YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | 12 OCTOBER 23-29, 2012

MMAAUURREEEENN CCAAMMPPBBEELLLLContributor

OBJECTIVE

ASSESS THE reasons for laws toprotect the family in socialsituations such as those related

to:(a) Inheritance(b) Childcare(c) Legal separation(d) Divorce(e) Domestic violence

CHILDCARELaws are needed to protect every

member of a family in every society. Forexample, we must protect our children;we must prevent child labour – in caseswhere children are allowed to workregular working hours for wages or begmoney on the streets to help support thefamily; to ensure that children inheritwhat rightfully belongs to them on thedeath of their parents; and to preventparents, relatives, family friends andother persons from physically andemotionally abusing the children.

Jamaica passed a detailed childprotection law in 2003 – the Child Careand Protection Act. The Act providesdefinitions of child abuse and neglect,procedures for responding to allegationsand judicial remedies. The Act mandatesthat the child’s views be taken intoaccount when the child is of sufficientage and maturity to form his or her ownviews. Further, the Act creates theposition of children’s advocates, whowill serve as legal representative to achild if it appears to the court that thechild is in need of representation and ifthe child consents to the representation.

CHILDREN AND THE LAWChildren have been neglected in many

societies until their well-being cameunder threat in recent times. The attackson children have captured the attentionof the Caribbean governments whichhave moved swiftly to implement theChild Care and Protection Act. This Actprovides definitions of child abuse andneglect, procedures for responding toallegations and judicial remedies. Inessence, the Child Care and ProtectionAct seeks to protect the welfare of thechild.

MAINTENANCE ACTCaribbean countries have in place a

Child Maintenance Act. This Act alsoseeks to protect the well-being ofchildren. It is designed to ensure that the

parents/guardians maintain the childrenwho are under the age of 18 years. Italso ensures that single parents receivesome financial support from the otherparent. In the event that one of theparents refuses to carry out his/herresponsibility towards the child, thecourt system can intervene and issue anorder which, if violated, leads toimprisonment. It is also made clear thatparents who leave young childrenunattended for a lengthy period without ajust reason can be penalised by thehands of the law; worst yet if thesechildren were harmed while they wereneglected.

LAWS RELATING TOINHERITANCE

Inheritance is the property or money

which has been passed from a deadperson to his or her successor. In thepast, there had been a legaldiscrimination against common-lawwives and children born out of wedlock.In recent times, however, changes havebeen made abolishing any legaldistinction between children born inwedlock and those born out of wedlock.As the song says, “Nuh bastard nuh deyagain, everyone lawful”.

With the many common-law unions inour island, there are also laws whichgive equal status for inheritance tosurviving common-law wives. Where thedeceased person does not leave a will Itis said that the surviving spouse isentitled to the entire property if there isno child/children or next of kin. The

surviving spouse is entitled to two-thirdsof the property if the deceased leavesbehind a child, who would receive theremainder of the property. If there ismore than one child, the spouse willreceive one-third of the property.

LEGAL SEPARATIONThis is the separation of a married

couple by a direct order of the court. Wemust note that the couple remainsmarried and maintains some rights as aspouse.

DIVORCEThe divorce rate in the Caribbean may

be acknowledged as alarming. One mayalso agree that new divorce laws havemade it so much easier for couples to be

granted a divorce. The ground fordivorce was usually based on commonacts such as infidelity, abuse, desertion,among other things. Partners also mustshow evidence in court that theirmarriage is broken down andirretrievable.

A divorce will be granted in caseswhere partners provide proof to the courtthat they have been living separate livesfor a continuous period of not less than12 months before the date of filing theapplication for the divorce. The court willnot listen to cases where partners havebeen married for less than two years andhave not made extensive use of marriagecounselling in an attempt to reconciletheir differences.

Divorce signals the ending of a union.However, the separation does not meanthat all ties between both parties willdisappear. There are instances whereone party may not be able to fullysupport him/herself for varying reasons;therefore, the other party will have tomaintain that individual. The followingreasons give credence to maintenanceby one party: There are instances whereone partner may not be able to engage inmeaningful work because of physical,psychological or mental conditions. Oneparty may also have to take care ofchildren born in the marriage.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCEMany laws have been introduced to

protect particularly women and children.These laws now need to be enforced andindividuals need to report these acts thatare carried out, so these perpetratorsmay be punished in order to help inpreventing domestic violence.

ACTIVITYFind out more about the laws in your

country that deal with:a) Inheritance(b) Childcare(c) Legal separation(d) Divorce(e) Domestic violence

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Maureen Campbell teaches at St Hugh’s HighSchool. Send questions and comments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Protecting thefamily

yl:social studies

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 23-29, 2012 13

NNAATTAALLEEEE AA.. JJOOHHNNSSOONNContributor

GOOD DAY, students. This is lesson seven, and in this week’slesson we will be looking at hardware specifications and termsassociated with storage devices.

Whenever you decide to buy a new cellphone, laptop or even adesktop computer, one of the first things you should consider and askthe sales clerk is, ‘What are the specs?’ In other words, you will askabout the storage capacity, memory size and speed of the processor.

THE PROCESSORThe processor is measured

by its clock speed inmegahertz (MHz) or gigahertz(GHz). Hence, the faster theclock speed of theprocessor the faster isthe execution of aninstruction, task orcommand you givethe computer.Examples areshown below of afew processors and theirrespective speeds.

4 GHz Pentium 44 Pentium 4 processor 540 w/HT technology @ 2.8 GHz4 Intel Core Duo @ 2.0 GHz (which facilitates both 32- and 64-bit operating systems)

MEMORYWhen we refer to

random accessmemory/main memory wedo not necessarily speakabout in what speed it ismeasured, but rather aboutits size. Its size ismeasured in megabytes(MB) and, similar to theprocessor’s clock speed, itis better to have morememory as the better the

memory the better the performance of your computer. Examples areshown below of two types of memory and their respective sizes.

4 2 GB DDR4 4 GB DDR3Note: DDR means Double/Dual Data Rate

HARD DISK DRIVE (HDD)In comparison to RAM, main memory processing speed is faster

than the hard drive. Information is generally swapped between mainmemory and the hard drive. The size of a hard drive is measured ingigabytes (GB) and the larger the hard drive capacity the more dataand information can be stored. Access time for the HDD is measuredin milliseconds (ms). The two main types of hard disk drives are IDEhard drives and the SATA hard disk drives, which are determined bythe device interface cable that they use (you will learn about these in

our next lesson). The hard drive you will likely purchase now is theSATA hard disk drives. Examples of hard disk drives and theirrespective sizes are shown below.

