Chemically Related AP Chemistry Free Response Questions

Chemically Related AP Chemistry Free Response QuestionsChemically related AP Chemistry free response questions will help you with your study of the subject. You can also take a look at free-response questions that match the subjects that you are studying. Make sure that the question is difficult enough to be useful in improving your AP Chemistry scores.The answers to all these questions should contain at least one good idea that will help you with your science work and strong AP. Just be sure that the question you're working on has a good solution that will let you understand the topic without the use of detailed chemical terms.By answering free-response questions you'll be able to get the ideas out of your head and put them to use right away in your future year's exam. This is something that many students miss. They are always busy worrying about what questions they have to answer, what materials they have to study, and how long the exam will take.Chemically related AP Chemistry fre e response questions can give you all the information you need to make sense of the material on your exams. It will also give you ideas for ways you can improve on what you've studied.You may think that taking a college degree in Chemistry is just a waste of time. After all, you may be fairly well versed in other subjects such as Physics, Biology, and Geology, but chemistry can be quite difficult and not worth taking for someone who is not really interested in improving their AP scores.It doesn't have to be that way, however, if you put your AP Chemistry study to good use by using free-response questions. They can also be used to help you improve on your essays or other parts of your grades.If you find yourself struggling with some of the points or concepts on your essays, then instead of leaving them alone, you can take the questions and use them to help you improve. The same goes for your written work in class, your AP tests, and your AP exam.While it may seem like you need to go to school to learn, with Chemically related AP Chemistry free response questions, you can do it at home on your own time. For some of the best free material available, use the Internet to find answers to all your questions.

Using Help Chat in Homework Help Chat With Tutor

Using Help Chat in Homework Help Chat With TutorWhen homework help chat with a tutor is needed, the time to do so is before the tutor has sent the assignments back to the student. Remember that the students typically pay the tuition of the tutor and are supposed to pay for the tutor's materials also.If the student receives assignments with deadlines, they should be sent homework help chat during the deadline. This can ensure that the student only receives the tutor's work during the deadline, which means they will be aware of the deadlines. This helps them be more productive.The chat also helps the student to organize their papers and other forms of assignments. The chat will help them determine which form of assignments they need to complete and which ones they can skip. It will also allow them to break down the study into appropriate study periods. This will help the student to be more efficient with their time.The chat will also inform the student that the tutor is available throu ghout the day. Therefore, if the student has busy schedules, the tutor may be available to meet with them before their scheduled studying hours. This helps the student to become more focused with their studies.When the tutor has completed their assignments, they will receive a chat notification. It will inform them of the assignments received, instructions on how to submit the assignments, and when the deadline for the assignments expires. The chat also informs the tutor that there will be a report due. The chat will give the tutor an opportunity to inform the student of the student's progress.The chat will also tell the tutor about the students' progress with their assignments. This includes communicating any concerns and giving them any support they might need. In many cases, this allows the student to feel more connected to the tutor.If the student is unable to submit their assignments, they can send the chat and provide instructions on how to submit the assignment. However, the chat will not be available until the deadline for the assignment has passed. Students should only submit their assignments when they have been given instructions on how to do so.

Tips to Develop Leadership Skills in College

Tips to Develop Leadership Skills in College College is very much an academic pursuit a phenomenal chance to expand upon your knowledge of the world. However, its also a great place to flex your leadership muscles and to develop skills that will assist you in the future. If youre hoping to improve in this area, here are several tips to develop leadership skills in college: Participate in extracurricular activities Extracurricularactivities are an important part of the college experience, so dont shy away from joining one or two of them. By joining a club or sport, for instance, you take ownership of a small part of your school. Begin by participating in general membership activities, and then work your way toward leadership opportunities. Such opportunities can help you learn and practice valuable skills like active listening and mediation. Music is a great extracurricular activityas well! Volunteer in your community Remember that you can build leadershipskills even when you arent in a position of authority. A great way to do this is by joining an organization that volunteers in the community. Community service often allows you the opportunity to interact and network with individuals from diverse backgrounds, which is an important part of leadership. Use these service hours to enhance your resume, make connections, and further learn about leadership. Get an on-campus job Work is the perfect time to focus on leadership. Look for opportunities to take on a natural leadership role, whether that is through direct management or going beyond your usual job duties to apply your skills toward improving the workplace. These are some popular campus jobs that can help you explore college majors. Through work, you also have the opportunity to make connections and gain professional mentors. Observe those leaders you admire most, especially in challenging moments. How do they respond? How can you do the same in the future? Here are some reasons why you should have a part time job in college. Become a resident assistant Resident assistants are essentially leaders in dorm life. They serve as examples to dorm residents (in other words, they model appropriate behavior), and they act as resources for students. In exchange for living in a residence hall, monitoring hall activity, and leading socialization opportunities, these students typically receive room and/or board for free. At certain schools, they may also earn a stipend. Resident assistants generally develop the ability to mediate conflicts, foster positive communication, and mentor others. Serving as a resident assistant is also a great addition to your resume because it counts as employment experience and demonstrates responsibility. Take acourse Perhaps the most obvious way to develop leadership skills in college is by taking a course. There are typically a variety of classes that help with leadership skills. For example, communications courses focus on developing certain leadership skills, while leadership-specific classes fine-tune other key abilities. Some schools also offer leadership courses that arent for credit, which can be a viable option for students who are carrying the maximum credits allowed in a single semester. The above paragraphs describe just a few tips to develop leadership skills in college. Whenever possible, take full advantage of the numerous opportunities available at your college. Chances are there are a number of ways to become involved with your school and the surrounding community, and almost all of them will help you become a stronger, more effective leader.

