Polymer in Chemistry - Defining It

Polymer in Chemistry - Defining ItIn order to understand polymer in chemistry, one must first look at the chemistry of molecules and atoms. With the aid of the periodic table of elements, it is easily possible to understand the different types of compounds and their properties. A detailed description of the various parts of a molecule and how these parts interact will help you understand exactly what polymer is.As you are aware, all chemical elements are composed of two basic elements: hydrogen and oxygen. These elements form bonds with other similar elements in a chain. This chain is referred to as a molecule because it contains several interconnected chemical elements. The most familiar types of molecules are the ones that we use in our everyday lives. This includes compounds such as water, alcohol, acid, carbon dioxide, and so on.With the help of the periodic table, it is easy to distinguish the various types of chemical element and the properties they possess. For example, we can refer to the elements Pb, Cd, As, Ag, and Cu, among others. These elements make up the group of alkali metal ions. They are contained in many substances such as crystals, solids, liquids, gases, and so on. By the use of the periodic table, it is also possible to tell if a substance contains alkali metal ions or not.The next group of chemical elements that we need to study are the alkaline and acidic chemical elements. These include Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, and Zn. It is difficult to determine the atomic number of any chemical element.Although it is possible to determine the atomic number by simply looking at its shape, it is not possible to determine the amount of ionic charge. Therefore, the method of determining ionic charge depends on how a substance is made. It is very important to know this when you are considering using chemicals in your hands.The next group of elements on the table are the covalent compounds. Here, molecules of one type to combine with other types to form another. If you have an alloy, you are probably familiar with this process.The next group is ionic compounds. This group includes a variety of types of compounds. These compounds often have a positive charge and are therefore more stable than the covalent compounds. They include a variety of different elements such as salts, alkalis, and anions.Because of the regular basis on which we use our world and in our daily activities, it is important to learn about the things we utilize and use on a regular basis. Understanding this fundamental concept is very important for anyone in any career field. To get a good understanding of polymer in chemistry, it is important to do more than just read and look at the periodic table.