500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive (5400RPM)1.0 TB SATA Hard Disk Drive

TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH STORAGE DEVICESBefore we look at the terms associated with storage devices, let us

first look at how data is stored on a diskette.

Data is recorded on a thin, circular plastic disk, coated withmagnetic material. Like other magnetic disks, the diskette must beformatted or divided into areas before data can be read or written to it.Without formatting there would be no way to know what data went withwhat. Thus, in formatting your diskette your files can be placed in anorganised fashion.

TERMS

TTRRAACCKKA track is a concentric circle on the disk where data is stored. On a

diskette there are 80 tracks on each surface top and bottom.

SECTORA sector is a pie-shape part of a track. Data is recorded along a track

within a sector. Each track sector is identified by a unique address sothat every recording location can be identified.

CLUSTERA cluster is a set of track sectors, ranging from 2 to 32 or more

depending on the formatting scheme used.

CYLINDERA cylinder is similar tracks on a platter of disk.

Figure 1 is used to illustrate some of the terms defined above.

READ/WRITE HEADA device that reads data from and writes data on to a storage media.

(You were introduced to this term in the previous lesson, but it is nowbeing highlighted as one of the key terms associated with storagedevices.)

MOVABLE HEADS DISK DRIVEThese are disk drives that have one read/write head for each surface.

The access arms move in and out in order to access the desired track.

FIXED HEAD DISK DRIVEThese are disk drives that have one read/write head per track.

Therefore, if a disk pack has 20 tracks, then each surface would have20 read/write heads. This reduces the time needed to access records

in a particularsector on atrack.

FFiigguurree 22

Figure 2 shows the location of the read/write head alongside itscorresponding arm(s).

ACCESS TIMEAfter formatting the disk, the read/write heads need to access the

stored data in as short a time as possible. Heads are mounted onaccess arms that are positioned between the platters. The access timeof a read/write head depends on the following:

4 seek time: the time taken to move the head to the particular track.4 rotational delay: the time it takes the disk to rotate to the particular sector.

We have come to the end of this lesson. See you next week.Remember that if you fail to prepare, you should prepare to fail.

Natalee A. Johnson teaches at Ardenne High School. Send questions andcomments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Hardware specificationsyl:information technology

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | 14 OCTOBER 23-29, 2012

RROOXXAANNNNEE WWRRIIGGHHTTContributor

ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S ASSIGNMENT:

Balancesheet

yl:principles of accounts

BALANCE SHEET CONSTRUCTIONWe have already established that the balance sheet is a financial statement that expresses the financial

position of a firm. It is always shown ‘as at’ a given date, for example, balance sheet as at December 31,2011.

There are two formats used in presenting the balance sheet. They are horizontal or vertical. Both formatsare said to be classified, which means that assets and liabilities are grouped separately and furthersubdivided into:

i. Fixed and current assetsii. Current and long-term liabilities; capital is shown separately on the side with liabilities.

Assets and liabilities are listed in either:Order of permanence

orOrder of liquidity

ORDER OF PERMANENCEWhenever assets are listed in order of permanency, the least liquid asset is listed first. It, therefore, means

that the asset hardest to be converted into cash is listed first.

ORDER OF LIQUIDITYWhenever assets are listed in order of liquidity, the most liquid asset is listed first. Therefore, in the

current account section cash would be listed first. One set of order is usually followed for both sets ofaccountings. The opposite of one is the other.

Below is a vertical-style balance sheet with assets listed in the order of permanency:

FACTS YOU MUST REMEMBER:4 Working capital = current assets - current liabilities4 Net assets = Fixed assets + current assets - current liabilities - long-term liabilities4 Capital = Net assets4 Capital at close = capital at start + net profit (or less net loss) - drawings

Below is a horizontal-style balance sheet with assets listed in order of liquidity:

Never forget:1. Total of assets is equal to total of liabilities and capital, as the accounting equation states.2. The horizontal style clearly show the balanced feature, assets = liabilities + capital.3. The vertical style displays the form of the equation: assets - liabilities = capital.Please visit again next week. See you then.

Roxanne Wright teaches at Immaculate Academy. Send questions and comments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 23-29, 2012 15

BBEERRYYLL CCLLAARRKKEEContributor

THIS WEEK, we are continuing our examinationof the novel with a look first at setting. Settingrefers to the historical, geographical and physical

location of the story. I am sure you realise that whereand when and under what physical conditions a storytakes place must affect it in some way.

A story set, for example, in Libya or even in ourcountry at this period, would, it is likely, includeand reflect the fact that violence is a part of dailylife. The physical appearance of the area and theculture of the people would contribute to how thestory develops. For this reason, you should alwaystake the time to find out about the setting of anynovel you are studying.

When we talk about the historical setting we arereferring to the period – early 19th century, or 1480to 1700 or 1801 or 1776, or the beginning of the21st century, with its social, cultural, economic andpolitical conditions. Through knowledge of theabove you may be able to explain the attitudes andbehaviour of the characters.

It also helps to know where a narrative is set. Onedoes not expect certain occurrences in a hottropical location as opposed to a bitterly cold,snowy one. Then, too, the size of the town ordistrict may have an impact on relationships,movement, job prospects, places and sources ofentertainment and so on.

Physical setting deals with matters like time ofday or night, weather, being inside or outside of abuilding, condition, furnishing and size of thebuilding. So, when you read a story for the first

time, just try to assess whether setting has asubstantial effect or not.

Every novel has characters. They may be few ormany as the writer/creator sees fit. Your job is firstto identify the major ones, starting with theprotagonist. This is usually the one that is mostprominently featured, the one who has the leadingrole. Then you must consider each character todecide, through what he says and does as well aswhat others say about him, what sort of person heis. Remember that you have to look at the overallpicture and make your conclusion in a balancedmanner, for the character may not be presented ascompletely bad or completely good. You shouldnotice, too, whether the characters are fullydeveloped or are one-dimensional, flat, bringingout only one trait.