Maths Help Understanding Maths Equations

Maths Help Understanding Maths Equations Learn Maths: How to Solving Equations ChaptersWhat is an Equation?Skills Needed to Solve Maths EquationsWhen do we Learn about Maths Equations?Solving a Linear EquationSolving a Factorised EquationMaths Equations with FractionsCreating Equations to Solve ProblemsMaths is often represented as a tricky topic â€" by both students and adults alike! However, this little loved subject forms a fundamental part of your education, and if you can master it, you’re well on your way to succeeding academically!For as long as you’re studying for qualifications (maths revision GCSE, A levels, degrees…) you won’t escape having to solve maths problems: starting from the basics of arithmetic, and then moving onto solving equations, algebra, geometry, and fractions problems!Later in your studies, your maths skills will let you adopt a problem-solving mindset and improve your mental faculties, helping you succeed at the task you’re completing, regardless of whether or not it’s directly related to maths!With all of this in mind, it’s time to revisit one of the key areas in maths that you’ll encounter time and time again: solving equations!With your calculator to hand and a little determination, you will make it to the end of this article on how to solve an equation. By the time we’re finished, amongst other things, you’ll be able to tackle your next maths problem with ease, whether it involves polynomials, linear equations, factoring or anything in between!Your maths teacher at school (or your private maths tutor) will give you the skills that will serve you every day, for the rest of your life.Here are some aspects that are key to adopting this problem-solving attitude:Being thoroughYou must be thorough and follow through with all the key steps when tackling a mathematical problem: particularly one including equations. When you find yourself faced with maths problems, or an exam, you must be precise, and act methodically and logically.Have a good memoryImprove your skills with maths worksheets! Pra ctise makes perfect! (Source: Pixabay)Mathematicians have to work with their memory! If you practise regularly, you’ll be able to make the link between the topics you’ve studied in class, and their application in solving a problem given to you. Tackling a variety of problems means something like a problem you’ve seen before is more likely to come up, and with your prior experience, it’ll be much easier to solve.Be organised!To solve an equation, you need to follow a set of stages. Being organised in your work environment, and your approach to problems, will allow you to overcome each maths problem put in front of you without panicking.When do we Learn about Maths Equations?During primary school, we learn how to count, and familiarise ourselves with mental maths. We start to add numbers, subtract them, and multiply them: the basics of arithmetic. We may even learn the basics of graphing - these teachings provide us with a foundation in mathematics, and the skills we will need to begin solving equations later on.Some exponential and quadratic equations can be solved by graphing (Source: Pexels)It’s usually in secondary school that linear equations slowly start to creep into the curriculum. In year 7, we learn to solve simple equations, normally with one unknown. Here’s an example of an equation you might tackle around this time: Here, you must find the unknown: ‘x’.By the time you get to year 8 and 9, fractions and negative numbers start appearing in equations: preparing you for GCSEs and A levels. The equations can now look something like this: At GCSE and A level, the calibre of maths problems increases, and you have to solve more complex equations, including systems of equations, by using a variety of techniques: completing the square, factoring, substitution, and finding the intercept on graphs - to name but a few! If you do some further study in maths at A level, you will also encounter topics like complex numbers.The types of problem don’ t stop there, though: if you decide to study a maths or science degree at university, you’ll meet even more difficult problems!Sometimes you will encounter one step equations, and you might be able to solve some of the equations below like this, but you’ll often encounter trickier multi-step equations which will test your knowledge of several mathematical areas: perhaps your graphing calculator knowledge, your knowledge of slopes, or how to solve simultaneous equations by elimination or substitution! MyriamMaths Teacher 5.00 (13) £20/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarkMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £200/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Dr parikhMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors KamalMaths Teacher 5.00 (9) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PetarMaths Teacher 5.00 (8) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors GowsikaMaths Teacher 5.00 (5) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors RubenMaths Teacher 5.00 (1) £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ConorMaths Teacher 4.75 (4) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsSolving a Linear EquationLinear equations are likely the first type of equation you’ll encounter during your studies, and are usually the easiest to solve.Essentially, solving a linear equation only requires the four kinds of calculation we’ve been familiar with since primary school: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.If you want to solve a linear equation with one unknown, your goal is simple: you must find the value of ‘x’. This is usually called “solving for 'x'” in maths lingo.For a simple equation, you can take the following steps: • Isolate the unknown (usually ‘x’) on one side of the equation • Group any common terms together • Divide through so that any coefficients of ‘x’ are removed • State your solutionTo give you an example, here are the steps you would take for the equation... Moving 'x' onto one side of the equation: ‘x’ has been isolated on one side of the equationWe’ve grouped common terms together - this is known as collecting like termsWe’ve removed the coefficient of ‘x’ by dividing both sides by 4.Congratulations! You now have the skills required to solve one of the most famous linear equations in the history of mathematics: the epitaph of the mathematician Diophantus of Alexandria.The epitaph gives an equation, and the solution to this equation is the age of Diophantus when he died. The tomb dates from the 3rd century!Being able to solve linear equations is the cornerstone of your equations knowledge, and you must practise it again and again until you’re completely sound on the subject. Better get started!Solving a Factorised EquationFactorised equations are a form of polynomial equations. and you will often see them as quadratic equations (at least up to AS level!).Essentially, the equation takes the form:‘x’ is always the unknown variable, while a,b,c, and d are numbers given in the problem. During your maths lessons, your teacher has probably told you something like this:A product of factors is zero if, and only if, at least one of the factors is zero.To check this is true, you must solve every equation with a factor of ‘x’ in it!We can’t repeat this enough: the best way of learning to solve equations is to practise!Here’s an