Friday, December 27, 2019

Story about Romeo and Juliet - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1027 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/03/13 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Romeo and Juliet Essay William Shakespeare Essay Did you like this example? Introduction â€Å"O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear; Beauty too rich for sure, for earth too dear!†(Shakespeare Act 1 Sc.5) Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, chronicles the life of two fictional characters known as Romeo and Juliet. Both characters often experience lots of loving connections towards one another. Throughout a series of close readings, Shakespeare reveals that Romeo and Juliet do not love each other because they seek love as a way to distract themselves from their mediocre lives, seek physical beauty above anything else, and their love is dominated by carnal temptation. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Story about Romeo and Juliet" essay for you Create order Shakespeare introduced the idea that Romeo and Juliet love each other out of ‘dissatisfaction’ with their own lives. Act 1 Scene 4/5 of the text states, â€Å"[Love] is too rough, too rude, too rowdy, and it pricks like a thorn.†(Shakespeare) Romeo states this when Capulet â€Å"will not stay the siege of loving terms. O, she is rich in beauty, only poor, That when she dies with beauty dies her store,†(Shakespeare) as stated in Act 1 Scene 1. Romeo could not get Rosaline to love him back, therefore Benvolio advises to put the ‘old flame’ out to get over Rosaline. In other words, Benvolio advises Romeo to find a new lover to cure his sadness when he states in Act 1 Scene 2, â€Å"One pain is lessen’d by another’s anguish.†(Shakespeare) This causes Romeo to begin to love Juliet as he sees her at Capulet’s party to put out the ‘old flames.’ Romeo began to love Juliet because he was dissatisfied about how he couldn’t find love in Rosaline, therefore he replaced her. Thereafter, Lady Capulet states to Juliet in Act 1 Scene 3, â€Å"Examine every married lineament, And see how one another lends content and what obscured in this fair volume liesThis precious book of loveby having him, make yourself no less.†(Shakespeare) Juliet is pressured by Lady Capulet to find love at her party. Therefore, Juliet began to love Romeo since she was pressured. The two characters do not love each other truly since they have only seen each other from a distance. Romeo loves Juliet because he was dissatisfied that he couldn’t score Rosaline, and Juliet loves Romeo because she was pressured to find love by Lady Capulet. Shakespeare begins to develop a new idea that Romeo and Juliet are only attracted to each other physically. Romeo sees Benvolio and Mercutio as role models when it comes to love. Benvolio advises Romeo on how to get over Rosaline while Mercutio is more straightforward with this advice. Mercutio advises Romeo to cure himself of love by having sex. Act 2 Scene 2 states, â€Å" The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in Heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand! O, I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch her cheek.†(Shakespeare) Romeo believes Juliet is far more beautiful than a moon in the night sky. However, he believes virginity makes her look sick. Only fools hold on to their virginity! Let it go!, Romeo cries. He listens to Mercutio’s advice and begins to love her physically. He wants to have sex with her to get over Rosaline. Thereafter, Juliet states in Act 3 Scene 2, â€Å"And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaway’s eyes may wink and Romeo Leap to these arm. Come, civil nightGive me my Romeo†¦ .†(Shakespeare) Juliet feels the same way towards Romeo. Juliet wants to also have sex with Romeo at night even though he has not taken possession of her yet. Juliet wants to make love in the dark to submit her husband Romeo. Both Romeo and Juliet love each other physically and want to have sex with one another. Romeo and Juliet’s love is dominated by ‘carnal temptations’ over authentic love because they love one another for their body physical features. Romeo states in Act 1 Scene 5, â€Å"Beauty too rich for sure for earth too dear! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.†(Shakespeare) Romeo is absolutely stunned with Juliet’s beauty. That catches his eye first when he sees her. He describes how her beauty is so magnificent that its too good for earth to dear. Romeo is in love with Juliet because of her physical beauty. On the other hand, Juliet states in Act 3 Scene 2, â€Å"let me, a shy virgin, learn the strange act of sex so that it seems trueRomeo will come leap into my arms and no one will know.†(Shakespeare) Later in the story Juliet states, â€Å"I’m not thankful for the man you’ve chosen for me.†(Shakespeare Act 3 Sc.5) Juliet is in love with Romeo which is dominated with ‘carnal temptations.’ S he wants Romeo for sex and marriage which does not represent true love. Juliet’s family does not believe Romeo is the right man for her to marry since their families are rivals. Her family wants her to marry Count Paris, who Juliet does not love. Juliet’s family insults her and claims Juliet was a no good curse. She states how she wants to make love with Romeo in the dark. In other words, she wants Romeo to help her lose her virginity. Both characters, Romeo and Juliet, have a love connection which is dominated by ‘carnal temptations’ over true love. Conclusion   In conclusion, Shakespeare’s story characters, Romeo and Juliet, go through a series of love scenes. They experience both exuberant and depressing moments throughout the story, revealing to the reader that their love is false, not true. Through Shakespeare’s unique story, the reader is shown that both characters love each other for the wrong reasons: out of dissatisfaction, physical beauty, and carnal temptation. Perhaps they are sending a message to the reader to question themselves when they believe they are ‘in love’ and what they are willing to do for their love.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Symptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia - 1176 Words

Symptoms The symptoms of schizophrenia are wide and varied, typically falling into three main categories, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Each of these symptom types affect the patient in different ways, and in different degrees of severity. The symptoms may range from mildly irritating, to severe and debilitating. Positive symptoms are behaviors not normally seen in healthy people. Negative symptoms are behaviors that are usually exhibited in healthy people but are lacking in the patient. Cognitive symptoms are subtle symptoms that affect the patient’s thought processes and cognitive functioning. Positive Symptoms Positive symptoms are the symptoms that are most commonly associated with schizophrenia. The first, and most common of these symptoms is hallucinations. The most commonly experienced hallucinations are auditory hallucinations, in which the patient hears voices speaking to them, sometimes asking them to do things, or warning them of danger. Other forms of hallucinations can be experienced with every sense. Visual hallucinations may cause people to see people or objects that aren’t really there. Olfactory hallucinations cause people to smell odors that other people can’t detect. Somatic hallucinations make the patient feel like they are being touched when they are not. Finally, kinesthetic hallucinations cause the patient to feel like they are moving against their will. The second most common positive symptom is delusions.Show MoreRelatedSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1671 Words   |  7 Pages Schizophrenia is defined many ways, but each definition of this disorder is correct. No two individuals will have the exact same symptoms of schizophrenia. The word schizophrenia comes from the Greek words that mean â€Å"split mind†. This disorder can lead to many other problems throughout a person’s lifetime. There are many different symptoms that can help with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, but each of the symptoms can also be contributed to other disorders. The symptoms of schizophrenia appearRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia904 Words   |  4 Pagessigns symptoms observed. Some of the disorders are caused by different factors and reveal divergent signs and symptoms which are depended on the field of the body infected. This paper purposes at critically evaluating and analyzing psychological disorder referred to as schizophrenia by demonstrating its symptoms and their occurrences. It will discuss the causes of this type of psychological disorder and possible diagnostic together treatments mechanisms of this kind of disease. Schizophrenia is aRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1077 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Schizophrenias is a serious mental illness characterized by incoherent or illogical thoughts, bizarre behavior and speech, and delusions or hallucinations, such as hearing voices (APA,2015). I choose to touch on the topic of schizophrenia because I always been interested the topic itself. The one thing I wondered is if there are different stages of schizophrenia and why it may be hard to diagnose. Schizophrenia is a mental disease that’s very hard to pinpoint in a person, whichRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1210 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Schizophrenia Symptoms. Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder which is characterized by an inability to distinguish what is real and subsequent abnormal behavior. Literally translating from the Greek skhizein and phrÄ“n meaning ‘split-mind’, schizophrenia is characterized by both positive symptoms, e.g. hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking, and also negative symptoms, e.g. apathy, Anhedonia, and deficits in executive functioning. The Diagnostic and StatisticalRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1153 Words   |  5 Pages 1 / 3 Cindy Tien 3-18-15 Per.6 Schizophrenia What is Schizophrenia? Can you imagine living day by day having to hear and see things that nobody else could? You feel alone, lost and different amongst other normal people. Believe it or not, approximately twenty five million people in America have been impacted by this disease called