Significance of chapter 5 Essay Example for Free

Significance of chapter 5 Essay By making Victor agree on devoting two years of his life to creating a hideous monster, so that people can live in peace, and nobody getting hurt by the Monster again demonstrates that Victor is a decent man; but also making the creation seem even more heartless. The language used in the novel can also be related to the way the society acts towards Victor and the creation. People were deeply religious; and also the suggestion that man can posses the same powers as God was shocking and immoral to the church. Victor Frankenstein had stolen dead bodies from a graveyard, and the church thought this was disrespectful. Although the monster was created by human parts; society judged him because he was different. They judged him from what they saw on the outside rather that the inside appearance. In the gothic era, people who did not follow the code of being standard where immediately hated by the crowd and banned for the reason of being different. When the creation was deserted he wondered in to town, but he had hardly placed [his] foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted(4). From that moment on he realized that people did not like his appearance and hated him because of it. Society had rejected him. The novel as a whole was linked to the everyday life of Mary Shelly and what happened in society around her. She came up with the idea of Frankenstein in a time of wonder. Shelly- after losing her babies, wondered whether you could bring the dead back to life or rather create a new being. She also had a neighbour named Vultair who was experimenting on bringing frogs back to life using electricity. With in a year Shelly was living in Switzerland with her future husband Percy Bysshe. One night she had her friends come over and decided to have a competition to see who could write the best ghost story. Everyone began to write except Shelly, who was unable to think of a storyline. Desperate for inspiration, that night she had a dream; of a scientist who creates life and is horrified by the thing he has made. Historical influences in the book where brought upon the fact that Victor took on the role of being God. When Victor creates the monster it is seen as a biblical quotation. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs (5). At this moment in time the monster is playing Adam, and Victor, his creator, God. Victor creates the monster as an innocent without sin. The monster is not born evil, and his corruption is not his fault. The monster becomes a violent creature after he learns from the human society. The monster was shunned, beaten and offended. His reward for saving a girl was being shot. He was like Adam. Adam was also born innocent through God, until he tasted the apple from the Tree of Knowledge, from then on he was cast from the heavenly paradise of innocence. In the gothic era science was feared because people were not ready for change. As a result of living in the dark ages; there was no great change made in sciences. When Victor made the creation using science it brought great fear to the society. People feared of how the monster looked like and what it was able to do. The novel as a hole is linked to chapter 5 because the theme of playing God is still present in the novel. When God created Adam, Adam felt lonely. Similar to how the creation felt lonely; and asked Victor to create a female companionship. However unlike God Victor did not create the female because the idea of the harm the monsters would bring towards the ones he loved was too painful. When God created Eve she sinned against him by not obeying him and eating the forbidden fruit. Fearing what the monster was capable on its own only enhanced Victors fear of what it would be capable of when another was created. In conclusion chapter 5 is very significant to the novel as whole. It is basically the turning point of the novel; where the creation is made. The writers use of language is relevant to how the characters behave and how the writer sets up the atmosphere of the novels setting. Reading the novel is educational and teaches alot, similar to how the 19th century life was different from the life we live in now. This brings up the question would the creature be treated differently if it had been created now? The whole novel is based on a what if bases and is also important for considering when it was written and the ethics behind it. This is revealed by the way Shelly uses language for contrast. The characters in the novel are more on the tow dimensional type of characters. These characters are built around a single idea or quality and are not described in a great detail. Their main role is usually to contrast or support the main characters. In Frankenstein, the only three dimensional characters are victor and his creation. These are the characters that are described in great dept. chapter 5 raises the questions that are later on answered in the novel and the story of Frankenstein explains how different Mary Shellys time was from ours. 1 (1)- Book- Frankenstein/ the modern Protheus. Author- Mary Shelly Published-1993 by worldworth edition limited Chapter 5 page 30 (2) -Chapter 5 page 1 (3) -Chapter 5 page 37 (4)- Chapter 11 page 57 (5)- Chapter 5 page 56Â   Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Analysis of Free Trade and Free Trade Agreements

Analysis of Free Trade and Free Trade Agreements Introduction In 1776 Adam Smith published â€Å"The Wealth of Nations†, in which he introduced the proposition that free trade among nations improves overall economic welfare. The concept of free trade has since become a generally accepted principle. A considerable number of economists assume that free trade is beneficial for countries involved in and raises overall economic welfare. Free trade, generally explained as the elimination of tariffs, quotas, or other governmental restrictions on international trade. This allows each nation to specialize in the production of goods that it can produce relatively cheaper and more efficient than other countries, which eventually results in higher real income. In spite of free trades benefits, it sometimes hurts the domestic industry, because the removal of tariffs makes it difficult for domestic firms to compete with the cheaper imports of that good coming from partners. Free trade agreements among countries are set up multilaterally, bilaterally or regionally. Multilateral agreement involves a number of countries, which is currently promoted by World Trade Organization (WTO) that also permits implementation of bilateral (involves two countries) and regional (involves two or more countries in a region) arrangements. WTO website reports that 462 bilateral and regional trade agreements are in force up to February 2010. In this report, the theory of free trade agreements is analyzed on the basis of economics along with their practice in real life taking into account the examples of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the European Union (EU). Furthermore, given empirical evidence related to free trade agreements provides a clear picture of the pattern of those agreements. Economic Integration Free trade agreement (FTA) is a negotiated treaty among a designated group of countries that have accepted to eliminate trade barriers between them. As a consequence, member countries allow one another preferential consideration in trade. In order, this results in closer economic integration between nations. Economic integration is materialized under several associations. First of those is free trade areas (FTAs), under which tariffs and non-tariff barriers on trade have been eliminated between members, nevertheless, each country preserves its private trade policies outside the region. The second preferential trade institution is customs union, in which countries create free trade among members and keep hold ofcommon tariffs and other policies outside the organization. Common