Mental Health And Community Care Report

Mental Health And Community Care Report 1.0 Introduction This report will explore on mental health and community care within the historical view of community care and the impact of ideological perspectives that have influenced it. It will further analyse the benefits and shortfalls since its implementation, taking into account the impact of the 1990 NHS Community Care Act and current reforms will be considered. Again, the effects of poverty and social exclusion for those accessing community Care will be discussed. The author will further consider key aspects of mental health and the gradual transition from insitutionalisation to deinstitutionalisation (community care) since the early 1950s will be discussed. Recommendations shall be made regarding, especially, how the mental health system (including community care) could be improved. HISTORY In the pre-medieval period people believed that mental illness was a result of the possession of the human body (patient) by evil spirits. In order to get these perceived evil spirits out they drilled holes in the skull of such people. Andreasen (2001) tries to give credence to this by mentioning that scientists have found fossils of drilled skulls that are about 10,000 years old. During the middle ages a belief in Europe was that witchcraft was the reason for mental illness. As a punishment such people with mental illness were killed by burning, hanging or drowning. Some were put in government institutions called poorhouses. By the 1500s many European nations had built special institutions to separate the mentally ill from the rest of society. One of the most famous of such institutions was the St. Mary of Bethlehem in London which was built in 1247 and declared a hospital exclusively for the insane by 1547 It is widely known widely known as Bedlam. According to Butcher et al (2009) , inmates suffered from unsanitary conditions, beatings and other harsh treatment. This included violent patients being used for shows display shows for the public to pay and watch, while gentler patients were sent to beg for charity on the streets. A lot has changed in the United Kingdom especially with the relative improvement in the mental health institutions or hospitals and also with the emphasis on community care since the 1950s. In fact some see care in community, usually referred to as community care in as a replacement for hospitalization and any other form of institutionalization of people with mental ill health. However, these historical perspectives of mental illness can stick in peoples minds, and can still cause stigma today. Goffman(1961) Community Care Skidmore (1997) describes community care to be the various services available to help individuals manage their physical and mental health problems in the community with dignity and independence in order to avoid social isolation. Similarly, Clough and Hadley (1996) explained that community care can be means of providing the right level of intervention and support to enable people to attain utmost autonomy and control over their own lives. The author notes that in order for these to be achieved, it will require support by formal and informal carers input The development of community mental health care has evolved over a period of years as opposed to institutional care. Goffman (1961) stated that social and political changes influenced the movement away from isolation of mentally ill in old Victorian asylums towards their integration into the community. Currently, there are various services that have been put in place to support people who have mental health problems and are leaving in the community. These services includes (Sainsbury centre of mental health 2003) HISTORY Community care has historically always been financed through a mixed economy financed by both the state and by users charges, and provided by voluntary sector organisations, commercial profit organisations, the state and the family (Lewis. J). Social scientist have made an association with informal care to family member participation. Informal care has historically been the origins of the present day community care. The origins of the term community care appear too traced back to the Royal Commission on Mental Health and Mental deficiency (1957) which notes The Development of Community Care (Bulmar 1987). However community care has a multiple meaning (Bulmar 1987) and historical official use failed to distinguish these differences. problem as it is a product in part of at least, the impact of political process and policy development. According to Levites et al (2007), Social exclusion is a difficult and multi-dimensional