Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Choose the Right Setting for Your Play
Before you sit down to write a play, consider this: Where does the story take place? Developing the right setting is essential to creating a successful stage play. For example, suppose you wanted to create a play about a James Bond-styled globe-trotter who travels to exotic locations and gets involved with lots of intense action sequences. It might be impossible to effectively bring all of those settings to life on the stage. Ask yourself: Is a play the best way to tell my story? If not, perhaps you may want to start working on a movie script. Single Location Settings Many plays take place in a single location. The characters are drawn to a specific place, and the action unfolds without dozens of scene changes. If the playwright can invent a plot that focuses on a limited amount of settings, half the battle of writing is already won. Sophocles of Ancient Greece has the right idea. In his play, Oedipus the King, all of the characters interact on the steps of the palace; no other set is needed.à What started in ancient Greece still works in modern theater -- bring the action to the setting.à Kitchen Sink Dramas A kitchen sink drama is typically a single location play that takes place in a familys home.à Often time, that means that the audience will see only one room in the house (such as the kitchen or dining room).à This is the case with such dramas as A Raisin in the Sun.à Multiple Location Plays Plays with a wide variety of dazzling set pieces are sometimes impossible to produce. British author Thomas Hardy wrote an enormously long play entitled The Dynasts. It begins in the farthest reaches of the universe, and then zooms down to earth, revealing various generals from the Napoleonic Wars. Due to its length and the complexity of the setting, it has yet to be performed in its entirety. Some playwrights donââ¬â¢t mind that. In fact, playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw and Eugene Oââ¬â¢Neil often wrote complex works that they never expected to be performed. However, most dramatists want to see their work brought to life on stage. In that case, it is essential for playwrights to narrow down the number of settings. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some plays take place on an empty stage. The actors pantomime objects. Simple props are used to convey the surroundings. Sometimes, if a script is brilliant and the actors are talented, the audience will suspend its disbelief. They will believe that the protagonist is traveling to Hawaii and then on to Cairo. So, playwrights must consider: will the play work best with actual sets? Or should the play rely upon the audienceââ¬â¢s imagination? Relationship Between Setting and Character If you would like to read an example of how details about setting can enhance the play (and even reveal the nature of the characters), read the analysis of August Wilsons Fences.à Youll notice that each part of the setting description (the garbage cans, the unfinished fence post, the baseball hanging from a string) represents the past and present experiences of Troy Maxson, the plays protagonist. In the end, the choice of setting is up to the playwright. So where do you want to take your audience?
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Accounting. Blackmores Limited - 1509 Words
Question 1 The principal operating activities of Blackmores Limited is to develop and market nature, innovative, quality branded health products including vitamins, herbal, mineral and nutritional supplement (Blackmores Annual Report 2011, page 37). Question 2 As shown in the annual report, the chairman is Mr. Marcus C Blackmore AM (Blackmores Annual Report 2011, page 35). The number of shares the chairman held in the company at the end of their 2011 financial year is 4,479,278 (Blackmores Annual Report 2011, page 36). Question 3 The financial reports in Blackmoresââ¬â¢ 2011 annual report are as follows: â⬠¢ Consolidated Income Statement (Blackmores Annual Report 2011, page 51). â⬠¢ Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Incomeâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦of times) (Profit before interest and taxation / Interest Expense) Ãâ" 100 = (34,731,000 + 2,015,000) / 2,442,000 = 15.0 (Profit before interest and taxation / Interest Expense) Ãâ" 100 = (39,322,000 + 2,211,000) / 2,372,000 = 17.5 Question 2 2a) Comparing the movement of each ratio in 2010 and 2011 for Blackmores Ltd, there is an increase in current ratio and it implies that Blackmores Ltd has higher capability in using its current assets to pay off its current liabilities in Year 2011 as compared to Year 2010. As for acid test ratio, it decreased from 1.7 in year 2010 to 1.6 in year 2011. This shows that Blackmores Ltd does not have as much liquid assets like accounts receivable and cash to pay off current liabilities in the year 2011, comparing to year 2010. Then, the gearing ratio has decreased in the Year 2011 as compared to Year 2010. This implies that there is a decrease in the contribution of long-term lenders to Blackmores Ltd and thus resulting in a lower financial risk for long-term investments. Lastly as for interest cover ratio, it has increased in Year 2011 as compared to Year 2010. This implies thatShow MoreRelatedRmit - Acct 2060 Introductory Accounting Assignment1438 Words à |à 6 PagesIntroductory Accounting Assignment - Semester 1, 2012 Part A Question 1 In the course