Biography of Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor

Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847–August 2, 1922) invented the telephone in 1876 when he was just 29 years old. Soon after, he formed the Bell Telephone Company. Bell could have easily been content with the success of his invention. His many laboratory notebooks demonstrate, however, that he was driven by a genuine and rare intellectual curiosity that kept him regularly searching, striving, and always wanting to learn more and to create.   He would continue to test out new ideas throughout a long and productive life. This included exploring the realm of communications as well as engaging in a wide variety of scientific pursuits that involved kites, airplanes, tetrahedral structures, sheep-breeding, artificial respiration, desalinization, water distillation, and even hydrofoils. Fast Facts: Alexander Graham Bell Known For: Inventing the telephoneBorn: March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, ScotlandParents: Alexander Melville Bell, Eliza Grace Symonds BellDied: August 2, 1922 in  Nova Scotia, CanadaEducation: University of Edinburgh (1864), University College London (1868)Publications: A founding member of the  National Geographic Society, he helped launce Science magazineAwards and Honors: Albert Medal (1902), John Fritz Medal (1907), Elliott Cresson Medal (1912)Spouse: Mabel Hubbard  (m.  1877–1922)Children: Elsie May, Marian Hubbard, Edward, RobertNotable Quote: The inventor looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world; he is haunted by an idea. The spirit of invention possesses him, seeking materialization. Early Life Bell was born on March 3, 1847, to Alexander Melville and Eliza Symonds  in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was immersed in the study of sound from the beginning. His father, uncle, and grandfather were authorities on elocution and speech therapy for the deaf. It was understood that Bell would follow in the family footsteps after finishing college. However, after Bells two other brothers died of tuberculosis, Bell and his parents decided to immigrate to Canada in 1870. After a brief period living in Ontario, the Bells moved to Boston, where they established speech-therapy practices specializing in teaching deaf children to speak. One of Alexander Graham Bells pupils was a young Helen Keller, who when they met was not only blind and deaf but also unable to speak. In 1872, Bell met Boston attorney Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who would become one of his financial backers and his father-in-law. Bell began to court Hubbards daughter, Mabel, in 1873. They married in 1877. From Telegraph to Telephone The telegraph and telephone are both wire-based electrical systems, and Bells success with the telephone came as a direct result of his attempts to improve the telegraph. When he began experimenting with electrical signals, the telegraph had been an established means of communication for some 30 years. Although a highly successful system, the telegraph was basically limited to receiving and sending one message at a time. Bells extensive knowledge of the nature of sound and his understanding of music enabled him to conjecture the possibility of transmitting multiple messages over the same wire at the same time. Although the idea of a multiple telegraph had been in existence for some time, no one had been able to fabricate one—until Bell. His harmonic telegraph was based on the principle that several notes could be sent simultaneously along the same wire if the notes or signals differed in pitch. Talk With Electricity By October 1874, Bells research had progressed to the extent that he could inform his future father-in-law about the possibility of a multiple telegraph. Hubbard, who resented the absolute control then exerted by the Western Union Telegraph Company, instantly saw the potential for breaking such a monopoly and gave Bell the financial backing he needed. Bell proceeded with his work on the multiple telegraph, but he did not tell Hubbard that he and Thomas Watson, a young electrician whose services he had enlisted, were also developing a device that would transmit speech electrically. While Watson worked on the harmonic telegraph at the insistent urging of Hubbard and other backers, Bell secretly met in March 1875 with Joseph Henry, the respected director of the Smithsonian Institution, who listened to Bells ideas for a telephone and offered encouraging words. Spurred on by Henrys positive opinion, Bell and Watson continued their work. By June 1875, the goal of creating a device that would transmit speech electrically was about to be realized. They had proven that different tones would vary the strength of an electric current in a wire. To achieve success, they needed only to build a working transmitter with a membrane capable of varying electronic currents and a receiver that would reproduce these variations in audible frequencies. Mr. Watson, Come Here On June 2, 1875, while experimenting with his harmonic telegraph, Bell and Watson discovered that sound