schizophrenia. What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is mental disorder distinguished by disturbances within thought patterns, attention, and emotions. UnfortunatelyRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1569 Words   |  7 Pagesmental health professionals, Jaime was confirmed to have paranoid schizophrenia. Jaime was immediately put on antipsychotic medication, and after about 3 months of taking that medication, he started attending psychological treatment. He has been continuing with both procedures for about a year. Today, his medication dose has lowered and he has shown much improvement compared to when he first was diagnosed. Introduction Positive symptoms are behaviors that aren t seen in healthy people, people whoRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia Essay858 Words   |  4 PagesSchizophrenia Over 2 million Americans suffer with schizophrenia each day. A vast majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia suffer from hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and disorganized speech. Hallucinations are sensory experiences in the absence of external stimulation; therefore, people with schizophrenia may see people or things that are not really there and may even hold conversions or have relationships with these â€Å"people†. Delusions are false beliefs about reality. Someone withRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1049 Words   |  5 Pages The Effects of Schizophrenia Madison M. Sulak Dr. Linstrum PSYCH 2301 East Texas Baptist University Fall 2015 Pg. 1 A brain disorder can be triggered by multiple different things such as a stroke, abnormal growths, any type of viral infection, or cancer. There are countless types of brain disorders that people are diagnosed with daily. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, â€Å"Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected peopleRead MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia1430 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Schizophrenia is very complex and â€Å"startling disorder characterized by a broad range of cognitive and emotional dysfunctions† (Barlow Durand, 2015, p. 477). It can greatly impact a person’s life in a negative manner: affecting physical, emotional, relational, and occupational health. The National Institute of Mental Health defines schizophrenia as a â€Å"chronic and severe disorder that affects how a person, think, feels, and acts† (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d., para. 1).Read MoreSymptoms And Symptoms Of Schizophrenia899 Words   |  4 PagesSchizophrenia What is Schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is defined as a psychotic disorder that strikes about one percent of the world population. It is a disease that makes it difficult for a person to think logically, to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences like hallucinations, delusions, hearing voices, and paranoia. It surfaces more frequently during a person’s late teens to early twenties, and it has the potential to destroy the lives of the people who are unfortunate enough to

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Techno Greats for Leadership and Organizations- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theTechno Greats for Leadership and Organizations. Answer: Synopsis The case throws light on the day of Ed Worthy who is the General Manager at Techno Greats. Ed is shown to be an extremely dedicated and motivated employee with a brilliant career spanning ten years with Techno Greats. He started his career as a researcher in Vancouver and in the next three years, he was promoted as a lab supervisor. Two years post that, he became assistant to manager and from the last one and a half year he has been serving as an assistant to GM in Calgary. The case explains how Ed has been unable to work on an investment and stock option idea conceived two years ago. He aspires to provide for a simpler procedure of recording numerous blood tests and finalize a new courier partner for the firm. He put these three things on his agenda for the day. However from the time he entered the office till he left late, his plate was completely full and found himself too busy to focus on either of these tasks. His time was spent in discussing brochures with Jean, communicating with Jill, taking feedback from every supervisor, helping Jon find extra storage space for chemicals, reviewing a researcher, discussing the new marketing plan with the marketing director, approving purchase orders, analyzing regulatory changes with health and safety supervisor, sorting enquiries from hospitals and medical schools, handling few HR concerns, answering Vice presidents questions on the launch of phase 2 trials, attending a number of conference calls and similar planning and organizing activities for different departments of the organization. On his way back, he has been frustrated for not being able to work according to the agenda and realized that the strategically inclined tasks are taking a back seat owing to other small projects as mentioned above (Azanza, 2013). This makes him feel that he is unable to justify the role of an executive in the firm (Nooraie, 2012). Another thing which has been