of the financial year, Blackmoresââ¬â¢ principal operating activities focused on the development and marketing of natural health products such as vitamins, herbal and mineral nutritional supplements. They sell and have operations in the natural health and dietary market throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia region. (Reference: Blackmoresââ¬â¢ Annual Report 2011, Pg. 37) Question 2 Mr Marcus C. Blackmore AM is theRead MoreIntroductory Accounting Assignment2279 Words à |à 10 PagesACCT 2060 Introductory Accounting Assignment - Semester 2, 2011 This assignment is designed to get you to locate the Annual Reports for a company and become familiar with the contents of an Annual Report, particularly the financial statements and the notes to the financial statements. While we have looked at very basic formats of the financial statements, the financial statements for a company contain a little more detail and information on some items you may not have been introduced to yetRead MoreThe Marketing of Blackmore3826 Words à |à 16 PagesExecutive summary: This report was to investigate the company Blackmores, and different theories such as corporate communication, integrated marketing communication, corporate social responsibility, and green marketing or greenwashing. Blackmore is popular in Australia, and it is one of the top health providers for 80 years history. Blackmoresââ¬â¢ main products are vitamins, minerals and herb supplemental medicine. This report introduces some features of corporate communication involving stakeholderRead MoreSubway Restaurants Essays21330 Words à |à 86 Pagespopular data collection method where most questions are fixed alternative questions that require the respondent to select from a predetermined set of responses (Malthora et al 1996). This assists in interpreting and analysing the data as there were a limited number of responses available to the respondent. Survey methods available include person-administered surveys, computer-assisted surveys, mixed-mode surveys and self-administered surveys. Each method of obtaining data has certain strengths and
Monday, December 9, 2019
Research Methods For Strategic Managers free essay sample
There are no standard rules for the selection of a research topic but the ender listed will serve as a guide for researchers. 1 . The topic must be educational in nature. The educational nature of a topic implies that the topic must be such that is geared towards providing a solution to an educational problem. It must also satisfy one of the major objectives of educational research extension of knowledge and making a meaningful contribution in the teaching learning process. . The topic to be selected must be of interest to the researcher. A persons interest in a topic provides the motivation that will enable the researcher complete the investigation. Interest also makes for dedication and commitment in the course of the study. This is one of the reasons; the supervisor should not select a topic for students. One cannot be committed to a study that has no personal meaning to him. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Methods For Strategic Managers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3. Topic must be original: the originality of a topic first and foremost eliminates duplication. A duplicated research study amounts to waste of energy, time, material and financial resources, because solution to that problem has already been provided. An original topic adds new knowledge which contributes to educational advancement. 4. Topic must be researchable: a epic is said to be researchable if it lends itself to investigation through the collection and analysis of objective and relevant data. It employs a systematic data gathering procedure for testing its theory and arriving at the solution to the problems.Example does God answer prayers? God cures diseases. 5. Availability of time and financial resources: the topic must be such that can be completed within the time and money available to the researchers. Excuses relating to time and financial handicaps are not tolerated in research. Many research studies are abandoned due to lack of time and financial resources. . Availability of data: the topic must be one in which the researcher can easily identify his subjects and means Of collecting data from the subjects.Subjects in research may be human being, objects, events and structures such as buildings. 7. Facilities for data collecting must be available; such facilities like the libraries, computer and information centers. This is important for review of literature and analysis of data. 8. Topic must be significant: it must be capable of adding to new knowledge thereby providing solution to some knotty educational and social problems. Its findings must infinite some individuals. A critical consideration of most of the above principles will make topic selection as easy task for researchers.The study was conducted at a large life insurance organization in the London, but was contained to the Operations business unit, which is the office support to the largely sales driven teams that sell life insurance products or solutions. The Operations unit is the largest business unit, but also one of the units that do not have incentive reward programmer. The outputs of this unit are significantly important to the organization as its key functions are processing f new policies and claims, which often have to be performed under high levels of