they could not handle, the truth, that it was over. Much like when the wave ended and the kid took out his gun. George orwell said: â€Å"Who controls the past controls the future†. Does this relate to historical knowledge? To what extent can we trust historical â€Å"knowledge† since we didn’t experience it first-hand? This is a question we should all ask ourselves since this knowledge issue applies in a colossal way to the movie. We saw autocracy as a bad thing since it caused so much damage in the community, and even one youngster getting shot. Can we think of a way of governing a body of people as good or bad since it has been seen to be proven effective throughout history? As the movie quotes, â€Å"autocracy provides discipline†. It’s like an opiate for the masses since an ideology can rule them all. In conclusion, the movie can be seen as a knowledge issue in historical facts since we weren’t there to experience the allegory between Nazi Germany and the Wave autocratical group. It also relates to, is all knowledge historical knowledge? Since we have history, we should learn from our mistakes. A good quote that shows why the wave is so representative of national socialism is: â€Å"You’re pissed off just because The Wave does not follow your rule! †.

Canadian Globalization Essay

Canadian scholar Marshall McLuhan once said that the world is becoming more and more like a â€Å"global village,† each nation part of an increasingly interconnected society that stretches across national boundaries (6). Although he was talking about the role of new media in this change, he also was probably talking about the growing economic links that come with globalization. Globalization is a process that offers both the opportunity for a better world and the risk of destroying local communities, regional cultures, and entire natural environments. Over the last century, globalization has become a major issue in politics, environmental studies, and economics, touching every corner of earth as corporations spread. But Globalization is a broad term that does not necessarily mean one single thing. It usually describes the increasing interconnectedness of economies, political institutions, and individuals as the result of communication, transportation, and goods provided by multinational corporations. As Justin Ervin and Zachary Smith define it, â€Å"Globalization can now be seen as a process that ‘shrinks’ the world as human interaction ‘thickens’† (4). The effects of globalization are neither good nor bad; there are costs and benefits as with most things in life. What is certain is that no nation on earth has not yet felt the effects of globalization. One nation that has been particularly involved in and affected by globalization is Canada. Canada is a nation often overshadowed by its economically dominant southern neighbor, the United States. As the world continues to globalize, Canada’s role in this expansion is becoming increasingly important, and whether it will accept globalization entirely or continue to resist is a major point of debate. Canada has both embraced and rejected globalization: many of its corporations embrace it as a means of expanding, but many of Canada’s people fear the effects of globalization on local culture, the economy, and the environment. For Canada, globalization has brought both economic prosperity and a series of cultural and environmental problems. In an address to the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Wayne G. Wouters, Clerk of the Privy council and Secretary to the Cabinet, there are five dimensions to globalization. First, â€Å"global capital markets now ruly operate 24/7† and â€Å"perturbations in one country or sector may now be felt both near and far. † Globalization has made business both quick in time and geographically broad. Second, there are now â€Å"global supply chains† where products are made and shipped all across the globe. What started out as â€Å"outsourcing† in the 1980s became â€Å"off-shoringâ €  in the 1990s, and now is called the â€Å"global supply chain. † Third, there is the â€Å"globalization of information,† an interconnected network of media and communication. Fourth, globalization raises environmental concerns. Last, there is what Wouters calls the â€Å"globalization of insecurity,† the idea that the future is even more uncertain in a world where everything is connected and nothing is stable for long. These dimensions highlight that globalization is seen in Canada as both a force for good and a problem. Throughout its history Canada has had strong ties to Europe and later to the United States. As part of the British Empire it was an important source of natural resources such as timber and ores. In recent decades, the Canadian oil industry has become increasingly important as well. Canada has the third largest oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (Lewis and Moor). Other industries such as technology, chemicals, and manufacturing continue to make Canada a major player in the world economy. But what does the continued growth of Canadian industry and its own involvement with globalization do to its regional cultures? How is Canadian identity affected by the spread of products and ideas from multinational corporations? How can Canada embrace globalization