example of a factorised equation, with its solution:The two factors correspond to the two expressions in parentheses. Just so we’re clear on the terminology, the “coefficients of 'x'” that we spoke about earlier are 3 and 2, in this example. To solve it, we must consider both sets of parentheses. We’ll go left to right, and once again we’ll solve for our unknown ‘x’:(because our equation must be equal to 0 for the product of the factors to equal 0) And the other set of parentheses... (because our equation must be equal to 0 for the product of the factors to equal 0)And removing coefficients of 'x'... Since there are two factors, that means there are two solutions for ‘x’ - this is sometimes called a solution set. We just found them both! ‘x’ can either be -4/3 or 5/2.Being able to solve quadratic equations is essential as you progress. If you can’t solve quadratic equations, you will struggle with higher order equations. Maybe you need to refresh your knowledge on how to solve linear equations first?Maths Equations with FractionsStruggle with equations? Perhaps some maths tutoring could help! (Source: Pixabay)We have a rule for equations with fractions in, too! Here’s the rule:A fraction is zero if, and only if, its numerator is zero and its denominator is not zero.You could be faced with an equation in the following form: To solve an equation like this with a fraction in, you should: • Exclude forbidden values: this means values which cancel out the denominator • Simplify everything so it’s over the same denominator • Put everything onto one side of the equation, so the other side is equal to zero • Solve the equation • Verify that the values you have aren’t forbidden valuesHere’s an example of solving an equation with fractions in. We’ll be using a technique called cross products to remove the fractions altogether. We start with this equation: Let's start by removing the fractions:Just like in our linear equation example, I multiplied  both sides by (x+1). This means that on the left hand side, I now multiply by (x+1) and then immediately divide by (x+1). And just like in our previous example, that means they cancel each other out, and I can remove them from the equation altogether: So, it's starting to look a lot nicer already: I've now got a single 'x' on one side, removed one fraction, and we're well on our way to solving this problem. Let's also get rid of the fraction on the right hand side, using the same method: Removing the fraction on the right hand side means this all simplifes to something much nicer: Now, we need to set our equation equal to zero. We could divide through by (x-1)(x+1), but then we'd end up with a fraction again! Instead, we can expand out the contents of each set of parentheses. To do this, we multiply everything inside the parentheses by everything immediately outside of it. This is easy for the left hand side, as we only have to multiply by x: becomes... Because both of these expressions are equivalent (as equalities, they are equal), we don't need to change the right hand side, as we've just rewritten the left hand side: it still  means the same thing. See our GCSE Maths Revision article for more help with this.The right hand side is a little trickier, but follows the same principle. The contents of each set of parentheses needs to be multiplied by the contents of the the other set of parentheses. Here's a diagram: The red lines show us multiplying 'x' in from the first parentheses, and the blue lines show us multiplying '-1' from the first parentheses.This l eaves us with the following expressions, starting with the 'x' in the first bracket: And now multiplying '-1' in the first bracket: So those are all the terms of the brackets on the right hand side, once they've been expanded. Now we can combine those into one expression, which represents the right hand side of the original equation: Let's put these two expressions back into our original equation: Again, this is exactly the same as what we started with, we've just removed the factored parentheses. Next, we'll put anything with an x or x^2 onto the left hand side of the equation: And collect like terms. In the equation above, I've done the same to the left hand side as the right hand side of the equation, so we'll tidy everything up: So the last step should be pretty easy. We need to remove our coefficient of 'x': -1/2 isn’t a forbidden value, so the solution is x = -1/2. Notice how despite this starting as a quadratic equation (because there’s an exponent of two on some of the ‘x’ terms), they cancel each other out, so we only have one solution.It is possible to have an equation with no solution!A fractional equation problem can include all of the same concepts as we’ve mentioned before, including: quadratic equations, exponents, rational and irrational numbers.Creating Equations to Solve ProblemsSometimes, you might be asked to form an equation for a given problem. Don’t worry, this isn’t as bad as it sounds, you’re essentially making your own word problems!The method is simple, and you only need to make sure you’re thorough to ensure you get the correct answer:Read the problem several times to make sure you understand itDetermine the unknown (or unknowns) which correspond to a number asked for by the questionTry and rewrite the problem in mathematical terms, removing any superfluous informationSolve the equation you just foundCheck the solution is correctState your equation as a solution to the problemSometimes you’ll be asked a questio n like this in the context of a geometry problem â€" don’t worry, the steps are the same, just make sure to brush up on your geometry lessons beforehand!Here’s an example of a question you might be asked, where you have to form an equation from the given scenario:“Three cousins, John, Tim and Sally, have a combined age of 60. What is the age of each person, knowing that Sally is three times as old as Tim, and that John is 10 years younger than Sally?”In this problem, the unknowns to find are the ages of the three cousins, and this can be done with the help of some equations. See if you can solve it!There are several options available to you if you want to improve, or perfect, your maths skills: whether that be brushing up on your equations knowledge, or learning something new about geometry!All of the examples we looked at today dealt with rational numbers, and did not feature inequalities. However, inequalities are solved in the same way, simply replacing the equals sign wi th the equality sign of your choice. Why are equations and inequalities important? They serve as the building blocks of your maths knowledge, and are essential when you begin studying calculus, and maybe even matrices! Knowing that you can effectively deal with problems involving integers, decimals, rational numbers, and different types of equation: whether they’re exponential equations, solving quadratics, or systems of linear equations will be invaluable as you progress further into the world of maths!Private tuition with a home maths tutor will allow you to progress. They can explain tricky topics like equations at your own pace, using methods tailored to your learning style.Revising regularly and producing revision materials, or following maths lessons online and on YouTube, in tandem with private maths tuition will help you achieve your best in maths!Learn how to graph functions or discover the list of  unsolved maths equations.