pressure and against deadlines.The organization has as one of its strategic drivers, a high performance culture as a business priority and strategic intent. Creating a high performance culture requires a number of elements to be present, one of which is high levels of job performance that is underpinned by a highly motivated workforce. The organization is thus under constant pressure to revise its benefit offering to staff, which includes a reward and recognition programmed that staff buy-in too, is satisfied with ND which is linked with the organization s strategy.AIMS OF THE RESEARCH An organization can use recognition as a strategic measure to show employees that their cont ribution to the organization is recognized, and in so doing, influence their motivation and job performance. Based on the findings of the research, the organization could improve and encourage the use of effective recognition in the feedback process of the performance management system. The findings of this research study could also influence the company to consider a more structured approach to recognition that would enable the high performance culture it strives to attain.The aim of this research is to investigate the role that reward and recognition plays in motivating employees. The study Will explore which of these factors, reward or recognition, has a greater impact on employee motivation and satisfaction. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objectives of the study are: 1) To determine if there is a relationship between rewards and recognition and employee motivation and satisfaction. 2) To determine the impact of rewards on motivation and satisfaction. 3) To determine the impact of recognition on motivation. 4) To determine which factors contribute to work motivation and satisfaction. To determine the impact of biographical variables on work motivation and satisfaction. HYPOTHESES (i) There is no statistically significant relationship between work content, payment, promotion, recognition, working conditions, benefits, personal, leadership/supervision, general and work motivation and satisfaction in the Operation business unit of an insurance organization. (ii) The nine independent variables (work content, payment, promotion, recognition, working conditions, benefits, personal, leadership/supervision and general) will not significantly explain the variance in work motivation and satisfaction. Ii) There are no statistically significant differences in rewards and recognition based on the biographical variables (gender, home language, marital status, age, race, job classification, educational, qualifications, job grade and tenure). LITERATURE REVIEW The focus of this chapter is to provide insights to the theories that have shaped the understanding of motivation, by f ocusing on the content theories of motivation. The chapter proceeds with an in-depth presentation of a total rewards management programmer and the support that a performance management process can provide to such a programmer.Given the focus of his research study, it is important to have a sound understanding of the meaning of rewards and recognition, as they are often used interchangeably, but the literature indicates that there are unique, tangible differences between these concepts. 2. 1 INTRODUCTION Todays reality is that people influence important aspects of organizational performance in a multitude of ways. People conceive and implement the organizational strategy, while the mix of people and systems mostly determines an organizations capabilities.Competencies are required to execute the strategy, and these competencies are primarily a function of the kills and knowledge of an organizations human capital. Therefore, if an organization is to treat its employees as its most important asset, it has to be knowledgeable about what it is that motivates people to reach their full potential (Lawyer, 2003). Harris (1996) maintains that the workplace rules have changed. The workplace realities of yesterday no longer exist and what was once a dream of a lifetime job guaranteed in exchange for lifetime company loyalty has died. As the workplace rules have changed, so too must the way organizations meet the new motivational needs of todays employee. This changing work environment is well summarized by Beer et al. (1984), in which they support the fact those organ actions today have significantly changed. In order for an organization to meet its obligations to shareholders, employees and society, its top management must develop a relationship between the organization and employees that will fulfill the continually changing needs of both parties.At a minimum, the organization expects employees to perform reliably the tasks assigned to them and at the standards set for them, and to follow the rules that have been established to govern the workplace. Management often expects more: that employees take initiative, supervise themselves, continue to learn new skills, and be responsive to business needs. Ata minimum, employees expect the organization to provide fair pay, safe working conditions, and fair treatment. Eke management, employees often expect more, depending on the strength of their needs for security, status, involvement, challenge, power, and responsibility.Just how ambitious the expectations of each party are vary from organization to organization. For organizations to address these expectations an understanding of employee motivation is required (Beer et 984). Carnegie (1975) emphasizes the human aspects of management. They postulate that as it is people who make a business succeed or fail it is the organizations chief responsibility to motivate their people so that they will assure success. The authors believe that each human being has the potential for creativity and for achieving goals.The infinite question is how organizations reach this potential and how they stimulate creativity and foster in their people the desire to succeed and to achieve self-fulfillment through their work. The common theme of the above authors is the belief that people deed to be respected and treated as precious human capital, more essential to an organizations effectiveness than its financial capital. People are now seen as the primary source of a companys competitive advantage. Therefore, the way people are treated increasingly determines whether an organization will prosper or even survive (Lawyer, 2003).Organizations are under constant pressure to enhance and improve their performance and are realizing that an interdependent relationship exists between organizational performance and employee performance. In the following section the focus will be on the devotional theories and the impact that these theories have on enhancing employee performance. MOTIVATION AND JOB PERFORMANCE Motivation is defined as a set of processes concerned with the force that energies behavior and directs it towards attaining some goal (Baron, 1983). Grittier and Kinetic (1992, p. 62) postulate that motivation represents, those psychological processes that cause the arousal, direction and persistence of voluntary actions that are goal directed. If it is the role of managers to successfully guide employees toward accomplishing organizational objectives, it is imperative that they understand these psychological processes. Motivation is further described as being intentional and directional. The word intentional refers to personal choice and persistence of action, whilst directional denotes the presence of a driving force aimed at attaining a specific goal.In other words, a motivated person is always aware of the fact that a specific goal must be achieved, and would direct their effort at attaining that goal (Nell et al. , 2001). Mol (1992) on the other hand distinguishes between the terms movement and motivation. When a person carries out a task just for the sake of being remunerated, the person is moved rather than motivated. It is only when individuals carry out a task because they are enjoying it or are totally involved in it that they are motivated.According to La Motto (1 995), motivation is simply the reason individuals have for doing the things they do. In day-to-day society many different things motivate people, and that which motivates one person may not necessarily motivate another. Things such as a love for life, a desire to succeed, fear of failure, the need for self-fulfillment or self-esteem, are all factors that influence motivation. In conjunction with this, employee motivation is a process that an organization can foster and nurture so that it an occur spontaneously.If organizations believe that people are naturally motivated, they must simply provide the environment and atmosphere that fosters and supports their motivation (Baron, 1983). La Motto (1995) posits the view that, the common wisdom is that managers have to learn to motivate people. He believes that employees bring their own motivation, and what they need from work is to be liberated, to be involved, to be accountable and to reach their full potential. Harris (1996) advances the notion of horsepower, which he defines as employees engaged passion for excellence.In accordance with this, organizations that capture the hearts of their employees seldom have to be concerned about motivation, as engaged hearts motivate themselves. People who are engaged and self-motivated do not have to be managed, as they are motivated by doing a job they believe in, in a constructive direction. According to Lawyer (1973) as cited in Barbing, Vulgar and Blue (1987), a theory of work motivation must account for the control and prediction of behavior.It must account for the phenomenon of voluntary behavior being initiated, that is, it should identify the energies of voluntary work behavior. A theory of work motivation must explain how human behavior is directed or channeled. It is evident that a good reward and recognition system can contribute to peoples satisfaction and their willingness and desire to learn and improve their skills and can lead to greater retention. The types of rewards and recognition that people receive are a major contributing factor to their level of satisfaction.The more highly rewarded and recognized people are, the more satisfied they tend to be with their job and with their life. This implies that satisfied employees are less likely to quit, change jobs, join unions, or be absent. In summary, organizations are better off when they provide people with a reward level that leads them to feel at least moderately satisfied (Lawyer, 2003). Consistent in the literature is that, albeit a well-researched area, many organizations are still not leveraging off the value that a well-structured total reward programmer could add. It would appear that many organizations continue to make the mistake to have programmer that focuses primarily on reward, rather than a healthy balance of reward and recognition. The Proposal in Qualitative Research The purpose