without sacrificing its natural and national resources? All of these questions are important when we look at the role of Canada on the global stage. Most importantly, it must be rightly remembered that the effects of globalization on Canada are not entirely beneficial or entirely damaging, demonstrating that globalization is both an agent of positive change and potential dangers. As a European colony founded mainly for trade, you might say that Canada has always been global. It has attracted people from all over the world . It was only in the 1920s that the US finally replaced Britain as the â€Å"leading provider of foreign investment in Canada† (Azzi). As David Lewis and Karl Moor note, tariffs and high taxes kept Canada relatively isolated as far as international trade goes until after World War II. In 1947 the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) opened up the Canadian economy by reducing tariffs and taxes on imports and exports. According to Azzi and also to Ervin and Smith (19), this led directly to the growth of Canada’s international presence as a major worldwide economy. Later actions such as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US in 1989 led to more economic success (Azzi). This contributed to the fact that in 2012 Canada had $481. 7 billion in exports, the eleventh most of any country, although most of these exports are bought by the United States. More recently, Canada prospered through the 1990s and early 2000s. Then, after a 12 year surplus, Canada struggled in 2008 when the world economy started to decline. But Canadian banks came out of the crisis pretty well. In fact, according to the CIA Factbook, Canadian banks â€Å"emerged from the financial crises of 2008-09 among the strongest in the world. Canada also has one of the world’s largest economies, valued at $1. 5 trillion dollars annually. A recent report by Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, notes that globalization has been a generally positive force for Canada. He says that â€Å"hundreds of millions of people have already been lifted out of poverty, with the real potential for hundreds of millions more to share their destiny. † Carney points to Canada’s current participation in globalization as part of the nation’s second longest expansion, which he compares to the Roman Empire and the Industrial Revolution. Carney sees the trends toward better growth, such as the doubling of the Canadian labor force by 2050, as signs that Canada will prosper at home and abroad. Canada remains a powerhouse on the international stage. Stephen Azzi calls Canada â€Å"one of the most globally integrated countries in the world. † It belongs to 14 international organizations, â€Å"second only to the US, which is a member of 15† (Azzi). This has led to prosperity and increased influence on the world stage. Globalization provides many benefits for Canada as a whole. For example, Canada enjoys the second highest standard of living in the G-8, and the eighth highest standard of living overall (CIA Factbook). Canadians enjoy access to products from around the world, travel frequently, and foreign trade has increased the overall prosperity of Canada. This is especially true for its businesses. Canadian corporations are becoming more and more international over the last three decades, as recent studies have shown. In one The Russell Reynolds Associates conducted a survey to see how Canadian companies were adapting to the new global economy. The results showed in the report, â€Å"A World of Experience: The Globalization of Canadian Corporate Leadership,† suggests that Canadian companies are getting significantly more global at both the top and bottom of their levels. The Reynolds study took CEOs from Canada’s 100 largest corporations. It then measured how much international experience each of these executives had. According to the results the percentage of Canadian CEOs with international work experience rapidly increased between 1987 and 2007. What is even more interesting is that more and more Canadian CEOs are getting their international experience in countries other than the United States and Europe. This is a sure sign that Canadian companies are moving forward with a global perspective in mind. They are led by executives who understand that the world is interconnected now by â€Å"webs of global supply† (Reynolds). From Russell Reynolds and Associates Study 1987-2007 The Reynolds Report suggested that the benefits of participating in global markets are many. Their study also shows the importance of being able to trade internationally, since Canada is actively trying to become more global economically. It is especially important for Canada to look to the United States, one of the world’s most globalized economies. There has been a good deal of government action on both sides that have further globalized Canada. For example, the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was ratified in 1988, causing Canada’s business scene to change. New markets opened up and more trade connections were expanded than ever before. Afterwards the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995 (WTO) built Canada’s role even further. According to Stephen Azzi, Canada’s role in the WTO has made it an important part of other