Computer Safety to Protect your Data Online

Computer Safety to Protect your Data Online Antivirus Software To Protect Your Personal Information Online? ChaptersUnderstanding How Computers Become InfectedWhy Companies Should Lose No Time in Buying Antivirus SoftwareWhy You Should Have A Virus Protection Programme as a Private UserSome Anti-Malware Programmes and Other Free Security SoftwareWhether you use your computer, whether occasionally or regularly, to surf the Internet or to work offline, you need to install and keep your antivirus up-to-date.Computers can become infected even if they are connected only to an internal network; public, government, even military networks can all become infected.An anti-virus programme is indispensable, your best bet to avoid changing your electronics every week.If you surf a lot on the Internet, you will soon realize the benefits of maximum protection: with a better understanding of the stakes of mobile security, you will see why you need to protect your computers. Finally, this article will compare different antivirus programmes to help you in your choice.Employees of those companies with insuff icient web security had a surprise holiday - or forced unemployment, depending on your point of view - but a repeat of this sort of digital piracy could destroy a company, bringing it to its knees and causing mass bankruptcies and lay-offs.Why You Should Have A Virus Protection Programme as a Private UserPrivate uses will also need optimum protection, not only for their computers, but for their smartphones and tablets as well.It’s never fun to realise that your high-end Android tablet has crashed, to lose all the pictures you have taken or find out that your bank account has unusual drafts on it that you certainly never authorised - just because you never bothered to get adequate Internet protection.In fact, for a Windows PC, even a mediocre free software is better than nothing at all.If we seem to be emphasizing Windows, it’s because it is by far the most common operating system in both time and space, and one of the first to have attracted the attention of cybercriminals who t ake advantage of the freedom (which soon became “faults”) of your PC operating system.The PC/Mac feud (or Mac/PC, depending on which side you are on) is fought not only in the purely commercial arena of which one has cornered which market, but also on which one is best in preventing and detecting viruses.It is a common misconception that an Apple computer cannot be infected: OS X is no longer safe from Trojans, and it is just as important to install an antivirus to protect yourself on a Mac.Even Apple Macs can get viruses - so don't forget to keep your security updated! Photo credit: bob august on Visualhunt.comCurrently, Linux (GNU) is probably the operating system of choice if you want to be safe: in fact, many a cyberpirate probably works with its user interface…But you should probably be careful with Bliss, File, VIT, and SIILOV as well. And it’s only the beginning - soon, anti-spyware programmes will be indispensable for every operating system, as Android users have sad ly realised.Some Anti-Malware Programmes and Other Free Security SoftwareFree viruses are a given and one we would rather do without. On the other side of the coin, good-quality antivirus programmes can be pretty expensive.And yet, among the best antivirus software available for your Windows operating system, more than one is free (entirely or in part).The best free antivirus programmes are called (depending on your needs and preferences):Avira, an antivirus programme for WindowsAVG, with a free version (the best if you are still running Vista; and it also has features for optimizing your PC)Avast (not the Pro version)Microsoft Security EssentialsWindows Defender (particularly for Windows 10)Panda Free AntivirusIf you feel you can’t trust a free antivirus programme, most paying versions offer a free trial period so you can see if your apps run smoothly with it before getting out your credit card. Most trial periods run about a month before you are asked to pay.Be careful of fake a ntivirus software that can be spyware in disguise. And note as well that Avast Free’s very proactive programming makes it difficult to run secondary antimalware programmes in parallel.Internet security is so complex that you should really look into additional security apps such as:Spybot Search Destroy (PC antivirus and anti-malware in one)Malwarebytes (has a free version for MacOS)CCleanerGhostery, an ad blocker and anti-spyware programme.Remember to scan your system regularly (don’t wait until it slows down!) to get rid of infections that might have slipped in unnoticed.IT courses can help you choose the right programmes to make your computer secure.The Best Payed Antivirus ProgrammesYou will need a halfway decent RAM to run a virus cleaner on your smartphone!If a free virus programme might be enough for private users, any corporate structure, from tiny startup to large multinational, should invest in a wider set of security tools to prevent crashes in mini-networks, servers or internal company networks. This is where the paying anti-virus solution comes in.Kapertsky is one of several good paying antivirus programmes. Photo credit: david.orban on VisualHuntBut what are the best antivirus software?All comparative studies on the best security software generally turn up the same few names:Bitdefender Antivirus Plus (with more features than Bitdefender free, obviously)Kaspersky AntivirusNorton Security+G Data AntivirusESET NOD32F-Secure SAFEMcAfee Antivirus Plus (there is also a free edition available for a limited time)Human Error?Generally, the principal at fault in Windows 8 or webbrowser glitches is the human user.Protecting yourself from spyware is a good thing - however, a lot of Internet fraud still uses traditional methods that have nothing to do with Web 2.0, such as identity theft and taking advantage of human generosity…There are a number of good reflexes you should adopt parallel to downloading a good antivirus for Mac or a good Windows antivi rus.First of all, make sure your firewall is activated. You should also update Windows regularly: most patches aim to help protect the hard drive - which is why XP and Vista are now particularly at risk, since technical support for these Windows versions has been discontinued.Be wary of freeware with data files ending in “.exe” (especially if you got it from a P2P network : the best behaviour is prudence. If you notice your computer slowing down after installing freeware, immediately put it into quarantine or de-install it. An anti-spam filter would be useful, even if you are using GNU/Linux. Don’t forget to format your USB sticks and use backup software (or backup your files manually at regular intervals).You can lock your session with passwords to protect your most precious data.When you have a family, parental control helps keep your child away from shady, virus-infected websites. Additionally, your browser, no matter how sophisticated, should be regularly updated.