markets, the third type of preferential trade, is a further step of customs union, which not only promotes elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers with common tariffs for non-members, but also free moveme nt of capital and labour across internal borders within the market. The last form of arrangement in terms of preferential treatment is economic union, in which countries go further beyond by bringing together their economies with setting up a common currency, in order a unified monetary policy, at the same time as other economic institutions. The most essential example of such a group of member countries is the European Union, which initially started as a customs union and eventually reached to an economic union.According to Cooper (2005), majority of recent FTAs comprise rules oneconomic activities along with trade in goods, including foreign investment, intellectualproperty rights protection, treatment of labor and environment, and trade in services.The dimension and complexity of the FTA will predominantly demonstrate the size and difficulty ofthe economic relations. Economics of Free Trade Free trade agreements are believed to bring economic growth to member countries with respect to the volume of trade. According to Trentmann (1998:226), â€Å"thedoctrine of free trade, that provides unrestricted commodity exchange between places is the best way to advance their mutual prosperity†. To explain the benefits of free trade, economists use David Ricardos theory of comparative advantage and basic tariff or quota analysis. In 1817 Ricardo presented the concept of comparative advantage, which is regarded as one of the most significant laws of economics. It refers to, for a country,producing a good or a service at a lower cost compared to another good within an economy. Therefore, the comparative advantage ability of a nation contributes to trade with its partner. Even if a country has an absolute disadvantage in producing any good than the other nation, there is still a foundation for joint beneficial trade. According to the theory, bearing in mind two goods, the first nation should specialize in production and exportation of the good, in which it has smaller absolute disadvantage and importationof the item in which its absolute disadvantage is greater.As a result, specialization among nations, allows them to allocate their scarce resources to the production of the certain goods and services, in which that country has a comparative advantage. Since free trade grants specialization among countries, this expands worldwide output level. The welfare of specialization with economies of scale, which is the fall in costs because of output increases, makes the global production possibility frontier to enlarge. This displays the fact that under free trade the quantity of produced goods and services is higher than the previous level, which leads to international economic prosperity. Another method of describing the advantage of free trade is using a basic tariff analysis. A tariff is a tax on imports, which simply raises the price collected by domestic producers of that good. Figure 1 shows the benefit of free trade with the example of tariff assumption. The above graph illustrates the imposition of an import tariff on a made-up good. Previous to tariff, Pworld is the price of the good in the world market. However, the levied tax on the good increases the domestic price from Pworld to Ptariff. As a consequence of higher prices, the domestic production grows from Qs1 to Qs2 at the same time domestic consumption shrinks from Qc1 to Qc2. The increase in price due to introduced tariff has significant effects on the welfare of the society. This ultimately leads to a decrease in consumer surplus with the new border of Ptariff level, a rise in producer surplus up to Ptariff level, and additional revenue for the government (the blue area). Nevertheless, the consumer loss is considerably more than the profits of producers and the government together. The size of societal loss is shown by the two triangles. Hence, imposition of tariff makes society worse off, vice versa; free trade would provide a net gain for society. The similar analysis of export tariffs, import and export quotas all generate practically very same results. This makes consumers occasionally better off and producers worse off or sometimes consumers worse off and producers better off, yet establishing trade barriers create a net loss to trading countries as the amount of losers from trade limitations is greater than winners from those restrictions. Landsburg (2004), based on empirical evidence, states that free trade also produces winners and losers; nonetheless, the volume of gains from free trade is bigger than the losses. Hence, being under free trade positively affects nations economic welfare. Economic impact of free trade Formation of free trade agreements throughout the world raises notions about their impact on member countries and nonmembers. The issue has been discussed by economists and separated them into those who are strongly against the free trade and find it economically inefficient, and those who are in favour of it and believe that it creates freer trade. To build their analysis on the impact of the free trade, economists use the theories of trade creation and trade diversion. Jacob Viner first introduced these theories in 1950, whose work later has been mostly applied for free trade agreements. The concept of trade creation is based on the assumption that a member country substitute domestic production of a good with imports of that good from another member, since launch of free trade makes it more profitable to import rather than produce domestically. This is also described as a shift from a higher cost domestic zone to a lower cost partner source. Trade creation with an example of a European Union (EU) member. A member country should import from a EU partner, which charges a lower price thanks to termination of tariffs and this leads to a rise in consumer surplus. The creation of trade contributes to economic welfare within the member countries as resources are utilized more efficiently. Trade diversion is implemented when a member country shifts its import of a good from an efficient nonmember to a less efficient partner in view of the fact that elimination of tariffs among the members and imposition of tariffs on imports from nonmembers make it more affordable to do so. It is a shift from lower cost international territory to a higher cost regional partner source. The graph of trade diversion again using the example of EU. In view of the fact that, EU is a customs union, it has a common external tariff on products coming from nonmember countries. This raises the price of imports from the rest of the world, which at the same time brings inefficiency by reducing consumer surplus. Consequently, costs are higher for a EU country if it formerly had entry for a lower cost producer. The graph also shows the deadweight losses as a result of trade diversion. Trade diversion is meant to lower economic welfare as a less efficient producer now uses resources rather than an efficient one. In general, creation of free trade agreements are subject to both trade creation and trade diversion. When countries are forming a freer trade among themselves, with respect to pattern of the agreement, they could be economically and financially deteriorated. This would be a result if diversion of trade exceeds its creation according to Lipsey and Lancasters (1956) general theory of the second best principle. Therefore, forming a FTA does not always improve efficiency or bring prosperity, but sometimes moving to it may reduce the national welfare of the nations involved. Empirical Evidence Foundation of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947, significantly affected expansion of world trade by reducing tariff barriers on manufactured goods. Over the years, average tariffs have fallen from around 