The 8 Best Translation Apps for Android, Period

The 8 Best Translation Apps for Android, Period The 8 Best Translation Apps for Android, Period Horrible meat lock.Slippery shrimp doctor.A termination and four weddings.These are just a few of the phrases left in my head after I finished testing out various translation app features with different texts.Yes, machine translation has a long way to go.But translation apps are very useful if you dont purposely push them beyond their capabilities (or even sometimes if you do).Whats more, most major automated translation technology is now available to the masses. That is, its online and compatible with your humble Android phone. Often for free.In this post, were going to explore the possibilities presented by the best translation apps for Android.But first, lets look at why you should care about translation apps in the first place. Why You Definitely Need at Least One Translation AppWhether youre a language learner, a traveler, someone living abroad, all of the above or none of the above, not having a translation appâ€"assuming you have a smartphoneâ€"is just silly. Here are a few reasons why.You may need to have a conversation with someone who you cant communicate with otherwise. Language learners can be a proud bunch. Im learning so that I wont need to rely on a translator, we say. But the reality is that none of us know what language were going to need and when, and theres no reason to let your pride get in the way of helping someone else or yourself, especially in an emergency situation.Translation apps with a voice recognition component are invaluable for language speaking practice. Even if you dont use a translator app for the intended purpose, theyre actually a great way to practice your speaking. Voice recognition technology is definitely not perfect, but if a translator can understand you, theres a good chance that a speaker of the language youre learning will be able to, too.Some translation apps provide helpful context for understanding language.  In this post, we wont just look at straightforward translator apps. The apps on this list provide feat ures like phrasebooks, website translation and comparisons of human translations. These features can help you navigate confusing situations and learn how to approach real-world language, much like FluentU, which takes real-world videosâ€"like movie trailers, music videos, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lessons.So lets check out the best translation apps for your Android.The 8 Best Translation Apps for Android, PeriodBefore we start, I want to note a couple of things. First, there are a lot of translation apps, but many are just slightly different versions of other apps. These below all offer something unique.Secondly, not all the language apps below can be compared apples to apples. Five are fairly similar in that they include the same basic translation features (text, voice, conversation, photo). The other three serve different primary functions and are still very useful.All right, lets take a look!Google TranslateGoogle Translate  is still con sidered the translation app  for a variety of reasons:It offers translations for over 100 languages.It offers translations for text, voice, (two-way) conversation, photo  and handwriting. All of these features work relatively well across languages, are intuitive and are accessible from the home screen on the Android app. (Note: Not all features are available for all languages.)Additional features include the ability to save translations to a phrasebook and download some individual language packs for offline translation.One thing Google Translate is notable for is its  instant camera translation: You can simply aim your camera at whatever you want translated. This seems to work best on medium-sized printed text with good contrast (bold black font on white paper, for example). The main downside is that, especially with small-sized texts, translations fluctuate when the text is viewed at even slightly different angles, sometimes becoming jumbled up and illegible. However, if you can ho ld your phone with a steady hand, the feature can be very useful for reading menus, signs, flyers and the like. You can also opt to scan the text instead.Its difficult to beat all of the above. Keep reading, though, because there are some surprises ahead.Microsoft TranslatorMicrosoft Translator is also pretty good on all fronts. Here are the main differences between it and Google Translate:It offers translations in over 60 languages. Fewer than Google Translate, but still a lot.It also offers regular  text, voice, conversation and photo  translations. All of these work decently, but some features arent available for some major languages, e.g., you cant get photo translation for Arabic.Conversation features are more extensive.  Rather than just having a two-way conversation, you can give out codes to multiple other users to let them join a conversation. This means you can essentially have a group chat where everyone is using their own phone to communicate remotely across different la nguages, with all text being translated into your language of choice. Each user can either input text with a keyboard, or do voice-to-text.Additional features include  pre-made phrasebooks, offline language packs for some languages and the option to  pin favorite translations.While you cant get instant camera translation like with Google Translate, the photo feature is clean, simple and may work better for smaller-sized texts.Considering the above, Microsoft Translator might be best for business and academic purposes. Its not quite as user-friendly as Google Translate, but it has its advantages.Yandex.TranslateYandex is the translation app I found the most unexpectedly exciting. Lets look at the breakdown:It offers text  translations in more than 90 languages. Not bad.It includes voice, conversation and photo translations for some languages. For me, these all worked pretty well.Additional features include built-in  dictionaries,  whole website translation, phrase collections, some o ffline language pair packs and the ability to save translations in Favorites.It also