bothering him is the lack of time that he is devoting to his family. Problems From the case study, three major problems have been brought to notice: Not satisfied: One of the biggest problems expressed in the case is Eds dissatisfaction with his own performance. Often enough emphasis is not paid to job satisfaction but it is a very important aspect in an employees career (Goodwin, 2017). McClelland provided a motivational theory laying emphasis on three important needs of every employee. Need for power, need for achievement and need for affiliation (McClelland, 2015). In this case we can see that Eds need for power and achievement is satisfied but his need for achievement leaves him dissatisfied. Ed feels that he is not working to his full potential. He strongly believes that the major contribution of an executive level employee is through innovation and he is unable to deliver that. And this is a major source of demotivation (McClelland, 2013). Lack of work life balance: Ed is usually the last employee to leave from office and reaches office early. Every day he is putting in extra hours at work which is affecting his time with his family (Isaacs, 2016). He understands his obligations towards them and finds it unfair that he is unable to spend time with them. This shows a lack of work life balance which is a major source of demotivation for employees and can adversely impact employee performance in the longer run (Wiese, 2015). Inability to justify the role of an executive: A Manager has to be two efficient and effective. Efficiency refers to doing things right whereas effectiveness refers to doing the right things (Tones, 2013). No doubt Ed is efficient with his work but he is not effective as most of the strategic tasks have taken a backseat in his day. By this logic, he is not doing justice to his role as an executive (Millan, 2013). Root cause It is slightly difficult to put a finger at the root cause for all these problems as usually such major problems are caused by two or three combining factors. However, it can be noticed in the case that Firstly Ed is unable to prioritize his work and focus on more important tasks. He is a top level executive and it is imperative that managers decide which work requires their attention. A top level manager requires conceptual skills because he is hired to perform strategically important tasks. Second cause behind these problems is excessive dependency of other employees on Ed due to him being the point of contact for everything. The case indicates that Ed is contacted for brochures, to help find temporary storage, to discuss poor performance of a non-managerial employee, to decide work timings of a field placement student and to check stock etc. This is a major issue as every department considers Ed a one stop destination for all their problems. This high level of dependency is making Ed unable to focus and prioritize his work (Nagano, 2014). Option Analysis Prioritizing work: Ed must focus on prioritizing his work and making a planner on a daily basis. He must sincerely allocate a certain part of his time to these strategic decisions and plans (Barak, 2013). However, this does not mean that he should spend more time in office but rather plan his day to the best of his abilities. More points of contact: Every department must be given a point of contact who would be the sole decision make for that department. All these new leaders could in turn report to Ed about the daily workings of their department. This will help in saving time as now they can meet with Ed and discuss department problems rather than different people meeting him at different times over different issues. Secondly, this will make things more organized and the organization culture would also become more professional. Clarity of role: For an executive level employee, the top management should clarify roles. This is how everyone in the organization would know the exact job that needs to be done by every employee (Nancarrow, 2013). Currently, Ed is doing haphazard works of various departments and this leaves him no time to do what he was hired for. This clarity of role and a crisp job description will also help him prioritize his work Decision criteria Option 1: Prioritize work: Pros Cons a. Strategic tasks would be completed b. Increased efficiency c. Saves time d. Organized work a. Small tasks may remain undone b. Might bring about a cultural change as currently everyone goes to him. Option 2: More points of contact Pros Cons a. Organized work b. Relieves Ed of clerical work c. Prioritization of work d. More leadership roles e. Saves time f. Increased efficiency a. Training of new leaders will take time. b. Cultural change c. Implementation of this strategy will take time as it is a long term strategy d. Increased costs in the short term. Option 3: Clarity of role Pros Cons a. Priority of work b. Increased efficiency c. Saves time no wastage of time on unimportant work d. Strategic tasks would gain priority e. Eds performance would be judged based on executive tasks a. Small tasks will remain undone b. Will create confusion c. Ed has a personal connect with employees d. Who will do the tasks if not Ed. e. Reduced team work Decision After in detail scrutinizing the three