The Roman Colosseum Essay Example for Free

The Roman Colosseum Essay The Roman Colosseum has had a major influence on many buildings and structures through-out our history. Even to this day it is possible to find its architecture in many different forms. One of todays structures which seems to closely resemble it, is the modern football stadia. Like the Roman Colosseum, many are built in a large oval form,  this is mainly the case in Scotland, whilst in England they tend to be rectangular. The oval shaped stadiums also have the advantage of fitting in a slightly larger crowd, due to the curved sections at each end. The seating arrangements in the modern football stadium are similar to the ones in the Roman Colosseum. They were designed to accommodate thousands of spectators. Most stadiums now are mainly all-seaters, which seems to have been adopted from the Colosseum. The modern football stadium also pays attention to the ease of entry and exit, which played a big role in the plan and structure of the colosseum from the beginning. Both of theses structures were also built with fireproof building materials .This was highly important for the safety of both these constructions, as they were constantly dealing with huge crowds of spectators. Like the colosseum, modern football stadiums are also equipped with shelters. There are also many differences between these two structures, mainly because the football stadium is an evolved version of the Roman Colosseum, and therefore uses different construction methods, for example, the football stadium is made out of steel or reinforced concrete with cantilevered roofs, whilst the Colosseum was built using brick and stone with concrete vaults. Some of the main changes in todays stadium seem to be of increasing size and  improving facilities. Most now have shops, bars, restaurants, extensive car parks and various other means to make the spectators visit comfortable. This was not available in the Colosseum. The modern football stadia no longer speak the classical language of architecture, however, they are all large enough to have a major impact on the areas in which they are built, which is a similar architectural gesture to that of the Colosseum.

A Raisin In The Sun Essay Example for Free

A Raisin In The Sun Essay In my opinion, the most prevalent theme in, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is the real meaning of money because all of the family members have dreams that require money in order for them to be fulfilled. Walter is always trying to get money to open up a liquor store and believes that the only way he can be a successful man is if he reaches this goal. Throughout the book, Walter is envious of wealthy people and is somewhat embarrassed of his career of a chauffeur. He would like for his son to have a better life and wants him to have everything that he could ever want. While talking to Mama in the book, Walter states, â€Å"Mama, sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass by them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things, turning deals worth millions of dollars, sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me.† (page 73) Walter pays so much attention to these rich â€Å"white boys† and this causes him to not appreciate what he has, he just always wants more. Walter believes that if Mama gives him the money to invest in a liquor store then he will be successful. Mama doesn’t understand why Walter is so focused on money and she asks him, â€Å"Son-how come you talk so much ‘bout money?† Walter replies, â€Å"Because it is life, Mama!† (page 74) Mama doesn’t see money as such a big necessity in life and believes more in family, love and faith. She tries to show Walter and Beneatha that not everything in life is about being wealthy and having money. For example, after Walter tells Mama that he thinks that money is life on page 74, she says, â€Å"Oh-So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it’s money. I guess the world really do change†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is trying to teach Walter not to be so materialistic. She wants him to focus on other aspects of life that Walter just can’t seem to understand. Also, when Mama says how the world is changing, she is talking about how money has a negative influence on the people of that time and how sad it is that money  is such a necessity. During the conversation between Mama and Walter, Mama sys, â€Å"You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is talking about how Walter should appreciate his freedom and how in her time, they had to fight for their freedom and could care less about money. Beneatha doesn’t seem to show as much interest in money until she realizes that all of her family’s money is one. In the beginning of the book, Beneatha is kind of the outcast of the family because she doesn’t seem too concerned about the money and has different views than the rest of the family. For example, Beneatha and Ruth had a conversation about why Beneatha won’t marry George and Beneatha says, â€Å"Oh, I just mean I couldn’t ever really be serious with George. He’s- he’s so shallow.† Ruth replies, â€Å"Shallow- what do you mean he’s shallow? He’s rich!† Beneatha then says, â€Å"I know he’s rich. He knows he’s rich too.† (page 48-49) Beneatha wants more from a man than money, she has more depth than that. She is an independent woman and refuses to marry someone just because they are wealthy. In the beginning, Beneatha isn’t too focused on money; however, she comes to the realization that in order to fulfill her dream of being a doctor, she needs money for medical school. When Walter lost all of the family’s money, ruining any chance of Beneatha becoming a doctor she tells Asagai, â€Å"Asagai, while I was sleeping in that bed there, people went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody asked me, nobody consulted me- they just went and changed my life!† (page 134)