40 percent to about 5 percent currently. GATT became World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 and now involves worlds 153 countries. Although WTOs success on world trade, it still has the problem of maintaining and extending liberalism in the global trading system. Multilateral negations, which include many trading partners, over trade liberalization move very slowly. Besides this, it has not had a great success in liberalizing trade in agriculture, textile, or apparel industries. For this reason, rather than multilateral negotiations, bilateral or regional trade agreements has become a preference for a number of countries. Source:http://www.unescap.org/tid/projects/rtaap_overview.pdf The rapid increase in the regional trade agreements from the 1950s hitherto. It is indicated that around 450 RTAs have been notified to the WTO, of which almost 250 are currently in force. Source: http://www.unescap.org/tid/projects/rtaap_overview.pdf Source: http://www.unescap.org/tid/projects/rtaap_overview.pdf In its early years, implementation of a free trade agreement was subject to free trade of only goods, however, currently trade agreements involves trade in services as well. According to the UNESCAP (2009), out of current 246, 171 RTAs cover trade in goods, 61 trade in services and 15 are accessions to existing RTAs. Besides this, 70% of RTAs being reached an agreement but not yet in force, provides free movement of services on trade. Source: http://www.unescap.org/tid/projects/rtaap_overview.pdf The above chart displays that the majority of trade agreements with 82% are free trade areas, whereas only 11% of those account for customs union and the remaining part belongs to partial scope. Slow progress on the multilateral agenda has led to many countries to attain more efficient negotiations for the deeper regional integration.One of these agreements is North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA NAFTA is a trilateral free trade treaty that came into force in January 1994 involving three countries-United States, Canada, and Mexico. The fundamental object of the agreement was to put an end to the huge majority of trade barriers among the members. The formation of NAFTA led to the instant removal of tariffs on US-Mexico business transactions, whereas nearly all US-Canada trade was already tax-free. According to Hufbauer and Schott (2005), NAFTA was created to boost economic growth by stimulating competition in domestic markets and promoting investment through national and international sources. They also state that this has worked and consequently has brought efficiency and productivity to North American Firms. Currently, they can benefit from economies of scale in production and intra-industry specialization. NAFTA at a Glance NAFTA Partners Canada U.S. Mexico Combined Population (2008 est.) 33.3 million 304.1 million 106.7 million 444.1 million Languages English and French English Spanish GDP (2008) 1,501 billion 14,441 billion 1,087 billion 17.0 trillion Trade with NAFTA 570.8 billion 919.9 billion 393.5 billion 946.1 billion Inward FDI (2008) 240.0 billion 229.8 billion 156.0 billion _1 Jobs created (1993-2008) 4.3 25.1 9.3 39.7 Employment Level, 2008 17.1 145.4 43.2 205.7 Source: http://www.naftanow.org/facts/default_en.asp Establishment of NAFTA has contributed significantly to the trade relations between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Although, economists disagree whether the growth is a direct outcome of the agreement, the expansion is proved by the facts from the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). USTR (2008) reports that trade within the members more than tripled between 1993 and 2008, from $297 billion to $946.1 billion. Besides this, business investment in the United States has risen by 117 percent between the same years, as compared to a 45 percent rise in the fourteen years prior. Trade with NAFTA members, currently, makes up more than 80 percent of Canadian and Mexican trade, and more than a third of U.S. trade. NAFTA has allowed North American businesses to have a better entry to sources including materials, technology, investment and human capital accessible within the partners. This brings competitiveness to the businesses in the North America as a consequence of trade liberalization. In order, trade liberalization makes an important role in promoting economic growth. Since NAFTA came into force, the economy of member countries has more than doubled in size. As it is shown in the Figure 4, in 2008, the combined gross domestic product (GDP) for partners exceeded US$17 trillion, up from US$7.6 trillion in 1993. Both Mexico and Canada have experienced economic growth since the formation of NAFTA. Being a member of this institution caused a rapid increase in trade with the United States for these economies. Thanks to trade liberalization, a substantial reduction in prices for Mexico and Canadas consumers occurred as a result of tariff removals along with bringing up efficiency in business relations.In case of United States, NAFA countries became top two largest export markets in 2008. USTR (2009) reports that the value of U.S. exports to NAFTA was $412.4 billion in 2008, up 7.2 % ($27.6 billion) from 2007, and up 190% from 1993 (the year before NAFTA). The top export categories (2-digit HS) in 2008 were: Machinery ($63.5 billion), Vehicles (parts) ($59.5 billion), Electrical Machinery ($49.2 billion) and Mineral Fuel and Oil ($27.9 billion), and Plastic ($22.3 billion) (USTR. 2009). U.S. exports to NAFTA evaluated 32.0% of total U.S. exports in 2008, down slightly from 32.2% in 1994. Whereas U.S. imports from NAFTA accounted for 26.4% of overall U.S. imports in 2008, down from 26.9% in 1994. NAFTA countries Canada ($339.5 billion) and Mexico (215.9 billion) are totaled the largest and third largest importers for U.S. respectively in 2008. U.S. goods imports from NAFTA accounted for $554.4 billion in 2008, up 5.2% ($27.7 billion) from 2007, and up 268% from 1993 (USTR, 2009). The five largest categories in 2008 were Mineral Fuel and Oil (crude oil) ($157.8 billion), Vehicles ($79.7 billion), Electrical Machinery ($63.5 billion), Machinery ($46.5 billion), and Special Other (returns) ($14.3 billion). It is very obvious that NAFTA has become very successful in soaring trade between its member nations. Yet, it is not very clear to understand whether the increase is really contributed to world trade or whether the increase actually symbolizes trade diversion. Just like any other free trade area, NAFTA members are subject to hold their own external tariff for third countries. This behavior of FTAs features Rules of Origin (ROO) concept. Its intention is to prevent trade deflection, i.e. goods or services accessing the member country with the lowest tariff for the object of trans-shipment. Although a product, coming from a member, has an access of free entry, if it contains material or processing from a third country it is then necessary to set which such inputs are permitted (Augier). A quite number of negative effects are attributed to ROO in economic literature. It could be said that these rules are protectionist and leads to negative economic welfare.Krueger (1997) states that eve n where the purpose of ROO is not protectionist, they provide a great amount of cost for producers and administrators. NAFTA possesses restrictive rules of origin procedure as well.Hufbauer and Schott (2005:23) comment that in a few industries, most notably textiles and apparel where yarn forward rules of origin were imposed specifically to make US textile firms the preferred suppliers for Mexican apparel manufacturers, NAFTA has indeed fostered trade diversion†.The rules of origin have possibly brought about trade diversion for certain industries under NAFTA. European Union European Union (EU) is the worlds largest trading bloc. The Treaty of Rome established the foundation of the EU in 1958. This treaty created a supranational