options presented above, it has been noted that increasing points of contact in the office will help the most and is the best way forward. This will begin by creating more leadership roles in the organization, training them and ensuring that they are the best decision makers of their particular field (Bryman, 2013). This will have three major advantages: Ed will be relieved of clerical work and can hence focus on more strategic work. Other individuals will be given an opportunity of growth by giving them more responsibilities (Day, 2014). Since employees would be selected from within the organization, there will be no additional cost (Hargreaves, 2014). Implementation The very first things to do will be to decide how many leadership positions should be introduced. This would depend on the department, the strength of each department and how much work goes into managing each department. Time taken: 3-4 business days. The second step would be to review performance of employees of all departments. This would provide with an idea about who would be the best suited candidates for these leadership roles. This step would end with making a shortlist of employees with three candidates from each department who are not only the best performer of their department but also possess accurate managerial and leadership qualities (Khanna, 2014). Time Taken: one month or 24-26 business days Next step would be to conduct interviews of these candidates, know them better, and test their knowledge and ability to work in difficult situations by giving them real life tasks. This would help in selecting the best of the three from each department. Time Taken: One month Lastly final selection of employees would be done who would be offered these leadership positions and will now become the points of contact for their department. Time taken: one week or 5 business days Once the candidates have been selected as leaders, they will be given on the job training which will give them a real picture of what has to be done in the days to come (Rajiani, 2013). Time taken: Two months Lastly when the candidates have been selected and appointed as leaders and given training for the same, their contact details would be spread across the organization and everyone would be made aware of this new organizational change. This would ensure that now anyone who wishes to resolve any query from a particular department, he or she will directly contact the leader of that department. Measuring success Once the decision has been implemented, it is imperative that the success of this decision is accurately measured. The following steps will be taken to identify the success or failure of this decision: Time devoted to strategic tasks: The very purpose of going through this procedure was to ensure that Ed has more time to accomplish strategic tasks. Hence the success of this plan would be measured by how much time is Ed able to devote to these executive level tasks as compared to before this was implemented. Ease of communication: As long as Ed was the center point of communication for everyone, he was managing the communication really well. The biggest worry associated with this decision was if the new leaders will be able to manage as well as Ed. This can be seen in the ease with which communication is taking place in the organization. If there are no barriers to communication and work is going on smoothly then it can be assumed that the new plan was a success. Besides this, Ed will be receiving continuous reports from the leaders appointed by him about the functioning of their respective departments. If no problems are there then it is ensured that the plan implemented is a success. References Azanza, G., Moraine, J. A., Moller, F. (2013). Authentic leadership and organizational culture as drivers of employees job satisfaction.Revista de Psicologa Del Trabajo y de las Organizaciones,29(2), 45-50. Barak, N., Lehmann, D. (2013).U.S. Patent No. 8,554,776. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Bryman, A. (Ed.). (2013).Leadership and organizations. Routledge. Day, D. V. (Ed.). (2014).The Oxford handbook of leadership and organizations. Oxford Library of Psychology. Goodwin, G. C., Graebe, S. F. (2017). Work-Life Balance. InA Doctorate and Beyond(pp. 179-185). Springer International Publishing. Hargreaves, A., Boyle, A., Harris, A. (2014).Uplifting leadership: How organizations, teams, and communities raise performance. John Wiley Sons. Isaacs, D. (2016). Work?life balance.Journal of pediatrics and child health,52(1), 5-6. McClelland, D. C. (2013). That urge to achieve.Readings and Exercises in Organizational Behavior, 70. McClelland, D. C. (2015). Achievement motivation theory.Organizational behavior,1, 46-60. Milln, J. M., Hessels, J., Thurik, R., Aguado, R. (2013). Determinants of job satisfaction: a European comparison of self-employed and paid employees.Small business economics,40(3), 651-670. Nagano, M. S., Stefanovitz, J. P., Vick, T. E. (2014). Innovation management processes, their internal organizational elements and contextual factors: An investigation in Brazil.Journal of Engineering and Technology Management,33, 63-92. Nancarrow, S. A., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., Roots, A. (2013). Ten principles of good interdisciplinary team work.Human resources for Health,11(1), 19. Nooraie, M. (2012). Factors influencing strategic decision-making processes.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,2(7), 405. Rajiani, I. (2013). Promoting organizational citizenship behavior among employees-the role of leadership practices.International Journal of Business and Management;8(6), 47-54. Tones, K., Robinson, Y. K., Tilford, S. (2013).Health education: effectiveness and efficiency. Springer. Wiese, B. S. (2015). Work-life-balance. InWirtschaftspsychologie (pp. 227-244). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Stars Essays - Observational Astronomy, Constellations,