could be transmitted over a wire. It was a completely accidental discovery. Watson was trying to loosen a reed that had been wound around a transmitter when he plucked it by accident. The vibration produced by that gesture traveled along the wire into a second device in the other room where Bell was working. The twang Bell heard was all the inspiration that he and Watson needed to accelerate their work. They continued to work into the next year. Bell recounted the critical moment in his journal:   I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: Mr. Watson, come here—I want to see you. To my delight, he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said. Other Inventions Alexander Graham Bells curiosity also led him to speculate on the nature of heredity, initially among the deaf and later with sheep born with genetic mutations. He conducted sheep-breeding experiments at his estate to see if he can increase the numbers of twin and triplet births.   In other instances, it drove him to try to come up with novel solutions on the spot whenever problems arose. In 1881, he hastily constructed a metal detector as a way to try and locate a bullet lodged in President James Garfield after an assassination attempt. He would later improve this and produced a device called a telephone probe, which would make a telephone receiver click when it touched metal. And when Bells newborn son, Edward, died from respiratory problems, he responded by designing a metal vacuum jacket that would facilitate breathing. The apparatus was a forerunner of the iron lung used in the 1950s to aid polio victims. Other ideas he dabbled in included inventing the audiometer to detect minor hearing problems and conducting experiments with what today are called energy recycling and alternative fuels. Bell also worked on methods of removing salt from seawater. Flight Technology These interests may be considered minor activities compared to the time and effort he put into making advances in flight technology. By the 1890s, Bell had begun experimenting with propellers and kites, which led him to apply the concept of the tetrahedron (a solid figure with four triangular faces) to kite design as well as to create a new form of architecture.   In 1907, four years after the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, Bell formed the Aerial Experiment Association with Glenn Curtiss, William Casey Baldwin, Thomas Selfridge, and J.A.D. McCurdy, four young engineers with the common goal of creating airborne vehicles. By 1909, the group had produced four powered aircraft, the best of which, the Silver Dart, made a successful powered flight in Canada on February 23, 1909. Later Years and Death Bell spent the last decade of his life improving hydrofoil designs. In 1919, he and Casey Baldwin built a hydrofoil that set a world water-speed record that was not broken until 1963. Months before he died, Bell told a reporter, There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things. Bell died on Aug. 2, 1922,  at his estate in Nova Scotia, Canada. Other Works and Legacy Although working with the deaf would remain Bells principal source of income, he continued to pursue his own studies of sound throughout his life. Bells unceasing scientific curiosity led to the  invention of the photophone, a device that allowed for the transmission of sound on a beam of light. Despite being known for his invention of the telephone, Bell regarded the photophone as the greatest invention I have ever made; greater than the telephone. The invention set the foundation upon which todays laser and fiber optic communication systems are founded, though it would take the development of several modern technologies to fully capitalize on this breakthrough. With the enormous technical and financial success of his telephone invention, Bells future was secure enough so that he could devote himself to other scientific interests. For example, in 1881, he used the $10,000 award for winning Frances Volta Prize to set up the Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C. A believer in scientific teamwork, Bell worked with two associates: his cousin Chichester Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter, at the Volta Laboratory. Their experiments produced such major improvements in Thomas Edisons phonograph that it became commercially viable. After his first visit to Nova Scotia in 1885, Bell set up another laboratory there at his estate Beinn Bhreagh (pronounced Ben Vreeah), near Baddeck, where he would assemble other teams of bright young engineers to pursue new and exciting ideas heading into the future. Sources Vanderbilt, Tom. â€Å"A Brief History of the Telephone, From Alexander Graham Bell to the iPhone.†Ã‚  Slate Magazine, Slate, 15 May 2012.â€Å"The History of the Telephone.†Ã‚  Google Books.infoundiscoveredscotland.co.uk, Undiscovered Scotland: â€Å"Undiscovered Scotland: Alexander Graham Bell.