A story must be told by someone; that is, therehas to be a narrator. One of your jobs is to identifythat person or character and decide whether thenarrative is being told by a first-person (I or we)

narrator or a third- person (he, she or they) narrator.Is the story told from a wide perspective or a narrowone where we get only one point of view? Is thenarrator only an observer or is he also a participantin the action? Does the narrator understand thesignificance of the events he is describing? This isa question that you must answer, especially if thenarrator is a child. Please be mindful, too, that youhave to evaluate the accuracy of the narrator’s viewof events. Can he be trusted to give a truthfulversion or is he biased? How much does heunderstand of what is happening? You must also beaware that there is a narrator called omniscientbecause he knows everything. The author,himself/herself sometimes intrudes withinformation that he/she wishes readers to have.

Now let us turn our attention to style. Each writer,just like each of us as individuals, has his own wayof expressing his ideas. Because of this you arerequired to examine words, images, references andeven the way sentences are structured. Have youever been able to tell what social or educational

group someone belongs to from the person’sspeech? You can do the same from the writtenword. The narrator’s tone can help you to know hisattitude to a character or to events. It is usuallythrough the tone, the style and the language that thewriter lets readers know if the story is happy or sad;serious or comic; satiric or something else.

Symbols are an important part of some stories.When you recognise one you should try to find outthe author’s reason for including it in his work. Howone recognises a symbol is a question that is oftenasked. If something is mentioned once or twice in astory, it is not likely to be a symbol. If, however, it isrepeated several times, is referred to again andagain and makes its appearance over and over, youcan safely assume that it is one.

All stories have themes. The CXC CSEC EnglishB syllabus no longer has a theme section. We are tobe able, nevertheless, to discover the central idea(s)or themes in the novels that we study. Carefullytrace the main concern(s) of the writer. Consider therelationship between the title and the main theme.Think of the ways the themes are brought out andthrough which characters.

In our next lesson, we are going to Trinidad, theTrinidad of the early 1980s as presented to us inTThhee WWiinnee ooff AAssttoonniisshhmmeenntt. This story, written byEarl Lovelace, explores a period or, better yet, aslice of a period before you were born but which Ihope you will find fascinating. Until then, continueto prepare for your success and God bless!

Beryl Clarke is an independent contributor. Send questionsand comments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

The novelpart 2

yl:english literature

RICARDO MAKYN PHOTO

Dane Richards (foreground, right), who scored a brace to ensure Jamaica moved on in the World Cup qualifiers, is congratulated after the match.

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | 16 OCTOBER 23-29, 2012

DDEEBBBBIIOONN HHYYMMAANNContributor

At the end of the lesson students should be able to:1. Explain what is meant by the suggestion that the Caribbean was the ‘cockpit of Europe’.2. Discuss three measures used by Spain to protect her Spanish empire in the Americas up to 1763.3. Discuss three measures used by European countries to break the Spanish empire in the Americas up to 1763.

THE ‘COCKPIT OF EUROPE’You must be wondering why the Caribbean was

considered as the ‘cockpit of Europe’. For us toclearly understand the suggestion we have tounderstand what was happening in the Americas,specifically the relationship between the variousEuropean countries in the 18th century. Spain hadestablished herself as the dominant power in theAmericas by the end of the 16th century. However,her possession of the region was being threatenedby the French, Dutch and English who wanted togain territorial and mineral wealth. It is against sucha background that the Caribbean would bedescribed as the ‘cockpit of Europe’.

The idea of the Caribbean being the ‘cockpit’ ofEurope emerges from the imagery of a popularblood sport involving the use of male fighting birdscalled ‘gamecocks.’ These birds are placed together,usually two at a time, into a small, enclosed arenawhere, upon seeing each other, they instinctivelybegin fighting until one dies. This imagery then, ofa cockpit, is perhaps a very appropriate one fordescribing the interactions of the Europeans in theCaribbean during this period. The analogy is quiteappropriate, because, the game birds - theseEuropean nations - sought to fight to the death in asmall arena with the hope that at the end of the fightonly one combatant would remain in charge of the‘cockpit’ - the Caribbean.

MEASURES USED BY SPAIN TO PROTECTHER EMPIRE IN THE AMERICAS

Several measures were introduced by theSpanish crown to protect her vast American empire.These included:

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HOUSE OFTRADE

The House of Trade or Casa de Contratacion wasa government agency from the 16th to 18th century,

which was mandated to control Spanish explorationand colonisation. The body had several functions:

a) licensing captainsb) collecting all taxes and dutiesc) maintaining secret information on trade routes and new discoveriesd) approving all voyages of exploration and trade

THE USE OF A CONVOY SYSTEM This was a collection of merchant ships with an

escort of warships. This was introduced to reduce

the likelihood of privateers and buccaneersattacking Spanish vessels.

UTILISATION OF THE GUARDA COSTAThese were coast guards that patrolled the waters

against smugglers and other marauders.

THE FORTIFICATION OF IMPORTANTTOWN

This would reduce the likelihood of attacks byrival European nations.

MONOPOLY PORT SYSTEMSpain ensured that only legally authorised ports

could conduct trade with the settlers in theAmerican empire.

THE ASIENTOPermission given by the Spanish government to

other countries to sell items to the Spanishcolonies.

THE BREAKING OF SPAIN’S AMERICANEMPIRE

Several measures were introduced by theSpanish crown to protect its American empire.These included:

PRIVATEERINGPrivateers were usually issued with Letters of

Marque - special papers given by their homegovernment granting permission to attack, take byforce and return the goods from enemy merchantships. Please note that buccaneers were not underthe directive of any home government. In essence,they were pirates without licences. However, theirefforts were just as effective as they plunderedSpanish ships.

ILLEGAL TRADINGSpain tried relentlessly to protect her trade in the

Americas. This protectionism, however, causedproblems with the settlers as it prevented them frompurchasing from other European settlers. OftentimesSpanish settlers had to wait until the fleet fromSeville returned to get goods before they were ableto gain items. This led to shortages in the colonies.Traders such as the English illegally sold goodssuch as wine, oil, tools and textiles to the Spanishsettlers. By the end of the 17th century, it was theDutch who were the busiest illegal traders.

SETTLEMENTThe French and English established settlements

as a means of containing Spanish dominance in theCaribbean. They settled islands that wereconsidered ‘insignificant’ by the Spanish.

The end result of the attempts to reduce Spain’shegemony in the Americas was successful, as by1763 Spain’s dominant position in the area haddwindled.