Stars A star is a large ball of hot gas, thousands to millions of kilometers in diameter, emitting large amounts of radiant energy from nuclear reactions in its interior. Stars differ fundamentally from planets in that they are self-luminous, whereas planets shine by reflected sunlight. Except for the SUN, which is the nearest star, stars appear only as points of light, even in the largest telescopes, because of their distance. The brightest stars have long been given names. Most of the familiar names originated with the ancient Greeks or with later Arab astronomers; an entirely different system was used by the Chinese, starting hundreds of years earlier, about 1000 BC. Polaris, the North Star, has a Greek name; Betelgeuse, a bright red star, has an Arabic name. Modern astronomers designate the bright stars according to the CONSTELLATIONS they are in. Thus, the brightest star in the Big Dipper (part of the constellation Ursa Major) is called alpha Ursa Majoris. Polaris, in the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor), is gamma (designated by the Greek lower-case letter gamma) Ursa Minoris, and Betelgeuse, in Orion, is gamma Orionis. VARIABLE STARS (those which periodically change in brightness) have lettered names, such as RR Lyrae in the constellation Lyra. Fainter stars are known by their numbers in a catalog; HD 12938 is the 12,938th star in the Henry Draper Catalogue. CHARACTERISTICS OF STARS Each star in the universe has its own position, motion, size, mass, chemical composition, and temperature. Some stars are grouped into clusters, and stars and star clusters are collected in the larger groupings called galaxies. Our GALAXY, the Milky Way, contains more than 100 billion stars. Because tens of millions of other galaxies are known to exist, the total number of stars in the universe exceeds a billion billion. Positions, Motions, and Distances Stars are seen in the same relative positions, night after night, year after year. They provided early astronomers with a reference system for measuring the motions of planets ("wandering stars"), the Moon, and the Sun. The westward rotation of the celestial sphere simply reflects the daily eastward rotation of the Earth, and the Sun's apparent motion among the stars reflects the Earth's annual orbit around the Sun. As the construction of larger telescopes during the 19th century improved the accuracy of determining stellar positions, it was found that some stars are not precisely "fixed." They move at various speeds, measured as changes of direction in fractions of a second of arc per year, where one second of arc is the angular size of a pinhead 183 m (200 yd) away. Most of the faint stars are truly fixed as viewed from Earth and are used as a reference frame for the minute motions of nearby stars, known as PROPER MOTION. PARALLAX is another apparent motion of nearby stars. It is caused by the Earth's orbit around the Sun: the star seems to shift, first one way, then the other, as the Earth moves from 150 million km (93 million mi) on one side of the Sun to 150 million km on the other side. Stellar parallax can be used to determine astronomical DISTANCE. If the shift is 1 second of arc each way, the star is about 32 million million km (20 million million mi) from an observer. This distance is called the parsec and is equal to 3.26 light-years. The parallaxes of several thousand stars have been measured during the past several decades. The nearest star is Proxima Centauri, at about 1 parsec (3.3 light-years). Most of the measured distances are greater than 20 parsecs (65 light-years), which shows why the average star in the sky is so much fainter than the nearby Sun. Brightness and Luminosity Star brightness was first estimated by eye, and the brightest stars in the sky were described as "stars of the first magnitude." Later, the magnitude scale was defined more accurately: 6th magnitude stars are just 1/100 as bright as 1st magnitude stars; 11th magnitude stars are 1/100 as bright as 6th magnitude, and so on. The magnitude scale is logarithmic; that is, each magnitude corresponds to a factor of 1/2.54, because (1/2.54) to the power of 5 =1/100 (see MAGNITUDE). Photographs are also used to measure star brightness from the size and blackness of images on a photographic plate exposed in a telescope-camera. With the photographic emulsions available in the early 1900s, a blue star that appeared to the eye to have the same brightness as a red star photographed much brighter. This discrepancy occurred because emulsions at that time were much