Green Energy Means Renewable Energy Environmental Sciences Essay

Green Energy Means Renewable Energy Environmental Sciences Essay Green energy means renewable energy that is vast alternative for the use of fossil fuels such as petroleum. Other conventional method used to provide electricity is such as geothermal, biomass, ocean, solar, wind, hydro, hydrogen fuel cells and etc. Biomass energy is derived from the wastes and animal dung either by burning it or just leaving the wastes to lay off by itself to get biofuel or biogas. Ocean energy is gained from the sea and there are two types of them such as thermal energy and mechanical energy. Hydrogen must go through reformation process or electrolysis process to be able to use for the fuel cells to provide electricity. The objective of the project is to choose seven types of renewable energies and explain its applications and advantages in detail. 1. Introduction Green energy is sustainable energy, which means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future[2]. These alternative energy sources are said to be not harmful to humans and environment and also arenon polluting energy sources. It basically reduces pollution and the impact on the environment that the existing energy source is causing now and in the past by conventional energy sources such as fossil fuel, coal and wood. These are non renewable energy sources, also known as the brown energy[1]. These sources are mainly used in the production of electricity, heating and fuel for boilers. They cause excessive amount of pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, together with particles that could harm humans. These pollutants are the main contributors to the greenhouse gases that cause global warning. Brown energy are also types of sources that are typically reducing on our earth, which means it could not be re-produced to be used in future. The main aim for this study on green energy is to literate the reader on what is green energy and the importance of these energy to substitute our current conventional energy resources. These report is also to identify the main types of green energies available for the current technology practised in our world today with the history of energy development that brought to the practice of green energy. 2. Green Energy Sources of green energy come from the nature itself, being free to be harvested. They are mainly derived from the sun (solar power), wind and water. Wind turbines have been used since old times to grind grains, where the term windmill is derived from. A more expensive source would come from nuclear and bioenergy (biofuel and biogas). Nuclear power is also categorized in green energy as it does not produce greenhouse gases. Waste from nuclear power plants are problematic and dangerous to be handled as it takes hundreds to thousands of years to decay before reaching the level that is not harmful to humans, plants and the animals. But in order to completely wipe out the usage of fossil fuels to produce electricity, the number of nuclear plants has to be increased so that greenhouse gases emissions can be cut down massively.[3] Energy from sun, wind and water are continuous but inconsistent. Rainy days that could affect solar power production and droughts that would affect water levels in dams are the main drawbacks of these energy sources. As renewable energy is sometimes inconsistent, excellent storage capacity is needed to store energy that are produced. It is usually windier in the night time, but the demand would be lesser. Nuclear plants generate so much power at a particular time that they cannot be used at once. So large battery banks are required in order to mesh with the electricity system and provide a consistent power supply. 2.1 History of Energy Development The history of energy consumption of human being dates back to 3000 BC where the Mesopotamians used petroleum to caulk ships and to build roads. Coals were used during the Bronze Age to heat up iron and shape them, as well as in the Roman culture. This long history of non-renewable energy usage has urged the emergence of green energy to replace them in order to keep the future generation safe.[4] 2000 B.C. Crude oil was used to light lamps and heat up homes by the Chinese. 200 B.C. Salt produced from brine using natural gas from underground by Chinese. 600 B.C. Static Electricity found by Thales of Miletus by rubbing amber. 250 400 A.D. First water-powered Mills built by the Romans 600 A.D. Greek Fire was invented by the Persians and Arabs, a form of burning liquid used greatly in the Byzantine Empire as weapon. 500 900 A.D Windmills were built to pump water and grind grains by the Persians. Late 1500s Coal was imported greatly by US, up to 108,000 tons until the 1800s. 1700s A kite that transmitted electricity through its wet cord was found by Ben Franklin. A breakthrough in electricity discovery. 1800-1826 US had the first electric utility. Mid 1800s-1950 Wood as the primary source of fuel, but decreased after the shift back to coal. 1870-1880 Gas and alcohol using first combustion engine. First U.S. power plant to produce electricity opened (Thomas Edisons Pearl Street Station) 1888 First wind turbine generating electricity in Cleveland, Ohio. Early 1900s Geothermal used to produce electricity commercially by the Italians 1938 Nuclear Fission discovered by the Germans. 1940-1950 The Atomic Energy Act implementation and the first electricity were produced by using nuclear power. 1950s First silicon solar cell was invented (solar photovoltaic). 1960s National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Air Act in US implementation to protect the environment and reduce pollution. 1970s Department of Energy (DOE) were formed. Water from power plant was controlled with Clean Water Act in 1972. 1974 Development of renewable energy was initiated and supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 1980s First wind farm built in the United States.2.2 Giga watts of power produced in California. 1990s Natural gas was used in almost 50percent of homes in US for heating. Towards the Greener Solution Till 2007, 24 states adopted policies for increasing the production of renewable energy. 2.2 Importance of Green Energy Research from scientific evidence are showing that what this present generation is doing will impact the environment in the next 50 100 years. The fact that only one earth is known by human being urges government and private sectors to find solutions to reduce pollution and having a lifestyle that is more eco-friendly. A few reasons on why green energy is important. Non renewable fossil fuels burning are causing greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere, dissolving into raindrops and causing acid rains. Acid rains damages crops, plants and forests. Aquatic organisms are also affected by this as lakes and rivers pH levels are altered. Human built structures such as steel bridges, marble statues and limestone buildings are being eroded by acid rain.