Debbion Hyman teaches at St Hugh’s High School. Sendquestions and comments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Onslaught!Attack on Spain’s Empire in the Americas

yl:history

RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Edmund Bartlett (centre) celebrates being appointed a member of the Order ofDistinction in the rank of Commander with brother St Aubyn Bartlett (second left),sister-in-law Grace Bartlett and his nephews Justin (left) and Brandon.The ceremony washeld at King’s House, Monday, October 15.

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 23-29, 2012 17

YYVVOONNNNEE HHAARRVVEEYYContributor

THIS IS our last lesson on thissection of the syllabus. Next week, Iwill present a test so that you can

have an idea of how much you haveunderstood and learnt the informationthat has been presented to you over thepast few weeks.

You will remember that one of thetopics we considered was the reasonspeople save, and we looked at thevarious methods of saving. Now we aregoing to cover the link between savingsand investment.

Individuals, businesses andgovernments save. To save means torefrain from consumption; that is, notspending a part or all of one’s income.The greater the saving, the less thedemand for goods and services. Whenindividuals, businesses andgovernments save, it makes possible theaccumulation of funds for investmentpurposes. This means that one of themost important determinants ofinvestment is the level of accumulatedsavings.

Since individuals, firms and thegovernment require investment, thefunds that are available must be sharedamong the three. Therefore, there will becompetition for investment funds.

Investment refers to using money toproduce capital goods. Capital goodsare those that are not consumed for theirown sake but are used to produce othergoods and services. Examples of capitalgoods are plant, machinery, equipment,tools and partly finished goods; anythingthat is used to produce further capitaland consumer goods and services.

There are a number of factors thataffect the level of investment within afirm or within a country. Included are thefollowing factors:

4 the level of savings4 the rate of interest on loans4 the level of confidence in the future

state of the economy that businessmen have4 the short- and long-term goals of the business/country4 political stability or instability4 the expectations of investors4 rules and regulations of government4 whether suppliers are able or not able to meet the orders of investors4 the marginal efficiency of capital4 the level of economic activity in the economy.

See if you are able to link the factorsabove with the level of investment.

Governments play an important rolein determining the level of savings andinvestment. If they increase the rate ofinterest on deposits, the level of savingwould be expected to rise and moreinvestment would likely take place.However, if borrowers’ interest isincreased, borrowers will be expected todecrease their borrowing and, in turn,their investments. Therefore, theincreased saving has only made fundsavailable for investments; it does notguarantee investment will take place.

Being the largest buyer of capitalgoods, governments are the largest andmost important investors in any country.Since this is so, they have the greatestneed for investment funds. If there is ashortage of these funds, they may haveto borrow from within or outside thecountry.

That’s it for this lesson. Do haveyourselves a wonderful week. Rememberto study the entire Section 7: BusinessFinance for the test next week. Studyinginvolves not just the lesson notes I havepresented, but also reading materialrelated to the topics. In the followingweeks, we will be going through Section8: Role of Government in an Economy.Bye for now.

Yvonne Harvey teaches at Glenmuir HighSchool. Send questions and comments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Savingsand

investment

yl:principles of busness yl:geography

Your finalreport

MMAARRJJOORRIIEE HHEENNRRYYContributor

THE SCHOOL-based assessment (SBA) has been myfocus for the last few lessons. I hope that by now you areat least at the same point with me, that is, in the

completion of your draft. As I stated in the last lesson there is aparticular format to be used in the presentation of your finalreport. This is listed below.

i. Develop a Title Page. This has the title of your study, your name, your registration number, the name of your school and the territory. This information is also needed on the outside cover of the folder in which you are submitting the report.ii. A properly completed Strategy Sheet.iii. Table of Content. The pages of the report must be numbered. The table of content would, therefore, have the list of headings of the content of the study with the corresponding page numbers.iv. Location mapsv. Aim of the studyvi. Method of data collectionvii. Presentation of dataviii. Conclusionix. Bibliographyx. Appendix

Please note that the last six items listed above are the onesto be included in the table of content. Finally, you are to submitthe report in a soft-back folder of letter or ‘A4’ size.

I have developed some review questions to end mydiscussion on the SBA.

11.. HHooww ddoo II kknnooww tthhee ttooppiicc ttoo ddoo??Your topic is taken from any section of the syllabus. It should be manageable and chosen based on your interest in it.

22.. WWhhyy ddoo II hhaavvee ttoo ggoo oonn ffiieelldd ttrriippss??The SBA for this subject is a field study report so field trips are mandatory.

33.. DDoo II ggoo oonn ffiieelldd ttrriippss aalloonnee??Field trips can be done in groups. However, the written report is an individual one.

44.. WWhhiicchh iiss mmoorree iimmppoorrttaanntt iinn tthhee ccoommpplleettiioonn ooff mmyy rreeppoorrtt,, pprriimmaarryy oorr sseeccoonnddaarryy ddaattaa??The report must be based essentially on primary data, hence the need for the field trips. Secondary data is needed to complement the primary data and, at the same time, to develop your bibliography.

55.. WWhhaatt iiss tthhee ssttrraatteeggyy sshheeeett??This is the guide to your study. In completing it, you give information on your topic of choice; purpose of the study; how you will obtain the information for your study; how you will present the information; where you will conduct the study and the equipment needed.

66.. WWhheenn iiss tthhee ssttrraatteeggyy sshheeeett ddoonnee??The strategy sheet is done as soon as you have decided on your topic and before you go on the field trips. The completed document must be submitted to your teacher for review. Ultimately, it is included in the final report for submission.

77.. WWhhyy sshhoouulldd II ddoo llooccaattiioonn mmaappss??The location maps will show the area of focus for your study. There is no written account for the location of your study area.

88.. AArree iilllluussttrraattiioonnss iimmppoorrttaanntt??Illustrations are absolutely necessary. The data obtained inthe field must be illustrated in at least three different ways: graphs, charts, sketches, diagrams, tables and labelled photographs. They must be original and not photocopied.

99.. HHooww ddoo II wwrriittee aa ccoonncclluussiioonn??The conclusion must relate to the aim or aims of the study and should provide an appropriate summary of the findings discussed in the written account. No new information should be introduced in it.

1100.. IIss oonnee ssoouurrccee ooff rreeffeerreennccee aaddeeqquuaattee ffoorr tthhee bbiibblliiooggrraapphhyy??At least three sources of reference are needed to develop your bibliography. This must include at least one geographytextbook.

1111.. SShhoouulldd tthhee rreeppoorrtt bbee oonnllyy hhaannddwwrriitttteenn??You can choose between writing and typing the report. If written, it must legible. The examiner must not be forced to decipher what you have written.