Watercolour Painting for Beginners

Watercolour Painting for Beginners How to Get Started with Watercolour Painting? ChaptersBuying Supplies for Watercolour PaintingPrepare Your SpaceTwo Indispensable CompanionsMixing PaintsThe Last, Most Important IngredientA distant memory: my mother and her paint-by-numbers kits. She had two of them; one for landscape painting and one for harlequins â€" don’t ask me how she settled on those two subjects.The experiment was short-lived. For about two weeks, she was full of fervour and the smell of mineral spirits filled the house, and then it was on to other things.Most likely those kits came with preselected tubes of gouache (a sort of enhanced watercolour), meant specifically for that work. The relevance of those kits to our topic today is that they make painting easy... unlike working with the more unpredictable watercolours that are pure pigment, without the benefit of a gum arabic binder.Shortly after Mum’s time of painting ended, our school art class started us on watercolours.I had hoped my artwork would end up looking as precise as hers did but we were n’t painting by numbers. Ours was more of a free-for-all assault on the blank white space that was our ‘canvas’; colours running into one another, saturated paper wrinkling and, in one corner, a gouge made by the brush’s ferrule.My early forays into art convinced me that van Gogh had nothing to worry about. Oh, if only I had had a few pointers!That is your Superprof’s intent: to help you discover the pleasure of creating art on paper without chucking it all in the bin after the umpteenth time your cadmium yellow runs into your ultramarine blue.Let’s get started, shall we? FernandoPainting Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors EmmaPainting Teacher 5.00 (5) £75/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors DavidPainting Teacher 4.75 (4) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NatashaPainting Teacher 5.00 (7) £37/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors StefaniaPainting Teacher 5.00 (4) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SakinaPai nting Teacher 5.00 (1) £12/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors LorrenPainting Teacher 5.00 (2) £18/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Off2themoonholliePainting Teacher £8/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsBuying Supplies for Watercolour Painting At first, you may be staggered by the variety of supplies for watercolor art Image by MustangJoe from PixabayWatercolour paint sets for the (semi-) serious artist are vastly different from the sets meant for schoolchildren that you might find at PoundWorld or on Amazon. Let us discourage you from making your first forays into the world of watercolour painting with one of those sets.Walking into any art supply store, you may become overwhelmed by the dazzling array of choices and products available for art creation.Unless you’ve done a hefty bit of research on your own or you have a painting instructor giving you recommendations, you may wonder what selections would best suit your needs.Consider these points...Choosing Watercolor PaperObviously, not all paper is the same, especially when it comes to artistic endeavours.Washi paper for origami is decidedly different from onionskin paper used to make kites and gliders. Copy paper is different than Inkjet paper and notebook paper is no t even in the same ballpark as sketch paper.So, while your favourite art supply store (or Amazon) may have lots of paper for sale, it would be best to bypass the many varieties of craft paper and steer toward actual watercolour paper.It may cost a bit more but your results will make the extra expense worth it.The Right Paintbrush for Watercolor PaintingYou don’t necessarily have to go top-of-the-line â€" that set of Kolinsky sable brushes can wait till you get a bit more proficient. Or, at least until you are sure you want to make watercolour painting a part of your life.With that being said, you shouldn’t scrape the bottom of the quality barrel for your brushes just because you’re a beginner. In fact, a poor-quality brush can skew your results and even turn you off of painting altogether!Some artists recommend that, before going all out on supplies, spend a little bit of time with artificial-fibre brushes to see if painting truly is for you and to get the feel of working with paint. Once you’ve determined that you do indeed want to paint, that will be the time to invest in some really good, natural-fibre brushes.The difference in feel and performance will so amaze you, you’ll never use an artificial brush again!With that out of the way, which brushes should you buy?Perhaps the best value for your money would be a set that includes small, medium and large round brushes as well as a mop brush and a flat brush. That should do, for starters.You should, however, avoid craft brushes; the bristles tend to be too rough for delicate watercolors. Water colours allow for a wide range of expression while using few resources Image by Stux  from PixabaySelecting Watercolor PaintsHere, finally, you get to skimp â€" but only a little. You don’t need every colour of the rainbow to get started painting with watercolours; just a few of the basic ones. Ideally, you would start out with the primary colours: red, yellow and blue, and add some black. That is enough to get you going.You have the option of buying watercolours in cakes or tubes; perhaps you could select cakes of primary colours and a tube of black or vice versa, just so you can try out which would work best for you.Of course, you always have the option of picking up a kit. Such packs contain anywhere from 12 to 24 colours but the downside is that you won’t be able to mix them up â€" you will have all tubes or all cakes.Other supplies you might pick up while at the art store:A palette: a flat or shallow surface to mix paints on/inDrafting tape: while you could use any typ e of tape to keep your paper on the draft board, most will tear watercolour paper. Drafting tape will not.Tote boards are, essentially, giant-sized clipboards; they come in various sizesPencils and rubbers for making outlines and fixing mistakes, respectively.All other tools of the trade, such as masking fluid and tools for texturing can be purchased later, once you’ve decided that watercolour painting is definitely for you.Also, learn how to create texture in your paintings without relying on paper texture.Prepare Your SpaceYou may have seen, in countless films, how an artist’s studio tends toward the messy. While that is acceptable if you work with oil paints, the very nature of watercolours demands a bit of tidiness.Because watercolours are so fluid and fast, it will occasionally be necessary for you to have ready access to sponges, paper towels and clean water; working in a cluttered environment simply won’t do!First, give yourself enough space to work comfortably, making sure you have plenty of elbow room.Next, place all of your tools, colours and water pots within easy reach of your dominant hand â€" but not too close, you don’t want to risk knocking over that jar of water!You may also consider hanging a small towel from your waistband or another convenient place so that you can dry your brushes as needed. One watercolour artist I know likes to keep a wadded paper towel in her sleeve for ultra-quick access without having to reach for one.Did you know that there are vast resources available to help you master watercolour painting? As you learn to paint with watercolours, trying out colour mixes is vital Image by Stux  from PixabayWhat might you need spare paper for?Unless you have an uncanny ability to gauge a colour’s depth while mixing it, you will need to know that you’ve attained the right shade. The way to do that is by making a few sample brush strokes on paper that is similar in texture to the one you’re painting on.You may consider taking one or two sheets of watercolour paper and cutting them into smaller squares, that way you can use both front and back to test your paint mixing skills.Mixing PaintsThe frugal artist might believe s/he is saving supplies by mixing only a little paint at a time but experience says that there is nothing more frustrating than being fully into one’s work, bold brush strokes and all, only to realise that you’ve run out of paint.Especially if you’re just starting out using watercolour as your medium, it is difficult to gauge how much paint you’ll need to compl ete that portion of your painting, to say nothing of how difficult (read: impossible) it is to match a tone exactly.The moral of that story: err on the generous side when mixing paints.The Last, Most Important IngredientWe don’t presume to know the reasons why you decided to take up watercolour painting but we are glad that you’re going at it with gusto.Besides a lot of technical advice and letting you know that Superprof art tutors are standing by to help you master this medium, there’s really not much more we can do for you other than to clue you into the crucial ingredient to make any venture a success: have fun.We urge you to not see colour bleeds as a failure but an opportunity to experiment. Rather than paint splotches being a source of frustration, let them be a source of inspiration â€" what could you make of them?Forget colouring between the lines â€" or, for that matter, painting by numbers!Have fun with your new learning adventure and see where it takes you; that mi ght be more rewarding than being able to paint a landscape or harlequin... and you’ll probably feel a greater sense of accomplishment, at that!Now discover more about painting with watercolours...