Gaussian Elimination Method And Gauss Jordan Method Computer Science Essay

Gaussian Elimination Method And Gauss Jordan Method Computer Science Essay Gaussian Elimination is considered as the workhorse of computational science for the solution of a system of the linear equations. In linear algebra,  Gaussian elimination  is an algorithm for the solving systems of the linear equations, and finding the rank of a matrix, and calculating the inverse of an invertible square matrix. Gaussian elimination is named after the German mathematician and the scientist Carl Friedrich Gauss. The method was invented in Europe independently by  Carl Friedrich Gauss  when developing the  method of least squares  in his 1809 publication  Theory of Motion of Heavenly Bodies. Gauss elimination is an exact method which solves a given system of equation in n unknowns by transforming the coefficient matrix, into an upper triangular matrix and the n solve for the unknowns by back substitution. Solving Method: The process of Gaussian elimination has two parts. The first part (Forward Elimination) reduces a given system to either  triangular  or  echelon form, or results in a  degenerate  equation with no solution, indicating the system has no solution. This is done through the use of elementary. The second step uses  back substitution  to find the solution of the system above. the first part reduces a matrix to  row echelon form  using  elementary row operations  while the second reduces it to  reduced row echelon form, or  row canonical form. Initially, for the given system, write row, the sum of the coefficients in each row, in the (n+2) nd column. Perform the same operation on the elements of this column also. Now in the absence of computational errors, at any stage, the row sum element in (n+2)nd row, will be equal to the sum of the of the elements of the corresponding transformed row. Algorithm for Gaussian Elimination:- Transform the columns of the augmented matrix, one at a time, into triangular echelon form. The column presently being transformed is called the  pivot column. Proceed from left to right, letting the pivot column be the first column, then the second column, etc. and finally the last column before the vertical line. For each pivot column, do the following two steps before moving on to the next pivot column: Locate the diagonal element in the pivot column. This element is called the  pivot. The row containing the pivot is called the  pivot row. Divide every element in the pivot row by the pivot (ie. use E.R.O. #1) to get a new pivot row with a 1 in the pivot position. Get a 0 in each position below the pivot position by subtracting a suitable multiple of the pivot row from each of the rows below it (ie. by using E.R.O. #2). Upon completion of this procedure the augmented matrix will be in triangular echelon form and may be solved by back-substitution. Steps Taken in Gauss Elimination Method: Write the augmented matrix for the system of the linear equations. Use elementary row operations on the augmented matrix [A|b] to the transform of  A  into the upper triangular form. If the zero is locate on the diagonal, switch the rows until a nonzero is in that place. If we are unable to do so, stop; the system has either infinite or has no solutions. Use the back substitution going to find the solution of the problem. Systems Of Linear Equations: Gaussian Elimination:- It is quite hard to solve non-linear systems of equations, while linear systems are quite easy to study. There are numerical techniques which help to approximate nonlinear systems with linear ones in the hope that the solutions of the linear systems are close enough to the solutions of the nonlinear systems.   The equation   a x  +  b y  +  c z  +  d w  =  h Where  a,  b,  c,  d, and  h  are known numbers, while  x,  y,  z, and  w  are unknown numbers, is called a  linear equation. If  h  =0, the linear equation is said to be homogeneous. A  linear system  is a set of linear equations and a  homogeneous linear system  is a set of homogeneous linear equations. Example:  Use Gaussian elimination to solve the system of equations: Solution:  Perform this sequence of E.R.O.s on the augmented matrix. Set the pivot column to column 1. Get a 1 in the diagonal position (underlined): Next, get 0s below the pivot (underlined): Now, let pivot column = second column. First, get a 1 in the diagonal position: Next, get a 0 in the position below the pivot: Now, let pivot column = third column. Get a 1 in the diagonal position: This matrix, which is now in triangular echelon form, represents: It is solved by back-substitution. Substituting  z  = 3 from the third equation into the second equation gives  y  = 5, and substituting  z  = 3 and  y  = 5 into the first equation gives x =  7. Thus the complete solution is: {x  = 7,  y  = 5,  z  = 3}. Gauss Jordan Method Gauss-Jordan Elimination is a variant of Gaussian Elimination. Again, we are transforming the coefficient matrix into another matrix that is much easier to solve, and the system represented by the new augmented matrix has the same solution set as the original system of linear equations. In Gauss-Jordan Elimination, the goal is to transform the coefficient matrix into a diagonal matrix, and the zeros are introduced into the matrix one column at a time. We work to eliminate the elements both above and below the diagonal element of a given column in one pass through the matrix. Solving Method Gauss-Jordan Elimination Steps: Write the augmented matrix for the system of linear equations. Use elementary row operations on the augmented matrix [A|b] to transform  A  into diagonal form. If a zero is located on the diagonal, switch the rows until a nonzero is in that place. If you are unable to do so, stop; the system has either infinite or no solutions. By dividing the diagonal element and the right-hand-side element in each row by the diagonal element in that row, make each diagonal element equal to one. When performing calculations by hand, many individuals choose Gauss-Jordan Elimination over Gaussian Elimination because it avoids the need for back substitution. However, we will show later that Gauss-Jordan elimination involves slightly more work than does Gaussian elimination, and thus it is not the method of choice for solving systems of linear equations on a computer. This method can be used to solve systems of linear equations involving two or more variables. However, the system must be changed to an augmented matrix. -This method can also be used to find the inverse of a 22 matrix or larger matrices, 33, 44 etc. Note: The matrix must be a square matrix in order to find its inverse. An Augmented Matrix is used to solve a system of linear equations. a1 x + b1 y + c1z = d1 a2 x + b2 y + c2 z = d2 a3x + b3 y + c3z = d3 System of Equations Æ’Â   Augmented Matrix Æ’Â   a1 b1 c1 d1 a2 b2 c2 d2 a3 b3 c3 d3 When given a system of equations, to write in augmented matrix form, the coefficients of each variable must be taken and put in a matrix. For example, for the following system: 3x + 2y z = 3 x y + 2z = 4 2x + 3y z = 3 3 2 -1 3 Augmented matrix Æ’Â   1 -1 2 4 2 3 -1 3 There are three different operations known as Elementary Row Operations used when solving or reducing a matrix, using Gauss-Jordan elimination method. 1. Interchanging two rows. 2. Add one row to another row, or multiply one row first and then adding it to another. 3. Multiplying a row by any constant greater than zero. Identity Matrix-is the final result obtained when a matrix is reduced. This matrix consists of ones in the diagonal starting with the first number. -The numbers in the last column are the answers to the system of equations. 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 ↠Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¯Identity Matrix for a 33 0 0 1 5 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 6 ↠Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¯Ãƒ ¢Ã… ½Ã‚ ¯Identity Matrix for a 44 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 4 The pattern continues for bigger matrices. Solving a system using Gauss-Jordan The best way to go is to get the ones first in their respective column, and then using that one to get the zeros in that column. It is very important to understand that there is no exact procedure to follow when using the Gauss-Jordan method to solve for a system. 3x + 2y z = 3 x y + 2z = 4 Write as an augmented matrix. 2x + 3y z = 3