1122.. IIss tthheerree aa lliimmiitt ttoo tthhee ssiizzee ooff mmyy rreeppoorrtt??Aim at keeping the report within the limit of 1,500 words. 10 per cent of the marks you earned is deducted as a penalty, should you exceed 1,650 words.

Work well at your report. Follow the guidelines given for itscompletion. Aim at realising the most marks out of 40.

Marjorie Henry is an independent contributor. Send questions andcomments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | 18 OCTOBER 23-29, 2012

HHYYAACCIINNTTHH TTUUGGMMAANNContributor

RECORD KEEPING is the process ofclassifying, arranging and storinginformation so that it can be easily

retrieved. Most offices today use bothmanual and electronic filing systems tostore their information.

It is important that records be preservedin order to prevent them from getting torn,defaced, misplaced or lost. Records areretained so that they can be found yearslater. The length of time a record should bekept will be determined by theorganisation’s policy.

There are two ways to organise a recordkeeping system. Record keeping systemsmay be centralised or decentralised.Decentralised files are stored in differentplaces, either near the persons who usethem often or where they fit best in eachoffice. Centralised files are located in onearea. This is where all information of acompany is stored and managed, eithermanually or electronically or by using acombination of both methods.

The essential steps for filing areinspecting, indexing, coding, sorting andstoring. Sometimes cross-referencing isalso done.

INSPECTINGReview each record to determine

whether it should be filed.

INDEXINGDecide on a caption for the record. A

caption is a name, a letter or a numberunder which a record is filed. Indexing isreally a mental process that requires you tomake a decision about file placement.

CODINGOnce you have decided on a caption for

the record to be filed, you must assign acode to the record before filing it. With arecord in paper form, coding is done byunderlining or highlighting the name underwhich the record will be filed. Thisunderlining or highlighting will also serveas a reminder to anyone who might beusing the record and refilling it in thefuture.

SORTINGOnce you have properly coded the

records to be filed, you are ready to sortthem. Arrange them in the order in whichthey will be placed in the file.

STORINGStoring involves placing a record in a file

folder in a proper file drawer if you areusing a manual system, or choosing theproper commands to save a record in anelectronic filing system.

CROSS-REFERENCINGAfter indexing and coding, you will

determine whether a document may be filedand recalled under different captions. If thisis so, a cross-reference sheet showingalternative locations for finding thedocument must be prepared or aphotocopy of the original document isplaced in the alternative location(s).

FILING SYSTEMS AND METHODSFiling systems can be arranged in a

variety of ways, but there are severalconsiderations to be taken into account inchoosing a filing system. It must be:

4 quick and simple to operate4 easily accessible, ie, the cabinets must be conveniently situated and the files within them easy to locate4 suitable for the particular type of correspondence dealt with; the size, volume and nature of the correspondence must be considered

4 organised to hold current papersonly4 capable of expansion, if required4 appropriate in size – not using unnecessary space

METHODS OF CLASSIFICATIONIn any record-keeping system there are

four major methods that can be used toorganise the information. The alphabeticmethod is the most widely used becausemost information can be easily managed inthis way. Other record keeping methods are– numeric, subject, geographic andelectronic – all use the alphabetic methodas a part of their system.

1. AAllpphhaabbeettiiccWhere the files contain mainlycorrespondence with individuals and

with other organisations, this is thesimplest and most logical classificationmethod to adopt. Each file is given a name,usually the name of the person ororganisation to which it relates. The filesare kept in alphabetical order.

Each drawer or shelf of the filing cabinetis labelled: A-E, F-H and so on.

ADVANTAGES OF THEALPHABETICAL SYSTEM:

4 it is simple to understand and operate4 related documents can be conveniently grouped4 it is suitable for incorporating miscellaneous papers.

DISADVANTAGES OF THEALPHABETICAL SYSTEM:

4 confusion may arise with common names4 it is difficult to estimate space requirements4 it is difficult to operate in a large organisation4 it is necessary to cross-reference because some documents may be found under more than one heading.

2. NNuummeerriiccaallRecords can sometimes be retrievedfaster if they are filed by number rather

than by name or subject. For example, abank has many customers and some ofthese customers may have savingsaccounts as well as chequing accounts,mortgages and personal loans. Rather thancombine all the records of an individual in

one file under that customer’s name, a bankwould file them according to the accountnumbers.

Filing numerically provides severaladvantages. This method is very usefulwhen the records themselves are numbers;also, unlimited numbers of new files can beadded without running out of captions.Confidential records can be thoroughlysafeguarded.

3. SSuubbjjeeccttStoring and managing information bysubject means that the subjects of

documents are more important to youroffice than the names on them. In subjectfiles, information is filed alphabetically bysubject. For example, a main file labelled‘Contracts’ would be filed before a filelabelled ‘Legal Cases’.

Subject files can be subdivided intocategories to allow for more efficientstorage and retrieval. For example, a mainsubject file labelled ‘Insurance’ may havesubcategories ‘Fire’, ‘Theft’, ‘Accident’, andso on.

4. GGeeooggrraapphhiiccGeographic filing is useful when theinformation to be stored applies to a

particular location (country, region ortown). First, break categories down into themost important geographic divisions foryour company’s operations. Divide theseinto subdivisions then alphabetise withineach subdivision.

5. EElleeccttrroonniiccElectronic record is any record that iscreated, used, maintained, transmitted

and disposed of in electronic form. Suchrecords may be stored in computermemory or on flash drive.

Records maintained on electronicrecords storage systems are moresusceptible to alteration, loss andunauthorised access and disclosure ofinformation than records stored in otherforms. As a result, a specific set ofprocedures must be included in theoverall records-management programmeto ensure the security, accuracy andaccessibility of the records.

Next week, I will look at other aspectsof records and information management.Have a good week.