A Day in the Life at Purdue University

A Day in the Life at Purdue University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teachtheyre sharing their college experiences as well. Matthew earned bachelors degrees in both Spanish and physics from Purdue University. He is currently a Chicago tutor specializing in algebra tutoring, physics tutoring, and Spanish tutoring, among other subjects. Take a look below at his review of Purdue University: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. Matthew: With a population of roughly 40,000 undergraduates, Purdue University is by no means a small school. While not quite as spread out as a commuter college, or as condensed as a small private college, the university maintains a good size while still managing to be walkable. The city bus network connects students to all areas of campus, as well as to the neighboring city of Lafayette and the surrounding residential areas. So, whether you live one minute or 15 minutes away from campus, transportation to and from is always available. If speed is your priority, however, a car/bike is recommended. How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Matthew: Professors are always available and are happy to meet with you, as well as the TAs. Depending on the department, however, the academic advisers can be difficult to deal with or even to see. If you ever need help, there are usually help rooms. Sometimes there are also supplemental instruction (SI) sessions, in which a TA teaches a lesson to supplement what was learned in class. As you get farther along in your major, however, its usually the case that you just have office hours if you need help. At that level, the teachers are always interested in teaching students more about whatever the subject may be. How would you describe the dorm liferooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Matthew: Dining is fantastic at Purdue University. In fact, the food is nationally ranked. With five dining courts, two late night grilles, cafes, and coffee shops located around campus as well as facilities at the student union all of which to choose from, there is no reason one should go hungry at Purdue. With two years of experience living in the dorms, I can say that its definitely something everyone should experience when they first come to college. Youre right on campus, situated along the bus routes, and are surrounded by students like you. Its great for keeping you focused, as well as for making new connections. The dorms usually have weekend activities and trips if you cant find something to do that weekend. Which majors/programs are best represented and supported at Purdue University? Matthew: Engineering, Agriculture, Pharmacy, and Nursing are all well represented and well supported at Purdue University. It is well known for its engineering program, however, the school was founded as a land grant institution meaning that it had to offer programs that supported disciplines like agriculture. Also, being that it is located in Indiana, there are plenty of nearby locations as well as outside interests that donate money to the school to fund research in this area. How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Matthew: I have always said that there has never been an easier time to make friends at college than during the first few weeks of freshman year. Each year preceding the fall semester is a week-long orientation called Boiler Gold Rush (BGR) in which incoming freshmen get the chance to become acquainted with the campus. Its a fantastic event and many students who meet during that event remain friends up to and through graduation. In addition, Greek life is very important at Purdue. Roughly 40% of the campus is involved in some sort of Greek organization. However, not being involved doesnt necessarily mean that youll be missing out. How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services at Purdue University? Matthew: The Center for Career Opportunities (CCO) at Purdue is amazing. They offer a wide range of services ranging from resume critiquing, to mock interviews, to the organizing of career fairs for each of the individual colleges. How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Matthew: The availability of on-campus study spots, during the day, is incredible. Ive been at the university for four years and Im still finding a new one each week. There is also a large number of computer stations spaced evenly around campus. Usually, each academic building has its own library and set of computers that are accessible to students and which stay open late. A 24-hour undergraduate library is open at the heart of campus and is frequently used, but never crowded (with the exception of finals week). Describe the surrounding town at Purdue University. Matthew: The campus is situated in West Lafayette and borders the Wabash River, and across from it sits the town of Lafayette. Other than hiking trails, there isnt much in the way of natural attractions, and as such, many students take trips to Chicago (two hours away) on the weekends. Sadly, Chauncey Hill is the most exciting part of campus. Its home to mostly fast food restaurants, a couple of coffee shops, and a few bars. Lafayette, while also not very exciting, has more variety in the way of restaurants and stores. However, if you plan to go to the mall or grocery shopping, youll probably be making a trip into Lafayette. How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Matthew: The undergraduate student body at Purdue University is around 40,000 people, yet there are plenty of times at which it can seem like a lot less. Depending on your major, your class size can vary. For example, if you choose a major in the Liberal Arts college, most of your classes will be small with anywhere from 10-30 people. However, if you choose to major in a scientific field, then your classes can start out with anywhere from 200-300 students. But by the time you reach your junior and senior years, they often shrink to around 30-50. Check out Matthews tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Should I Go To Cornell University