Marcuses Account of the Features and Significance of True and False N E

Modern capitalist society is the target of severe criticism in Herbert Marcuse's book, One-Dimensional Man. As one would hope, Marcuse's intent is not merely to point out the shortcomings of the present system. He further hopes to encourage change in the most basic features of society, and with the intent to effect change arises the question of what goals the proposed change is directed towards. Primary among his goals is the "development and satisfaction of human needs and faculties" (xliii). Which of the wide range of human faculties are worthy of development? This question obviously requires value judgments to be made; any answer will be highly subjective or very complex, and probably both subjective and complex. Instead, this paper will focus on the second problem raised by Marcuse's goal: the identification of human needs to be satisfied. In particular, we will examine his own standards for determining what human needs must be satisfied by a rational society. Marcuse assumes that not all of what have been called "needs" at one time or another are real necessities that a rational society need consider. Certain "vital needs" are beyond doubt, however. Those are the needs of human biology without which life cannot continue, and such needs seem clearly to be objectively determined by biological factors. The sheer misery that infects human life when adequate food, water, and protection from the elements are not available in itself would seem to give sufficient reason for a rational society to concern itself first with providing everyone with those bare necessities. It is generally taken for granted that human beings have needs beyond the mere sustenance of biological life. Some of those proposed needs border on the biological, such as "the need for health care." At the other extreme are needs with no physical component at all, such as "the needs for spiritual sustenance." How does Marcuse propose we evaluate these less objectively evident contenders? Overall, he takes an attitude of skepticism towards them. Marcuse writes that "human needs, beyond the biological level, have always been preconditioned" (4). The key concept in this sentence is "conditioned"; the conception of needs of this type are th... ...would rather eliminate upon reflection. For example, one can easily imagine someone realizing that her desire for Gap pants originated in advertisements, and deciding that she did not want this need impressed on her by the advertising industry. This incremental elimination of false needs would go at least partway towards Marcuse's ideal of liberation through the consciousness of one's own servitude. The resources freed up by individuals' abandonment of unwanted false needs could then be used towards satisfying the vital needs of others. This result is less complete of an improvement than Marcuse is arguing for; however, it is probably the greatest shift in individuals' conception of their own needs that can be accomplished given the inherently social nature of non-physical needs. Even with its ambitions diminished in this way, Marcuse's consideration of true and false needs shows how there is room for movement toward "the optimal development†¦of all individuals, under t he optimal utilization of the material and intellectual resources available to man" (6). All citations from: Marcuse, Herbert. One-Dimensional Man. Boston: Beacon Press, 1964.

Sons And Lovers :: essays research papers

D.H. Lawrence: Son and Lover â€Å"Bildungsroman, a form of fiction which allows the novelist to recreate through the maturing of his protagonist some of his own remembered intensity of experience† (Nivin, Alastair; pg. 34)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  D.H. Lawrence re-created his own life experience through the writing of Son’s and Lovers, an intensely realistic novel set in a small English mining town, much akin to the town in which he was raised. The son of a miner, Lawrence grew up with a father much like the character of Mr. Morel in Son’s and Lovers. Morel (as the father is called) is an ill tempered, uneducated, and rather crude man. A man with little ability to express his feelings to his wife and family, who love him dearly despite the fact that he was seldom cordial to any of them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lydia (Lawrence’s mother) was high-minded and pious. She had been a schoolteacher and had written poetry. She hated dirt and drink and poverty.† (Segar, Keith; pg.11)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lydia met her husband Arthur at a family function and they married only a year later. â€Å"It was an attraction of opposites which could not last. Arthur was irresponsible and poor.† (pg.11) While the two loved each other dearly, their differences caused many of the problems that arose later on in Lawrence’s life. In the novel the Mother and Father also met at a dance, where Mr. Morel’s ability to dance was â€Å"natural and joyous†, he possessed â€Å"a certain subtle exultation like glamour in his movement.† These features attracted Mrs. Morel immediately, just as Mr. Morel was attracted to her because she was â€Å"perfectly intact, deeply religious, and full of beautiful candor.† (Lawrence, D.H.; pg. 44)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Morels, once married moved to an end house on â€Å"hell row† in the â€Å"Bottoms†, just on the outskirts of the mine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The bottoms consisted of six blocks of miners’ dwellings, two rows of three, like the dots on a blank-six domino, and twelve houses in a block. This double row of dwellings sat at the foot of the rather sharp slope from Bestwood, and looked out, from the valley towards Selby.† (pg.36)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Bottoms as described by Lawrence in the novel Sons and Lovers, was, I’m sure much alike his home town, which consisted mainly of â€Å"ugly mid- Victorian shops† (Segar, Keith; pg.9) and the poor dwellings of the towns miners. The Town’s name was Edgewood, and it was not perhaps as rundown or dilapidated as the town he created for the novel, yet it was by no means advanced as a city like London was.

Essay --

â€Å"The founding fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the Bald Eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America† –John F. Kennedy (Home). Bald Eagles have a unique way of living that makes them a strong symbol of the United States. First, the Eagle has certain traits about it that makes it such a unique and majestic bird. The bird’s Latin name is the Haliaeetus Leucocephalus which translates to â€Å"Sea Eagle with a white head† (Bald). As far as the bird goes, it has a life span of about 30 years living at the top of the food chain. An Eagle has a few weapons for hunting that make them a dangerous predator. Those weapons include the beak and talons which are both made from the substance human fingernails are made of; Keratin. The beak has a hook at the tip which is used for tearing, which creates a â€Å"scissor effect†. The talons are a powerful weapon, yet they are delicate enough to groom and feed their young. Talons are also used to kill the Eagle’s prey by penetrating its fle...

Is Coalition Government Here to Stay?

Context In many democratic countries, such as Germany, France, India, Israel and Italy, government by a coalition of political parties is considered normal. Often in such countries there are many political parties with a significant level of popular support in elections. This means no one party usually can gain more than 30% of the seats in the parliament or national assembly, so it is necessary for several parties to come together to form a viable government, generally under the premiership of the leader of the largest party involved. In other states, such as the UK, USA and Japan, there are fewer significant political parties and coalitions are rare, as after an election a winning party is able to form an effective government without any help from others. This debate is closely related to issues of voting reform, as countries with some form of proportional representation tend to have more political parties in parliament than those that use a first-past-the-post system, and so are more likely to have coalition governments. Arguments Pros Cons Coalition government is more democratic, and hence fairer, because it represents a much broader spectrum of public opinion than government by one party alone. In almost all coalitions, a majority of citizens voted for the parties which form the government and so their views and interests are represented in political decision-making. Coalition government is actually less democratic as the balance of power is inevitably held by the small parties who can barter their support for concessions from the main groups within the coalition. This means that a party with little popular support is able to impose its policies upon the majority by a process of political blackmail. Possible examples of this might include the role of religious parties in Israel, the Greens in Germany and France, and the demand of constitutional reforms by the Lib Dems in the UK as their price of coalition support in a future hung parliament. Democracy may be further undermined if the process of coalition-making is subject to the whim of a monarch or president, able to decide who to ask to attempt to form a government, whether to call new elections, etc. Coalition government creates a more honest and dynamic political system, allowing voters a clearer choice at election time. In countries where coalition government is very rare, such as the UK or USA, the main parties straddle a wide spectrum of opinion and can be seen as coalitions of competing interest groups and ideologies. At elections, however, such parties present themselves, perhaps fraudulently, to voters as united behind particular views and policies, whereas in power their internal divisions may have a serious, and often unseen, impact upon decision-making. In countries with coalition governments the greater number of political parties gives the voter a more honest choice and brings differences of opinion out into the open for debate. It is also easier for parties to split, or new ones to be formed, as new political issues divide opinion, because new parties still have a chance of a share in political power. Coalition government is less transparent. Because a party has no real chance of forming a government alone, the manifestos they present to the public become irrelevant and often wildly unrealistic. Real decisions about political programmes are made after the election, in a process of secretive back-room negotiation from which the public is excluded. This undermines accountability, as voters cannot expect individual parties in a coalition to deliver upon their particular manifesto promises, unlike the single-party governments in the USA and UK. Accountability is also absent when a coalition government falls, either after an election or through the defection of some of its supporters. Any new administration will tend to include most of the parties and politicians from the previous government, with just a little shuffling of coalition partners and ministerial jobs. Coalitions provide good government because their decisions are made in the interests of a majority of the people. Because a wide consensus of opinion is involved, any policy will be debated thoroughly within the government before it is implemented. Single-party government is much more likely to impose badly thought-out policies upon parliament and people, perhaps for narrowly ideological reasons (for example, the poll tax in the UK). When difficult or historic decisions have to be taken, for example in wartime, or over an issue such as membership of the European Union or NATO, the consent of politicians representing a wide range of interests and opinion is important in committing the country and its people to difficult but necessary courses of action. Coalitions provide bad government because they are unable to take a long-term view. Sometimes an ideological compass is necessary for governments to navigate in difficult political and economic waters, and coalitions lack such a unifying philosophy. In addition planning for the long-term often requires decisions to be made that are unpopular in the short-term. Coalitions often fail such tests because temporary unpopularity may encourage one of the parties involved to defect, in search of a populist advantage. It might be agreed that sometimes exceptional circumstances, such as war, require a coalition government (although the USA did not have one in either World War). This does not mean that such governments are better in normal conditions. Major constitutional decisions are better dealt with through referenda. Coalition government provides more continuity in administration. In countries without a tradition of coalition governments, parties can remain in government or opposition for long periods, and an adversarial political culture develops. When a change does occur, the members of the new administration seldom have any experience of government to draw upon, and often embark upon a wholesale reversal of the previous regime’s policies; neither of these things is in the public interest. In states with coalition politics, however, there are usually at least some ministers with considerable experience under the previous government. A more consensual style of politics also allows for a more gradual and constructive shift of policy between administrations. Coalition governments are very unstable, often collapsing and reforming at frequent intervals – Italy, for example, averages more than one government per year since 1945. This greatly restricts the ability of governments to deal with major reforms and means that politicians seldom stay in any particular ministerial post for long enough to get to grips with its demands. At the same time, this squabbling between political parties erodes the confidence of the public in their political system and in their elected representatives. Finally, evern forming coalitions can take so long that a country may drift along for months with caretaker governments that lack authority – both the Czech Republic and Belgium took over six months to negotiate new governing coalitions after their last elections.