large international financial organizations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. One of the main questions about globalization in Canada is how it strengthens the country’s connection with the United States. As the United States became one of the forefronters of globalization, Canada was also close behind. The expansion of the Canadian and global economies and the growth of emerging markets in developing nations improved trade and lowered investment barriers so that Canadian money could flow across the globe. Business was booming. Canadian firms began selling their products to other countries and creating â€Å"global supply chains and contracts. † Canadian companies also got access to lower-cost raw materials and cheaper labor. Even when foreign firms entered Canada’s markets which increased the competition faced by domestic firms: â€Å"By 2007, Canada’s foreign imports and exports equaled 62 percent of its GDP, compared with only 43 percent in 1987. When Canadian firms started selling their companies and products to globally recongnized and international countries, the competetion increased making others more dependent on Canada. The entire Canadian economy grew as a result. A recent CBS News report at the Summit of the Americas, â€Å"What is Globalization? † (March 30, 2006) discussed the debate over what globalization means in different places. Canada was an early supporter of trade and investment liberalization and remains so today. More than 40 per cent of the country’s economy depends directly on trade. The Canadian government thinks expanding trade and international investment is vital to the economy, but not everyone agrees. The definition of globalization from an anti-globalization group known as Anti-Marketing says globalization is â€Å"the process of exploiting economically weak countries by connecting the economies of the world, forcing dependence on (and ultimately subservience to) the western capitalist machine. † However, the report did not say that globalization did not have its fair share of problems. It pointed to problems of higher unemployment, lowered health care and decreased safety standards. It also pointed to the lower environmental protection standards, less effective government as corporations have more power, and less protection for developing industries and countries. Globalization can also provide easier communications due to improved technologies. This allows Canadian corporations to set up manufacturing plants in newly industrializing economies like China, India or Latin America where costs of production are lower. Although this often lowers the prices of goods, this also causes local Canadians to lose their jobs, resulting in discontentment, resentment, and loss in confidence in the Canadian government. Labor groups also dislike this effect of globalization. Often strikes and riots will be organized as the economy further suffers as companies continue to export jobs overseas. This problem is one that is both social and economic as local workers blame their economic problems on the outsourcing of labor. Worldwide communication also affects daily life in Canada. Canada is extremely well-connected to the rest of the world. According to Azzi, â€Å"the average Canadian spends more than 500 minutes per year on international telephone calls. † This communication goes beyond technology such as phones and internet. Canadians are also avid travelers. Canada has the forth most airports in the world (CIA Factbook). This increases the exchange of goods and ideas, making Canada a real hub. Of course, globalization has not met with universal acceptance. In his article â€Å"Globalization is Killing Canada: Fight for Your Freedom,† Paul Hellyer, Canada’s former Deputy Prime Minister, makes an argument against globalization. Hellyer sees globalization as part of the reason why Canadian values are disappearing and Canadian independence is being threatened. Hellyer even sees globalization as a threat to Canada’s sovereignty, saying that â€Å"Canadian values are disappearing rapidly as we lose our independence and our sovereignty. † He believes Canada is losing control of its most important industries and losing its most exciting and challenging jobs as companies move their headquarters to other parts of the world. Hellyer claims Canada has become a victim of globalization, a process that is good for two to five percent of the world’s richest and most powerful people. It is bad for the vast majority. Global cooperation is essential for protecting oceans, ozone global warming but the relentless drive on the part of multinational corporations and international banks to take over governance of the world for their own benefit has to stop before it’s too late. Mr. Hellyer details the history of Canadian globalization and sees that foreign companies are increasingly more powerful within Canada. He specifically points to Nafta as a treaty that â€Å"granted US and Mexican investors greater rights in Canada than Canadian citizens enjoy. Hellyer sees this as very problematic, and his title gives out his position on the matter. Even if he does think that it is â€Å"killing Canada,† Hellyer does not write off globalization entirely. In fact, he sees many positive things can come out of international