Should I Go To Cornell University The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Andrew is a Chicago tutor who specializes in Algebra tutoring, Geometry tutoring, ACT prep tutoring, and more. He graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelors degree in Economics. See what he had to say about his undergraduate experience: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options. How urban or safe is the campus? Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Andrew: The Cornell University campus features waterfalls, hills, and natural spaces with plenty of open, grassy areas in front of its many buildings. The campus is not urban, and I always found it to be quite safe. You can always call the campus police or take a bus late at night. I always biked everywhere! VT: How available are the professors, academic advisors, and teaching assistants? Andrew: I always found everyone to be available, provided that you made the effort to schedule an appointment. Normal conversations with professors are rare. I recommend regular, scheduled appointments. VT: How would you describe dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Andrew: At Cornell, North Campus had better rooms, but you had to travel more to classes. I always liked the food; be careful not to eat ice cream and cold cereal all the time! Socialization is up to you. If you make the effort, you will make plenty of friends. I found all my friends in the dorms. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported? What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Andrew: Cornell is especially strong in Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering. The pre-med program is also very good. I studied Economics because I wanted to go into business. Cornell did a good job of supporting students who sought out support and asked for attention and help. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Andrew: I found making friends to be easy as a freshman. Everyone is looking to make new friends! You wont have a problem as long as you put yourself out there. Greek life is important at Cornell, but the school is large and you dont need the Greek system to have a great social life. VT: How helpful is the Career Center and other student support services? Do companies recruit on campus? Andrew: The Career Center is very helpful, and more helpful the more you make contact with it. I recommend making connections at the Career Center as a freshman. Make the Career Center a regular part of your whole college experience, all four years! Many companies recruit on the Cornell Campus. VT: How are the various study areas such as libraries, student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Andrew: The main library at Cornell is a beautiful, wonderful place to study or quietly talk. Different libraries worked for different kinds of studying; youll figure it out! I never felt crowded. I avoided studying at the student union or the dorm lounges, but I had great conversations in those places! VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments/things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between? To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Andrew: Ithaca is a wonderful town with plenty of restaurants, beautiful parks, and the best farmers market around. So, I went into Ithaca usually during the day. There is a part of Ithaca called Collegetown on the south side of campus, and there you will find diners, restaurants, and bars. Lots of students will go there at night. The natural beauty of the Ithaca area was very important to me, and I often hiked or did outdoor things. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class size? Andrew: Cornell is a big school, and class sizes are often large especially for Introductory classes. I prefer small class sizes, and I did get smaller class sizes sometimes when I took upper level classes. But Economics is a popular major. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one you regret the most. Andrew: I loved my creative writing classes! I had the same professor, the classes were small, the discussions were amazing, and he told me that I could write. So now I do. College can be a great place to discover new talents! Check out Andrews tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Can I evaluate a film-analysis essay automatically