[10] Figure 3 is a pie chart showing the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by gas type. Fossil fuels such as oil and coal are also supply that is not endless. Sooner or later the supply will vanish and unavailable for future generations. Wind, water and solar energy are constant, sustainable and 100 percent clean energy. It does not cause negative impact on environment such as pollutant and waste. This energy type is free as well. Humans would benefits in health as reduced pollutants would provide cleaner and more breathable air. Lands would be saved as waste management is not necessary. Cleaner water for domestic usage and aquatic organism a would be available. Jobs opportunity would arise in rural areas as most renewable energy plants are located far from cities. Regional development also would benefit from this.[8][9] 3. Types of Green Energy 3.1 Biomass Biomass is derived from farm wastes, animal wastes, plant oils, crops and some kind of garbage [11]. Energy that is generated from the wastes is called bio power or bioenergy [11]. Biomass can be processed further to obtain biofuels or burned directly to obtain bioenergy[11]. The energy obtained from burning the wastes can be converted into heat, electricity and mechanical energy [1]. 3.1.1 Types of biofuels Solid form its obtained from the burning of organic material such as animal wastes, wood, grain and other types of garbages [11]. Liquid form- its obtained straight from the plant and does not involves any burning of material [1]. Biodiesel can be taken as an example for this type of form. It is extracted from vegetable oils or animal fats [11]. Gas form its obtained from organic waste such as dead plant and animal wastes when the organic material breakdown naturally without the need of oxygen [12]. Biogases consist of methane that is essential in terms of natural gas [12]. 3.1.2 Application of biomass Widely used in transportation in the form of gases Electricity generation plants Gas produced from the biomass gasifier must be cleaned first before cooling it down and use it as a fuel to run an IC engine that is coupled together with the generator [13]. Heat application Biomass is used as a fuel to provide energy for the fuel-fired furnace that is often used for high end outputs such as[13 ]: Forging furnace Ovens Kilns Dryers Small boilers Direct fire process heater Re-rolling mills 3.1.3 Benefits of biomass energy Biogases that are used as fuels gives more mileage for cheaper price compared to fossil fuels Energy from biomass has got no ending to it since human throw wastes in daily basis and animals also constantly produce muck Energy gained from burning the wastes releases carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and the carbon dioxide that is released from the burning is useful for the plants in terms of photosynthesis process. Each country has their wastes in terms of plants, animals dung and garbages, these materials is available locally. This can reduce the need for foreign investors in the country thus improve the nation economically as well Biomass in mass production can reduce the increase in global temperature significantly. 3.2 Ocean energy Ocean energy is gained from the sea. There are two types of energy gained from the ocean such as thermal energy and mechanical energy [15]. Thermal energy is gained by the difference in temperature between the warmer surface of the ocean and the deep cold ocean water [15]. Mechanical energy is gained from tidal and wave that is used to rotate the turbine to provide electricity in most of the power plants available [15]. 3.2.1 Types of energy gained 3.2.2 Thermal energy The difference between the temperatures should be around 38 Degree Fahrenheit in order to build a power plant that can fully utilize this temperature difference to make energy [16]. There are 3 types of cycles involved in electricity conversion system from the heat energy such as: Closed cycle The heat at the surface of the ocean water is used to vaporize an ammonia type of fluid which has low boiling point and the vapor expands to turn the turbine to produce electricity [15]. Open cycle The sea water in this case is kept at low pressure in order to force it to boil at low temperature and the steam produced from the sea water is then used to rotate the turbine to activate the generator to produce electricity[15]. Hybrid The combination of both open and closed cycles is used to rotate the turbine in a most economical way [15] 3.2.3 Mechanical energy Tidal energy its gained as the earth rotates and the gravitational pull of the moon. The principle of tidal energy is when the tides is at high point the water is trapped in the dam and as the tides began to reach the low point, the trapped water is released to rotate the turbine at high speed to generate electricity[15]. The concept is similar to hydroelectric power plants [6]. Wave energy Existing kinetic energy from the movement of the waves is used to power up the turbine [15]. The concept is simple that the waves from the ocean comes into the chamber from the right, as the rise of the waves will force the air to release from the chamber and the released air is the one that will rotate the turbine to provide electricity as shown in the figure 1 below[16]. The higher the waves, higher are the rotation of the turbine. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story_old/images/chap14_wave_2007.gif Application of wave energy [16] 3.3 Hydrogen and fuel cells energy Hydrogen best identified as the simplest component [18]. One proton and one electron are the sub elements inside an atom of hydrogen [18]. It has a limitation is that it doesnt appear by its own in the earth. Hydrogen atom always combined together with other elements such as water [17][18]. The molecular weight of hydrogen is 1kmol and the lightest weigh among all the other natural components available in earth. Hydrogen can be separated from hydrocarbon by heating process and this is called reformation process [18]. Electric current also used to separate hydrogen from water and the separation process is called electrolysis [18]. Fuel cells function is to convert hydrogen to electricity directly without any other processes in between [18]. Reformation of methanol, gasoline and natural gas can provide hydrogen for the usage of fuel cells [18]. Methanol can be used directly for some fuel cells without any reformation process [18]. 3.3.1 Applications of hydrogen and fuel cells NASA used liquid nitrogen as a fuel for the space shuttles and other rockets. Liquid nitrogen does not emit any harmful material after the combustion [18]. The product of the conversion by hydrogen fuel cells is pure water that is used as drinking water by the astronauts [18]. Hydrogen powered vehicles is among the growing applications of energy since hydrogen fuel cells capable of providing power for buses[21]. Fuel cells also can provide electricity for a residential housing area that is big as a traditional AC unit [21]. It can operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. 3.3.2 Advantages of fuel cells Efficient conversion of energy from hydrogen to electricity without any combustion taking place and the byproduct is water[19][20] The noise level created from an operation of a fuel cell relatively much more quiet than the conventional motors[20] Easier maintenance since less moving parts[20] Life span is longer than a battery since it has no memory effect when its refueled[10] The source for fuel cells are hydrogen and it is available with water[20] Can reduce the nations usage of fossil fuels since fossil fuels come at higher price than hydrogen that is naturally available in the earth [20]. 