process which involves the lack or denial of resources, rights, goods and services, and the inability to participate in the normal relationships and activities, available to the majority of people in a society, whether in economic, social, cultural or political arenas. Similarly, Townsend (1979) defines poverty as the absence or inadequacy of those diets, amenities, standards, services and activities which are common or customary in society. I will argue from the above definition that, social exclusion and poverty are linked. Pierson (2009) argues that government likes to use the term to hide poverty. Barker (2003) stated that in recent years the government has launched a range of initiatives to help tackle social exclusion and reduce inequalities which has specific objectives relating to education health, employment, crime prevention and wider social well being. These initiatives include the nee d for communities to put into action; supportive and innovative approaches in order to promote local involvement to support people with mental health problems, as this will minimize exclusion. The structure of care in the community (in relation with mental health) can lead to poverty because many people who experience mental distress, experience stigma and discrimination as well. These issues may make it hard for them to find adequate housing or access employment. As a result, people can become seriously isolated and excluded from society. If this also includes being excluded from working life, then this may lead to poverty. Social Exclusion Unit (2004). Usual Mental Health Professional Team There is now a range of more specialist community mental health teams (CMHTs) in the United Kingdom (UK) these includes: Home treatment, Crisis intervention, Early Intervention, First episode psychosis, ABT (assessment and brief treatment), Continuing care, Rehabilitation, Assertive Outreach and Forensic services. These teams are as a reform to government policy to promote community care. They work with people with mental health problems by helping them to become independent, working with them to develop their strengths, working together to resolve problems and many other supports that enables the promotion of wellbeing. A typical mental health professional team include the psychiatrists who prescribe medication, the psychologists who administer and interpret psychological tests, the psychiatric nurses who administer prescription medication and give injections, and the social workers who have specialized knowledge in assessing and planning treatment (Suppes and Wells, 2000). Conclusion/Recommendations The gradual transition from institutionalisation to community care since the 1950s is certainly not unhealthy. It only would yield no positive results if, borrowing the words of Skidmore (1994), people with mental health problem are not just decanted into the community without an identification of the informal carers. Social exclusion is a major concern in promoting recovery for those experiencing mental health problems and if not tackled on time will discourage and lead to relapse for those who have experienced or facing these difficulties. Promoting social inclusion will usually includes promoting equal opportunities for those who are excluded and experiencing discrimination so I can therefore say there is a clear link between promoting social inclusion and promoting equality and diversity to alleviate poverty. I also believe that the Mental health practice which is currently driven by the National Service Framework which aims at reducing discrimination and social exclusion to improve mental health of the population should be supported by mental health professionals to build social inclusion into clinical practice by including in the care plans of users their aspirations for work, education, relationship and other chosen journeys of recovery. The following recommendations are worthy of consideration in the bid to improve the current mental health system in the United Kingdom. Research concerning how institutional and community care can be improved Reduction of stigma against people with mental illness since that can jeopardize their speedy recovery whilst in the community. Involvement of informal carers in decision-making regarding treatment of patients Attend to the health needs of informal carers Informal carers should be trained on how best they can take care of patients. The British government should invest more in community care especially with the needs of patients in communities. Deinstitutionalization should be done more gradually and carefully especially in the case of people with chronic mental illness.