institution called European Economic Community (EEC) between six countries (France, Western Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). The primary purpose of the EEC was to create a customs union and an incomplete common market. Customs Union has entailed free trade between members with the protection of the union against the rest of the world. Merging markets brought up rapid progress in the 1960s and early 1970s. The following objective was to implement an economic union by setting up common policies. In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty implemented the single market and the European Union was formally established. Currently, the EU involves 27 countries with over 500 million population. The advantages from free trade predicted by theory encouraged the founders of EU to adopt removal of barriers on trade. In the 1970s and 1980s the new partners both those, which joined in 1972 (the UK, Ireland and Denmark) and those, which joined in the 1980s (Spain, Portugal, and Greece) eliminated all tariffs and quotas in intra-EU trade. After the completion of the customs union, the EU has picked a common external tariff (CET) in their relation with the rest of the world. The CET principle applies generally to all manufactured products. Until recently it did not apply to agricultural products market, which is protected by the EU. Nonetheless, being under a customs union has had a favorable influence on the EU members so that trade among member states overweighs the trade with the third countries. Between 1958 and 1972, the trade among the six original EU members had increased by nine times, whereas goods trade with the third countries grew by three times (Molle, 2006). This was attributed to the trade creation effect of the EU. In 1993, the completion of single market provided removal of all trade barriers and free movement of goods, services, capital and people within the EU. It is believed that the single market actually benefits the union with reducing the business costs along with stimulating competition and increasing efficiency for the advantage of consumers. BIS reports that in 2006 the EUs GDP was 2.2% higher than it would have been in the absence of the Single Market, which benefited consumers by an average increase of â‚ ¬518 per capita. Furthermore, an extra 2.75 million jobs have been created as a result of the single market across Europe. Molle (2006) states that in the period 1960-2000 intra-EU trade has expanded by almost 7 per cent annually, which is considerably in excess of GDP growth. The main factors of this growth were the EU integration and ongoing liberalization of world trade. After the enlargement of Austria, Finland, and Sweden in 1995, original members trade with the three new partners increased significantly, indicating an effect of integration. In 2004 and 2007, EU experienced its biggest enlargement by the join of 12 Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). This resulted in changes in the EUs trade pattern because enlargement made the new partners as a part of intra-EU trade, which used to be considered as an extra-EU commerce. As a result, EUs internal trade accounted for nearly two thirds of the EUs total foreign trade, summing approximately â‚ ¬4.9 trillion in 2006 (Panorama of European Union Trade). David (2009) based on his research, states that the enlargement led to a net trade creation caused by notable gross trade between the EU and CEECS. Although exports from older 15 members to new eastern European members surpass their imports, this in general increases liberalized trade between partners and creates overall positive impact. Free Trade Area vs Customs Union Both of these two major forms of economic integration have a distinctive behavior that has notable implications. For an FTA, with every single country possessing its own external tariff, the ROO is the typical feature. In terms of a CU, the distinguishable factor is the common external tariff (CET), which is related to third countries. When a common external tariff is the case, imports into the unions area meet the same tariff in each member country; therefore there is no incentive for trans-shipment of imports among members. Mirus and Rylska statethat the once CET established, it remains non-negotiable, although this may result in increase in non-tariff barriers, common commercial and trade policies would limit such attempts. The administrative simplicity in a CET makes it easy to implement, promoting efficiency and competition as a result of lowered input costs. Taking into account FTAs ROO feature, Krueger (1995) has revealed that an FTA does not cause more net trade creation than a CU for the same partners. Besides this, an FTA will not be economically more successful than a CU for the same members, if the CET is placed below the level of the high cost country. In this situation, trade is created when the high cost nation lowers production because of tariff cuts, in contrast an FTA would maintain the tariff and creates less trade. Considering the protectionist (trade-diversion) effect of ROO, this accounts for more trade creation and less trade diversion for a CU. Bearing in mind the borders and separate customs operation under an FTA, a CU resembles a larger single market, in which the power of interest groups compared to an FTA is significantly low and scale economics along with competition effects are importantly greater. Furthermore, a fairly large CU will have a remarkable influence on the prices of globally traded products, compellin g non-member countries to undertake the existed prices inside the CU. As a result, non-members will export to the CU at prices that contains CET and transport costs, granting an aspect of monopsony power to the CU. This effect is not that clear for an FTA with similar partners. Hence, the welfare-enhancing benefit of a CU is greater than those of an FTA. Conclusion This report provides analysis of free trade and free trade agreements with their economic implications including economic integration, comparative advantage, trade creation and trade diversion effects. Moreover, the practical impacts of NAFTA, the worlds largest free trade area, alongside the European Union, which is the worlds biggest customs union, are surveyed. The results reveal that formation of both of these institutions has enormously increased the dimensions of trade among members. In addition, a rise in investment, competition and closer economic integration has contributed economic welfare of the countries involved. Welfare enhancing characteristic of free trade as a consequence of elimination of trade barriers stimulate nations to implement free trade agreementsacross the world. This was primarily undertaken by GATT/WTO, however, inefficiency and inadequacy of this institution in trade liberalization required countries to move towards the bilateral and regional trade agree ments preferred to multilateral trade negotiations. Under regional trade agreements, Bhagwati (1992) states that trade diversion is more likely to prevail trade creation in most cases. Besides this, the dominant view among mainstream economists is that regionalism is disadvantageous for the multilateral trading system because they bear discriminatory features in their nature. In contrast, Krugman favors regional agreements and states that contemporary trade barriers are much more complicated to agree on multilateral level, whereas, negotiating in regional forums is really easy to cope with. Moreover, he does not find regional trade agreements to have any kind of negative effect on multilateral structure. Recent studies demonstrate that,under regional and bilateral trade agreements, trade diversion effects are limited and a significant amount of trade creation effects dominate under those treaties (Urata and Okabe, 2007).Both the cases of NAFTA and the European Union show that the tr ade creation effects prevail, as a result, this generates economic welfare.

