A robot is an intelligent and obedient, but impersonal machine.
A robot is an intelligent and obedient, but impersonal machine. It is also a machine that does work on its own, automatically, after it is programmed by humans. 9/10 robots in existence today are Industrial Robots. This means that robots are working for people everywhere in factories, laboratories, warehouses, energy plants, hospitals, and many other industries. Several years ago, the majority (90%) of robots that "worked" were used in car manufacturing companies. These robots worked on assembly lines doing a variety of tasks. Now, only half the robots in the world are busy building cars. The other half are spread out among the other industries listed above. The hardest thing for a robot to do is to walk. This is hard for the creators of the robot as well, since the act of walking involves hundreds of specific motions. Also, a large part of walking time is spent on one leg, so it is important for the robot to have good balance, just like a child learning to walk! Some real robots must walk on uneven surfaces, like the surface of Mars, so these robots need sensors in their legs to find good footholds! There are many benefits to using robots instead of humans. Can you imagine working in a factory all day, every day, doing the exact same thing over and over again? The good thing about robots is that they will never get bored, and they will do things more efficiently than
Is the use of pesticides an acceptable form of pest control?
Is the use of pesticides an acceptable form of pest control? A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, or repelling any pests. Pests can be insects, mice and other animals, unwanted plants (weeds), fungi, or micro-organisms like bacteria and viruses. The different types of pesticides include herbicides (weed killers), fungicides, insecticides and other chemical substances. Pesticides use a variety of different chemical substances (such as organophosphates and organochlorines) which can be classified into the following groups: Contact pesticides where the pesticide is sprayed directly onto the crop and usually absorbed by the insect through tiny gas-exchange pores along it's body. They are inexpensive but often have to be reapplied. Systematic pesticides are also sprayed directly onto the crop and absorbed by the leaves, but the pesticide then transports itself around the plant. Therefore if a sap-sucking insect such as an aphid should feed onto the crop plant, it takes in the pesticide and is poisoned. This type of pesticides is effective because it is not necessary for the spray to come into contact with every insect. They are selective in their action. They affect only certain pests. They are also inexpensive and also need to be reapplied often. Residual pesticides are sprayed onto the soil or treated to the seeds
The Relationships Between Human Health and Agriculture
The Relationships Between Human Health and Agriculture Spedding (1988) defines agriculture as "an activity (of Man), carried out primarily to produce food and fibre (and fuel, as well as many other materials) by the deliberate and controlled use of (mainly terrestrial) plants and animals"1. Inherent in this definition is the importance of agriculture and its impact on the lives of virtually all human beings around the world. Through their ability to control and cultivate whole biological systems for their own purposes and survival, agriculture can be regarded as one of the most revolutionary and distinguishing aspects of mankind. In this way, it is also directly linked to human welfare, and one can explore the way advances in the two domains affect one another, building up to an almost symbiotic relationship between human health and agriculture. Even with a cursory thought, there is a significant link between agriculture and human health. Raeburn insists that the main contribution to human welfare is food, and that mankind depends on almost all supplies on agriculture2. Indeed, humans as heterotrophic organisms are dependent on the intake and digestion of organic substances as a source of energy, required for maintaining basic metabolic activities as well as providing chemical energy. These organic substances are what we normally refer to as food, but also essential are the
Effects on Drought
Drought has long been recognized as one of the most insidious causes of human misery. It has today the unfortunate distinction of being the natural disaster that annually claims the most victims. Its ability to cause widespread misery is actually increasing. While generally associated with semiarid climates, drought can occur in areas that normally enjoy adequate rainfall and moisture levels. In the broadest sense, any lack of water for the normal needs of agriculture, livestock, industry, or human population may be termed a drought. The cause may be lack of supply, contamination of supply, inadequate storage or conveyance facilities, or abnormal demand. Drought, as commonly understood, is a condition of climatic dryness that is severe enough to reduce soil moisture and water below the minimums necessary for sustaining plant, animal, and human life. Drought is usually accompanied by hot, dry winds and may be followed by damaging floods. More socially relevant than technically correct is the definition used by Ari Toubo Eibrahim, the minister of agriculture in Niger, who has said that a drought is "Not as much water as the people need." Examples Chad, the largest landlocked country of the African Sahel region, suffered greatly from the prolonged drought of the 1970s. Based on a 60 percent reduction in cereal grain output and 50 percent loss in the livestock herd, the dollar
Describe and Explain the Importance of Energy in the Location of the Manufacturing Industry.
Describe and Explain the Importance of Energy in the Location of the Manufacturing Industry Energy is only one of several factors that have influenced the location of industry in every industrialised country since mass manufacturing began. Other important factors are Raw materials-where they can be found, their proportion of the weight of the final product, material index, where and how they are moved and the break of bulk points, e.g. at ports; Transport-costs of moving, line costs, unloading and terminal costs; Land-can be a high cost if much is needed and that inexpensive land is sought for; Labour-skills, quality and labour relations; Capital-the money invested in the production processes and land; Government-intervention and policies; and Behavioural Reasons-the decision is made because of personal preferences, i.e. born there. These factors are vital to understanding how the pattern of industrial location in the UK arose; however the patterns are changing. The change of emphasis from traditional energy/manufacturing location to modern energy/manufacturing location has been very significant. Since the Industrial Revolution, industry located where raw materials were available for example South Wales, Northern England and the West Midlands. The importance of coal in the location of manufacturing industry cannot be underestimated. Coal has been so important during the
One can learn a great deal about the Boreal Shield by taking a trip to Sudbury.