Hyacinth Tugman teaches at Glenmuir HighSchool. Send questions and comments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Records & information yl:office administration

The governor general’s consultation for young men and women kicked off recently at the WhisperingBamboo Cove resort in St.Thomas.As part of the ‘I Believe’ Initiative, young men and women across thethree counties will be exposed to talks on entrepreneurship, starting a business and getting funding. Oneof Thursday’s presenters, Lenworth Sutherland, branch manager of Scotiabank, Morant Bay, has the raptattention of several eager participants.

management

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 23-29, 2012 19

MMOONNAACCIIAA WWIILLLLIIAAMMSSContributor

HELLO AGAIN, students! How are you this week? Have you beenhaving a good time at school so far? I hope you have! Enjoyyour school days for they cannot be repeated, no matter how

hard you try! This week, we will conclude our study of therequirements for your SBAs. We do this by looking at planning anddesign. This skill is a sore point for everyone, not just you! Teachersdo not like it because they have to think of creative problem statementsfor students to work on, students don’t like it because formulatinghypothesis and writing up these experiments require too muchthought, and the examiners do not like it because they get boredreading the same experiments every year!

Students, you are encouraged to look around you to see what ishappening and to use examples of what you see as the basis whichyou will use to formulate your hypotheses. What is a hypothesis, youask? That is a good question, because many times this is the word thatfloors you! A hypothesis is an explanation about how things work orwhy things happen. This hypothesis is based on particularobservations and it must be testable. This means that you should beable to design an experiment the result of which would answer yourquestion.

FORMULATING THE HYPOTHESISHere is a problem that a gardener noticed. He noticed that whenever

he planted Impatiens (a flowering plant) they would soon die, butthose planted by his neighbour survived for years. He noticed thatwhile his plants were planted under the eaves of his verandah, hisneighbour’s were planted under a spreading breadfruit tree.

Suggest a possible hypothesis for the gardener’s dilemma, thendesign an experiment which you could carry out to test yourhypothesis.

POSSIBLE HYPOTHESIS4 Impatiens grow best in areas that do not receive direct sunlight.

POSSIBLE AIM4 To investigate the effect of direct sunlight on the growth of Impatiens.

ANOTHER OBSERVATIONWhile redesigning his garden, the gardener had to turn over some

stones in order to move them and he noticed that there were manymillipedes found under these stones. These animals were not seenanywhere else.

POSSIBLE HYPOTHESIS4 Millipedes are mostly found in cool, damp areas away from

direct light.

POSSIBLE AIM4 To investigate the effect of direct light on the distribution of millipedes.4 To investigate the distribution of millipedes in moist and dry areas.

ANOTHER OBSERVATIONIt is observed that when green bananas are cooked with a slice of

lime, they do not darken during cooking.What do you think would be suitable hypothesis formed from this

observation? What do you think is preventing the darkening?

DESIGNING THE EXPERIMENTThe experiment that you will design must have the following:4 A hypothesis – this must clearly relate to the observation that was made.4 An aim – this must clearly relate to the hypothesis.4 A list of the apparatus and materials that you will use in carryingout your experiment. Try to avoid using words such as some, a few and many; be precise. Use instead, 500g of soil, 200cm3 of water, 10 millipedes, etc.4 A clear method. Unlike the other experiments that you have written, planning and design experiments are written in the present tense and not in the past tense. This is because the experiment has not yet been done so you are giving instructions in your method. A suitable control must also be included. You should also include the number of repeats of the method that are to be carried out. Repeats increase the validity of your experiment.4 Identification of the different variables, the manipulated, the responding and the controlled.4 A summary of the expected results. This can be written in point form and would indicate whether your hypothesis is proven or not proven.4 A list of the limitations of your experiment.4 The observation from which the hypothesis is made must also be included in your write- up. This is placed at the beginning.

If all of these criteria are met, you would have been successful insatisfying the requirements for this SBA skill. Remember, it isimportant to get a good grasp of the requirements for this skillbecause it often forms a part of your examination. Practise, practiseand practise some more!

See you next week!

Monacia Williams teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions and commentsto kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Planningand

design

yl:biology

BARBARA ELLINGTON/PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDITOR

The ever fabulous Rosa Joseph grabs a photo op with former Prime Minister P.J.Patterson at the after-party for Thalia Lyn on Monday, October 15 at Stony Hill.

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | 20 OCTOBER 23-29, 2012

NNAATTAASSHHAA TTHHOOMMAASS--FFRRAANNCCIISSContributor

HELLO, ALL! Recently, we have been exploring subject and verbagreement. This week, we will be looking at phrases and typesof clauses. However, before we switch topics let us look at some

of the answers from last week’s activities.

ACTIVITY 1Choose the correct verb in the following sentences:1. There (was, wweerree) two dogs lying on the pavement.2. Neither the windows nor the door (wwaass, were) locked.3. Neither the hammer nor the nails (was, wweerree) in the toolbox.4. Maria, one of the star dancers on the show, (tteeaacchheess, teach) dancing in her free time.5. Toast along with peanut butter and bananas (iiss, are) Ranaldo’s favourite breakfast.6. The committee (mmeeeettss, meet) every Tuesday.7. News of events in foreign countries (rreeaacchheess, reach) my country in minutes.8. Every boy and girl in school (hhaass, have) purchased a ticket for the concert.9. Fifty percent of the job (wwaass/were) completed by the scheduled date.10. Each person (iiss/are) invited to attend the opening of the new community centre.11. A group of politicians (hhaass ddeecciiddeedd/have decided) to support the new legislation.12. One of the main reasons for crime in most underdeveloped countries (hhaass bbeeeenn/have been) the lack of job opportunities.13. A number of students (has decided/hhaavvee ddeecciiddeedd) to seek permission from the principal to visit a classmate who is seriously ill.14. Many of my friends (is/ aarree) going to Family Fun Day event in St. Mary.

15. The banks of the river (floods/ fflloooodd) during the heavy rains16. Six hundred dollars an hour (iiss/ are) what the Mr Jones pays his employees.17. Each (hhaass/ have) his or her own way of doing things.18. Some of Shakespeare’s plays (contains/ ccoonnttaaiinn) humour.19. Few (appreciates/ aapppprreecciiaattee) his strange sense of fashion.20. Mumps (iiss/ are) a contagious disease.

ACTIVITY 2The corrections are in parentheses (brackets).Identify and revise the subject-verb agreement errors in this

passage.Uncle Stanley and his wife, Aunt Kira, [are] coming to visit me next

weekend. Unfortunately, neither of them [is] very interesting. Everytime they visit, Aunt Kira sleeps about eighteen hours a day, and UncleStanley tells childhood stories over and over. There [are] only aboutthree stories in his entire repertoire, and, although he finds themamusing, neither his stories nor his one and only joke [is] funny at all.I try to get him to discuss other topics, but economics [is] his onlyreal interest, and I don’t find that topic very interesting either. I hate toadmit it, but I hope the days they spend with me [pass] quickly.