of qualitative or naturalistic research varies according to the search paradigm, methods, and assumptions. Generally speaking, qualitative researchers attempt to describe and interpret some human phenomenon, often in the words of selected individuals (the informants).These researchers try to be clear about their biases, presuppositions, and interpretations so that others (the stakeholders) can decide what they think about it all. Unlike conventional, positivist research, there is no single accepted outline for a qualitative research proposal or report (Morse, 1 991 The generic outline that follows is suggested as a point of departure for alliterative research proposals, and it applies specifically to the research paradigm and methods that seem most applicable to the study of families and family therapy (e. G. Post-positivist, phenomenological clinical observation and long interviews). The outline is intended to serve as a point of departure for researchers, who must decide how to organize their proposals (a) to best communicate their ideas to their intended audiences and (b) to satisfy the demands of the context. I. Introduction A. Begin with something interesting, e. G. , a quote or story, to capture the readers interest. B. Introduce you question or curiosity. What is it that you want to know or understand? How did you get interested in the topic? If your question has evolved since you have begun, describe the process.C. Tell why theres a need for the study. Cite relevant literature that calls for the need for the research in this area, or demonstrates the lack Of attention to the topic. In your own words, describe how you think this study will be useful. D. Describe the intended audience for your research (e. G. , the public, family therapists). E. Describe your research product. What form will the report take (e. G. , scholarly manuscript, magazine article for the public, script for a documentary video)? F. Conclude the introduction with an overview of your proposal. II.Research Paradigm This section should be included in your proposal when you expect to have readers who are not familiar with the naturalistic research paradigm. It may not be necessary in contexts where qualitative research is an accepted form of inquiry. A. Use specific language to name and describe your research paradigm (e. G. , naturalistic, post-positivist). The term paradigm is used here to represent the epistemological, conceptual foundation for qualitative research. See Cuba (1990). B. Describe the philosophical correlates of your research paradigm (e. G. , phenomenology, hermeneutics).C. Cite authors who have defined your research paradigm in the social sciences and suggested its application to your field of study and/or your specific topic of study. See Moon, Dillon, and Sprinkle (1990). D. Explain the assumptions of your research paradigm. 1. Broadly speaking, describe what you intend to accomplish through this research (e. G. , expanding a knowledge base, generating hypotheses for quantitative research, developing a grounded theory, emancipating informants, establishing the trustworthiness of a theory). See Atkinson and Heath (AAA, Bibb); Lincoln and Cuba (1985). . Explain the assumptions about the nature of knowledge and reality that underlie your research paradigm. Discuss how a formal literature review will be used. 3. Describe the major tasks of the researcher in this paradigm of research. Comment on how the tasks differ in conventional social science research. 4. Explain the type of relationship that the researcher has with the informants (e. G. , unobtrusive observer, participant observer, collaborator, emancipation). E. Suggest the appropriate criteria for evaluating the research findings, research recess, and the research report.The criteria should be consistent with your research paradigm and well documented. See Atkinson, Heath, and Channel (1991). Ill. Research Method A. Identify and generally describe your research method (e. G. , ethnographic field study, single case study), and your research procedures (e. G. , long interviews, observation). B. Cite the major authors who have described your research method. See Lincoln and Cuba (1985); Glares and Strauss (1967), etc. C. Describe what you intend to do in detail, as you begin your study. 1 Explain how you will select informants and gain entry into the research intent (if relevant). . Describe the procedures you will take to protect the rights of your informants (e. G. , informed consent, human subjects approval, debriefing). 3. Describe the kind of relationship you intend to have with the informants. Will you be neutral, collaborative, objective? 4. Describe the kind of data you will collect (e. G. , field notes from memory, audio tapes, video tapes, transcripts of conversations, examination of existing documents, etc. ). 5. Describe your intended data collection procedures. Elf interviews are to be used, list your question(s) or attach as an appendix. Describe any equipment o be used. . Describe the procedures you will use to keep track of the research process. This will become part of your audit trail. A. Process notes: Day to day activities, methodological notes, decision making procedures. B. Materials relating to intentions and reactions: personal notes about motivations, experiences with informants, etc. C. Instrument development information: revisions of interview questions, etc. 7. Describe your intended data analysis procedures (coding, sorting, etc. )? A. Data reduction: Write-ups of field notes, transcription procedures and conventions, computer programs used, etc. Data reconstruction: development of categories, findings, conclusions, connections to existing literature, integration of concepts. 