cooperation. For example, he sees a need for countries to cooperate in order to restore the environment to its former glory. But Hellyer sees international corporations as more of a threat. He certainly fears the environmental effects of globalization, but he also seems to see that corporations might be the most appropriate way to repair the environment. Stephen Azzi sees similar problems, noting that the two major problems with globalization for Canada are an increased reliance on foreign economies and a greater dependence on the US. Azzi states that early attempts to broaden global trade ended up strengthening American commerical interests but not other nations. It is seen as a problem by many Canadians, and many â€Å"viewed multilateral trade agreements as a way of offsetting the influence of the US. † This problem is hard to ignore. Three quarters of all Canadian exports go to the United States (CIA Factbook). The resistance to globalization became most vocal in the 1960s and 70s. Nationalist movements in Canada saw globalization as a threat to national identity. There were protests by Canadians who were afraid that globalization might erase their local cultures and destroy the environment. The government took some actions to promote Canadian identity. One was the Canadian government establishing â€Å"content quotas for radio and television† and benefits for Canadian publications (Azzi). This was to promote Canadian media instead of being overwhelmed by American and British television, film, and publications. But this had little overall effect. Even when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau tried to promote the Foreign Investment Review Agency in 1974 and the â€Å"Third Option† program to reduce economic and social dependence on the United States, there was little change. Canada stayed watching American programs and buying American products. More recently, Canadians have been involved in widespread opposition to globalization. At the 1999 World Trade Organization Summit in Seattle, many Canadians were involved in the protests. These protests turned violent, but led to international recognition that globalization had opponents even in a globalized country like Canada. At the 2001 Summit of the Americas in Quebec City there were similar protests. Canadian protesters felt that the country was falling into the hands of international corporations, particularly American ones. Instead of promoting regional cultures, these protesters felt that there was a â€Å"global monoculture . . . increasingly destroying local traditions† (Hellyer). That is the main threat to Canadian locals. Globalization in the past century has led to the increased exposure of Canada to the world. This has sometimes brought globalization into the news as a cause of social problems, especially immigration. Chain migration takes place in Canada, bringing large numbers of foreign migrants into the country. Although migrants can make a positive contribution to Canada’s economy, they can, on the other hand, work against the Canadian society by increasing the social tension between Canadian locals and foreigner migrants. For example, in the city of Richmond in the Vancouver metropolitan area, there are large numbers of Asian migrants and social tension between groups. Migrants also complete with Canadians for the same jobs. But population movement is made even more intense by improved transportation. It is significantly easier in recent years for families to relocate and for goods to be shipped from various countries around the world. The major effect of this increased interconnectedness is that populations have become highly mobile. People are not constrained to remain in a single place for their entire life but rather are now able to move about, often following multinational corporations for whom they work.

Tentacle - Definition of Tentacle

Tentacle - Definition of Tentacle Definition When used in a zoological context, the term tentacle refers to a slender, elongated, flexible organ that grows near the mouth of an animal. Tentacles are most common in invertebrates, although they are present in some vertebrates as well. Tentacles serve a variety of functions and can help the animal to move, feed, grasp objects, and gather sensory information. Examples of invertebrates that possess tentacles include squid, cuttlefish, bryozoa, snails, sea anemones, and jellyfish. Examples of vertebrates that posses tentacles include caecilians and star-nosed moles. Tentacles belong to a group of biological structures known as muscular hydrostats. Muscular hydrostats consist mostly of muscle tissue and lack skeletal support. The fluid in a muscular hydrostat is contained within the muscle cells, not in an internal cavity. Examples of muscular hydrostats include the foot of a snail, the body of a worm, a human tongue, an elephant trunk, and octopus arms. One important clarification should be noted about the term tentacle- although tentacles are muscular hydrostats, not all muscular hydrostats are tentacles. This means that the eight limbs of an octopus (which are muscular hydrostats) are not tentacles; they are arms. When used in a botanical context, the term tentacle refers to the sensitive hairs on the leaves of some plants, such as carnivorous plants.

