Superconductivity Essay -- essays research papers fc

SUPERCONDUCTIVITY DEFINITION OF SUPERCONDUCTIVITY Superconductivity is a phenomenon displayed by certain conductors that show no resistance to the flow of electric current. Conductors are materials in which the electron current goes through. There are 4 different kinds of conductors. Insulators, like glass or wood, have a very high resistance to electron current while semi-conductors, such as silicon, have a medium resistance. Conductors, like copper and other metals, have very low resistance, and superconductors, comprised of certain metals such as mercury and ceramics such as lanthanum-barium-copper-oxide, have no resistance. Resistance is an obstacle in the flow of electricity. Superconductors also have strong diamagnetism. In other words, they are repelled by magnetic fields. Due to these special characteristics of superconductors, no electrical energy is lost while flowing and since magnetic levitation above a superconductor is possible. This principle is employed in high-speed trains that travel at 483 km/h (300 mph) while lev itating on a cushion of air. MAKING OF THE SUPERCONDUCTOR When superconductivity was first discovered, it was established that the compounds needed to be cooled to within several degrees Kelvin to absolute zero (zero Kelvin). The large amount of cooling was done by putting the compound in liquid helium. Helium, which is usually a gas, liquefies when its temperature drops to 4 K. Once the material had cooled to that temperature, it became a superconductor. However, using liquid helium to cool down material has been a problem. Liquid helium is very expensive, and the cooling equipment is very large. In the past, there was no economic incentive to replace ordinary conductors with superconductors because the cooling costs for superconductors were so high. Scientists have found two ways to overcome the cooling problems. The first is to find a way to cool the material using something less expensive and less bulky than liquid helium. The second way is to raise the temperatures that are necessary to cause superconductivity in the metals, or the cri tical temperatures. By combining materials into superconducting alloys, the temperature was raised slightly. By 1933, the critical temperature was at 10 K, and it wasn't until 1969 when the critical temperature was raised to 23 K and scientists tried, unsuccessfully, to raise it again. The... ...ving atoms wandered out of the field, while the coldest atoms stayed in the center. Very few atoms could escape the coldness at the center, and the center is what became the new state of matter. Future Developments In the future, many scientists expect to have many new things due to superconductivity. Room temperature superconductivity would totally revolutionize the electrical power industry by making copper wires obsolete. Superconductivity would also improve transportation by changing the way trains, cars, and ships run. Magnetically levitated trains have the advantages of speed and quiet operation and the same magnetic levitation could be used with cars. Drivers would travel as fast as 150 mph on a highway and they would never have to worry about collisions. Ships propelled by superconducting motors would weigh less and would be more maneuverable. In conclusion, superconductivity will have a tremendous impact on our future, totally revolutionizing our way of life. Works Cited Seeber, Bernd Handbook of Applied Superconductivity University of Geneva Switzerland, 1998 Kresin, Vladimir. and Wolf, Stuart Fundamentals of Superconductivity New York and London Plunum Press., 1990

Quality Management Essay

Question You are a project management consultant assigned to a small manufacturing firm that has been experiencing a myriad of problems. After conducting interviews and fact-finding with key managers, you have observed the following: †¢Company revenues and profits have fallen dramatically over the previous 12 months, along with a drop in market share †¢Customer complaints have reached an all time high †¢Employee morale is at an all time low †¢The company has no formal quality program in place †¢No employee training program exists †¢High employee turnover continues unabated †¢Non-conformance costs are skyrocketing After analyzing your data, you are now prepared to present your findings to the company CEO. Discuss ten quality management improvement initiatives you would recommend, including quality tools to improve company poor performance. Note: To receive maximum credit, your response must be comprehensive. Company revenues and profits have fallen dramatically over the previous 12 months, along with a drop in market share Solution: First of all, it`s necessary to identify customers. Once it`s done, customer feedback needs to be gathered. Furthermore, customers` requirements must be collected, analyzed, and understood. The company must acknowledge their apparent customers such as the intermediate customers in upper management that make decisions on â€Å"X†`s future direction, the internal customers who are functional managers and employees interacting along the assembly, i.e. The next person in the process, and the external customers who buy its product. It must also recognize each of its invisible customers such as the governmental and environmental agencies that have fined the company for non-compliance so frequently in the past year. Ignoring them will continue to negatively impact revenue. Internally, â€Å"X† must interview all stakeholders as part of all project, program and portfolio planning to ensure undertakings are crafted to meet their expectations and the objectives of the company. External customer requirements may be gathered and transformed into specific, actionable process improvements using quality function deployment, a well- structured product development process which dictates what the market requires into a program to create, manufacture, and deliver it. However, teams should collaborate to arrive at a common understanding of the customer needs and determine the appropriate technical requirement of each stage. As soon as customer expectations are met, customer satisfaction will improve, resulting in a take-back of market share and an increase in revenue. Customer complaints have reached an all time high Solution: At first â€Å"X† company has to conduct a SWOT analysis, which provides data for an organization to create strategic plans, appropriating resources and developing tools or actions to bring about continued success to analyze the organization. Once the SWOT analysis has been completed, the organization is able to create the mission and vision statements. In addition to what was said before, customer satisfaction should be one of if not the main objectives. To understand the level of customers’ satisfaction, and desires â€Å"X† should implement surveys called â€Å"customer satisfaction survey.† These surveys will be sent to new and old customers during certain times a year. E-mail surveys also have to be provided for all customers. The surveys will be voluntary and, however many passionate customers gladly initiate the completion to offer their opinion. â€Å"X† also shall offer customer feedback options through different sources such as email, phone, mail, store, and social networks such as Facebook. With the different means of contact the organization will be able to bring in many opinions, complaints, and suggestions from their most prized company position, their customers. These different tools and methods of contact have to be established to constantly measure the company’s success, by measuring their customers’ satisfaction. When their customers are not satisfied the company is not succeeding. So with the use of these tools, they have access to areas that need to be addressed for the benefit of the customer. With the tools â€Å"X† could also further their quality planning for the company and future products. Alternatively, the organization might introduce ISO 9000. By doing so â€Å"X† may gauge fulfillment of its customer’s quality requirements and applicable regulatory requirements while aiming to enhance customer satisfaction and achieve continual improvement of its performance. Employee morale is at an all time low Solution: To start with, â€Å"X† company has to provide its workers a productive environment, in order to help them give their best. â€Å"X†`s management must act as true leaders who aim to help people and machines do their best. According to W.E. Deming, rather than criticize performance, supervisors should act as mentors to their workers and create an environment of trust and encouragement so workers experience a sense of pride in their work and the satisfaction of a job well done. Furthermore, workers who fear their bosses seek to meet the minimal expected standards rather than strive to give their best. Quality is neglected and respect for management is diminished. Conversely, people are at their best and are less likely to leave their jobs when they feel secure enough to ask questions and share ideas. The company has no formal quality program in place Solution: First of all â€Å"X† company shall start with measuring errors and defects. Then, when customer requirements are fully identified and processes are adjusted to meet them, processes must be monitored and measured to ensure the fewest errors and highest level of productivity. By utilizing statistical process control, â€Å"X† can apply statistical methods like control charts (Pareto diagrams, cause and effect diagrams) and designed experiments to monitor and control processes to operate predictably to produce the highest grade product with the least possible waste. Variations in a process that may affect the quality of the end product can be corrected, reducing the likelihood that problems will be passed on to customers. Second of all â€Å"X† needs to apply â€Å"adopt a zero tolerance policy for errors†. All products manufactured by this company must be durable and good quality. Moreover, a zero defect tolerance should be implemented to reduce and minimize the number of defects and errors in all processes. Therefore, the six sigma quality methodology, which aims to reduce process output variation so that on a long term basis it will result in no more than 3.4 defect parts or defects per mln opportunities, may be instituted to objectively measure and guide efforts toward zero defects. This must be combined with a policy â€Å"to do the right thing right the first time† for each process at every level/stage. If everything possible is done to eliminate the likelihood of errors and defects occurring, the need for inspection can be virtually eliminated, customer satisfaction will be greater, and profitability will be maximized. Anyhow, â€Å"X† company has to make a commitment to total quality. Another words, with the financial benefit of cost of quality to â€Å"X†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s bottom line understood, the company as a whole must declare total quality to be its first and most important priority. All its employees must not only be made aware of this new commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, each must understand that he/she is responsible for achieving excellence by maintaining it within his/her area. Create a formal draft of the company’s quality policy, establishing quality as the driving standard for all its activities. No employee training program exists Solution: It`s very important to create an institutionalized training program. â€Å"X† company must create a formal training program conducted by qualified teachers in order for its workers to improve their skills for their current jobs as well as be amply prepared for the inevitable changes required of their positions in the future. Training sessions should be offered during work hours as well as outside of them for those who wish to attend night and weekend courses. A generous tuition reimbursement plan should be offered for all relevant training pursued externally by employees. Although, to broad the education of its workforce, â€Å"X† will allow its employees to contribute to the company in a more intelligent way, adding to its productivity and market adaptability. High employee turnover continues unabated Solution: Compensation is one of the most powerful motivator. Although not always possible, good performance should be rewarded. Making employees feel like the company success is their own. Though to celebrate each success, milestone, keep the updated on all company activities and let be the key participants in growth strategy meetings, give bonuses. Non-conformance costs are skyrocketing Solution: The organization has to understand what poor quality is costing. â€Å"X† must assess and understand the true financial impact of its continued non-compliance and low customer satisfaction versus the costs associated with process and product reform. Using a cost of quality approach, the costs incurred in maintaining acceptable quality levels is added to the cost of failure to maintain that level and meet customer requirements. Given the costs associated with reworks, delays, customer complaints, returns, and non-conformance fines, analysis clearly indicates that â€Å"X†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s internal and external costs resulting from failure to meet requirements and expectations far outweigh investing in the prevention of non-conformance to requirements and appraising its products for conformance. The cost savings from increased process efficiency and productivity alone will offset the cost of the necessary quality monitoring and control measures.

More Than Just a Heart of Darkness - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2280 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/06/14 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Heart of Darkness Essay Did you like this example? The Antichrist is quite a peculiar and mysterious character of the Bible, appearing at the end times of man as an asset of the Devil, tasked with leading many away from the light of God. Though referenced only a handful of times in the Bible, the speculation of this ominous creature is broad and extensive, including many writings of what he may be like, when he will arrive on Earth, and what he will do. Heart of Darkness yields itself to a wide variety of interpretations, one of which is interpreting the story to be that of the Antichrist due to the countless evil descriptions within this dark recounting of travelling to Africa. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "More Than Just a Heart of Darkness" essay for you Create order The story depicts a man, Kurtz, who transcends those above him and has acquired such a following for his eloquence and hellish ways that his traits mirror those of the foretold Angel of Darkness. The nature of the characters in addition with the story as a whole present Heart of Darkness to merely be an interpretation of the Antichristrs reign upon the Earth. To begin, the setting and various locations are described in hellish or dark manners, suggesting the ominous presence of both the end times and the Antichrist. Many descriptions of Africa by Marlow reinforce its similarities to that of Hell, which is where the Antichrist dwells before entering Earth. In detailing the beginnings of his adventure, Marlow describes Africa by saying, It had become a place of darkness. But there was in it one river especially resembling an immense snake uncoiled (Conrad 5-6). The key notion in this excerpt is that Marlow identifies Africa as a place of darkness. Much like the Christian interpretation of Hell, Africa in Heart of Darkness represents a gloomy and sinful location, separated from the light of God and purity. Thus, in Marlow describing Africa as dark, the reader can infer it symbolizes an evil location similar to that of Hell. To further this hellish imagery, Marlow notes the large river in Africa resembles a snake uncoiled. Snake imagery is co mmonplace in Biblical tales. The notion of a snake, particular in the story of Adam and Eve, represents temptation as a whole and Satan himself. The snake embodies the devil along with all that is dark in the world. The presence of a snake signifies temptation and unholiness are present Therefore, the inclusion of this snake-like river supplements attributes of Africa to being a location of sin and evil, which certainly mirrors that of Hell. Similarly, more direct notes by Marlow add to the interpretation of Africa as being Hell, which in turn supports Kurtz as being the Antichrist. Once first entering Africa, Marlow expresses he had stepped into the gloomy circle of inferno (Conrad 14). Keywords such as inferno repeat constantly throughout the text as Marlow attempts to describe his depressing location. The consistency of this fiery imagery is evident throughout all of Marlowrs journey in Africa and increases as he inches closer and closer to Kurtz. Of course, Inferno is synonymous with Hell, furthering the proposition of Africa symbolizing Hell. While Africa may not be literal Hell, the presentation of the continent as such a malicious and wicked entity presents a proper setting where the unholy would dwell, indicating it would be a suitable location for the Antichrist once he is sent to control Earth. Likewise, the inclusion of entering this gloomy location presents Africa truly as an area different from the rest, requiring a physical crossing to experience its hellish effects. The overall depressing atmosphere of the location embodies the dark and dreary events which take place in this location. As Marlow seemingly wanders through his life and enters Africa, he physically comprehends the malevolence manifested within the nation, allowing the reader to interpret the location as dark and satanic. While possible to interpret these descriptions as a hyperbole to dramatize the anecdote which this whole tale is, biblical references to other locations in the stor y make a religious interpretation of the text more plausible and differentiate Europe from Africa much like Earth and Hell. Before travelling to Africa, Marlow was required to travel to Brussels to meet with a doctor and the ivory company which he sought employment from. He describes in his venture, I arrived in a city that always makes me think of a whited sepulcher (Conrad 7). The term whited sepulcher is a direct reference to verse in the Bible, where it states, Woe unto you hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead menrs bones, and of all uncleanness (Matthew 23. 27-28). Thus, the city of Brussels, and presumably the rest of Europe, is representative of mankind: sinful while attempting to be righteous. At the time of the Antichristrs arrival, those who have lived sin-free lives will be sent to Heaven during the event that is known as Rapture, resulting in only those who have sinned to remain on Earth. P articularly, those who will remain on the planet deny their wrongdoings, much like how Marlow considers the people of Brussels to be. Thus, the titling of Brussels as such directly supports the overall religious interpretation of the book, making the notion of Kurtz as the Antichrist and Africa as Hell on Earth more plausible in Marlowrs retelling of his adventure. Similarly, the description of the city also provides context to what Marlow serves in this story, being a misguided wanderer, which will be elaborated upon later in this essay. While many of these attributions to locations by Marlow may merely be an exaggeration, the evidence of choice words in characterizing Africa as a hellish location and Europe, through the city of Brussels, as a sinful Earth promote the interpretation of Kurtz being a portrayal of the Angel of Darkness. With the setting now interpreted, a plethora or interactions and events swarming around Kurtz strongly mirror his character to that of the foretold Antichrist. One of the key attributes of the Antichrist is that he will be worshipped much like a God, as stated in the Bible, He sets himself up in Godrs temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2, Thes 2:3-4). While Kurtz never explicitly describes himself as God, he certainly does amass followers who praise him; in Marlowrs anecdote with his crew, he emphasizes, I became as much of a pretense as the rest of the bewitched pilgrims (Conrad 24). By using the term pilgrims to describe the followers of Kurtz, Marlow asserts a religious aspect of sorts to those who praise him. Like those who are pilgrims of God, these pilgrims in Heart of Darkness acknowledge Kurtz to be a superior being and place wholehearted faith in him. As such, Kurtz represents a false shepherd, who guides those away from the light of God, which is precisely what the Anti christ seeks to do. Likewise, Marlow describes his state as a pretense like the others who were bewitched. Such choice words yield to the idea Kurtzrs influence and allure holds supernatural powers over the people of Earth and entices them away from God. Much like the Antichrist using his powers granted from Satan, Kurtzrs amazing capabilities to fascinate people lead to those worshipping him, thus drawing a connection between Kurtz and the Antichrist. Another peculiar attribute of the Antichrist is that he, once on Earth, will influence a large portion of the worldrs economy, as seen from Revelation 13:16-17 ([The Antichrist] forced all people to receive a mark so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark). Though Kurtz has not quite gotten there yet, he does contribute largely to the ivory company and is rapidly progressing up the totem pole of power. When the manager discusses with Marlow, he notes, Oh, he will go far, very far He will be a somebody in the administ ration before long (Conrad 16). Straightforwardly, this implies Kurtz is advancing in a capitalistic sense as he gains more control and power. If truly the Antichrist, his end goal would be to not stop until he