†Ã‚  Scotfax: Religion in Scotland on Undiscovered Scotland.A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875: The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers. Charles Magnus. Biography of Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor Alexander Graham Bell (March 3, 1847–August 2, 1922) invented the telephone in 1876 when he was just 29 years old. Soon after, he formed the Bell Telephone Company. Bell could have easily been content with the success of his invention. His many laboratory notebooks demonstrate, however, that he was driven by a genuine and rare intellectual curiosity that kept him regularly searching, striving, and always wanting to learn more and to create.   He would continue to test out new ideas throughout a long and productive life. This included exploring the realm of communications as well as engaging in a wide variety of scientific pursuits that involved kites, airplanes, tetrahedral structures, sheep-breeding, artificial respiration, desalinization, water distillation, and even hydrofoils. Fast Facts: Alexander Graham Bell Known For: Inventing the telephoneBorn: March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, ScotlandParents: Alexander Melville Bell, Eliza Grace Symonds BellDied: August 2, 1922 in  Nova Scotia, CanadaEducation: University of Edinburgh (1864), University College London (1868)Publications: A founding member of the  National Geographic Society, he helped launce Science magazineAwards and Honors: Albert Medal (1902), John Fritz Medal (1907), Elliott Cresson Medal (1912)Spouse: Mabel Hubbard  (m.  1877–1922)Children: Elsie May, Marian Hubbard, Edward, RobertNotable Quote: The inventor looks upon the world and is not contented with things as they are. He wants to improve whatever he sees, he wants to benefit the world; he is haunted by an idea. The spirit of invention possesses him, seeking materialization. Early Life Bell was born on March 3, 1847, to Alexander Melville and Eliza Symonds  in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was immersed in the study of sound from the beginning. His father, uncle, and grandfather were authorities on elocution and speech therapy for the deaf. It was understood that Bell would follow in the family footsteps after finishing college. However, after Bells two other brothers died of tuberculosis, Bell and his parents decided to immigrate to Canada in 1870. After a brief period living in Ontario, the Bells moved to Boston, where they established speech-therapy practices specializing in teaching deaf children to speak. One of Alexander Graham Bells pupils was a young Helen Keller, who when they met was not only blind and deaf but also unable to speak. In 1872, Bell met Boston attorney Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who would become one of his financial backers and his father-in-law. Bell began to court Hubbards daughter, Mabel, in 1873. They married in 1877. From Telegraph to Telephone The telegraph and telephone are both wire-based electrical systems, and Bells success with the telephone came as a direct result of his attempts to improve the telegraph. When he began experimenting with electrical signals, the telegraph had been an established means of communication for some 30 years. Although a highly successful system, the telegraph was basically limited to receiving and sending one message at a time. Bells extensive knowledge of the nature of sound and his understanding of music enabled him to conjecture the possibility of transmitting multiple messages over the same wire at the same time. Although the idea of a multiple telegraph had been in existence for some time, no one had been able to fabricate one—until Bell. His harmonic telegraph was based on the principle that several notes could be sent simultaneously along the same wire if the notes or signals differed in pitch. Talk With Electricity By October 1874, Bells research had progressed to the extent that he could inform his future father-in-law about the possibility of a multiple telegraph. Hubbard, who resented the absolute control then exerted by the Western Union Telegraph Company, instantly saw the potential for breaking such a monopoly and gave Bell the financial backing he needed. Bell proceeded with his work on the multiple telegraph, but he did not tell Hubbard that he and Thomas Watson, a young electrician whose services he had enlisted, were also developing a device that would transmit speech electrically. While Watson worked on the harmonic telegraph at the insistent urging of Hubbard and other backers, Bell secretly met in March 1875 with Joseph Henry, the respected director of the Smithsonian Institution, who listened to Bells ideas for a telephone and offered encouraging words. Spurred on by Henrys positive opinion, Bell and Watson continued their work. By June 1875, the goal of creating a device that would transmit speech electrically was about to be realized. They had proven that different tones would vary the strength of an electric current in a wire. To achieve success, they needed only to build a working transmitter with a membrane capable of varying electronic currents and a receiver that would reproduce these variations in audible frequencies. Mr. Watson, Come Here On June 2, 1875, while experimenting with his