Ishmael Essay -- essays research papers

Ishmael The book Ishmael, which was written by Daniel Quinn, is an adventure for the human mind and for society as a whole. Throughout the book Quinn explores many factual scientific principals, but the intent of the book is not to give one a lecture on science. The intentions of Quinn are to discuss and examine the beginnings and also the history of our ecologically dominating culture in which we live in. In this book, Ishmael is a telepathic, highly educated gorilla who explores with his fifth pupil the stories of the Takers and the Leavers. The Takers is a society in which man has freed himself from living day to day, through this wondering if he will be able to find food tomorrow. Takers believe that through technology they can achieve a perfect world where no one suffers from hunger, disease, and poverty. Ishmael though points out that through this search for this perfect world that this has lead to the desecration of the Leaver culture and a decline in community diversity; humanity mus t find a different way to live. The Leavers are a different culture with a different outlook than the Takers. The Leavers live within their means and do not exempt themselves from the laws of competition. From Ishmael, â€Å"The Leaver lifestyle it’s about letting the rest of the community live---and agriculturalists can do that† (Quinn 250). Leavers see the world before the humans as orderly, and in perfect working condition. As a result of the Leavers not producing excessive food their numbe...

Buddhism & History

Buddhism is a spiritual practice that leads to insight true nature of life It’s a practice of mind developing like the awareness ,kindness and wisdom. The history of transformation of Japanese marriage and kinship over the course of Hein (794-1185) and Kamakura (1185-1333). The role of Buddhist funerary and memorial rituals in creation. Graveyards have been deserted and lonely places were known as such, yet there is something inappropriate in this. In the beginning of the eleventh century we find no evidence of such resident grave tenders.In the later periods,  the development of more permanent stone markers for graves, the burial became a site of worship. It became the place to define a family group and strengthen the bond of kinship. The preservation of bones and the development of maintained, regularly visited grave are indicators of the signification of Japanese kinship practices that took place through the medium of Buddhist death ritual and memorial practice. The langu age of kinship and gender of the Chinese ritual has changed the Japanese family. The introduction of Chinese Buddhist ideas about the postmortem lives of families had ramifications for many generations of men and women to come.Women in Japan were not always temporary members of the families of their birth. The women kept their family names after marriage. A daughter would leave their family to become a wife and a mother with the family which she would come to be identified. At death she would join the family lineage as the consort of father-cum-ancestor and genetrix link of the present link of the patrilineal link. It was Buddhist rituals that shape family links. The burial of daughters with their father’s represents the continuing indispensability of women in the avuncular politics. They died as their father’s daughter’s and buried amongpartrilineal relatives, their bones revered ancestral relics by the children and grandchildren of their brother. In addition t o age restrictions, Japan also prohibits close relatives from getting married. This is a very common marriage rule that is held by many modern nations. Close relatives include blood relatives, step relatives and adoptive relatives. However, the period of most intense preoccupation with. Keeping daughter’s' bone’s â€Å"in the family† ironically marked the initial entrenchment of agnatic, or partrilineal, principles of descent in Japan. The posthumous divorce was common in mayareas in Japan. This was the custom was that the most women commit suicide or had failed to produced male children was sent back to her natal family. This act signifies severing of ties with the dead women and responsibilities for her funeral rite, burial and memorial services back onto her family that had raised her. The idea of married woman belongs to their husbands and sons comes as no surprises. The memorial practices gathered by the Japanese folklorist in the twentieth century reveal a great deal of regional variation. Japanese kinship system daughters leaves their families to live and die.The idea that a daughter should stay with her father came to apply to final place as it had to marriage residence. By the end of the Murumachi period, the women lived by their husband’s people. Ancestor consciousness in Japan is very weak. Only with the importation of the concept of lineage from the Korean Peninsula does the history of ancestor worship begun. Reference : â€Å" The Early Stages In The Development of Group Descent of Organization,† in Kinship Organization in Late Imperial China, ed. Patricia Ebrey and James Watson( Berkely University of California Press, 1986) 16-61

Violence in the Media is Not to Blame for the Effect on...

The Effect of Violence in the Media on Children Television, movies, and video games are a big part of children’s lives in today’s technologically advanced society. However, there is a big controversy questioning the effects of these media outlets on children. Much of society claims to have proof for the belief that media violence affects children negatively. However, I am skeptical of the evidence that is stated to prove that claim. I feel that society has placed the blame on these mediums for the violent acts, however serious or trivial, that children commit way too easily, before they even begin to examine the parenting of today’s society. Television, movies, and video games are not the primary causes for acts of violence and†¦show more content†¦Many children are spending most of their time in front of a television screen or in front of a video game and who knows how many acts of murders or violent crimes an average kid witnessed even before the age of 12. My question is what does seeing these images actually do to a kid. Many people seem to think that seeing these images will make the child more aggressive and make them more violent. But, that doesn’t mean that the kid will go out and murder someone. Some people think so because they believe that what kid’s see on television will want to make a kid hurt someone else. Often when a kid commits a violent crime, the blame goes to television or movies or video games. I think this happens because they are a source of violence and many people believe that media violence will cause real life violence. They also blame these sources of media because it s eems to be the easiest thing to blame it on. When people are shocked by a crime committed by a kid, such as the one recently committed in Chicago, where the two boys raped and killed a little girl for no apparent reason, they want an excuse for why it happened. When one can’t be found, they are quick to blame it on the violent television shows or the video game with the most blood in it. My belief is that people will single out violence on television, movies, and video games as an explanation for kidsShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Media On Young Children, Teenagers, And Adults1297 Words   |  6 Pagesoutraged by violence in the media. Whether in video games, books, radio, music, or television, there is always someone or something to blame for the violence. Violence is everywhere in the media , there is no disagreeing with that. Whether it be movies, television, video games, or music, there will always be violence, but blaming it on movies, television, video games, or music is not the answer. If blame needs to be placed why are the parent of the children who choose to commit acts of violence not Read MoreViolence in the Media in Richard Rhodes Hollow Claims about Fantasy Violence1289 Words   |  5 Pagesabout Fantasy Violence† expresses that the media’s portrayal of violence has no influence on those that view it. One of the first tactics that Rhodes used was by attacking the flaws of Organizations who blamed entertainment for the issues of violent behaviors. He claims that due to increased social control over the years has caused a decline in violence. Rhodes’ used thought-provoking tactics attempting to disprove that violence is influenced from the media instead he believes that violence is stemmedRead MoreViolence in Television, Movies, and Video Games Should Not Be Censored1653 Words   |  7 PagesVIOLENCE IN TELEVISION, MOVIES, AND VIDEO GAMES SHOULD NOT BE CENSORED Television, movies, and video games have a great influence on the minds of todays youth. But, what exactly are the effects of such an influence? Certain people have exaggerated the effects that these media have on todays youth. Many people, including government officials, have singled out these three media sources as the cause of some types of violence simply because it is an easy target for laying the blame. The truth isRead MoreMedia Violence and Its Effect on Children Essay1112 Words   |  5 Pagessociety that violence in the country is on the rise. It is easy to see why this is a strong argument among the American people, especially because of the rising popularity of violent video games and television programs. However, as these violent video games and television shows are creating their own place in our society, the reports of violence among children are escalating. This correlation has been studied extensively in the scientific community in an attempt to discover whether med ia violence does negativelyRead MoreYouth Violence: Is the Media to Blame?1514 Words   |  7 PagesYouth Violence: Is the Media to Blame? COM/156 07/27/13 Mallory Dunkley Youth Violence: Is the Media to Blame? Not all children who watch violent programming get in trouble with the law; some feel that there is a strong direct link between the two. There is a good deal of compelling data that suggests that there is a direct link between the media and youth violence. Throughout our history, the media has and can influence people in different ways but the more obvious questionRead MoreTelevision Is Destroying Todays Youth, but Dont Blame T.V., Blame the Parents.1302 Words   |  6 Pagesentertainment. As society has changed, violence and sexual content have been added ever so increasingly over the years. After all, isnt that what makes T.V. shows interesting? Isnt that why we all want to go see that new movie that came out which is rated R instead of that movie rated PG? Although this violence and sexual content on television and in movies is having devastating effects on Americas youth, you cannot blame television. Instead, we must blame our parents. So many parents theseRead MoreThe M edia is not to Blame for the Violence in Society Essay698 Words   |  3 PagesThe Media is not to Blame for the Violence in Society People are quick to blame violence in our society on television, movies or video games because they are simple believable targets. We have to look beyond this disinformation and attack the real causes for the violence in our society. Violence in television programs, movies, or video games will not make a person kill someone else. People watch violent images all the time, and only a very small percent of them actually commit violent crimesRead MoreThe Effect of Violence in the Media on the Minds of Adolescents1539 Words   |  6 Pagesoriginated in the media today, but we don’t turn and blame ourselves, we blame the media they cultured it from. Why? As parents it’s our responsibility to filter what our children are exposed to. The media doesn’t force the violence on the young children, but they are setting standards for what children may think is ordinary behavior or language. (Felson) Violence is found in almost everything anymore, regardless of the movie, show or video games. There is some type of violence involved, and it’sRead MoreMedia Effects On The Media Essay1273 Words   |  6 Pagesby the media whether we think we are or not. Theorists believe that too much media exposure can lead to knowledge, attitudes or behavioural changes within a society, this is called ‘media effects’ (Kuehn, â€Å"Media Effects†). These media effects consists of several Paradigms, a Paradigm is described as â€Å"a typical pattern or model† (Kuehn, â€Å"Media Effects†). The Paradigms this essay will consist of are called the ‘New Effects Paradigm’ and the ‘Powerful Effects Paradigm’. The New Effects ParadigmRead MoreVideo Games and Violence Speech884 Words   |  4 PagesB.Z. Smith AP Lang 1 Feb. 2013 Videogames and Violence In today’s society, the vast majority of adolescents spend their free time indoors. Many of those hours are enjoyed playing video games, a habit which teenagers will never hear the end of from their parents. â€Å"These games will ruin you†, they say, â€Å"It makes you angry and violent†, they say, but does it really? Media often portrays videogames as detrimental to mental health, and this topic is especially scrutinized today because of the