The Best ACT Vocabulary Lists on the Web

The Best ACT Vocabulary Lists on the Web SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips This could take a while. Do you need to study vocabulary for the ACT but aren’t sure where to start? We have links to free lists of ACT vocab from around the web. We also have found other vocab study resources – from videos to apps to browser plug-ins – to help you study ACT-specific vocabulary. A Few Words of Advice: Don’t Overdo Vocab Vocabulary on the ACT is far from the most important thing you can be doing to prep. You won’t be tested on obscure words or need to memorize definitions to be successful. Spending hours memorizing difficult, arcane vocab words will not help you on the ACT. This is because the ACT tests moderate-difficulty words in the context of sentences, and focuses on words with multiple meanings. For more on this, read our article on ACT vocabulary – it’s a must read before you begin to study! In short, make sure you don’t just memorize vocabulary and assume it will get you ready for ACT English and ACT Reading. You need to focus on being able to define vocabulary in context and recognize multiple-meaning words. Many prep programs over-emphasize memorizing vocabulary because it’s easy to teach. Still, learning vocabulary does matter for the ACT (we recommend using the waterfall method to study), which is why we’re including word lists and resources here. Keep in mind that you should view vocabulary as just one component of ACT Reading and English. Don’t neglect studying grammar rules or practicing for the reading section. It's important to keep your ACT studying regimen balanced. Don't spend so much time on one skill you neglect another. ACT Vocabulary Word Lists As we discussed above, the ACT is all about testing vocabulary in context, rather than strange, obscure words. Beware of any super-long word lists that claim to be for the ACT – they are likely just old SAT word lists with a different title. Focus on learning medium-difficulty words really well so you know them in context, and less on learning as many words as possible. I recommend starting with our PrepScholar list. We focus on words with multiple meanings that are likely to appear on the ACT. Our 150 ACT wordsalso includes some vocabulary to help you on the science section. If you are still struggling with vocabulary after learning our 150 words, you can also learn these 100 words from Scholastic. This is technically an ACT/SAT list, but focuses on medium-difficulty words that appeared in a Scholastic publication, so it will be helpful for the ACT. Finally, you can learn 50 more science-specific vocabulary words to help with the science section. Once you have these words under your belt, you will have the base you need to do well on ACT Reading and English. Memorizing more words will have diminishing returns, since again, obscure words aren’t tested on the ACT. And more importantly, you need to practice being able to define words in context. Doing ACT Practice sections will be just as helpful for learning that skill. Memorizing hundreds of vocab words will not. Flashcards, Games, and Other Resources Here are some additional free web resources that can be really helpful for learning ACT vocabulary, and specifically for learning words in context of larger articles or passages. The first two would be great resources for any student. The last two are helpful for students who are auditory learners or learn best by example. Quizlet This is a flashcard website which you can use to learn vocabulary words. If you make an account, you can use their website but also mobile apps for iPhone and Android – meaning you can study whenever you find yourself with a free moment. You can search through thousands of pre-existing flashcard sets on Quizlet. You can either make your own sets using the lists above or search for â€Å"ACT vocabulary† to access pre-made flashcards other users have made. Just be careful you don’t pull up a supposed â€Å"ACT Vocab† card set that is really just old SAT vocabulary. (Any lists longer than 250 words are too long.) You can also search for â€Å"ACT Science† to review more science vocabulary. I personally used this app all the time in college for my language classes and found its format very helpful. I could make flashcards on Quizlet much faster than writing them out by hand. Plus, I would pull up the app whenever I found myself with spare time (waiting in line somewhere, for example) and study a few words. ProfessorWord This is an app for your browser that pulls ACT vocabulary words from articles and pages and defines them for you. This is really cool because if you read articles online, particularly in publications like The Economist, Time, or The New Yorker, you are encountering tons of ACT vocabulary words. This app just goes through and points them out so you don’t miss them! This is an excellent way to learn words in context, which is super useful to prepare for ACT Reading and English. Even if you read just one article