Can I evaluate a film-analysis essay automatically This article discusses automatically scoring film analysis essays. Here are links to other automated evaluations on the Virtual Writing Tutor. Pen pal exchange projectIELTS practice testsArgument essay evaluation system Lately, I have been developing automatic essay evaluations for IELTS and now for college-level academic writing. I sent an email to colleagues in my department to share my progress, and one colleague wrote back to share his concerns about my new automatically self-scoring film analysis essay writing assignment. I had shared a sample of a film analysis essay and a link to the academic essay writing test. He had tried the test with the sample essay, and though impressed, he was concerned about the extent to which we can automate essay evaluations. Use this Blade Runner sample essayDownload Score my film analysis essay now There are lots of variables in such texts that, I believe, cannot be analyzed in a systematic way. And those variables are often what separates a great essay from a passable one. A grabber is not just a question. It has to be stimulating. A thesis has to be precise and thought provoking. The topic sentences have to be directly linked to the thesis as well as provide further insight. Can a computer truly give relevant feedback on whether or not something is stimulating, precise, thought-provoking and providing further insight on a previous idea? An ESL teacher on the VWTs new automatic essay evaluator College teachers are required to assign a value to a students text, but if we are not assigning a value based on observable, measurable criteria, what are we scoring? Are teachers scoring essays based on their own subjective reaction to an essay? Or are we looking for features that indicate achievement, features that indicate the student has learned how to answer a question in-depth and in a systematic way? If teachers are just feeling their way to a score, woe to the poor student whose academic advancement depends upon such a non-rational scoring rubric. Can a computer give relevant feedback? Even so, I share all my colleagues doubts about brute force calculations of good writing.Surely, narrow artificial intelligence that calculates scores based on lists of structural features, lexical items, and grammatical error patterns will miss the value of a meaningful expression of nuanced human intelligence. Chuang-Tzu Can computers provide feedback of real value? Is automatic essay scoring just an impossible dream? Doubts about what computers can do remind me of an observation made by the ancient Taoist philosopher Chuang-Tzu. All things have different uses. A horse can travel a hundred miles a day, but it cannot catch mice. Chuang-Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton I read those words back when I was a college student. They have stuck with me for 30+ years. Is it wise to determine the value of a horse by what it cant do? It seems like the kind of argument one might make at the market while trying to negotiate a lower price. Let me put it another way. Oisin Woods, a German teacher and colleague in our Modern Languages Department at Ahuntsic College, told me something I wont soon forget. He said, Of course computers cant do everything a teacher can do, but lets not make perfection the enemy of the good. Lets not make perfection the enemy of the good.Oisin Woods These two epigrams seem to point in the same direction. Focusing on what a computer cannot do distracts us from what it does well. It is like complaining that horse cannot catch mice. Whats more, if we make pedagogical perfection our only goal instead of energetic strides toward better feedback and better pedagogy, well get neither perfection nor the progress we crave. Rather, it is better to explore what machines can do in the service of good pedagogy. Machines can count, they can match patterns, and they can respond to errors in seconds. Humans can count and match and correct, but much more slowly. More importantly, humans understand and reflect. We should be allies in the provision of feedback, dont you think? After all, feedback works best when it is just-in-time, just-for-me, just-about-this-task, and just-what-I-need-to-improve. If we can use technology to ensure faster, personalized, and more focused feedback, that has got to be a good thing. Will non-human feedback and scoring technology help students learn faster? A research question and a hypothesis The practical pedagogical question I ask myself these days is this, Can narrow artificial intelligence provide useful formative feedback to learners and help teachers score essays more reliably? The answer seems to be, on balance, yes. Automatic scoring and feedbackwillhelp students become better writers and help teachers evaluate essays more reliably.My current hypothesis A null hypothesis Lets see if there is any evidence in the research literature to support anull hypothesis.Science doesnt try to prove a point that can just as easily be disproved. The case is not as open and shut as technophiles might have hoped. Computers can be fooled by clever nonsense(Monaghan Bridgeman, 2005).Brilliant non-conformist writing will score lower because it is eccentric (Monaghan Bridgeman, 2005).Automatic scoring of complex argument essays is less reliable than of inherently less complex opinion essays (0.76 vs. 0.81) (Bridgeman, 2004). The difference in reliability of 0.05 is small but significant. These seem to fit with concerns that some elements of meaningful essays cannot be analyzed programmatically in an effective way. Computers do not construct and test a world model in their imaginations the way humans do when they read. Text coherence will thus remain elusive for non-conscious computerized agents because pattern-matching is not reading in our sense of the word. So what, you say? Horses cant catch mice! Lets consider another objection to automatic evaluation. My colleague asked, Can a computer truly give relevant feedback on whether or not something is stimulating, precise, thought-provoking and providing further insight on a previous idea? The answer is probably, no. I certainly have my doubts, but I also have my doubts that a teacher can explain the mechanics of why a sentence stimulates or provokes thought. All I have ever been able to do in these areas of writing is dramatize the presence of a reader by indicating when a sentence stimulates or provokes me, often with cryptic or terse comments in the margin: Wow! Nice! Interesting! Provocative! A reasonable hypothesis Turning to possibilities and evidence for my hypothesis that automatic scoring and feedback could help students become better writers and help teachers evaluate essays, here is what I have observed and what I have read. Faster feedback At my college, we see students once a week, and teachers regularly take two weeks to provide feedback on a first draft. The VWT takes two seconds.Thats 20,160 minutes versus 2 minutes, which is a million times faster. Workload reduction Teachers limit the number of essays students write because of the impact of corrections on the teachers workload. With 150 student essays to grade, if a teacher spends just 10 minutes grading an essay, one essay assignment adds 25 hours of non-stop grading and correction work to a teachers workload. Necessity has made us put time-resource limitations ahead of the pedagogical goal of maximizing meaningful practice with a focus on form. In other words, there are not enough teachers to provide all of the feedback students require (Monaghan Bridgeman, 2004). Latent essay feature analysis Automatically comparing multiple features of a student’s essay to an ideal essay was found to provide useful formative feedback to students (Foltz et al., 1999). This is interesting! Students want to improve, and one way to measure essay writing skill is by comparing what the student has written to a model essay to show the student how to improve further. By abstracting the features of the model essay and comparing the studentès essay to it programmatically, we can show the student where he or she has diverged from the ideal. Reliability Automatic scores using grammar, topic, discourse features, and sentiment analysis are very highly correlated to expert human scores (Farra et al., 2015). Thats encouraging because the reliability of a teachers ratings of student essays declines with fatigue. Machines dont tire and can evaluate essays consistently. Researchers found that using one essay task and one human evaluator to measure achievement produced unreliable scores (Brendland et al., 2004), and yet that is what we do at finals every semester. A computer rating combined with 1 human rating was found to be more reliable than the combination of scores by 2 human raters (Bridgeman, 2004). Computer-assisted scoring is more reliable than both exclusive computer scoring and exclusive human scoring. Humans diverge too much in their judgements. All that said, I think that there is evidence that a fast and free source of computerized formative feedback available online 24 hours a day is likely to help students improve their writing and their self-assessments of their writing. Two ways to improve performance dramatically John Hattie (2009) found in his meta-analysis of 800+ meta-analyses that the most effective thing students can do to improve their own performance is to openly declare to the class what score they expect to achieve on an upcoming evaluation. Why? Because making a prediction about your next score is akin to setting a goal to achieve that score. Curiously, minority group students tend to inflate their predictions. In contrast, girls tend to minimize their predictions. However, practice tests make all students more reliable at predicting their own performance. This is important because when students get better at predicting their performance, they need less feedback from the teacher. They already know how well they are doing. The second most effective intervention that teachers can use to maximize student performance is to give formative evaluations/practice tests (Hattie, 2009). If a robot that can score and give detailed feedback on early drafts of essays, we can count these self-scoring essay tests as variations on the paper-based and hand-corrected practice essay-tests of the past. Conclusion Im not arguing for teachers to stop scoring or giving feedback on essays. Rather, I think that a computer-assisted-practice-test approach to writing instruction will help students get the scores and feedback they need to improve without increasing teachers workloads. I therefore remain reasonably optimistic that the Virtual Writing Tutor can, in time, reliably score essays and provide helpful formative feedback to students during the drafting process. One reason for my optimism is anecdotal but encouraging nonetheless. Frank Bonkowski recently sent me a text message about his experience using the VWTs automated scoring system with a group of his students earlier in the day. Here is what he wrote. A super-motivated girl visited the VWT 3x today for feedback on her film analysis essay. She went from 40% to 56% to 88%. She was super happy. Me, too. Text message from Frank Me, three. Works cited Bridgeman, B. (2004, December).E-rater as a qualitycontrol on human scorers.Presentation in the ETSResearch Colloquium Series, Princeton, NJ. Farra, N., Somasundaran, S., and Burstein, J., 2015. Scoring persuasive essays using opinions and their targets. In Proceedings of the Tenth Workshop on Innovative Use of NLP for Building Educational Applications, pages 64â€"74. Foltz, P. W., Laham, D., Landauer, T. K. (1999). The Intelligent Essay Assessor: Applications to Educational Technology. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, 1(2) Hattie, J. A. C. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. London, UK: Routledge. The Way of Chuang-Tzu, by Thomas Merton Monaghan, W., Bridgeman, B. (2005). E-Rater as a Quality Control on Human Scores. ETS RD Connections: Princeton, NJ: ETS. Actively Engaged in Academic Writing Please follow and like us: