Summarizing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summarizing - Research Paper Example Research done by Office of Naval Research reveals that hydrofoils in water operate on same principle as an aircraft wing (1954). The paper categorizes hydrofoil design in four types – Multiple-Foil Ladder system, Surface-Piercing V Foil system, Submerged Foil with Planing Surface Control system and Fully Submerged Foil system – and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. Analyses done based on speed and size conclude that hydrofoils are not feasible in lager size applications due to growth in foil size that increases design complexity and that they fall in the high speed category though their speeds have a certain limit. In his report on hydrofoil design, Elwyn Baker (1975) examines two super-cavitating hydrofoil models; TAP-1 and TAP-2 with his design considerations being takeoff capabilities and span-wise twist distribution. The aim was to select a two-dimensional section whose design theory and techniques are available that can be used to design hydrofoils befitting set criteria. TAP-1 is intended to operate under full ventilation while TAP-2 is desired to operate under natural cavity. By use of computer models and simulations, numerical results were obtained that upon comparison help in selecting the best shape and surface of section onto which to build the hydrofoils. Karim, Suzuki and Kai (2004) demonstrate how to optimize the design of a hydrofoil and marine propeller using micro-genetic algorithm (Â µGA) which is genetic algorithm (GA) but only covering a smaller population and fewer simple genetic parameters. Â µGA is preferred because it has faster convergence. The algorithm randomly initializes hydrofoil parameters and the generated hydrofoil is analyzed by potential based boundary element method. GA then updates the design parameters over generations to achieve improved hydrofoil meeting design constraints. It has been shown that the algorithm is successful in design

Do you have free will or are you determined Essay

Do you have free will or are you determined - Essay Example The paper describes two examples of philosophers (W.T. Stace and Baron d'Holbach), who believe in determinism, but with qualifications. While d'Holbach represents a determinism-only view, Stace offers a view compatible with a free will, and this compatibilist thesis is more correct. Compatibilism, as represented by W.T. Stace, is the view that free will and determinism are compatible without being logically inconsistent. This allows claims about individual autonomy in actions to make sense, whereas under the incompatabilism approach, it is logically inconsistent to speak of the coexistence of free will with determinism. An incompatabilist such as Baron d'Holbach, rules out a kind of metaphysical free will because determinism, the view that all of our actions are the result of antecedent causes, means that no actions are truly free in the sense that the person actually chose to do them. With this foundation, we can differentiate the views of Stace and d'Holbach with respect to freedom of the will. d'Holbach argues that human beings are very similar in nature to a machine, which is created with a very narrow range of functions. In his System of Nature, d'Holbach writes, â€Å"There is no such entity as a soul, but we are simply material objects in motion, having very complicated brains that lead the unreflective to believe that they are free†. In fact, human beings are so complex that they actually believe their actions are free, which is the symptom of religious beliefs, according to d'Holbach. Claiming that all of man’s ideas and senses can be reduced to his physical characteristics, the philosopher believes that these ideas and senses are involuntary and forced upon him. This incompatabilist, hard determinist stance is impossible to prove, which makes it difficult to accept d'Holbach’s arguments (Pojman 335). He argues primarily from analogy to machines and other human artifacts, which seems to undermine the premise that man is incapable o f original, free thoughts. In addition, it is difficult to get past the brute fact that if all of man’s arguments are determined by antecedent causes, then d'Holbach’s claims here are determined and therefore possibly false. In contrast, W.T. Stace offers a compatibilist (or soft determinist) view that upholds the truth of morality. Stace defines an act that was produced from free will as one that is directly caused by a person’s thoughts, emotions, and desires (Roberts). In other words, an act is only free if it is the result of internal mental states, not the outside influences of other antecedent causes. For instance, fasters on hunger strikes do not consume food because it is theoretically within their power to abstain from food, while someone who fasts because he does not have access to food is not doing so according to his free will. Stace defends compatibilism because of how he defines the notion of free will.