gives you the ability to interact with social media accounts and texting apps for quick communication.So thats all good to know. But what was most impressive to me was the actual translation tech. As you type or talk, you can watch the translation shift and change according to the current context. In my experience, Yandex was  the best at using context  out of any of the apps on this list.No joke, it photo-translated an entire page from Prousts À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time) from the original French in a way that was mainly comprehensible. And when I started inputting the actual text, it started translating it in a way that was virtually indistinguishable from a human translation. Im not suggesting that it was able to make the same refined choices a human literary translator would make, but it definitely seemed to be educating itself as it went along.Yandexs penchant for con text may  actually make it work less well overall for shorter texts like signs and titles. I noticed it sometimes tries to make sentences of bits of text that arent actually linked. However, it can be  frighteningly good at translating longer texts written in complete sentences. Frighteningly. Time to prepare for the robot revolution.Naver PapagoPapago is a fairly new app made by Naver, the corporation behind the popular Korean search engine of the same name. Heres what its got:Text translations between 13 languages.Voice, photo, and conversation translation between some languages. Voice recognition works pretty well; photo translation seems to work best for larger text. It isnt as intuitive as some photo translation on other apps. However, it gives you more options, allowing you to select what text you want translated.Handwriting input for East Asian languages (which, in my opinion and experience, works better than the Google Translate handwriting input).Whole website translation, pre-made phrasebooks with cool features like sample conversations and on-off switches for honorifics. It also has Papago Mini, which allows you to highlight any text on your phone screen and receive an instant translation without even switching apps.Overall, Papago in some ways feels like a work in progress, but an ambitious and exciting one. Some of the features, like photo translation, feel a little shaky, but others, like the handwriting input, are incredible. Among English speakers, this one  will no doubt appeal most strongly to learners of Korean, Chinese and Japanese.iTranslateiTranslate is another translation app that offers all the main features of the major apps above, but it doesnt offer all of them for free. Heres what were looking at:Text translations between 100 languages.Voice, conversation, photo and website translation.Offline translation for over 40 languages.Multiple additional features, including  dictionaries and verb conjugations, the ability to rate translatio ns and the ability to adjust audio speed.Compatibility with the Dash Pro translating earphones.Some features, including voice translation and Lens (the photo translation tech) are only available with iTranslate Pro for  $39.99 a year (theres a week-long free trial).I found that Lens was better at capturing smaller text in low-contrast situations than other apps. The voice recognition technology was also pretty impressive. However, in my experience, the actual translation results were mixed. Unlike with Yandex, iTranslate  seems to do best with shorter, conversation-based translations.In general, iTranslate isnt as user-friendly as Google Translate or many other apps, but theres a lot under the hood. Its main appeal is that it offers all-in-one features over a variety of languages. It seems like it would be best for dedicated travelers and business professionals who want to get as much as possible out of  only one app and are willing to spend some time learning to use it most effecti vely.SayHiThis super simple app uses Microsofts translation tech along with a different type of speech tech and only one main feature:  basic two-way conversation.SayHi can quickly be fired up when you need it for a bilingual conversation. Its the simplest, most intuitive app on this list, and is good for everyone to have on hand, as it could come in handy in an emergency or other unexpected situation.Reverso Translation DictionaryYou may be wondering, what is a translation dictionary? Well, Reverso uses Googles voice translation tech, but then allows you to deep-dive into the results and examine them closely through definitions, example sentences, related phrases and conjugations. In other words, it doesnt just leave you hanging with the given translation but allows you to check for yourself how accurate it is.While, true to its name, Reverso makes it easy to reverse language pairs, its best application may be using a language you already know to look up idioms and other phrases yo ure unsure about in your target language. For example, I need to get some air in English brings up Jai besoin de prendre lair in French, along with related phrases and examples.Dictionary LingueeWhen you search for a word or phrase (which can also be done by voice lookup) on Linguee, you dont just get a definition. You get a host of already translated webpages between your learning and target language.So for example, if I search for how to say coffee in Russian, it gives me the word, ????, along with example sentences and related words and phrases. It then gives me a whole list of excerpts taken from real websites that include the word coffee in English with the surrounding language and the Russian version of those same sentences.Linguee gives you the chance to see how a word or a phrase has been translated in context, over multiple contexts.This makes Linguee not only a great dictionary app, but a wonderful tool for professional translators, language learners and anyone else studyi ng a language for any reason.The robot revolution may not actually be here yet.But theres no harm in making peace with the machines already among us.Download any of these great translation apps for Android and see for yourself.Elisabeth Cook is a freelance writer who blogs at Lit All Over.