PHRASES AND CLAUSES

Now let us turn to the topic phrases and clauses. It is important thatyou have knowledge of various types of sentences and actually usethem in your extended prose pieces (for example, story writing andargumentative writing). CXC will be testing ‘expression’ in your writingand your use of various types of sentences will demonstrate to theexaminer that you have a good grasp of English language.

Before we can go into types of sentences, however, you must beable to make the distinction between a phrase and a clause.

Think back to when you were introduced to verbs. Remember that afinite verb is a complete one (such as plays, played, is playing, hasplayed, has to play), while non-finite verb forms are the participles andthe infinitive (such as playing, to play) which need helping verbs tomake them complete.

A phrase is a group of words, usually used as part of a sentence,but without a finite verb. Look at the following examples:

4 AAfftteerr tthhee jjoouurrnneeyy, I felt tired.4 I read aa ssttrraannggee bbooookk.4 She saw him bbeessiiddee tthhee bbrroowwnn cchhaaiirr.4 WWhhiillee ccrroossssiinngg tthhee rrooaadd, Bill tripped over.

As you can see, none of the groups of words in bold font containany finite verbs; therefore, they are phrases.

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a predicate(finite verb) and functions as part of a sentence or as a wholesentence. Clauses fall into two categories: main/independent clausesand subordinate/dependent clauses.

A main/independent clause has a subject and a predicate (finiteverb) and expresses a complete thought. It is the only type of clausethat can stand alone as a sentence. A subordinate/dependent clausealso has a subject and a predicate (finite verb) but, unlike the mainclause, does not express a complete thought and, therefore, cannotstand alone as a sentence.

Let’s look at the following examples:4 [As I knew him well,] I allowed her in.4 I felt tired [because I worked all day].4 Kingston, [which is a big city], has many entertainment spots for all kinds of people.

In the above examples, the underlined part of the sentenceexpresses a complete thought, and, if the part in parentheses were tobe removed, it would stand alone as a sentence. The underlined partis, therefore, the main clause. The part of the sentence surrounded bybrackets contains a subject and a predicate but cannot stand alone asa complete thought. This is, therefore, the subordinate clause.

In order to identify a subordinate clause you will need to know thefollowing:

4 A subordinate clause is introduced by either a subordinating conjunction or a relative pronoun:

- subordinating conjunctions include: since, when, because, if, as, while- relative pronouns include: that, which, who, whom, whose.

4 A subordinate clause must not be confused with a phrase.- For example, look at the sentence: Before going home, Alecia will do the shopping. This sentence contains one main clause, but within the clause is a phrase: Before goinghome

Now look at this sentence: Before she goes home, Alecia will do theshopping. In this sentence, a finite verb (“goes”) has replaced the non-finite verb “going” and the subject “she” has been added to create asubordinate clause: Before she goes home

In next week’s lesson, we will look at some more examples ofclauses. Have a productive week! Blessings!

Natasha Thomas-Francis teaches at Glenmuir High School. Send questions andcomments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Clausesyl:english language

RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER

Olivia Grange greets Yohan Blake at the service of thanksgiving for the 140th Anniversary of the City of Kingston andThe Achievements of the London 2012 Olympians and Paralympians, ‘Repairing the Breach, Restoring the Treasure’, atthe East Queen Street Baptist Church in Kingston on Sunday, October 14.

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 23-29, 2012 21

FFRRAANNCCIINNEE TTAAYYLLOORR--CCAAMMPPBBEELLLLContributor

YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:4 Explain metallic bonding using the terms cation and mobile electrons4 Define and give examples of ionic crystals, simple molecular and giant molecular crystals4 Distinguish between ionic and molecular solids

POINTS TO NOTE4 Metals are able to conduct electricity and heat due to the presence of mobile electrons4 Solids can be divided into the following groups; ionic crystals, molecular (simple and giant) and metallic crystals. The differences in the properties of these compounds can be explained by the type of bonds they possess.4 Ionic compounds are crystalline solids able to conduct electricity when molten, due to the movement of ions which can carry an electric current. These compounds also have high melting and boiling temperatures due to the strength of the attractive forces between the ions.4 Simple molecular crystals have low melting and boiling temperatures due to weak forces of attraction between molecules.4 Giant structures of atoms and molecules have very high melting and boiling points due to strong covalent bonds throughout their three-dimensional network.

The arrangement of atoms and ions in a crystal helps to determinethe physical properties of thermal and electrical conductivity, meltingand boiling points, physical state at room temperature and solubility insolvents.

In metallic crystals, the outer electrons of each atom are mobile ordelocalised (that is, they do not belong to any particular cation) andcome together to form a ‘band’ or ‘sea’ of electrons. These electronswill bind to the cations formed from the electron loss, forming a strongbond. In this way, metals are able to conduct heat and electricity sincethe mobile electrons can move throughout the metal. The strongbonds between the cations and electrons means that they are hard tobreak, thus metals have high melting and boiling points. Metals arealso solids (except mercury) and are malleable and ductile. Thebonding in metals can be represented by the diagram below.

+ e + e + e + e

The mobile electrons form a cloud or band surrounding the cations.The difference in charges holds them together into a strong bond.

In an ionic crystal the attraction between cations and anions holdsthe crystal together into a regular three-dimensional framework. Eachcation is surrounded by anions and vice versa. These crystals aresolids at room temperature and are unable to conduct electricity in this

state. However, imagine what happens when these ionic crystals areheated; the ions gain more energy to move but because they areoppositely charged vast amounts of energy is required to break thisforce of attraction and so these crystals have high melting and boilingpoints. Note: Ionic solids can only conduct electricity when molten, asonly then are the ions free enough to move. Examples of ionic solidsare sodium chloride, magnesium oxide and potassium iodide.

In giant molecular crystals such as graphite, diamond and silicondioxide, strong covalent bonds exist between the atoms, which makethem difficult to melt or boil. On the other hand, simple molecularcrystals have covalent bonds within molecules but weak bondsbetween molecules. Hence, the molecules separate easily at fairly lowtemperatures.

ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE FOLLOWING:1. Most ionic crystals are solids while simple covalent molecules are not.2. Sodium chloride does not conduct electricity in its solid state.3. Metals can conduct heat and electricity.

In next week’s lesson, we will examine in greater detail thedifferences in properties and bonding between sodium chloride,diamond and graphite. Continue to review these points and practisequestions from your text.