Experiment for Identification of Paracetamol

Experiment for Identification of Paracetamol PATRICK ANTWI MANU IDENTIFICATION OF PARACETAMOL THROUGH THE USE OF PHARMACOPIEA TEST ABSTRACT Paracetamol is widely used (NHS Choice, 2012) for the relief of minor pain, toothache, headaches, symptoms of cold and reduces of patient’s temperature (control fever symptoms). It is classified as a mild analgesic agent. The following procedures were used during the experiment of identification of paracetamol. TLC method is important for separation of mixture. This technique is commonly used to determine the presence of particular compound through comparison of Rf values of both unknown samples and the standard samples. Melting point analysis is also useful for identification of compound. The melting point range can be indicated and recorded with the help of a thermometer. For instance, the melting point of paracetamol ranges from168 to172 degree Celsius Infra-red spectroscopy is one of the most essentially useful methods for identification of compound. It is usually used to identify medicines that contain correct drug in most pharmaceutical industries. Structural information about the functional group of unknown compounds can be ascertained through the use of infra-red spectroscopy. Significantly, the results generated during this experiment attest the accuracy and importance of these methods for identification of compounds. For example, the Rf values of TLC method as well as infra-red spectroscopy analysis demonstrated the presence of paracetamol and cafeine in sample ‘B’ and ‘D’ respectively. INTRODUCTION Paracetamol is the best alternative choice for children and ulcer patients who have a minor pain such as headache and children. Consequently, too much it (NHS Choice 25/06/2012) can cause severe harm to the kidney and the liver. AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT Identify paracetamol from various unknown samples through pharmacopeia test. Hypothesis The range of melting point of the samples that contain paracetamol would be (168 to 172) degree Celsius. Again, the samples that contain paracetamol only would turn into violet without changing to red after the experiment D. The Rf values of unknown samples that contains paracetamol would be the same as the Rf value of the standard sample when compared. Apparatus used for the experiment Micro-spatula UV-light Indicator IR spectroscopy Melting apparatus Pencil Rule Chromatography tank TLC plate Thin capillary tube Conical flask Beaker Micro-pipette Materials used Ethyl acetate Four unknown samples Water Dichromate METHODS Melting point analysis Melting point analysis was conducted for all the four unknown samples labelled A, B, C, and D. Small amount of crystals of each unknown samples was fetched into the melting point capillary tube. The capillary tube contained the sample was placed into the melting point apparatus. The samples temperature was measured with digital thermometer. Hence, both initial and final melting point of the samples was observed and recorded. This experiment was repeated twice to obtain the ranges of the melting point. INFRA-RED TECHNIQUE During the experiment, the arm of IR spectroscopy was cleansed with (ethanol) alcohol. The background of IR spectroscopy was scanned. Hence, each sample was placed on the mouth of the IR spectroscopy and scanned. The wavelength detected the various bound in each compound. Copies of each compound scanned was printed out for observation and reading. EXPERIMENT D FOR IDENTIFICATION TEST ANALYSIS The experiment D was conducted for all the four unknown samples labelled A, B, C, and D. 0.1g of each unknown samples were measured with macro spatula and 1ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid was added to it. The solution was gently shake and heated to boil for about three minutes. 1ml of water was added to the boiling solution. After boiling, the solution was then placed in an ice bath to cool. Observation was made and there was no precipitation form. Therefore, 0.05m of 4.9/L solution of potassium dichromate was added to it and the colour developed for sample ‘B’ was violet without changing into red. However, the colour developed for sample ‘A’ was slightly red and changed to purpled whilst sample ‘C’ and ‘D’ developed yellow hint colour and diluted violet colour respectively. TLC METHOD A solvent system of about 20ml of ammonia: methanol: chloroform (1:19:80) was placed into the chromatography tank. A filter paper was placed against the wall inside the chromatography tank. The tank lid was placed on to prevent the evaporation of the solvent. The tank was left for about twenty minutes to allow saturated atmosphere to be formed. TLC method was conducted by using four unknown samples labelled A, B, C, D and ethyl acetate. During the experiment, a solution was made from each of the four unknown samples A, B, C, and D respectively. Thus, about 10mg of each sample was fetched with micro-spatula into the small beaker and dissolved with the small volume of ethyl acetate. Moreover, TLC plate was prepared by measuring 1.5cm distance from the edge of the plate with a rule. A horizontal line was drawn and marked the intervals with a pencil. The distance in between each interval was about 1.5cm apart. The line was demarcated into six intervals for the four unknown samples as well as the standard samples, which comprises of paracetamol and caffeine solution. Each solution was fetched with the help of a micro-pipette and spotted on the TLC plate at different intervals. In addition, the standard sample solutions of paracetamol and caffeine were spotted on the same plate at different position. Thus, spot A, B, C, D, Par and Caff in that order. The TLC plate was placed into the chromatography tank and covered with the lid. The solvent then moved up gradually through capillary action. Hence, the solute spotted on the TLC plate moved up along with the solvent (thus, mobile phase). TLC plate was removed from tank when the solvent reached about 2cm distance to the edge and marked with a pencil. Moreover, the plate was left to dry for about 20 minutes. After the evaporation of the solvent has taken place, TLC plate was then placed under the UV light for observation. A drawing was made with a pencil around the new spots formed on the plate. A measurement of the distance travelled by both solvent and substance were recorded. The Rf value was calculated for both unknown samples and the standard samples. Therefore, the Rf value was calculated base on the formula below. Rf value = distance travelled by substance divided by the distance travelled by solvent. Finally, the Rf values of unknown samples were compared with Rf values of the standard samples. The Rf value for paracetamol Rf = 3.90/6.1 Rf value = 0.639 = 0.64 RESULTS (b). Melting point analysis results SAMPLES A B C D MELTING POINT RANGE 171- 175 171 172 200 206 159 The sample ‘A’ is a bit higher than the normal range of the standard paracetamol sample. Equally, sample ‘B’ indicated the presence of paracetamol as the ranges 171-172 degree Celsius (c). (d). EXPERIMENT D FOR IDENTIFICATION ANALYSIS results SAMPLES A B C D Colour of solution Slightly red and turned to purple Violet Yellowish hint Dilute violet Sample ‘A’ developed purple colour which shows para-aminophenol The colour achieved for sample ‘B’ was violet which show positive result and it was therefore indicated the presence of paracetamol. The colour developed for sample ‘C’ was yellow hint which indicated the presence of caffeine. However, sample ‘D’ developed diluted violet colour which shows the presence of caffeine and paracetamol. Infra-red analysis results