Meet the teacher ESL Instructor, Mark, in Gwangju, South Korea

Meet the teacher ESL Instructor, Mark, in Gwangju, South Korea We caught up with Mark, an ESL teacher from Illinois, who has been teaching abroad on a Teach Away placement for three months at a school in Gwangju, South Korea. We asked him some questions about his experience so far, so he could share an insight and his perspective with others interested in teaching in Korea. What initially interested you in teaching abroad? Well, firstly, I’ve always been really interested in travel, and when I decided to head out for my TEFL placement, I was well-positioned to try something new because I wasn’t tied down by anything in particular. I had a lot of freedom to explore the idea of a new adventure. I also have a couple of friends who have either taught ESL previously or are currently abroad teaching, and they’ve had nothing but good things to say about their experience. Also, whenever I’ve travelled I’ve found it to be such an educational experience. I’ve learned a lot about the world, but also about myself and about others. So not only do I get to go abroad and teach others, but I get to learn something new as well. Why did you decide on South Korea? I was pretty indiscriminateâ€"in my application, I picked 8 countries that generally interested me. I then decided on South Korea because I had friends teaching there already who all had positive things to say about their experience, and I had also taught several international students from South Korea in the United States as part of an exchange program. Those students made a great impression on me. Did you have any concerns before you left? I actually didn't have many concerns, I'm pretty laid-back and like to go with the flow. I think it’s important to be as easygoing as possible when making such a drastic move, otherwise anything could bother you. Although I’ve heard some people say that their actual situation differed slightly from their contract, my experience here in South Korea has proved to be a very pleasant surprise. Describe the school that you teach at and what a typical workday looks like for you. Something that I like about my placement is that no two days are the same. I arrive at the school I teach at for 11 am, although I don't start teaching until 12 pm, and on Thursdays not until 1:20 pm. This gives me a good amount of prep time. Having a later start time also allows me to reserve my mornings for myself and activities that interest me personally. The school is a combination of three Kindergarten-type schools and two hagwonsâ€"or private Korean institutes. I have one class that I see everyday, but the other classes are all once or twice a week. All of the materials are provided, which makes lesson-planning very easy. At most, I need 30 minutes to prepare for a whole day of lessons. After teaching in the United States and seeing how much time and effort I needed to put into planning, this process seems like a piece of cake. I don’t have to worry about take-home work because all necessary grading can be done within the hours I’m at the school. What have you learned about life in South Korea from your teaching experience? I’ve learned a lot about South Korean culture through my placement, which I’ve really enjoyed. It has often been a challenge when communicating, but despite that fact, my experience has been one to remember thus far. Everyday is a new opportunity to learn a little bit more, not just about South Korea, but about myself as well. I’ve also learned a lot about different educational styles and educational systems, and have made adaptations to my teaching style based on this system. What is your favorite meal that you’ve had? A Korean friend of mine made me a traditional Korean brunch of duck and pumpkin, which was my favorite meal here thus far. Other foods I’ve also really enjoyed are bibimbap, gimbap, samgyupsal, to name a few. I’ve pretty much enjoyed it all here, I love how spicy things can get. It feels a lot healthier, tastier, and fresher than the food I was used to back home. What’s your neighborhood like? My neighborhood is nice and quiet. There is a park in the heart of the neighborhood, and a lot of my coworkers and friends live in nearby buildings. It creates a real sense of community here. My apartment is small, but that’s to be expected in Korea, and I’m able to get out and do interesting things nearby anywayâ€"I enjoy the local restaurants, and the mountains for hiking are literally a six-minute walk from my place. I’ve found the people here to be super nice and welcoming. Where would you like to go next? I haven’t really thought that far ahead because I’m enjoying my experience here, but I think one day I’d like to do a placement in Bolivia, if it presents itself. What resources did you find helpful as you planned to go abroad? I think trying to connect with teachers that are either currently placed at the same school, or teachers who have taught there in the past is really helpful. Do you have any tips for teachers who are looking to apply to teach abroad? Do your homework beforehand to understand as much as you can, but also realize that at some point you will just have to roll with it. Don't look at this as something you will do for a short timeâ€"embrace it as your new life and new home, even if you’ll only do it for the one year. Think about culture and food. They are very important, and it's important to embrace new things and not just carry your old habits and traditions with you. Your good attitude will enhance your experience. Finally, if you can, try and email or talk to teachers that are currently at the school and get their impressions and their advice before you begin.