Essay Louis XIVs Similarities to Machiavellis The Prince

Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638, and ruled as King of France and of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death at the age of 76. He took over the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but didnt actually assume actual control of the government until his First Minister, Jules Cardinal Mazarin, died in 1661. He was to become King of France after his father, Louis XIII, died of tuberculosis. He achieved the role of king by ways of hereditary monarchy, which is one of the ways to become a ruler, as stated by Machiavelli. Louis XIV is known as the The Sun King and also known as Louis the Great. He ruled over France for seventy-two years, which is the longest reign of any French or any other major European ruler and†¦show more content†¦Louis XIV didn?t follow the path of his father, who was a great leader. One of Machiavelli?s principles was to follow in the path of a great leader, and try to imitate those who are most excellent. Since Louis XIV became the ruler of a hereditary monarchy, as one of Machiavelli?s principles states, he didn?t have as much difficulty in maintaining hereditary states accustomed to his reigning family. Because of this, he was always able to maintain his position, unless some very excessive and exceptional force deprived him of it, which indeed never happened. Although, if it did happen, he would be able to regain his position of king, even on the slightest mischance happening to the new occupier. Louis XIV was a very generous spender. He put in large amounts of money to finance the royal court, and operated as a supporter of the arts, funding literary and cultural figures. He also kept his army in mind by building military complex known as the Hà ´tel des Invalides to give a home for officers and soldiers who had served him loyally in the army. The Hà ´tel des Invalides established new treatments frequently and set a new standard for the rather barbarous hospice treatment styles of the period. To support a Machiavellian tactic, Louis XIV didn?t have any mercenaries or auxiliaries, he controlled his own army, and was a self-sufficient ruler that didn?t rely on the help of others in battle. Also, to

Attachment Styles And Their Influence On Our Future...

Once appearing in a relationship, individuals tend to notice the innate habits, thoughts, and behaviors of their partners on a more intimate level. These innate patterns depict the individual’s attachment styles, or the â€Å"global orientations toward relationships† (14). These attachment styles – secure, preoccupied, fearful, and dismissing – surface during childhood, and preserve the propensity to affect our future relationships in society. According to the online quiz, I sustain a secure attachment style, meaning I uphold both a low avoidance of intimacy and low anxiety about abandonment. While these four categories of attachment styles cultivate in infancy, I believe my nurturing only promoted my attachment style to a certain degree. I established receptive care and safeguard from my mother throughout my childhood and adolescence, but my father marginalized me at a young age. Due to my parent’s divorce and mistreatment towards one another in my toddler years, this disturbed my attachment style. I did not desire the relationship my parents sustained, as it pervaded with negativity, hostility, and anger. Due to my biological father’s care, I acquired a more anxious-ambivalent style towards men, but it altered when my stepfather inputted into my family. My mother and stepfather provided, protected, and supported every aspect of my life, and continue to maintain a positive relationship with my to this day. Their care guides me to pursue healthy, committed relationships built onShow MoreRelatedDiscuss the Influence of Childhood on Adult Relationships. (24 Marks)810 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss the influence of childhood on adult relationships. (24 Marks) Many attachment psychologists argue that early relationships with our primary caregivers provide the foundation for later adult relationships. Bowlby called this the continuity hypothesis. This is the claim that early relationship experiences continue in later adult relationships. According to the attachment theory, young children develop an internal working model from their first relationship with their primary carer. ThisRead MoreHow Attachment Affects Your Adult Relationships898 Words   |  4 PagesINTRODUCTION We will be exploring the different styles of attachment, how parenting affects attachment style and in turn how it affects our love lives as adults. Built by close relationships, attachment can vary from one relationship to another, depending on how available that person is especially during infancy and childhood. As adults, we react to situations based on our attachment style, which is ingrained but not