Sample AÂ   Sample B Bond Functional group Frequency / wave number absorption cm-1 Intensity v N-H amine 3319.12 stretch strong v C-H 2794.94 stretch strong/medium v O-H Hydrogen bond in alcohol, phenol 3109.51 stretch Strong v C=C 1650.71 Aromatic stretch s v C=O 1609.82 amide stretch N-H delta amide 1562.66 amide bend v C=C Aromatic stretch 1504.96 aromatic stretch The functional group obtained on sample ‘B’ indicated the presence of paracetamol. Sample C Sample D (g). Results for TLC analysis STANDARD SAMPLES Paracetamol Caffeine Rf values from TLC analysis 0.64 0.89 SAMPLES A B C D Rf values from TLC analysis 0.74 0.64 0.89 0.73 The Rf values calculated for TLC analysis indicated that sample B is paracetamol when compare with the standard samples. Thus, 0.64 Compound A, C, and D are less polar since they travelled faster and further in the mobile phase and they are more attracted to the mobile phase than compound B. However, compound B is more polar and travel slowly in the mobile phase. It is most attracted to the stationary phase. Discussion The experiment D of sample ‘B’ clearly showed positive outcome and indicated the presence of paracetamol as violet colour was achieved. In addition, TLC analysis also indicated that sample ‘B’ was paracetamol when Rf value of unknown samples ‘compared to the standard samples. Therefore, this shows the accuracy and precision of the positive outcomes of the experiment. Equally, the ranges obtained from melting analysis for sample ‘B’ also confirmed the presence of paracetamol. Experiment D of sample ‘A’ showed deep purple colour and the infra-red analysis confirmed that, it is para-aminophenol. Moreover, both experiment D, TLC method and infra-red analysis confirmed the presence of caffeine in sample ‘C’. However, sample ‘D’ developed dilute violet colour TLC analysis which shows a mixture of (two compounds) paracetamol and caffeine. The infra-red analysis also confirmed that, sample ‘D’ was a mixture of two compounds. Time SUMMARY REFERENCE Barber, J., Rostron, C.,(2013). Pharmaceutical Chemistry Hill, G., Holman, J,. (2011) Chemistry in Context. 6th edition NHS Choice, (25/06/2012). Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Painkillers-paracetamol/Pages/Introduction.aspx APPENDICES Mobile phase: Rf value: retention factor for thin layer chromatography. Stationary phase: TLC: thin layer chromatography UV light: ultraviolet light

Frederick Douglass :: essays research papers

Frederick Douglass asserts that he, as an adolescent "understood the pathway from slavery to freedom" upon his comprehension of English reading. To contemporary audiences, this may be a hard concept to grasp, an individual reared from birth as a slave understanding the significance of literacy and equating such with freedom. His cognition of this enormous concept can be explained as such: by breaking the literacy barrier, Douglass raised his status (symbolically) from a subhuman, slave status, to human, a White equal. Because all humans are entitled to certain rights, his symbolic progression from slave to human affords those rights, in particular the right to freedom. Slaves were forbidden to read and slave owners were forbidden to teach slaves to read and write. The existence of such a restriction on educating slaves is proof that the slaveholders felt a need to suppress the capabilities of slaves. As a slave, Douglass was given the opportunity to learn and elevate his status only to have all that, including the invitation to join "high" society snatched away. Such a tease and broken promise of a better day proved to be more than Douglass could bear. He devoted each of his idle moments to mastering the language arts. In addition, as if mastering it were not enough, Douglass meticulously educated other slaves in the English language of reading and writing. Douglass' action was indicative of the significance found in literacy. If he had not put literacy at such high esteem, he would not have taken the time to continue his education and persuade others to pursue theirs. Douglass knew first hand that education was a effective tool of empowe rment especially to slaves—those who had spent their lives without any power. This separation of man from education was a control issue and reclaiming control meant education one's self and his or her peers. Through educating his peers, Douglass demonstrated his knowledge of the underlying power in literacy. Douglass practiced not only reading but also writing his English language.

Concept :: essays research papers

Concept Manic depressive disorder is a chemical imbalance within the brain. This disorder disrupts you mood and causes your emotions to fluctuate. Mood swings. The disorder causes one to experience extreme depression and mania. The intensity of the mood swings vary going from mild, moderate, and severe. Without treatment the severity and frequency of the illness builds up over the years. Non-professionals normally call this disease â€Å"manic-depressive illness†. Those in the psychiatric field refer to it as â€Å"bipolar disorder†. Bipolar is a name given to this disorder because it refers to the two poles that range from depression on one end and mania on the other. One who has bipolar will experience severe depression. They lose interest in activities and hobbies. The loss of interest in things and people cause them to see things as meaningless. Hopelessness, worthlessness, sadness, and guilt are only a few of the feelings one is overwhelmed with. Most find it extremely difficult to concentrate, make decisions, and think. They are preoccupied with failures, loss of self-esteem, and can’t stop certain thoughts from intruding. Hallucinating, hearing voices, and delusions plague the person. 15% of untreated patients commit suicide. They experience changes in their weight. Most will lose weight but about 40% gain. Many experience insomnia. They will feel really tired, irritable, and restless. Change of behaviors includes the following: withdrawal from people and social events. The symptoms of mania start with feelings of happiness and joy and progress to the person feeling â€Å"on top of the world†. They feel like Lyles 2 they can do anything. They are creative, work more, and barely sleep.

History and Methods of science Essay

Isotope, one or two or more species of atom having the same atomic number, hence constituting the same element, but differing on mass number. As atomic number is equivalent to the number of protons in the nucleus, and mass number is the sum total of the protons plus the neutrons in the nucleus, isotopes of the same element differ from one another only in the number of neutrons in their nuclei. Source: â€Å"Isotope,† Microsoft Encarta 2006 (DVD), Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation 2005. Atom, tiny basic building block of matter. All the material on earth is composed of various combinations of atoms. Atoms are the smallest particles of a chemical element that still exhibit all the chemical properties unique to that element. A row of 100 million atoms would be only about a centimeter long. Understanding atoms is key to understanding the physical world. More than 100 different elements exist in nature. Each with its own unique atomic makeup. The atoms of these elements react with one another and combine in different ways to form a virtually unlimited number of chemical compounds. When two or more atoms combine, they form a molecule. For example, two atoms of the element hydrogen (H) combine with one atom of the element oxygen (O) to form a molecule of water. Source: â€Å"Atom,† Microsoft Encarta 2006 (DVD), Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation 2005.