Francine Taylor Campbell teaches at Jamaica College. Send questions andcomments to kkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Structure & bonding part 2

yl:chemistry

Errol Miller, chairman of LIME Foundation, presents a cheque for $700,000 to Georgia W. Lewis Scott (centre), executive director of Youth Opportunities Unlimited (YOU) andClaudette Chin, management consultant and director, towards covering the cost of producing 50,000 Christmas cards for the organisation’s annual fund-raising effort.

YOUTHLINK MAGAZINE | 22 OCTOBER 23-29, 2012

CCLLEEMMEENNTT RRAADDCCLLIIFFFFEEContributor

LAST WEEK, we reviewed indices and several points werepresented for your information. I ask that you look carefully atthese then join me in checking the homework.

1. Simplify the following:(a) 5a3b x 4a2b x 7ab3 (b) 12x-4y2 ÷ 3x3y-5

SOLUTION(a) 5a3b x 4a2b x 7ab3 = 5 x 4 x 7 x a3 x a2 x a x b x b x b3

As multiplication of the above involves adding indices:...5a3b x 4a2b x 7ab3 = 140a6b5

(b) 12x-4y2 ÷ 3x3y-5 = (12 ÷ 3) x (x-4 ÷ x3) x (y2 ÷ y-5)As division of the above involves subtracting of indices:... = 4 x x-4 -3 x y2- -5 = 4x-7y7

2. Find the values of:(a) 64-5/6 (b) 27-2/3 (c) 813/4

SOLUTION(a) Given 64-5/6 , we express 64 in terms of base 2.... 64-5/6 = (26)-5/6 . In this case you multiply indices.... (26)-5/6 = 2-5 = 1 =1

25 32

(b) 27-2/3, we initially express 27 in terms of base 3.= (33) - -2/3 = 3-2

= 1 = 132 9

(c) Given 813/4, we initially express 81 in terms of base 3.813/4 = (34) 3/4 = 33 = 27.

3. Solve the following equation for x.42x = 1/32

SOLUTION42x = 1/32

(22)2x = 1 x 2-5

24x = 2-5

Since 4x and -5 are both powers of 2 then equating indices,4x = -5x = -5/4

I expect that you experienced no difficulty so we can now proceed toreview Ratio.

RATIOIf two values are in the ratio 2:7, then each represents, respectively,

the fraction of 2/9 and 7/9 of the whole.

PROOF

In this case the whole is taken as 2 + 7 = 9.The fractions are 2/9 and 7/9.

It is vital for you to be able to convert ratios to fractions in all cases.

EXAMPLEA number is divided in the ratio 2:3. What fraction does the smaller

ratio represents?As the number is divided into the ratio 2:3, then 2 + 3 = 5The fractions are 2/5 and 3/5The answer is 2/5

EXAMPLEA sum of money is to be divided among A, B and C in the ratio

3:4:5. The largest portion amounts to $1,800.CCaallccuullaattee::(a) The total sum of money to be shared(b) A’s shareSince the money is shared in the ratio 3:4:5 and the whole is

represented by 3 + 4 + 5 = 12, the respective portions are as follows:

A = 3/12 or 1/4 B = 4/12 or 1/3 C = 5/12

If the largest share = $1,800, then this represents C’s share, the totalsum is 1,800 x 12.

5 The total sum is $4,320.

A’s share represents 1/4 of the total. This is equal to 1/4 x $4,320 =$1,080. A’s share is $1,080

Finally, we will now review briefly aspects of approximation.

APPROXIMATIONThis topic highlights the various degrees of accuracy to which a

value may be expressed. While counting always gives an accuratevalue, it is measurement which lends itself to approximation,depending on the nature of the instrument used. For example, anelectronic balance can measure the weight in grams of a sample tothree or more decimal places. It should be noted that this degree ofaccuracy is not always required. You, therefore, have the option ofgiving a value to the degree of accuracy you require.

The three methods which are usually used at this level are:1. Decimal places2. Significant figures3. Standard form

DECIMAL PLACESNumbers may be expressed correct to a specified number of

decimal places, as in the case of the following:Express 46.42806(i) Correct to 2 decimal places. (ii) Correct to 3 decimal places(iii) Evaluate 2.732 + 1.2 Correct to decimal place.

SOLUTION(i) 46.43(Start by looking first at the number which is holding the third place

after the decimal point. It is 8. Since 8 is more then 5, 1 is added tothe number 2, the number which comes two places after the decimalpoint.)

NNBB:: If it were 5 instead of 8 holding the third place after the decimal,1 would also be added to the number 2.

(ii) 46.428 (The number holding the fourth place is 0, in this casethe number 8, which comes three places from the decimal point,remains unchanged)

(iii) 2.732 + 1.2 = 7.4529 + 1.2 = 8.6529= 8.7

NNBB: 8.70 is incorrect as it represents two decimal places.

SIGNIFICANT FIGUREThe degree of accuracy to which a value is required may be

determined by the number of figures in the value. For example, a valueexpressed correct to two significant figures may be in the form of 24,1,200km or 0.036 litres.

All three represent the respective value correct to two significantfigures. Please note the pattern.

EXAMPLEExpress 259.163 correct to:(i) 3 Significant figures(ii) 4 Significant figures

SOLUTION(i) 259 (The number holding the fourth place is 1 so the 9 remains

unchanged.)

NNBB:: 259.0 is incorrect as it represents four significant figures.

(ii) 259.2 (NNBB: Since 6 > 5, then 1 is added to the 1 similar to themethod above.)

STANDARD FORMThis is a very effective means of expressing values, especially for

very large or very small numbers. The standard form is A x 10n, whereA is a number between 1 and 10 and n, the power of 10, is an integer(positive or negative whole number, or zero.)

EXAMPLEExpress 3,715,382 in standard form.a) 372 x 106 b) 3.72 x 10-6

c) 3.72 x 106 d) 3.72 x 107

Since the standard form is A x 10n, using the above definition of Aand n, then A is 3.72.

In the number 3,715,382, since the decimal place is after the 2, thenit is moved 6 places to the left, to between 3 and 7, consistent with thedefinition of A, therefore n = 6.

The standard form is, therefore, 3.72 x 106. The answer is (c).

Clement Radcliffe is an independent contributor. Send questions and comments tokkeerrrryy--aannnn..hheeppbbuurrnn@@gglleeaanneerrjjmm..ccoomm

Approximationyl:mathematics