Is a TEFL certification necessary for an experienced teacher

Is a TEFL certification necessary for an experienced teacher Picture this: you’re an experienced teacher who is used to teaching native English speakers at home, walking into a classroom full of eager foreign learners for the very first time. The class is just as excited as you are, but despite this, something just isn’t clicking when the lesson begins. After a bit of talking you notice them staring blankly at you with a look of confusion in their eyes. They still don’t seem to “get it”, no matter how many times you try to repeat or enunciate your voice (frustrating!). Well, the reality is that teaching at home and teaching abroad (or online) to foreign language students is completely different. There are many nuances to learning in a foreign language, just as many as there are to teaching your subject matter in a foreign language. This is where a TEFL certificate comes in handy for any teacher aspiring to teach away from home or start teaching online. The objective of a TEFL course is to prepare you for teaching non-native English speakers. It’s useful for all types of teachers â€"â€" ESL and licensed teachers alike. But, you may still be wondering: “Is a TEFL certification necessary to teach abroad if I’m already an experienced teacher?”. While a TEFL certification isn’t technically required for qualified teachers with credentials, it is super beneficial for your professional development, job search and, most importantly, your success as a teacher abroad. Read on to learn why certified teachers, experienced teachers, new grads and ESL teachers alike can benefit from getting a TEFL certificate. Teaching abroad is different from teaching at home Licensed teachers know all about teaching strategies, classroom management, and lesson planning to name a few. But your degree in teaching only focused on how to teach native speakers, not how to teach foreign language learners. The truth is those same teaching methods from back home don’t always translate well abroad. No pun intended! No surprise here, but the foreign classroom is an entirely different ball game. You’ll be teaching English, or your desired subject in English, to non-native speakers who may not understand everything you say. Language proficiency can be a big barrier for students. It’s hard enough for a student to understand math concepts in their mother tongue â€" let alone a foreign one! The great news is that a TEFL course helps you adapt your communication style to better suit the English proficiency level of your students. And it helps you learn strategies to teach in a foreign language keeping in mind all the complexities and nuances. Learning skills to teach English language learners, identify language gaps and adapt your teaching style and strategies for each student, is the key focus in a TEFL course. Stand out from the crowd Most teaching positions worth applying to either require a TEFL certification or prefer it and consider it an asset. That’s because a TEFL certificate is the global standard qualification for teaching abroad and is recognized by schools from all around the world. With a TEFL certificate on your resume, you’ll stand out from the competition when your qualifications and experience are otherwise the same. This will inevitably help you land teaching job opportunities abroad. Teachers with a TEFL certificate get noticed for jobs much more often than applicants who don’t have it. Especially for the most popular schools or locations overseas. What’s more? Your TEFL certification never expires and doesn’t need to be renewed. Once you are certified, it’s for life. To get started, there are a few great online TEFL certification courses out there that you can complete from anywhere in the world. Gain valuable cultural knowledge We cannot say enough just how important cultural awareness is for teachers moving to a foreign country. Students from different cultures may not just interact differently with their teachers, but they may also learn differently too. A TEFL course prepares you for these cultural differences and helps you research destinations, organizations and work environments overseas. You’ll be readily equipped to adapt to your new home and anticipate and prepare for cultural differences that can (at times) be challenging to say the least. Get TEFL certified today! So to wrap it up, even if you are already a teacher at home, you may still need a TEFL certificate to teach abroad or online. Yes, you can teach abroad without a TEFL certification, but some countries may require a TEFL certificate, so in those cases, you will definitely need one to teach there. If you want to start a new career teaching abroad then it is worth getting TEFL certified first so that you can learn to be the best teacher possible for your foreign students abroad. Whether you’re an aspiring or experienced teacher, a TEFL certificate can help boost your resume and make you a globally-minded teacher who will be confident in the foreign classroom! Learn more about getting TEFL certified online and pick the course that’s right for you.

Uses of Halogen Chemistry

Uses of Halogen ChemistryHalogen chemistry is a process of using gas, either helium or neon to produce a gas with the properties of neon gas. This gas is produced from the addition of gas into a process known as the volumetric conversion, where helium and other gases are used in combination to form more than one gas of similar molecular weight. The process of halogen chemistry can be applied to many different types of operations where gases are used. Here is a brief description of the processes of this kind.Halogen chemistry is used by an industrial chemist to change gases into a gas with properties that have potential uses in that environment. It is used in industries such as gas processing, pharmaceutical manufacture, automobile manufacturing, welding, glass fibre processing, and chemicals manufacture. The process is also used to convert gases from other processes into a gas with similar properties. These gases include ethane, carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour, methane hydrate, methane sulphide, benzene, and nitrous oxide.Inhalation is one of the major uses of halogen chemistry. This is done for several reasons including the filtering of air and the elimination of toxic gas emissions. Halogen chemistry is commonly used in the auto industry where it is used to filter out small particles in the exhaust air from automobile engines.Hydrogenated oils are often used in the production of hydrogen peroxide which is made use of in the creation of certain cosmetic products. Halogen chemistry can also be used to create hydrocarbons such as methane. In this type of process, carbon dioxide is combined with hydrogen to form methane.Oxygen chemical reactions are also important for producing halogen chemistry. An example of this type of chemistry is found in the process of combustion where water, air, and carbon dioxide are burned to create heat. In this case, the oxygen reacts with carbon dioxide in the combustion process to make carbon monoxide, a highly dangerous gas. After the development of chlorine, there was a decline in halogen chemistry in large industries. This resulted in the use of halogen-free gases in certain industries and many of these have been phased out of use. Today, halogen chemistry is used in other parts of the world including some instances where chlorine gas is used. Many countries, including Germany, have developed a procedure called chloroform synthesis which uses chloroform gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen to produce chloroform gas, which is very similar to halogen gas.Halogen chemistry is used to make numerous types of products from gases that have different properties. It can be applied to almost any type of process and therefore is frequently used in many types of industries. Many types of processes are processed using halogen chemistry today and these types of processes will continue to see growth in the future.