Virtual Reality Research Paper

Technology has transformed people’s perception of the world by either creating new environments for them to traverse, or by providing them passage to corners of the earth they will never otherwise visit in their entire lifetimes. Technology has put to reality what people in the past could only dream of. Virtual reality, briefly defined as an environment that is computer-simulated, has transcended social and geographical barriers ever since its applications have been increasingly used by everyday people. Social and geographical barriers are just terms of the past and do not anymore apply on the strictest sense. Everyone can be anyone online. Whereas before it was limited only to labyrinth and high-cost applications availed of by expert users, virtual reality has now broadened its breadth to encompass the general public – which optimizes the Internet to configure, share and create virtual communities – benefitting society in the areas of education, law enforcement, medicine and industries. Defining Virtual Reality Virtual reality is an environment, which is computer-simulated, and the simulation could be that of an imaginary world, or a real one (Gajera, n.d.). Virtual reality environments are mainly three-dimensional â€Å"visual experiences† that are â€Å"displayed either on a screener through special or stereoscopic displays,† and enhanced by sensory information such as sounds that emanate from headphones or speakers (Gajera, n.d., p. 3). There are modern applications that provide force feedback or tactile information, which are generally used for gaming and medical applications. To experience this, multi-modal devices such as the omni directional treadmill, the Polhemus boom arm, or a wired glove is used, as in Figure 1 at Appendix Page (Gajera, n.d.). Michael R. Heim, in his book entitled, â€Å"The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality,† has named seven applications of virtual reality: network communication, full-body immersion, telepresence, immersion, artificiality, interaction and simulation (Gajera, n.d.). In light of these, a virtual environment may be defined as a digital space in which a user’s activities are monitored, and â€Å"his or her surroundings rendered, or digitally composed and displayed to the senses, in accordance with† those activities (Fox, Arena & Bailenson, 2009, p. 95). According to Jesse Fox, Dylan Arena, and Jeremy N. Bailenson, the critical element of the most fascinating virtual reality experiences is the hindering real, sensory impressions; a user’s senses are engaged in the virtual world, with the body consigned to a reality engine, as in Figure 1 at Appendix Page (Fox, Arena & Bailenson, 2009, p. 95). Technically, the virtual reality system uses both software and hardware which allow developers to produce virtual reality systems (Riva, 2009). The hardware elements are equipments, such as the central processing unit, the monitor, and other peripheral tools that receive inputs coming from devices that are manipulated by the user, and sends â€Å"multi-sensory output† to generate an imagery of a virtual world (Riva, 2009, p. 337). Meanwhile, the software element of a virtual reality system does not really create the virtual world. Rather, there is a separate software which projects the virtual world through the use of the virtual reality software system (Riva, 2009, p. 337). Hence, a virtual reality system is made up of a graphic rendering system, a â€Å"database construction and virtual object modeling software† and the input and output tools (Riva, 2009). The Impact of Virtual Reality on Society Virtual Reality has taken the world by storm, and is now tagged as the next dominant technological development. In the same way as the Internet, virtual reality was created for a specific purpose – but modern technology has made it more versatile. At first, virtual reality was conceptualized as a new medium of entertainment; but as time passed, it has found more useful uses from providing online education, to applications in the medical field and giving hope to people with terminal diseases. Currently, virtual reality is used in (i) businesses, specifically in the presentation of graphs and charts, (ii) industries like the automotive industry’s manufacturing arm, (iii) military for simulations and training, (iv) medical field for treatments of various ailments and disorders, and (v) education, specifically in laboratories, online education and virtual museums (Fortune City, 2010). It is foreseen that in the future, virtual reality will further enhance training at medical schools, commercial airlines, the Air Force, and will even be utilized by clothing manufacturers in the form of virtual reality shopping (Fortune City, 2010). 1. Education Educators and scientists have joined forces all throughout the U.S. to establish virtual reality education to students and teachers alike, through the use of head-mounted displays (HMD), Immersawalls, ImmersaDesks and Cave Automated Virtual Environments (CAVEs), see Figure 3 at Appendix Page (Rusch, Sherman & Thakkar, 2002, p. 205). CAVE has a standard size of 10’ x 10’ x 10’ space and has a floor, ceiling and three walls. Students utilizing this system don stereographic glasses which intensify images, and use a CAVE wand to assist that user as, i.e., molecule, or pedestrian, or fish, in navigating the virtual environment (Rusch, Sherman & Thakkar, 2002, p. 205). This is just a bird’s eye view of the role that virtual reality will play in education. Despite the fact that there are a good number of educational applications of virtual reality being availed of in the U.S. these days, the development of virtual reality has not yet achieved its maximum potential in the classroom (Rusch, Sherman & Thakkar, 2002, p. 205). The field of Career Technical Education has begun to benefit from virtual reality. Students can explore operating rooms, submarines, a prototype car, airplane cockpits, biotech laboratories, crime scenes and agricultural farms without having to travel, through the use of virtual reality (Ausburn & Ausburn, 2008). Again, through the use of CAVEs and HMDs, students are provided with three-dimensional simulations to give them a â€Å"sense of ‘being there’† (Ausburn & Ausburn, 2008, p. 43). This is not only beneficial in giving students a feel of the real thing but is also highly cost-effective for them. Those who cannot afford these courses in the past because of costs associated with training are now able to enroll in CTE courses because of virtual reality. A good number of careers necessitate learning that will allow individuals to safely carry out their tasks amid dangerous circumstances. In the past, students had to actually go through the tests using real-life situations. Because virtual reality is supremely realistic, it enables the student to benefit from active involvement with accurate and intricate visual scenes (Ausburn & Ausburn, 2008). Hence, training programs utilize virtual reality for railway and mining operations, dangerous driving scenarios, handling of hazardous materials, nuclear energy, marine exploration, space and aviation exploration, emergency medical operations, firefighting, military and law enforcement (Ausburn & Ausburn, 2008). The aim of these training programs is to teach students how to efficiently and effectively respond under high-cost, high-risk and complex circumstances, without damaging equipment and endangering personnel while still at training. There is no need for students to be apprehensive about the trainings because they are all simulated and safe. Despite being safe, they resemble the real scenarios such that students learn what they need to learn to equip them with the skills needed to respond according. The military uses simulated environments for its engineering squad to allow them to build or dismantle structures under different constraints without the personnel's lives in danger. Educational programs for courses like spray painting, bio-technology, aircraft maintenance, crime scene investigation and forensics, engineering, dentistry, surgical technology and welding also benefit from virtual technology. Because the technology is still fairly new, CAVEs are expensive to avail of. Moreover, it is also expensive to implement and sustain, because of the specialized skills that are needed to set it up and maintain it. Nevertheless, as technology continues to evolve, there is much promise for virtual reality systems that may be used through laptops or desktops, utilizing special software that are based on JAVA, Flash and QuickTime technologies (Ausburn & Ausburn, 2008). Figure 4 illustrates how virtual reality may be accessed from a web system (Ottoson & Holmdahl, 2007). Because of the benefits offered by virtual reality technologies, there is a high degree of enthusiasm surrounding it in the world of the academe. Figure 5 summarizes the benefits of virtual reality in education. 