a day, by going though the highlighted words and testing your knowledge of them, you can improve your ability to define words in context. This is a great way to practice for ACT vocabulary, and also a fun way, if you like reading articles and blogs. "No, Mom, I'm not just reading Game of Thrones recaps for fun, this is for the ACT!" Image via Wired. Vocab Ahead If you learn better with concepts explained aloud to you, check out the videos at Vocab Ahead. Rather than just giving you a dictionary definition, they also use vocabulary words in sentences, with animations to match, to help you learn. Head to the â€Å"Study Room† tab to find the vocabulary videos. You can go through the â€Å"SAT Common 300† list, as it has a lot of words that overlap with ACT vocabulary. You can also go to the â€Å"Master† list to look up words you are having trouble with. Vocab Sushi If you like online quizzes, Vocab Sushi is a fun website that lets you test your vocab knowledge with quizzes and teaches vocab words by using them in sentences. This site is especially useful for the ACT since it emphasizes meaning in context. Vocab Sushi draws example sentences from real-life newspapers and magazines, helping you see how words are actually used in the real world. This is a great way to learn vocabulary in the way the ACT tests it – through context. What’s Next? What else do you need besides vocab to do well on the ACT? Learn 5 Critical Concepts you need to ace the ACT English section. We mentioned that the ACT focuses on vocabulary in context. Read more about that and get strategies for ACT reading. Read up on the 4 types of ACT reading passages, and learn how to stop running out of time on ACT reading. You might have heard the ACT doesn’t have a guessing penalty – but how can you use this to your advantage and guess effectively? Read about guessing strategies for the ACT. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Cold War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cold War - Essay Example It is called Cold War because the relations were icy at the least and never reached boiling point to bring on a shooting war. It is also 'cold' because each try to undermine each other's political power. There were several zones where potentially both were at loggerheads and where another WW III could have ensued had hotter heads prevailed. In West Berlin, Russia blockaded this US,UK and France-controlled zone with a wall that made the latter construe that they were intentionally entrapped. A dtente ensued when US did a massive airlifting of supplies instead of using force. In the Iron Curtain, Stalin convinced these Slav and Balkan countries to accept communism as form of government because Russia needed them as buffer states against Germany but the Allies construed this as an intense its brand of government. In Greece and Turkey, Russia frowned upon when there the Truman Doctrine was applied i.e. US provided funds and massive aid so that both may be able to resist communist attempts to subjugate them. In Western Europe, the US came up with the Marshall Plan, which was a multi-billion aid program to reconstruct the almost bankrupt nations ravaged by WW II. Russia reacted with consternation because that would make it difficult for them to foment dissension and discontent. Then the NATO, composed of USA, Britain, Canada and Western Europe including West Germany was established for the purpose of mutually securing themselves from possible communist military aggression. Despite the overweening tension and intensified hostilities, no full-scale war emanated. And this was because USA had invented the atomic bomb and displayed how it can resolve conflicts with dire consequences. It is because of the development of these atomic and hydrogen bombs, missiles and other arsenals of war and because of the complexity of plans involved in upsetting the rival that espionage became a necessary tool to outwit the rival. As early as the 1920's, USSR through its NKVD and OGPU intelligence agents, had already penetrated the State and the War Departments and other government agencies by recruiting left-leaning Americans, foreign-born Americans and Russians as spies to obtain classified and confidential secrets and transmit3 them to Moscow as microfilms or as encrypted cables. Then, the interest of the Russian spy ring was the industrial and military secrets of USA and the first target for infiltration was the FAECT(Federation of Architects, Engineers, Chemists and Technicians) and with satisfying results (Usdin 28). In one case, it was discovered that espionage had reached the top echelon of the State Department with Alger Hiss, one of its top officials caught flatfooted when Time Magazine editor Whittaker Chambers, himself a confessed Soviet agent, showed and testified that Hiss passed on to him a microfilm of State Department documents. Even the film industry was not spared as the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), alarmed by the trend of left-leaning films, interrogated directors