Benefits of Taking Spanish Classes Online

Benefits of Taking Spanish Classes OnlineIf you're considering enrolling yourself in a Spanish class, but the thought of spending an hour or more per day trying to comprehend a language that seems to be stuck in your head, why not do it online? In a very short period of time, the entire process of learning a new language can be done in your home or office. There are many reasons to choose this method of learning over traditional classroom teaching methods. Here's a brief explanation.Learning online is simply that. The education materials, you are provided are the same as the curriculum you would receive in a traditional classroom. That is the beauty of the way you are learning the language - the pace is much faster than it would be in a classroom.With an online Spanish tutor, you are able to study at your own pace without being pressed for time. All you have to do is meet with your tutor when you have the time, and once you've finished, you can then move on to the next lesson, which should take you only a few minutes each day.Learning a language using this system is like having two full-time jobs. You don't have to worry about getting up early or being tired or hungry so you can eat a good breakfast. You also don't have to worry about missing a deadline because you had to go for a meeting and didn't make it in time.With an online Spanish tutor, you are given a rich opportunity to expand your vocabulary, improve your speaking skills, and practice your listening and reading abilities as well. Some people even find that their pronunciation and writing skills are improved when they take lessons from Spanish tutors.Once you have learned a language, the next step is to learn to speak it, which is probably the most difficult thing you will ever attempt to do. With online tutoring, you'll be able to learn how to speak quickly and easily with the help of a program that guides you through every step of the process.Using an online Spanish tutor, you can be involved in the learning process right away, and you won't have to think about the time it would take to travel to the nearest classroom to take the classes. You can take this time off from work and try to spend as much time as possible in the comfort of your own home.

Valedictorian Title Losing Its Prestige

Valedictorian Title Losing Its Prestige For years, the valedictorian title has been for a schools best academic performer. There was only one student who received this top honor. However, many high schools are beginning to honor multiple valedictorians, according to an article in The New York Times. The prestige and honor that has always come with the valedictorian title is fading quickly as more schools pick up on this trend. Teachers and administrators are now giving the title to every straight-A student, instead of picking the best individual out of the class. Principals and administrators are offering multiple valedictorian titles in efforts to reduce competition and pressure among students. They believe that its not fair to better honor the top student over the 5th best student, especially when the differences in their GPAs are miniscule. Parents love to see their kids honored as the top performers in their high schools. However, some believe that it has gone too far, stating that this is another ploy by high schools to inflate and over exaggerate their students abilities. Critics of this trend state that, although it honors more students, it takes focus away from the single best student of that high school class. This then lessens that schools actual valedictorians chances of getting accepted into elite colleges. Those who favor this trend and the critics both agree that it is a blatant effort to increase a high schools notoriety. Its honor inflation, said Chris Healy, an associate professor at Furman University. He also said that honoring too many students as valedictorians could leave them ill prepared for the competition in college and the work field. I think its a bad idea if youre No. 26 and youre valedictorian. In the real world, you do get ranked. Some high schools are honoring up to 94 students as valedictorians. Other schools are honoring as high as 6.5% of the graduating class as valedictorians. This increases students chances of being honored, and most students like this trend. Some schools are recognizing every student who receives straight-As throughout high school, regardless of the level of their classes, as valedictorians. Other schools weight grades, showing favoritism to students who take harder, upper-level courses. Recently, many high schools have tried to increase their notoriety by adding more Advanced Placement classes and allowing more students to take them. High schools have altered their GPA scales; so students can receive a 5.0 instead of a 4.0 in certain advanced classes. This can drastically increase a students overall GPA. High schools are trying to make their students look better than other, competing schools, in attempts to place more students in the nations elite colleges. However, most high schools continue to claim that they are not lowering the bar by making classes easier. So, students are not learning less in an effort to look better. Most education administrators and officials place credence in this claim. It is expected that these trends of inflating students abilities will continue. High schools are beginning to understand that they need to do so in order to compete and place students at top colleges.