2. Law Enforcement Taking its cue from the September 11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. has been innovating on taking protective measures preserve the security of its citizenry. One effective way of doing this is through the use virtual reality for training and intelligence gathering purposes. The U.S. intelligence community has been using virtual reality to simulate â€Å"actual battlefields in the future,† utilizing cyber weapons for initiating attacks against terrorists and other potential adversaries (Wilson, 2008, p. 4). Military use of virtual technology is efficient and effective in training personnel manage better under potentially risky scenarios. Participants utilize avatars in virtual environments that simulate, i.e., a checkpoint in Iraq, or a New York subway tunnel subjected to terroristic chemical attacks (Wilson, 2008). The downside is that a study conducted in 2007 showed that American firms are not ready to take the lead in embracing Web 2.0 technology which is the foundation of virtual technology in the years to come. The leaders in this area are (i) India, with plans of escalating their virtual reality investments by 80%, (ii) Asia-Pacific companies, by 69%, (iii) European companies, by 65%, (iv) Chinese companies, by 64%, (v) North American companies, by 64%, and (v) Latin American companies, by 62% (Wilson, 2008, p. 4). Number one in the list, India, has been showing a strong economic presence in the global markets. Figure 6 indicates its industry production forecast until 2012 (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010). The implication here is whether the U.S. can protect its citizens if its virtual reality servers and communication systems were operated by another country – very much possible, by an enemy nation. Under wraps in the virtual reality program of the military is â€Å"Sentient Worldwide Simulation,† which will depict mass casualty events, that not only need military action but medical interventions as well. Hence, this program includes virtual reality hospital rooms that emulate military and civilian facilities, populated by avatars representing victims, casualties, nurses, the National Coast Guard and other first responders. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, virtual reality was used as a training ground for emergency responders in the event of man-made or natural disasters. Other training simulation modules are â€Å"Urban Resolve,† for urban war fighting in Baghdad in the year 2015, with over two million simulated objects (Wilson, 2008, p. 5). In addition to this, â€Å"Noble Resolve† is being developed, which is a training exercise covering â€Å"homeland security scenarios† in the event of a terroristic attack in various strategic locations in the country (Wilson, 2008, p. 5). This allows personnel the opportunity to hone their skills in coordinating and responding. Meanwhile, police units utilize virtual reality programs such as the Meggitt Training System, which teaches basic firearms skills and responses in â€Å"both shoot/don’t shoot decision making (Griffith, 2009). The Los Angeles Police Department uses the IES Milo System; the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police Department uses the Advanced Interactive Systems; and, the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department uses the IVR-300. Most of these systems permit multiple students in the virtual environment (Griffith, 2009). 3. Medicine Techniques in virtual reality are increasingly being utilized in medical education, treatment and diagnosis (Yellowlees, 2009). Early adoptions of virtual reality in the field of medicine pertained to representation of intricate data emanating from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) (Yellowlees, 2009). Recently, virtual reality has been applied to virtual colonoscopy in which information from â€Å"contrast enhanced abdominal CT scan† is utilized to present a â€Å"fly-through of the colon† which is then used for screening for colon cancer. Virtual reality is also used to let medical professionals study the heart and the brain without causing damages to these organs in real people (Yellowlees, 2009). They can examine different diseases in simulated environments, as well as, responses necessary to prevent patients suffering from fatal attacks. Phobias and post-traumatic stress disorders are also being treated now using virtual reality, Figures 7 and 8 illustrate virtual environments for the treatment of agoraphobia (Cà ¡rdenas, Munoz, Gonzà ¡lez, and Uribarren, 2006). These virtual environments can help patients confront their fears by recreating them using computer technology. In particular, training for medical students are enhanced by the use of a virtual psychosis environment, wherein they have the opportunity to experience visual and auditory hallucinations of schizophrenic patients (Yellowlees, 2009). As mentioned earlier, indispensable training may be provided by virtual reality for mass casualty, as well as for disaster response and medical emergencies. Although it has been found out that the use of standardized patients for training such as these were more effective because of the realism element, virtual reality simulations were more cost-effective, it was also advantageous in the sense that the simulations may be repeated unlimitedly, so that skills may be practiced and mastered (Yellowlees, 2009). Virtual reality has been used in other areas of medicine like in chemotherapy distraction intervention, providing leisure time opportunities for people with intellectual and physical disabilities, brain damage rehabilitation for stroke victims, smoking cessation, physical therapy, autism, mental retardation and other relevant areas. 4. Business Marketing efforts for businesses have been greatly enhanced by virtual reality. Business owners can now advertise their products over various multi-media, and depict a 360-degree image of products that they are manufacturing, marketing and selling. Websites have been high-tech critical missions for Top 500 companies, triggering a competition on virtual reality advertising (Kassaye, 2006). Figure 9 depicts a chart tracing these new breed of competitors and how they fare through their communication objectives (Kassaye, 2006). Meanwhile, virtual reality is also useful for the manufacturing process, because layout planning for assembly systems and machines require â€Å"more data than the basis geometry (Okulicz, 2004). Moreover, 3D CAD Systems are not effective for plotting out production processes, and virtual reality has no restrictions as the two aforementioned processes (Okulicz,2004). In addition to this, virtual reality provides semi-immersive and/or interactive immersive visuali zation that is essential for the visual estimation of each manufacturing process (Okulicz, 2004). With some slight overlap with the aforementioned field of Education, virtual reality platforms are valuable in training and education for businesses. For instance, â€Å"developing, testing and operating† sophisticated machinery and fixing it under tight tire pressure when it malfunctions are some skills that employees in the industries have to master (Blumel, Termath and Haase, 2009). Companies benefit from investing in learning platforms like the Fraunhoffer IFF Learning Platform which utilizes virtual reality in customizing training modules to suit its end users’ levels of knowledge through configuration (Blumel, Termath & Haase, 2009). Virtual Reality in the field of business encompasses a much broader scope, and development in this area is anticipated to be quick and impressive. In some industries, particularly that of construction, virtual reality has been applied to simulate office environments wherein real-time coordination can be done. This is very useful in project management wherein the main participants are located in different locations. They can simply log on to the virtual environment and provide updates for others to see. There is no need to call on meetings in a physical location because this can be done in virtual reality. Conclusion People have benefited from virtual reality in more ways than one, attesting to the fact that it has positively impacted society in general. Education has been enhanced by virtual reality, and students have been provided a new dimension of learning that prepares them for their chosen careers more efficiently. The dangers associated with real situations have been eliminated because they can already be replicated using virtual reality. Students get the benefit of the trainings without facing real dangers. Meanwhile, security measures being adopted by the government have been highlighted with modern technology, especially virtual reality. Police and military forces can now be trained for highly-dangerous scenarios, without actually exposing them to great risks, which is similar to what students do. The military and special forces in particular greatly benefits from virtual simulations because they can rehearse their acts before going to missions in dangerous lands. On the other hand, the medical field has furthered its growth due to the advent of virtual reality. Of the advantages of virtual reality, this is one of the most significant because of its potential in assisting scientists discover life-saving technologies and techniques. Lastly, business enterprises also benefit from virtual technology, to enable organizations to compete more in international markets. Virtual reality has a long way to go, and more benefits are anticipated for humankind. Its potentials are still great and th e possibilities remain vast for applying virtual technology to life.