harmonic telegraph, Bell and Watson discovered that sound could be transmitted over a wire. It was a completely accidental discovery. Watson was trying to loosen a reed that had been wound around a transmitter when he plucked it by accident. The vibration produced by that gesture traveled along the wire into a second device in the other room where Bell was working. The twang Bell heard was all the inspiration that he and Watson needed to accelerate their work. They continued to work into the next year. Bell recounted the critical moment in his journal:   I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: Mr. Watson, come here—I want to see you. To my delight, he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said. Other Inventions Alexander Graham Bells curiosity also led him to speculate on the nature of heredity, initially among the deaf and later with sheep born with genetic mutations. He conducted sheep-breeding experiments at his estate to see if he can increase the numbers of twin and triplet births.   In other instances, it drove him to try to come up with novel solutions on the spot whenever problems arose. In 1881, he hastily constructed a metal detector as a way to try and locate a bullet lodged in President James Garfield after an assassination attempt. He would later improve this and produced a device called a telephone probe, which would make a telephone receiver click when it touched metal. And when Bells newborn son, Edward, died from respiratory problems, he responded by designing a metal vacuum jacket that would facilitate breathing. The apparatus was a forerunner of the iron lung used in the 1950s to aid polio victims. Other ideas he dabbled in included inventing the audiometer to detect minor hearing problems and conducting experiments with what today are called energy recycling and alternative fuels. Bell also worked on methods of removing salt from seawater. Flight Technology These interests may be considered minor activities compared to the time and effort he put into making advances in flight technology. By the 1890s, Bell had begun experimenting with propellers and kites, which led him to apply the concept of the tetrahedron (a solid figure with four triangular faces) to kite design as well as to create a new form of architecture.   In 1907, four years after the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, Bell formed the Aerial Experiment Association with Glenn Curtiss, William Casey Baldwin, Thomas Selfridge, and J.A.D. McCurdy, four young engineers with the common goal of creating airborne vehicles. By 1909, the group had produced four powered aircraft, the best of which, the Silver Dart, made a successful powered flight in Canada on February 23, 1909. Later Years and Death Bell spent the last decade of his life improving hydrofoil designs. In 1919, he and Casey Baldwin built a hydrofoil that set a world water-speed record that was not broken until 1963. Months before he died, Bell told a reporter, There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things. Bell died on Aug. 2, 1922,  at his estate in Nova Scotia, Canada. Other Works and Legacy Although working with the deaf would remain Bells principal source of income, he continued to pursue his own studies of sound throughout his life. Bells unceasing scientific curiosity led to the  invention of the photophone, a device that allowed for the transmission of sound on a beam of light. Despite being known for his invention of the telephone, Bell regarded the photophone as the greatest invention I have ever made; greater than the telephone. The invention set the foundation upon which todays laser and fiber optic communication systems are founded, though it would take the development of several modern technologies to fully capitalize on this breakthrough. With the enormous technical and financial success of his telephone invention, Bells future was secure enough so that he could devote himself to other scientific interests. For example, in 1881, he used the $10,000 award for winning Frances Volta Prize to set up the Volta Laboratory in Washington, D.C. A believer in scientific teamwork, Bell worked with two associates: his cousin Chichester Bell and Charles Sumner Tainter, at the Volta Laboratory. Their experiments produced such major improvements in Thomas Edisons phonograph that it became commercially viable. After his first visit to Nova Scotia in 1885, Bell set up another laboratory there at his estate Beinn Bhreagh (pronounced Ben Vreeah), near Baddeck, where he would assemble other teams of bright young engineers to pursue new and exciting ideas heading into the future. Sources Vanderbilt, Tom. â€Å"A Brief History of the Telephone, From Alexander Graham Bell to the iPhone.†Ã‚  Slate Magazine, Slate, 15 May 2012.â€Å"The History of the Telephone.†Ã‚  Google Books.infoundiscoveredscotland.co.uk, Undiscovered Scotland: â€Å"Undiscovered Scotland: Alexander Graham Bell.†Ã‚  Scotfax: Religion in Scotland on Undiscovered Scotland.A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875: The Alexander Graham Bell Family Papers. Charles Magnus.