8. Describe how the research design may evolve as the process unfolds. 9. Describe how you will organize, format and present your data, interpretations, and conclusions. D. Describe how you will consider and protect reliability and validity. Will you use systematic methods and procedures, triangulation, member checking, peer debriefing, auditing? IV- Preliminary Biases, Suppositions and Hypotheses A.Summarize and reference all of the relevant literature that you have viewed to date. B. Describe how your review of the literature has influenced the way you are approaching the research. C. Discuss how your previous experience with your topic has influenced the way you have conceptualized this research. Summarize relevant personal an professional experiences, if you have not done so in the Introduction. D. Disclose the anticipated findings, your hypotheses and your hunches. E. Describe the procedures you will use to remain open to unexpected information (e. G. Peer debriefing). F. Discuss the limitations of your study in the context of the limitations Of all similar studies. Characteristics of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods There are 2 broad categories of data collection methods: quantitative and qualitative. The difference in the 2 categories lies in the approach and the types of questions they seek to answer. There is the erroneous perception that quantitative methods are more objective and that qualitative methods are more subjective. Todays researchers recognize that both methods have subjective and objective qualities.Quantitative Methods Quantitative research uses methods adopted from the physical sciences that are designed to ensure objectivity, reliability and the ability to generalist. They seek to exert maximum control over the questions and potential answers and most often incorporate probability sampling methods to allow for statistical inference to the larger study population. The researcher is considered external to the actual research, and results are expected to be replicable no matter who conducts the research. Quantitative methods help to answer questions such as who, how much, and how many.Where probability sampling is used, statistical analysis will provide precise estimates for study variables, such as frequencies, averages, ranges, means, and percentages, at a known and quantifiable degree of confidence. The intent is to gather data to test a pre-determined hypothesis and only answers to those questions/variables included in the questionnaire are collected. Questions are not open-ended and respondents are expected to provide short answers. This eases analysis, but limits the degree to which respondents participate and are able to provide explanations that they perceive (causes, rationale).Rather, explanations are sought by comparing associations and potentially causal relationships between variables (e. G. Diarrhea prevalence is lower among children whose primary drinking water resource is a borehole; the lower prevalence, therefore, is explained by the source Of water). Strengths Precise estimates, backed by statistical theory, are often invaluable for decision-making and advocacy because they are robust and objectively verifiable if the data is collected and analyses correctly.Weaknesses The greatest weakness of the quantitative approach is that it can take human behavior out of context in a way that removes the event from its real world setting. Factors or variables left out of the data collection instrument are simply not considered in analysis. Qualitative Methods Qualitative research methods are designed to provide the researcher with the perspective of target audience members through immersion in their culture or situation and through direct interaction with them. These methods help to answer questions such as how and why.The focus is on presenting perceptions, judgments, and opinion ions and on explaining meanings, processes and reasons. Qualitative interviews differ from traditional structured interviews, in which formal questionnaires are used, by not being limited to a set of predetermined questions to be asked in sequence. Instead, the interviewer sees a checklist of topics to guide the interview, pursuing avenues that open along the way. When applying qualitative methods, the researcher becomes the instrument of data collection and results may vary greatly depending upon the researcher. Hypotheses and additional follow-up questions are generated during data collection and analysis, and measurement tends to be subjective. Therefore, by their very nature, the methods are Often not objectively verifiable. The strengths of using qualitative methods are that they generate rich, detailed data that leave the participants perspectives intact and provide a context for their behavior. Respondents provide their own explanations in a participatory exchange with interviewers. Weaknesses The weaknesses of using qualitative methods are that data collection and analysis may be labor intensive and time-consuming.As a result the number of respondents to which the method is applied is usually far fewer than for quantitative methods. Another disadvantage is that qualitative methods are often not objectively verifiable. When to use