3.4 Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy is a form of thermal energy stored by generation of heat from radioactive decay of minerals occurring inside the earth (80 percent) and from the original formation of the planet (20 percent).[6] Due to the temperature differences between the earth core and surface, continuous heat transfer occurs from the core to surface. Radioactive decaying of natural materials such as uranium and potassium that occurs at the core creates a temperature reaching over 5000 degree Celsius and very high pressure.[7] This high temperature and pressure causes melting of surrounding cooler rocks and these results in the formation of magma. This magma then heats up the rocks and water in the crust which can go up tp 370 degree Celsius.[6] In the range of 10kilometers of earth surface contains heat energy that is 50000 times more than all the oil and natural gas sources in the world.[7] The typical place that usually spots geothermal activities is regions with active volcanic activities. T his usually occurs at places where the earth crust is thin enough to let the heat out. Earthquake and magma movements breaks up the rocks covering and allows water to circulate, producing natural hot springs and geysers as the heated up water reaches the surface. As these hot and pressured water forms a reservoir type of containment underground, wells are usually constructed to harvest electricity or heat. 3.4.1 Applications Steam produced from the reservoir containing pressured and hot water are usually used to power turbines in power plants that generates electricity (Steam Turbine), while other power plants uses the hot water in the reservoir to boil a working fluid that vaporizes and moves a turbine. Heat produced by hot water near to the earth surface can be directly used for heating purpose. The applications that utilizes these direct heat includes heating buildings and homes purpose, growing plants in greenhouses, drying crops, heating water at fish farms, and also in pasteurizing milk processes at milk industries. This is done by using geothermal heat pumps. There is also formation of hot dry rocks, usually 4-10kilometers from earth surface. Technologies is existing to inject cold water onto these hot dry rocks, circulating them through the cracks of the rocks and drawing back the heat from another well located at the end of the water circuit.[5] http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/images/131_geothermal_energy.gif Water pumped down through injection well and collected at production well. http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/images/ce/geopower3.gif How geothermal heat used to power turbines. 3.5 Hydropower Hydro means water, so hydropower basically is the power that derived from the force of moving water and generates electricity at damn by water falling throughout the turbines. [22] The fall of water and movement is part of a constant ordinary cycle known as water cycle. Water in the earths ocean and rivers evaporates by energy from the sun and draws it ascendant as water vapour. Once the water vapour reached the cooler air in atmosphere, it automatically abbreviates and forms as clouds. [23] Hence, the moisture fall to earth as rain and fill the water in oceans and rivers. The moving of water from higher ground to the lower ground with the gravitational force and it drives the water extremely powerful to assist generates electricity for daily usage of human being.[23] Hydropower is a one of the worlds biggest source of renewable energy and play important role or facing challenges during period of climate vary. [24] Hydropower also is considering clean energy source because it does no t release any toxins to damage the environment. [25] Figure 3.1: Water cycle diagram 3.5.1 Types of Hydropower Hydropower is primarily used to generate electricity. There are few types of hydropower which is common usage in world. Micro hydro: provide few hundred kilowatts to remote villages, homes and small industries.[26] Pumped-storage hydroelectricity: stores the water that has been pumped during low demand and generates it when demand is high.[26] Run-of-the-river hydroelectricity: it will capture the kinetic energy in rivers without using dams.[26] Conventional hydroelectricity: power comes from the potential energy of dammed and water drives the turbine to generate electricity.[27] The most common type of hydropower that has been used is conventional hydroelectricity known as hydroelectricity power plant which is uses a dam on a river to store water in a reservoir. This power station is usually placed in hill areas so can build dams easily and can obtain larger water reservoir and generate huge quantity of electricity. [28] 3.5.2 How is hydroelectricity power produced?http://cwc.gov.in/Kids%20Corner_files/hydropower.gif Figure 3.2: Simple Hydropower station diagram In hydropower station, the potential energy that stored in body of water at a given height is converted to kinetic energy which is used to rotate the turbine and produce electricity. [28] In the generation of electricity by using hydroelectric power, water is accumulated or stock up at higher level and guide descending through large pipes to lower level known as penstock. [29] Once the water reaches the end of the penstock with higher pressure it will hits and drives the turbine to create mechanical energy from kinetic energy. Turbines rotate the connected to shaft which is turn the generator and change mechanical energy to electrical energy. [9] Inside the generator there is rotor that covers by turbine. Large electromagnets are attached to the rotor located within coils of copper wires called as stator. Flow of electrons is formed in the coils of stator when a generator rotor spins the magnets. [31] This produces electricity that can be step up in voltage through the station transformers and centre cross transmission lines. Therefore, transmission line conducts electricity from hydropower plant to the distribution system. There are certain advantages and disadvantag es of using hydroelectric power station: Advantages It is constantly renewable remaining to the habitual nature of the hydrologic cycle. The water that been used for generation of electricity can be utilize for irrigation, boating and fishing, kayaking and etc. Fuel is not burned so there is minimal pollution and no waste is produced Using water to run the power plant that provided free by nature Disadvantages Only at limited places hydropower plant can be constructed. Dams are expensive to build. Possibility of dam collapsing 3.6 Solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy emitted by the Sun that is converted into thermal or electricity energy for homes and industry usage. The amount of energy falling on the earth is given by the solar constant, but very little use has been made of solar energy. [32] Renewable and sustainable energy source such as solar energy make use of it around the world to produce electricity for number of different purpose and its use is both environmentally-friendly and cost-effective over the long term. There are varieties of technologies that have been used to take benefits of solar energy. Types of technologies such as photovoltaic system is common have been used to develop solar energy for daily and powering numerous applications. [33] Photovoltaic system (PV) is solar cells or panels directly convert sunlight into electricity. [34] The conversion of sunlight directly into electricity (DC) will be done by solar cells. Electricity from solar cells is stored in the battery for instant or future usage and where an inverter is required to change the Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC) to power the most AC appliances. [35] Photovoltaic system solar cell made of semiconducting materials that related to those used in computer chips. Once the rays are engaged by these materials, the solar energy knocks electrons loose from the atoms, via allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. This process of converting light (photon) to electricity (voltages) is called as photovoltaic (PV) effect. [36] The simple of photovoltaic (PV) system illustrated in figure below that can explain about it.A diagram of how the components of a PV system interact with each other. Figure: Simple Photovoltaic (PV) system with components The electricity that generated can be stored or directly utilize by photovoltaic standalone system, or a huge electricity grid powered supplied by central generation plants (photovoltaic grid-tied system), or else joint with single or numerous domestic electricity generations to supply into small grid (photovoltaic hybrid system). [37] Supplying of DC and/or AC electrical load that operate independently of the electric utility grid is designed by standalone photovoltaic system. Direct-coupled system is of the simplest type of standalone photovoltaic system that the DC output of a module or array is directly connected to a DC load (figure). [38] When there is no electrical energy stored in batteries in direct-coupled system, the load can operates during the sunlight. So, common applications that used for example water pumps, ventilation fans and small circulation pumps for solar thermal water heating systems are appropriate. [38]A diagram of a stand-alone photovoltaic system. Figure: Direct coupled PV system Hybrid system only integrates more than one generating source, which may use an engine-generator, wind, or utility power as a supplementary power source. Initially the battery store is recharged by the photovoltaic system once insufficient the generator charges the batteries. Solar Hybrid System Figure: Photovoltaic hybrid system Grid tie photovoltaic system is deliberate to work with utility grid power. Direct Current (DC) power from the Photovoltaic array into Alternating Current (AC) power is converted by the inverter. AC appliances or local utility company can make use of the direct AC power.Solar Grid-Tie System Figure: Photovoltaic Grid Tie system 3.7 Wind Energy Wind energy is the renewable power or energy which comes from the air that flowing across the earths surface. Wind energy is a converted form of solar energy. [40] Wind is exist due to uneven heats of the atmosphere by sun, the irregularity of the earths landscape and rotation of the earth.[41] Movement of air from region of higher pressure level to region of lower pressure level is also known as wind. When hot air increases, the atmospheric pressure will reduce at earths exterior, and the cooler air will travel in to fill up the void. In fact, flow of wind patterns are personalized by earth landscape, vegetative cover and bodies of water. One of the fastest growing sources of electricity and fastest growing markets in the world today is wind energy because is green power, sustainable, affordable, and economic development. [42] In wind turbines there are consist of horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines been designed for rotation function. 3.7.1 How a wind energy or wind turbine is work? Terms of wind energy or else wind power illustrate the generation of mechanical power or electricity by using wind. Air has mass when it is in motion, and it contains the energy of that motion, known as kinetic energy. [40] Therefore wind turbines are usually use to harvest the kinetic energy and convert it by using inverter into utilizable which can provide electricity for home, business applications and for sale to utilities. Wind turbine also produce mechanical energy that harvested from kinetic energy to drive machinery, for instance grinding grain and pumping water, the device called as windmill or wind pump in rural place. wind energy diagram Most common method to generate electricity is by using wind turbines. Figure 1 is explaining the simple understand on working principle of wind turbines. Explanation from the figure 1, wind will turn the large turbine blades; the turning energy will spins a generator shaft and produces electricity. The electricity that produced by wind turbine is Direct Current (DC) and it cannot use because household appliances and use Alternating Current (AC). Hence, inverters connect to wind turbines to the mains power of a building and used to convert the DC electricity into useable AC electricity. [43] Small-scale of wind energy does not use inverters, as an alternative using the wind energy electricity can be charge batteries, connected to buildings main power or else connected to national power grid. [44] Advantages There are no fossil or fuels required to generate electricity [45] Wind energy does not pollute at all so does not harm environment or discharge any toxic gases[7] Wind energy directly can be used as mechanical energy[47] Disadvantages Once there is no wind, solar energy or geothermal energy use as alternative way to generate electricity [48] Need expensive storage throughout peak production time.[49] Requires large scale area to build wind farm.[49] 4. Conclusion Green energy is the only visible solution so that the future generations are not compromised

The Door Window Lifting Mechanism Engineering Essay

The Door Window Lifting Mechanism Engineering Essay Mechatronics is at the heart of this boom in vehicle design and functionality. Mechatronics engineering unites the principles of mechanical, electrical, electronics and computing to generate a simpler, more economical, efficient and reliable system. Applications of Mechatronics in designing products and processes is driving advances in automobiles the actual cars and components, as well as the equipment needed to build, diagnose and service them. Nowadays the mechatronic systems are reliable, accurate and have a very high efficiency especially in automobiles with Electronic engine controls, Anti-lock braking system and self parking system. Electronic controlled IC engines without starting motor and driverless car systems are under experiment with the evolution of modern mechatronics. Door window Lifting Mechanism http://auto.howstuffworks.com/power-window.htm In the door window lifting mechanism a small motor is attached to a worm gear and many other spur gears to create a large gear reduction, to reduce speed and to give enough torque to lift the door window. This mechanism consists of a long linkage arm attached to bottom of window. When the motor turns the gear, that engages the teeth of long linkage arm to move the window up or down depends on motor direction. Animation of window lifting mechanism at work, with inset of motor and gear reduction Ref [ ] Door Lock Door lock mechanism has to be very reliable because it is going to unlock the doors tens of thousands of times over the life of a car. http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/power-lock-intro.jpg In the power door lock system, the body controller decides to lock or unlock the door. The body controller is nothing but the computer in a car. It monitors for the correct code entered on the door mounted touch pad and unlocks the door. It also monitors the radio frequency signals, when it receives the correct digital code from the radio transmitter in the key fob, it provides power to the actuator that locks or unlocks the door. Door lock mechanism is quite simple. It consists of a small electric motor that serves as a gear reduction by turning a series of spur gears. The last gear drives a rack and pinion gear set that is connected to the actuator rod. The rotational motion of the motor is converted to linear motion by the rack which is needed to move the lock. achttp://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/power-lock-actuator2.jpgInside the power-door-lock actuator A centrifugal switch is connected to the gear and engaged by the motor. When the motor spins the gear, the clutch swings out and locks the small metal gear to the larger plastic gear, allowing the motor to drive the door latch. http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/power-lock-gears.jpg Centrifugal clutch on the drive gear The body controller also monitors a lot of little things like, it ensures the interior lights stay on until the car is started, it beeps out if the headlights are left on and also when the keys are left in the ignition condition. In advanced mechatronics, the switches are connected to one of the many electronic modules in the car. Some cars have one in the drivers door electronic module, as well as in the body controller. If the driver presses his window switch, the door module closes a relay that provides power to the window motor. If the driver presses the switch to adjust the passenger-side window, the drivers door module sends a packet of data onto the communication bus of the car. This packet tells the body controller to energize one of the passenger-side window motor. Wind shield wipers In windshield wiper mechanism a worm gear is used on the output of a small electric motor since a lot of force is required to accelerate the wiper blades back and forth quickly. An electronic circuit inside the motor/gear assembly senses when the wipers are in their down position. The circuit maintains power to the wipers until they are parked at the bottom of the windshield. The new type of wiper system introduced to control the wipes automatically called the Rain sensor system. This system uses the optical sensors to detect the moisture. The sensor projects infrared light into the windshield at a 45-degree angle. If the glass is dry, most of this light is reflected back into the sensor by the front of the windshield. If the glass is wet, the less light makes it back into the sensor. The electronics and software in the sensor turn on the wipers when the amount of light reflected onto the sensor decreases to a preset level. The system adjusts the speed as often as necessary to match with the rate of moisture accumulation. Anti-Lock Brakes System http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/anti-lock-brake1.jpg Anti lock braking system are used to keep the wheels from skidding while slow down and it benefits in two ways: able to stop faster and also able to steer while it stops. The controller monitors the speed sensors and looking for decelerations in the wheel that are out of the ordinary. It will experience a rapid deceleration right before wheel locks up. The ABS controller knows such a rapid decelerations is not possible so it reduces the pressure to that brake until it sees an acceleration, then it increases the pressure until it sees the deceleration again. This process is done very fast before the tyre can actually change speed. The result is that the tire slows down at the same rate as the car giving the system maximum braking power. Engine Control Unit computer from a ford ranger The engine control unit (ECU) is the most powerful computer on most cars. The ECU uses closed-loop control, a control scheme that monitors all the outputs of a system and it controls the inputs to a system, to reduce the emissions and increases the fuel economy of the engine. Fig Elements of Engine control Unit ECU gathering the data from sevarl different sensors like speed, temperature, crank shaft position and oxygen in exhaust etc. With this data, it performs millions of calculations in each second, including looking up values in tables, calculating the results of long equations to decide on the best spark timing and determining how long the fuel injection is open. The ECU does all of this to ensure the lowest emissions and best mileage. A modern ECU might contain a 32-bit, 40-MHz processor, 16 (MB) of memory in an ECU. Controlling the Cruise Control System The cruise control system controls the speed by adjusting the throttle position an electronic actuator. The throttle valve controls the power and speed of the engine by limiting air/fuel to the engine. The brain of a cruise control system is a small computer. It connects to the throttle control, as well as several sensors. http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/cruise-control-diagram.gif A cruise control system accelerates the very fast to the desired speed without overshooting, and then maintains that speed with little deviation at independent of car weight, or how steep the hill you drive up. Controlling the speed of a car is a classic application of control system theory. The cruise control system controls the speed of the car by adjusting the throttle position, by feedback signal from speed and throttle position sensor. Also it needs to monitor the controls so it can tell what the desired speed is and when to disengage. Adaptive Cruise Control Adaptive cruise control can automatically control the car speed to maintain a safe following distance. This technique uses forward-looking radar, installed behind the grill of a vehicle, to detect the speed and distance of the vehicle ahead of it. Adaptive cruise control is same as to conventional cruise control in that it maintains the vehicles pre-set speed, but also it need adjust speed in order to maintain a proper distance between vehicles in the same lane. This is achieved through a radar headway sensor, digital signal processor and longitudinal controller. If the lead vehicle slows down, or if another object is detected, the system sends a signal to the engine or braking system to decelerate. Then, when the road is clear, the system will re-accelerate the vehicle back to the set speed. Self-parking Cars Some cars have put in rear view cameras, sensors and even computer generated 360-degree views of the car, people still manage to scrape, ding and dent their way into parking spaces. Self-parking car The system uses sensors all around the car to guide it into a parallel parking space. The driver has to find a parking space, position the car next to it, and use the in-cabin navigation screen to tell the car where it should go. Automated Guided Vehicle Systems FROG ( Free Ranging On Grid) technology is used in Automated Guided Vehicle Systems, which are driverless cars. FROG FROG vehicles are equipped with a computer that contains a map of the area in which the vehicle operates. The vehicle starts from a known location and uses the map to determine the route to its destination. It counts wheel revolutions to figure out how far it has travelled (sort of how you might count steps to figure out how far youve walked). To check itself, the vehicle also uses various calibration points (electronic landmarks for the vehicle) in the area it works. Throttle Position Sensor Throttle Valve Vacuum Actuator Cruise Control Computer Vehicle Speed signal Brake Pedal Switch Steering Wheel Controls Clutch Pedal Switchhttp://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/cruise-control-diagram.gif

Gay Marriage Should be Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Should gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue. Thirty-six states have passed legislation banning gay marriages, yet a few states have passed laws that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Several other states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry. Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States' homosexual community in an awkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry, and others believe that gay people should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals. I think that the United States should allow same-sex couples to marry just like heterosexual couples. There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons to dislike the idea of permitting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the word marriage means the union of one man and one woman. This is a long-standing theme of most major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriage act, marriage is defined as â€Å"a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.† Furthermore, it defines a spouse as â€Å" a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife† (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay couples would not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it is a person’s choice to be gay. Since the individual chooses to be a homosexual, they should not be given special privileges. Another argument that you hear is that these couples should not get married simply because of the torment and ridicule they would be faced with in their everyday lives. There are news reports from across America telling about how a gay person was beaten or killed just because they were looked at as different. Some of these people would end up the target of verbal abuse and maybe even physical abuse, just because some heterosexual people see them as different. Gay Marriage Should be Legal :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays On June 26, 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that the US Constitution guarantees the right for same-sex couples to marry. Should gay marriages be legal? Clearly we as a nation are undecided on this issue. Thirty-six states have passed legislation banning gay marriages, yet a few states have passed laws that allows homosexual couples the right to participate in civil unions. Several other states are also debating whether or not to allow these couples to marry. Unfortunately, the dispute has left the United States' homosexual community in an awkward position. There are some people who think that gay people have no rights and should never be allowed to marry, and others believe that gay people should enjoy the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals. I think that the United States should allow same-sex couples to marry just like heterosexual couples. There are many opponents of gay people as it is, and they all have their reasons to dislike the idea of permitting them get married. One of the main reasons is that the primary purpose of marriage is procreation. Because gay couples are unable to have children, they should not be allowed to marry (Schiffen 495). Another main argument is that the word marriage means the union of one man and one woman. This is a long-standing theme of most major Western religions. Under a proposed bill known as the Defense of Marriage act, marriage is defined as â€Å"a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.† Furthermore, it defines a spouse as â€Å" a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or wife† (What 1). Under these guidelines, it is quite obvious that gay couples would not be eligible for marriage. People against homosexual marriage also say that it is a person’s choice to be gay. Since the individual chooses to be a homosexual, they should not be given special privileges. Another argument that you hear is that these couples should not get married simply because of the torment and ridicule they would be faced with in their everyday lives. There are news reports from across America telling about how a gay person was beaten or killed just because they were looked at as different. Some of these people would end up the target of verbal abuse and maybe even physical abuse, just because some heterosexual people see them as different.

Bill Gates And The Microsoft Corporation :: essays research papers

Bill Gates - you love him, you hate him, maybe you should get to know him. The founder of the Microsoft has a lot of admirers and we can tell that for sure just by looking at his fortune. There are however people who not only despise him, but dedicate entire web-sites to criticizing him and his company; if you are one of those people you can check out www.onmacon.com (access will not be granted if you use Microsoft Internet Explorer). Some have even gone as far as throwing pies in his face... It’s an irony that one of the world’s smartest people didn’t even finish college. In 1975 he dropped out of Harvard to form an informal partnership with Paul Allen, â€Å"Micro-soft†; they invested all their time in BASIC, the first computer language program written for a personal computer. It wasn’t until November 1976 that Microsoft became official, when it was registered at the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico, and only in 1977 did the partnership between Bill and Paul Allen become official. That’s also when they deliver their second language product, FORTRAN. In 1978, besides launching a third language, COBOL-80, Microsoft goes international by forming a strategic partnership with the founder of ASCII Corporation in Japan. The following year, the company also enters the European market and wins the ICP Million Dollar Award with the 8080 BASIC. This is an important indicative of the growth and acceptance of the PC industr y. Starting with the early 80s, Microsoft starts expanding the product range from languages to operating systems and its first hardware product, the SoftCard, designed for the Apple II users. The newly incorporated business signs a contract with IBM, the first version of MS-DOS being the primary result. Unfortunately, this operating system wasn’t a very good one, requiring its users a thorough knowledge of command syntax. The company moves into the realm of business with an electronic spreadsheet program, the Multiplan. Also at this time, the Microsoft Local Area Network (MILAN) becomes functional, linking all of Microsoft’s in-house development computers. 1983 is an important year toward the development of a more user-friendly computer. In May the mouse is introduced, in September the Word processing program and in November Windows is announced, an extension of the MS-DOS operating system that provides a graphical operating environment. Windows allows a user to view unrelated application programs simultaneously and it provides the capability to transfer data from one application program to another.

Historical/Cultural Analysis

Historical/Cultural Analysis â€Å"Operation of a Medic. † The text, â€Å"Watching a Medic, Sicily, August 9, 1943†, illustrates the occupation of a medic in action during WWII. This text shows a medic helping another soldier in Sicily. In the background of the image there is a poor and deprived family looking upon the medic performing his duty of helping the injured soldier. This image shows what a medic’s lifestyle was like during the war. Medics had to perform their medical duties in places where injuries occurred, making it especially tough in the areas of where war was occurring.The image shows the historical context of the invasion of Sicily that took place during the same time as the picture. The image also shows the cultural context in relation with the lives of the natives living in Sicily. The occupation of medics and their lifestyle, the topic of war and military invasion, and the inhabitants of the homeland of Sicily, can all be accurately embedded w ithin the tangible meaning of what it was like during the time of this visual text. In the image there is a medic performing a procedure on another soldier that is lying injured on the ground.The injured soldier is lying with his uniform open and his eyes closed. His helmet is lying on the ground beside a poor family that watching the operation happening. The family is in the background and is looking upon with a worried and sad look on their faces. These people are watching the scene of a medic in action from their own doorsteps, which brings attention to the fact that these onlookers are natives of the land where the picture occurred. This distinguishes the awareness of the cultural context that is being revealed in the image by the displaying of what the life was like for a family living in Sicily.The occupation of a medic is one that is very tough and challenging. To become a medic one must first have received medical basic training. They must be able to implement the knowledge and tactics learn in that medical training out on the battlefield. A medic must also be able to think and operate in hostile environments. One medic that served in Sicily during the time of the picture was Jerome McMenamy. McMenamy gives his reflections of working as a medic during the war in an interview. He was asked the uestion: what did you use to alleviate your patients’ pain? McMenamy response was, â€Å"One of the things for a medic in combat is morphine in little tubes. You had a quarter-grain of morphine in there, and you just jabbed it into a guy’s arm and squeezed that tube dry. In a few minutes he was feeling better†(Reynolds, Frank A. ). The treatment of pain, wounds, and minor injures are all examples of duties that medics have to perform during the time of the war. In the image it demonstrates the medic completing these duties.A medic’s occupation during the time of World War II was challenging and also life-threating. Personal accounts of the times of being a medic place a first hand understanding of the true lifestyles that medics had during World War II. McMenamy tells of the hardships he had to go through while being a medic in the war, â€Å"My ankle snapped over a rock and got badly sprained. They put me on kitchen police, and the ankle wasn’t getting any better, but I got though the four months of basic training. They just taped it up, and I was marching with a sprained ankle†(Reynolds, Frank A. . This tells of not only the challenging medical practices that medics had to deal with helping injured soldiers, but also the rough encounters that medics had to overcome. In the image the medic is dressed and suited up as a soldier ready for combat. This suggests that all medics must be prepared in the times of attack, and by doing so they must have completed the four months of basic training that McMenamy discussed. Medics have to participate in the same tough and struggling operations that other soldie rs in the war had to try and complete.The accomplishing of these tough tasks and all the requirements of being a medic has given medics the strength and bravery to go into unfamiliar lands such as Sicily in the image, and perform the medical actions that need to be completed. This enduring and lasting obligation is represented in the visual text by the medic helping a fallen soldier in an area that the medic is not familiar with. The medic being in this unaccustomed area of Sicily brings about the cultural context, and how he is able to perform his duties of a medic while having natives of the region stand close by and watch.Medics had many unpleasant and life threatening experiences in World War II. This brings to attention the experiences of medics in trying to complete their duties in a warzone. Medics have to worry about losing their own life everyday in war while trying to save the lives of others. They have to try to help the injured when not knowing what could happen. This co uld be from an opposing soldier coming up and attacking the medic while the medic is performing an operation on an injured soldier. The medic having no knowledge of the people or things around him is a cultural connection, such as that represented in the image.One invasion that occurred was the Allied invasion of Sicily. The image takes place in Sicily, which gives an historical connection to the battle that occurred in the same place as the picture. The historical connection of the image is the battle that was fought in Sicily during the time of WWII, â€Å"Axis forces struck first at Sicily in July in a amphibious landing that was surpassed in size only by the invasion at Normandy, France, year later. After driving German forces off of Sicily, Allied troops, in September, began a long, costly march up the mountainous Italian peninsula† (Moffett, George).The Allied invasion of Sicily was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis. The Allies taking control over Sicily puts a means of emphasis on the historical context in the image due to the fact that the medic in the image is a member of the Allied Forces. The invasion that occurred in Sicily was done by the Allied forces, meaning that the carried out actions by the Allied forces were done on its opponents’ homeland. This shows the cultural connection in the image, due to the fact of the family in the background looking upon the unfamiliar soldier.This medic had to perform his duty being military medical personnel in a place that was uncommon to him. He was doing his work in front of a poor family that were living in the area where the picture was taken. The poor family was looking upon the medic that was preforming his medical practices in their territory of where they live. This shows the cultural connection to the image because of how the medic had to adapt to the area to complete his duty of being a medic in the unfamiliar land of Sicily. This image of a me dic performing a medical practice on an injured soldier shows the job of a medic in action.It does not show the threats that could occur to the medic while he is completing his job. Military medical personnel face the daily threat of gunfire, explosives, chemical weapons, and other battlefield hazards. While medics try to carry out their job of being a medic many get injured due to the fact of all these hazards happening around them. This image shows a glimpse of what a medic’s life was like during the war. The life of a medic during World War II was not that of picture perfect lifestyle, it was more life treating and having to deal with the thought of death occurring any second in the time of war.Which brings notion to the cultural context of the medic in the image, by him not having the knowledge of the environment around him and any possible threats that would come about. Works Cited: Moffett, George. â€Å"Celebrating WWII's other front. (Cover story). † Christian Science Monitor May 1995: 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2011. Reynolds, Frank A. â€Å"Field Medic On The Italian Front. † Military History 22. 8 (2005): 54-68. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Nov. 2011.

Distinguished organization Essay

I have just received your letter awarding me the prestigious Harrison Bankers Club scholarship for this year. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of achievement and happiness, but I must confess, my feeling of deep gratitude for you took better of me. It was the bright Monday morning when I was seriously pondering over my future plans while skimming through the pages of Business Times. Suddenly my eyes were arrested by an advertisement for grant of scholarships by your company. I immediately consulted my father who spoke very high of your organization. I sincerely acknowledge your efforts for taking time to process my application and the wonderful experience I had during the interview. I was impressed by the transparent, methodical and comprehensive procedure undertaken by you to identify the most deserving candidate. Your staff was courteous, friendly and cooperative. What touched me most was your inspiring conversation and intelligent questions you asked. The whole process was a rich learning experience to me. I feel honored and find myself short of words to express my grateful thoughts for your kind approval. Though few and far between, God has placed people like you to make the earth a beautiful place. Your decision will serve in a long way in promoting the cause of research work I have been always been interested in. It was my long cherished dream to contribute to the fast expanding study of biotechnology, but honestly speaking, the financials constraints held me back. Now I consider it my foremost priority to ensure by all means that my work adds further value to your distinguished organization. I again thank you for your favorable consideration and remain grateful ever for the scholarship to help me advance the studies.

Personal Plan for Success

A Personal Plan For Success I often wondered how people succeeded in balancing their personal lives and maintaining a career at the same time. â€Å"One has to take a backseat,† I thought. Through the years, I have come to realize that it is not necessarily the case. When I came here to this country to work, I got to meet many people who I have come to admire in their pursuit and success in living a well-balanced family and professional life. Then I said to myself, â€Å"It is not easy but very possible. † Growing up, I always have been a planner. I want to know how things will transpire and when they will be accomplished.I do this to a fault at times but so far it has guided me through life. At this point in my life, I can truly say that I have accomplished most of what I have set out to attain. I am married to a great man and I have a good career as a critical care registered nurse. This time I have decided to take another big step in my life; I decided to continue my education and go for my master’s degree. Time to make another plan for success. Many people have asked me why I finally decided to go to graduate school after all these years of working as a registered nurse.My answer would always be, â€Å"It’s time. † Before I reached the decision to go back to school, I have put a lot of thought into it because I know it will not be an easy road to travel but my decision felt right. Getting my master’s degree will help me define a career path that will allow me to branch out to another field of nursing that has interested me. It will open up new opportunities to use my acquired nursing skills and knowledge. Acquiring a graduate degree will allow me to advance professionally and will help me become more marketable in the competitive healthcare job market.To succeed in something, I must set goals both short-term and long-term. These goals serve as a guide so that I may keep focus on what I want to accomplish at the end. I am a realistic person so I want to have goals that are reasonable. My long-term goal is to find a job that would allow me to spend more time with my family and at the same time be professionally and financially satisfying. For my short-term goals, I know that I will have to succeed in several of them before I reach the fulfillment of my long-term goal. At this time my short-term goals are to learn how to be a student again, to learn how to avigate through my online school and to be able learn how to fulfill my assignments and readings required to pass my courses in school. There are challenges that present themselves to me at this time. (Nellen, 2000), â€Å"To be able to have control over your time, don’t let it manage you! † (para. 2). This is probably the most difficult challenge I have. Coming home from a full 12-hour shift, I am just too tired to do any schoolwork. Attending on an online program helps because I can do things at my own pace. To manage my time, I try to keep a schedule and follow it as strictly as I can.It is my way of developing a new habit so that school will not be so much of a stressor. I rely a on my calendar to guide me on what to do daily. I find this very helpful, especially in making sure I do not miss any deadlines, meetings or other things that I need to do. Another challenge is the financial aspect of going back to school. In the kind of economy we are in, I sometimes need to work some overtime to make ends meet but being in school takes my time away from that. To tackle this situation, my husband and I decided to change our working situation a bit.He started a part- time job to augment our budgetary needs while I am in school. I also decided to take out a student loan to take off the burden of paying for school at this time. This may sound confusing to some people but just getting back to the student mindset is a challenge too. It has been quite a long time since I had study and do assignments and projects. I h ave to remind myself that I am back in school and that there are things that I need to do . To overcome this, I have set aside two hours a day for me to be a student. At this time I do my readings and other schoolwork.I am hoping that by doing this I will be able to include it in my daily routine so that I can budget my time better. When a person has goals, it is important to set milestones that would mark the achievement of these goals. These help in encouraging one to persevere toward the fulfillment of his ultimate goal. My first milestone would be when I successfully pass my first course of my master’s program. This is important because this tells me that I can do it. This conveys to me that the adjustments that I have made to meet my challenges work.A second milestone would be when the time comes that I can navigate through the different applications in the online learning system with ease and comfort. The final milestone would be passing that final course to complete my master’s program. This would validate that all my hard work was worth it. For a good plan to work, it is important that everybody involved in it fully understand what is going on. Effective communication plays a fundamental and essential part in this. Every day and every minute we communicate whether it may be verbally or non-verbally.Martha Graham, an American modern dancer and choreographer, once said, â€Å"The body says what the words cannot† (Lewis, 2012, para. 2). As a person, I am very expressive. Aside from verbally communicating my thoughts, I am very transparent in my body language too. I have no problem saying what I have in my mind but there are times when I cannot fully state what I have to say in the fear that I may offend somebody or say the wrong thing. This fear sometimes hinders me from effectively saying what needs to be said. I have found myself being overly cautious in the words that I use and sometimes that comes across as me being unsure of what to say.In contrast to this, there are times when I find myself talking too fast and not allowing time to let the person I am talking to respond. Another weakness that I have is that I fail to read the non-verbal cues. I tend to get so engrossed in the conversation that I look past the body language. Looking back at my communication strengths and weaknesses, I have come up with some strategies that I can use to improve my communication skills. I have to learn to listen attentively. There is a big difference between simply hearing what the other person is saying and listening to what he is trying to say.Hearing is simply receiving sound from somewhere whereas listening is being able to absorb and understand what is being said. By using this method, I can take a step back and process the conversation better so I can respond better. Another strategy that I can use is to hear the words behind the actions. I have to use the non-verbal cues sent my way to understand better what the messag e is. This way, it is easier to respond appropriately. If I understand better, I can avoid that fear of being offensive and I can be more eloquent in my choice of words to use.The last and final strategy that I have come up with is the use of feedback. Feedback allows for effective communication to exist. Here the flow of ideas takes place. With feedback, it is easy to clarify certain points of the conversation that were unclear. Feedback allows for open communication and active learning. Writing this paper has made me think and summarize what has been happening the last couple of months. It has been a long journey for me to reach this point of my career. I know I will be facing challenges in the next couple of years but having goals and strategies to help me go through them will help me persevere.Knowing my strengths and weaknesses and having a plan to improve them will guide me to succeed. During my undergraduate years, I took the first step in developing a career. I learned what I needed to function as a good nurse. With this new endeavor I have, I believe I will learn to be the best nurse I can be. Bibliography Lewis, J. J. (2012). Martha Graham quotes. Retrieved from http://womenshistory. about. com/cs/quotes/a/qu_graham_m. htm Nellen, A. (2000). Manage work, don't let it manage you: Tips for managing your time and getting ahead. Retrieved from http://www. cob. sjsu. edu/nellen_a/time_management. htm