Difference Between My And With My Agility - 1532 Words

improvement to do with my agility. I’m not aware that I change my mind easily, tensing up and resisting changes in my daily schedule seems to be neither true or false. After I have started implementing a plan, I’m unsure if I will change it. In order to be in the top quartile I will have to improve my ways of thinking. Adjusting to new people seems to be a strongpoint in my agility also. Manager Weaknesses On the never feeling good enough I scored a total of 12 points on this questionnaire. My score is in the average quartile causing me to still need improvement. If I make a mistake or something, that feeling seems to stick with me for a while causing me not to feel good. I also have a tendency to avoid saying to others what I may be†¦show more content†¦I am not a very strong willed person and I know that I will have to improve with that. As a leader I will definitely have to improve those few skills in life. I scored a 9 on the Being Mr. Spock questionnaire. By having a score of 9 means that I am in the top quartile. I do not wear my emotions on my sleeve. As an effective leader you will not be able to carry your emotions around other people. That may be harmful for the organization or lead to other types of issues revolving around your emotions. I do feel that people have a responsibility to do their jobs without the personal encouragement from me at times. Furthermore, I scored a 9 on the demonstrating low self-control questionnaire. A score of 9 indicates that I’m in the top quartile percentage. I do have experienced impulsive buys and lack of planning while shopping however. A few great skills that I have are thinking through an idea before acting, I’m much better at starting things and finishing them also. I tend to be unaware of if staying on task is hard for me once I lose the interest. I know that I have to improve my area of staying on task and not losing interest if I would like to pursue and achieve any of my goals in life. On the being overly critical scale, I scored a total of 12. The score of 12 indicates that I’m also in the top quartile. I feel that I’m too critical on people at times. Being overly critical on people may

Pointless characters to play Essay Example For Students

Pointless characters to play Essay The second scene of our performance began with Stephanie, Megan, Adrian and Emma all sitting at a table together. In this scene Emma questions Adrian about where he was on the previous night and he justifies himself by complaining that she doesnt trust him; in this scene Stephanie and Megan are talking to each other about their love for him and how they wouldnt behave like Emma if they were to be his girlfriend. The second scene involves Emma and I talking about her relationship with Adrian before Stephanie and Megan arrive on the scene for a confrontation. In this scene Emma and Stephanie exchange remarks and insults to each other before Megan joins in, at this point my character also gets involved stating to Megan that this confrontation is purely between Stephanie and Emma. The confrontation then continues with Megan making a remark to Emma about Adrian stating that Emma doesnt even know where Adrian is in the evenings, before Emma continues my character leads her away by saying it isnt worth the bother. In this scene Stephanie and |Megan have the higher status as they ended the confrontation on a high point and with the most effective comments. The next scene was the Party, in this scene Emma and Adrian are arguing, as my character was left alone I went to talk with Stephanie and Megan. Emma continues quarrelling with Adrian and then decides to leave Adrian sitting on his own and join myself and Megan. At this point Stephanie walks away from the rest of us while Megan Emma and I dance together (in a conga line) until we are left at a standstill when we see Stephanie and Adrian heading towards the bedroom together. The next scene was a developed version of the tableau with each of us in our occupational positions. In this scene we used great amounts of dramatic mediums like use of levels and use of space. In this tableau Adrian was a councillor, Megan became a barmaid, Stephanie was a councillor, Marian was a police officer and I became a drug dealer. To portray our vast differences in status each person was at a different level according to their occupation; the greater the level the higher the status. In this scene each one of us acted out our scene while the rest of the group were in a freeze-frame. The next scene is when Stephanie and Megan meet again at Stephanies workplace; as they have a great time re-establishing themselves with each other Stephanie invites Megan to her house. Once they both go back to Stephanies home the two have a great time sharing their stories