Quantitative or Qualitative Methods It is often appropriate to employ both quantitative and qualitative methods as they complement each others strengths and weaknesses. Qualitative methods might be used to explore issues during the early stages of a longer study, enabling the researchers to understand better what closed-ended and focused questions need to be asked as part of a quantitative study.Conversely, quantitative methods might highlight particular issues, which could then be studied in more depth through the use Of qualitative methods and open-ended discussions. Also remember that quantitative data can result from qualitative methods and qualitative data can result from quantitative methods, such that the distinction between the 2 is often blurred. It is critical o note that the indicator does not necessarily pre-determine the data collection method. More often than not available resources and staff expertise will drive the decision to choose one data collection m ethod over another.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
PH Lab Experiment Essays - Equilibrium Chemistry, Titration, PH
pH Lab Experiment By Jeff Price Biology 101- 011 Dr. Art Ellis 1 May 1997 Trident Technical College Charleston, South Carolina 29423 pH Lab Experiment Abstract: Upon hypothesizing that stomach medicines are useful in neutralizing the acidic affects of beverages when used properly an experiment was designed to test this theory. The experiment incorporated the use of white grape juice to be the acid, Maalox as the antacid, and red cabbage juice as the pH indicator. A control group was also formulated by substituting distilled water for the antacids. After mixing the solutions in separate test tubes, any changes were recorded. These changes were the indicators for the pH level of the mixture. The tube containing white grape juice changed to a pink color (pH value 3). The tube containing Maalox changed to a greenish blue (pH value of 8). There was no change in the control group. Then when white grape juice and Maalox were tested, a blue color resulted (pH value of 7, neutral). Therefore, the experiment shows that antacids can be effective neutralizers with proper use and understanding of how they work. Introduction: ?pH is the measurement of positive hydrogen ions (H+) in solution. A substance that has a high concentration of H+ is acidic. A substance that has a low concentration of H+ is basic (alkaline)? (Dickey, 1995). The measurements of pH are obtained through paper tests, machine measurements, or the use of other indicators. Most of these other indicators rely on a change in a mixtures color in order to determine the pH level of the substance. These colors have been coordinated with pH values. The pH values begin at 0 and run to 14. A pH value of 0-6 indicates an acidic solution. A pH value of 7 indicates a neutral substance and a pH value of 8-14 represents a base (Starr and Taggart, 1995). ?The ability to measure pH has become important in the manufacture of foods, paper, and chemicals? (Altwicker and Micheal, 1985). In the following experiment, a pH comparison is made between beverages and stomach medicines. ?Some studies suggest that antacids may be of no benefit or may actually be har mful to the user? (Graf, 1985). One hypothesizes is that stomach medicines are useful in neutralizing the acidic affects of beverages when used properly. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted using eight clean test tubes, parafilm, red cabbage juice, white grape juice, 7UP, Club Soda, Seltzer Water, Milk of Magnesia, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Maalox With a 5mL delivery pipet and a green pi-pump, 3mL of either a beverage or medicine was added to the test tubes. In the eighth test tube, 3 milliliters of white grape juice and Maalox were combined. The tubes were labeled accordingly and then placed in a holding rack. Using a clean 5mL pipet with pi-pump, 3mL of red cabbage juice was added to each of the eight solutions. Parafilm was used to cover the test tubes and then the mixture were lightly shaken. Results: The reaction (color) of each test tube solution of either beverage or stomach medicine was compared to the color spectrum. The pH values of each solution was then recorded. The following chart shows the pH value of each solution. BeveragepHMedicinepH White grape Juice3Milk of Magnesia12 7UP4Sodium Bicarbonate10 Club Soda6Maalox8 Seltzer Water5 CombinationSolution White grape juice/Maalox 7 The beverages used in this experiment fully represent the acidic end of the pH scale (6-0). Stomach medicines in this case, represent the base side of the scale (8-14). On the pH scale, 7 is neutral and thus white grape juice mixed with Maalox resulted in a pH of 7. Discussion and Conclusion: In this pH experiment, it is shown that antacids such as Maalox can be used effectively in neutralizing acidic stomach acid when used properly. There are variations in acidity in each and every beverage as shown in the chart. The closer a pH value of a beverage is to 7 (neutral), the less likely that someone will have and acidic stomach. Therefore, the less acidic the stomach condition, the less likely someone will need to use an antacid. There is justification to be concerned about harmful effects of misuse. Excessive amounts of antacids will cause the pH balance in the stomach to become basic in nature. If this is allowed to continue, too basic is just as
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