unchangeable. This not only affects our relationships with prospective partners but everyoneRead MoreAttachment Styles And Levels Of Depression1644 Words   |  7 PagesThe relationships between attachment styles and levels of depression were investigated. A total of 28 individuals were recruited from a psychology class at Diablo Valley College located in Pleasant Hill, California. The Attachment Questionnaire for Children (AQC) was used to measure attachment style in childhood. The Beck Depression Inventory (BAI-II) was used to measure levels of depression in young adults. The pur pose of this study is to examine the relationship between (a) attachment styles inRead MoreThe Theory Of Love By Robert J. Sternberg1458 Words   |  6 Pages With each weekly reflection written throughout this course, Looking Back On Growing Up, there has been an over arching theme pulling each lesson together: relationship. The class has intertwined the theme of relationship throughout the weeks, which with the rise of positive psychology, social psychology and related studies has become an increasingly popular area of research. Christopher Peterson, a positive psychologist, coined the phrase â€Å"other people matter† – a phrase which now is associatedRead MoreTheories Regarding Parenting Styles, Attachments, Bonds And The Relationships That Ensue1649 Words   |  7 PagesTheories abound in regards to parenting styles, attachments, bonds and the relationships that ensue. However, regardless of the theory, one subscribes to it has been noted that a child requires, warmth, security, and confidence to meet the demands of the world. Psychologists posit that how a child and their caregiver form an attachment has long-term ram ifications on all the child’s relationships. The attachment formed with the primary caregiver provides the child with the expectations they will carryRead MoreThe Attachment Theory and Factors Damaging to Attachment1163 Words   |  5 PagesAttachment Theory Relationships are the building block for personality and are significant in children’s ability to grow into substantial individuals who can thrive in an often harsh world. Constructing lasting and fulfilling relationships is an integral part to development as the interpersonal bonds forged are not only highly sought after but also set the ground work for all upcoming expressive interactions. Relationships and attachment go hand in hand as attachment is the strong and lasting linkageRead MoreHow Childhood Relationships And Attachments Effect Our Adult Relationships?1392 Words   |  6 PagesResearch Assignment How childhood relationships and attachments effect our adult relationships? The program that I work for holds a provider breakfast once a year to acknowledge us, provides us with certificates of service and a special guest speaker joins us. This particular speaker was inspirational, insightful and was a pure delight to listens to. It was on June 7, 2014 and the guest speaker name was Sherry-Lynne Kirschner. The topic of her agenda was â€Å"What id Mindfulness†. She started off withRead MoreCorrelation Between Parental Affection And Positive Adult Relationships Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pagesand Positive Adult Relationships Teena John The University of Texas at Tyler Research Methods, Fall 2016 The Correlation between Parental Affection and Future Adult Relationships A recent study showed that a person’s upbringing is the core foundation and influence on future relationships. According to Currie (as cited in Tayler, 2015) it has been shown that a child’s early encounters shape the brain foundation for future behaviors. Parent to child relationship is the core foundationRead MoreThe Deep Groove Theory : A Secure Base For Your Baby1274 Words   |  6 PagesSensitivity Attachment and independence can be illustrated by what we call the deep groove theory. Building a secure base for your baby Think of your infant’s mind as a record into which life’s experiences and relationships cut deep grooves. Suppose the strength of the parent-infant attachment is represented by the depth of the grooves in the baby’s mental record. Between twelve and eighteen months, a baby can recall a mental image of their most familiar caregivers. We call this image permanenceRead MoreAn Important Aspect Of Intimate Relationships And The Human Condition? Attachment And Attachment Theory1717 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is attachment and why is it an important aspect of intimate relationships and the human condition? Attachment and attachment theory states that there is a strong affectional tie that binds a person to an intimate companion (Sigelman Rider, 2015). One of the first theorists that formulated this theory was John Bowlby. He proposed that, based on infants interactions with caregivers, infants construct expectations about relationships in the form of internal working models- cognitive representations

Tower Cranes free essay sample

Force Force can be defined as that which causes a mass to accelerate. Force has common units of pounds force (lbs) or Newtons ? Acceleration (F=MÂ ·A). In other words 1 Newton is the force required to accelerate 1 kilogram by 1 m/sec2, or 1 pound force is the force required to accelerate 1 slug by 1 foot/ sec2. You will notice that the imperial unit for force is pounds force and not just pounds. There is a common inaccuracy in our language that is only really important when talking about physics. The word weight truly refers to a force – this is why your weight on the moon is not the same as your weight on earth. To fully understand this we need to dissect the mathematical meaning behind the force term. Two components go into calculating a force; the first is mass, the second is acceleration. What is mass? Mass is the amount of stuff present in a given sample, lets say a person. We will write a custom essay sample on Tower Cranes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A person’s mass will be the same whether on earth or the moon – in both places that person is made up of the same amount of stuff. Mass has two common units; kilograms (kg) and slugs. So a person might have a mass of 70 kg or 4. 78 slugs. For the example of weight, or the downward static force exerted by an object, the acceleration of interest is the acceleration due to gravity. The acceleration due to gravity can be defined as the pull one object exerts on another. For this pull to be felt, one of the objects has to be extremely massive. For most people the most massive object they will encounter is the earth. The acceleration due to gravity on the earth is 9. meters/sec2 or 32. 2 feet/sec2. So a person on earth might weigh (70kg x 9. 8m/sec2) = 686 Newtons or (4. 78 slugs x 32. 2 feet/sec2) = 154 lbs. On the moon the same person will weigh (70kg x 1. 62 m/sec2) = 113 Newtons or (4. 78 slugs x 5. 32 ft/ sec2) = 25 lbs. So when a person says they weigh 154 lbs they are being true to physics, but when they say they weigh 154 kg, they’re actually referring to their mass. As a further twist, it’s also interesting to note that the acceleration due to gravity changes with altitude. So your weight at sea level will be slightly different that your weight at the top of a mountain (Newton’s law of gravitation Fg = G ? gravitational constant). ? kg ? m ? . The equation used to mathematically define force is Force = Mass x 2 ? ? sec ? m1 ? m2 , where G is the r2 Stress Stress is defined as force per unit area and has the common units of Pounds force per Square Inch (psi) or Pascals (Pa) (a Pascal is a Newton per square meter or kg/m sec2). In construction there are five basic types of stress which concern engineers. These are bending, tensile, compressive, shear, and torsional stress (see picture below). For the purpose of building Popsicle stick bridges we are really only interested in bending, compression, and tensile stresses. When we take a close look at bending we’ll see that it is just a combination of tensile and compressive stresses. Of these three types of stress tensile is perhaps the easiest to measure. As a result engineers will take samples of material and, using special machines, subject them to higher and higher tensile loads until they break. By dividing the force at which the sample breaks by the cross sectional area of the sample the materials Ultimate Tensile Stress (UTS) can be determined. The ultimate tensile stress is given the symbol ? (Greek letter sigma), and essentially represents the strength of a material. For comparisons sake a sample of plain carbon steel might have a UTS of 50,000 psi, while pine (which is what Popsicle sticks are made of) might have a UTS of 1,000 psi. It is important to recognize that UTS is not the only important consideration when selecting a material, but material selection is a bit outside the scope of this summary. Let’s take a closer look at tension and compression. Tension is the stress an element experiences when exposed to a pulling force. To get a feeling for tension think about a piece of string. String can only experience tension; it is not able to resist pushing or bending. Compression is the opposite of tension; it’s the stress an element experiences when exposed to a pushing force. Sand is an example of a substance which can only experience compression. A column of sand can support a large load, but is unable to resist any pulling force. As most materials have different tensile and compressive loading potentials, it is important to know what sort of forces will be exerted on every member in a building or bridge. Bending combines both tensile and compressive forces in a single element. To demonstrate this, take a look at the picture below. It’s pretty obvious from this picture that bending puts one face into tension while the other is in compression. It also logically follows from this conclusion that at some point between the two faces there must be a point where there is no tension or compression. This point is called the neutral axis. The mass of material above and below the neutral axis will always be equal. So in a symmetrical member the neutral axis will be along the midline, but will not necessarily be along the midline in an irregularly shaped member. This simple concept of leverage can be used to explain several more complex concepts in structural engineering. The first is why it’s easier to break a Popsicle stick when it’s bent on its flat side as opposed to its edge. To explain this we have to explain the concept of leverage. This one is pretty simple and can easily be demonstrated by the classroom door. Leverage (also called moment or torque) occurs when a force is applied to an object which can rotate about a pivot point. In the case of the classroom door the pivot is the hinge and the force applied comes from the person wanting to open the door. In the case of bending a Popsicle stick the pivot is the neutral axis and the force we’re concerned with is the tension or compression on the outside faces. Moment is calculated by multiplying the force applied by the distance from the point of force application to the pivot. If you increase the applied force, or the distance from the pivot point, the moment increases. That’s why door handles are put as far from the hinge as possible – we make the distance from the point of force application to the pivot point as large as possible, that way a small applied force will create a large moment. So the Popsicle stick is harder to break when bent on edge because we’ve increased the distance from the neutral axis to the point of maximum force. Explain the difference between tensile, bending, and compressive forces with examples of the equations used to calculate each. Explain truss elements and why they are a superior way of building a bridge. Sample FEM output for simple bridge design o Calculate the amount of popsicle sticks required to make a simple beam with the same strength as a truss element. Hints on building a strong bridge o Truss o Strength comes from the Popsicle sticks, not the glue – but well glued joints are a must. Additional information: http://andrew. triumf. ca/andrew/popsicle-bridge/ http://www. eir. ca/resources/presentations/Bridges%20-%20By%20Doug%20Knight. doc