Trip to Sudbury's Essay Bonnie Cheng Mr. Rehill Grade 9M October 5, 2001 Sudbury's Essay One One can learn a great deal about the Boreal Shield by taking a trip to Sudbury. It is a city in the Boreal Shield region where the lumber and mining industries dominate its economy. The paper and pulp mills and the Nickel mine are symbols of this great city. Also, the re-greening program at Sudbury is a success, making the city unique in Canada. Sudbury continues to grow and strive from the benefits of the lumber and mining industries and the world-own re-greening program. Sudbury is famous for its mines that are filled with many types of ores. After the ores are mined, they become valuable minerals such as nickel and copper. It all started when Tom Flanagan, who is a blacksmith, discovered copper sulphide while constructing the Canadian Pacific Railway back in the 1883. (Noda) These copper sulphides were believed to have come from a meteorite that had crashed near Sudbury 1.8 billion years ago. It also created a crater, which is now called the Sudbury basin. Today, two big companies, INCO and Falcon Bridge, are the most well known for mining the valuable minerals in Sudbury. INCO has been operating for twenty more years while Falcon Bridge has been around for less then twenty years. (Aelick) These mining companies provide jobs to Canadians living in the Boreal Shield. INCO
The controversy and the future of Common Agricultural Policy of European Union
The controversy and the future of Common Agricultural Policy of European Union Problems/benefits Effect of enlargement Agriculture is a problematic area in every developed country. Free market economy that allows direct competition of agricultural products can often cause a surplus or shortage of certain products, and quality changes. In order to ensure reliable supply of food member states of the European Union decided to cooperate and transferred the authority over agriculture policy to European level. Common Agricultural Policy was set in 1961 and its aims were to improve production and solve existing problems in agriculture all over EU member states. The previous successes of cooperation with coal and steel, and the fact that most states had difficulties to produce certain goods logically led to deeper cooperation in agriculture, and to CAP. Today, "CAP is regarded as the most developed of the European Union's policies and covers almost 90% of all agricultural products" (reader). But, also it is regarded as the most controversial and has been responsible for some negative consequences on the industry, and it had to go under many reforms. This essay will explain why CAP has been both celebrated and criticized. Also, it will include the challenges that will be put in front of it by the future enlargement of European Union. At the time CAP was made, national
The processes of the change in the Rural Environments in the UK.
The processes of the change in the Rural Environments in the UK "Hi-tech farming develops higher yields at lower costs using less land". I would agree with this statement because over the past few years, precision farming has become a proven and affordable way to know your crops. Each year, more and more farmers turn to high-tech tools to collect data, process information in order to increase their yields. These hi-tech tools include Global positioning systems which allow the farmer to keep track of the crops he or she has sprayed and enables them to spray at night. It also allows them to keep track of what crops they have already harvested and where they have planted new ones. This reduces errors made by farmers that could lead to crops being destroyed and, therefore, increasing potential yield. Yield mapping will also increase yield; with a yield mapping monitor, it is possible to spot where areas of rocks or infertile land are located, which might affect crop growth. Sprayer control systems will also help keep costs down while increasing crop yield. This works by giving crops the exact amount of chemicals regardless of vehicle speed using an onboard monitoring computer. Farming methods also increase yields at lower costs, battery farming for example where hens are packed into cages can cut costs for farmers, because they can have more hens in a concentrated space
What are the main characteristics of high-tech (high technology) industry? (b) Describe and explain the locational requirements of different types of manufacturing industry.
(a) What are the main characteristics of high-tech (high technology) industry? High-tech industries are more predominantly found as part of agglomeration economies, where they locate next to each other helping to link to other companies on site. The industry is mainly situated on sites that have room for further expansion so as the industry develops so can the size of firms. Therefore they are usually situated on Greenfield sites where there is more room for researchers for the industry. High-tech industries have to be easily accessed for both workers and for the imports and exports of goods. The techniques of this industry involve micro-electronics but can also include medical instruments, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals which all belong into the quaternary sector, demanding high inputs of information, expertise and research and development. They are footloose industries as they are not tied to their raw materials and therefore they can have a free choice of location. They mainly locate in areas of maximum profit e.g. the M4 and M11 corridors in England, where the different firms can exchange ideas and information. (b) Describe and explain the locational requirements of different types of manufacturing industry. India is a location which now meets the locational requirements of the car industry. Ford Company is now manufacturing in the Indian city of Madras. Its labour
'Poor and backward' or 'wealthy and developing' - which of these descriptions most accurately portrays Britain in 1750?
'Poor and Backward' or 'Wealthy and Developing': Which Of These Descriptions Most Accurately Portrays Britain in 1750? To describe Britain in 1750 as 'wealthy and developing' would be, from a contemporary perspective, a fairly accurate portrayal. However, after having considered such aspects of economy as Agriculture, Industry, Trade and Transport and Society, it has become clear that Britain could only be described as 'wealthy and developed' to a certain extent. Though all sectors of the economy showed improvement during the period before 1750, and a certain amount of dependence on each other, (for example trade and transport, agriculture and industry and society and trade) all sectors had both positive and negative aspects. For example, in the agricultural sector, there were, according to E. Kerridge, signs of significant progress. In his opinion, the period 1560-1690 saw "an agricultural revolution of unparalleled achievement." However, in other sources, there is little evidence of development. In C More for example, it states that "Many of them [the agricultural workforce] were not far above the subsistence level." When judging whether 'Britain' in the mid eighteenth century was 'wealthy and developing' or 'poor and backward', it is difficult, as national and regional differences were very distinct. Some of the more affluent areas of England, such as London, could have