controls the whole world economically, which, based on his overall demeanor in the text, is plausible. As well, the use of before long in the quote implies Kurtz is rapidly, and possibly unfathomably, acquiring power, which certainly supports the notion of his end goal being to control all of the world. Thus, Kurtzrs involvement and status in the ivory trade provides a moderate correlation to him being the Antichrist, as they both seek economic power to control the world. Furthermore, a core feature of the Antichrist is the eloquence with which he speaks to oppose God, as noted in the Bible, And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies (Revelation 13:5). Similarly, one of Kurtzrs defining characteristics is his sophisticated manner of speech that is seemingl y enchanting. Near halfway through his story, Marlow adds about Kurtz, Of all his gifts the one that stood out was his ability to talk, his words the pulsating stream of light, or the deceitful flow from the heart of an impenetrable darkness (Conrad 43). As being one of the defining features in the eyes of Marlow, Kurtzrs eloquence supersedes that of a normal man. His speaking results in others succumbing to his beliefs and creates an allure for those around, much like the pilgrims and Marlow were drawn to Kurtz from his fabled speaking. Marlow notes he is unable to distinguish the origin from which Kurtzrs capability of speech originates from As the Antichrist fools followers of God to believe him, Kurtz seemingly has fooled both Marlow and countless others as one cannot differentiate whether he is good or evil. Nothing is quite truer of the false shepherd than this notion of ambiguity, where one is unable to discern his intentions; thus, Kurtzrs capability of speech, which include s the unknown origin of this gift, supports he is the Antichrist. Now a major fault one may consider in this interpretation is how possibly could Kurtz be the Antichrist if he clearly dies in the text, when a servant states to Marlow, Mistah Kurtz he dead (Conrad 64). However, the Antichrist indeed does die, only to be revived by Satan later on; the Bible states, his fatal wound was healed (Revelation 13:3). As Kurtz is torn away from the heart of darkness that is Africa, he becomes even more frail than he once was and dies. This can be seen as Kurtz is no longer shielded from the light of God as he is removed from the recesses of the jungle and is therefore killed for being the Antichrist. Likewise, the death of the Antichrist by the Lord is only temporary, as he later returns from the help of Satan; thus, the death of Kurtz does not hinder the viewpoint of him as the Antichrist, but rather mirrors and event that occurs to the Antichrist. With many more examples possible, the coinc iding of characteristics and actions of Kurtz and the Antichrist strongly support Heart of Darkness as being a story of the Antichrist and possible end times. In a similar fashion, the evolution of Marlowrs character throughout the story presents evidence as Kurtz being the Antichrist by straying followers away from God and righteousness. Marlow serves to represent a wanderer in the text as he is unsure of what to do in life as many other people and can be influenced to partake in questionable activities; thus, he naively voyages to Africa in search for meaning and eventually discovers Kurtz, who makes him a worse person. Long before meeting Kurtz in the story, Marlow talks about himself and adds, you know I hate, detest and cant bear a lie (Conrad 23). However, Marlow intentionally lies to Kurtzrs Intended at the end of the novella, where he informs her that Kurtzrs last words were her name. Despite his once vehement hatred of lying, Marlow succumbs to the action with little remorse. This presents an evolution of the dynamic character of Charles Marlow as he changed due to his venture toward Kurtz. Marlow no longer considers lying to be a n immoral action and, while only minor, has compromised moral integrity. Thus, the influence of Kurtz can be attributed to this weakening of character as Kurtz lures people, much like Marlow, to follow him rather than God (and simply put, Kurtz is not the most righteous of people). As Marlow and others seek meaning through Kurtz instead of a greater deity, they are merely fooled by the Antichrist and blindly become worse people due to the false shepherd. Kurtz leads people awry from their path to salvation and, therefore, serves as the Antichrist in Heart of Darkness. Kurtzrs mannerisms and actions present the case for him being the Antichrist. As a whole, Heart of Darkness then grows to present more than just a tale of Africa, but rather of a specific wanderer, Marlow, who was tricked by the supernatural capabilities of the Antichrist, Kurtz. Through is eloquence and other facets, drew in countless pilgrims to the dark land of Africa. Despite his moral stance, Marlow was incapable of avoiding the allure of Kurtz, which speaks volumes of human nature as a whole. Regardless of how high and mighty one may view their own self, everyone is vulnerable to the faults of human nature and being led astray by others. Thus, we as a society are far from perfect and while being misled by others, hopefully not the Antichrist, is counterproductive, it by no means eternally worsens anyone as they are always able to realize their fault and change. This ability to recover and adapt is one of the greatest attributes of human nature and negates many of the drawbacks of our civilization.