and experiences until Stephanie reveals to Megan that shes married Adrian and theyve been together for a few years. When Megan hears this she become extremely hurt and angry exclaiming that they had both made a pledge tat none of them would have him however Stephanie justifies her actions by claiming that they were in high school and that shouldnt mean anything to her. Though Stephanie believes this Megan believes that it was a betrayal of friendship and as the anger heightens in their confrontation Megan smashes a mirror. At this point the dramatic tension in the scene reaches an extremely high peak with Stephanie exclaiming look what you have done. Stephanie continues by screaming frantically that theyre both going to have seven years of bad luck however Megan angrily screams at Stephanie that what shes saying is just stupid and untrue superstition and that shes extremely neurotic. When Stephanie hears Megans comments shes so outraged that she orders Megan to leave, Megan then storms out screaming that she wouldnt have stayed any longer anyway. However before the argument with Stephanie and Megan ended, myself and Emma are in a scene in which she is desperate and pleading for more drugs, however as my character is angry that she hasnt paid off her debt, I warn her that if she doesnt pay the money back within a certain amount of time, shed be in serious danger. Once Megan storms out of Stephanies house my character is aiming the gun to shoot Emma however as Megan obstructs the bullets course she is accidentally shot dead instead. As my character is in complete shock and disbelief at the mistake Id made I run away from the scene, leaving Stephanie to find Megans dead body. Gerald Croft's EssayFor example I felt the roles of Marian and I were particularly weak as there was no real character history or reason for our presence. Marian only appeared as a DJ during the teenage years and later as a police officer with limited things to do however though this was the case I felt that in the scene showing each character in their career that Marians portrayal was the most effective and successful. This is as she sustained a high level of involvement, used a great amount of movement and portrayed the actions of a police officer with great success as she managed to convince the audience of her role. I also feel that my character was a fairly weak one as apart from acting as Emmas friend in the teenage years and a drug dealer in the later years. The reason why the role was fairly weak was because though the deaths of the characters I killed were accidental I fell there was no strong storyline linking myself to Stephanie or Megan as I wasnt their enemies during their earlier years nor did I have any significant contact with the characters. However I feel that my character did manage to have a realistic amount of depth in the scene that Stephanie is run over in. My belief is that because of the issues within our preparation it reduced the impact and success of our improvisation and performances. The negatives of our improvisation are that we didnt manage to successfully link each scene together and our use of the dramatic element of cross cutting didnt always prove to be a complete and smooth success during the audiences evaluation and hot-seating of our improvisation all of the audience seemed confused and often commented that they became lost in the often confusing and cross-cutted plot. Another negative is that I felt that our plot was at times slightly melodramatic However though these negatives hindered the improvisation there were also many positives that counterbalance them. One of the positives is that when we did work together as a group we were all extremely focused on what we had to prepare and had a great level of co-operation. I also feel that though we had problems with our improvisation that we all managed to sustain a high level of involvement as none of us came out of role. I also feel that we all complemented each others acting on stage and therefore helped ach other sustain our involvement level and this therefore helped us believe in our characters even more. I also feel that our performance had great strong points like our use of levels and space to create differences in status and contrasts between the characters. Another success of our improvisation was that our play was extremely creative, unique, imaginative and adventurous. I also feel that though our improvisations had its problems the general level of involvement and acting was very high. I also feel that we ha excellent voice projection use of body language and facial expression and a great level of interaction. Another excellent point of our performances were that they all had a great dramatic atmosphere full of tension in confrontational scenes as well as the use of great emotion during both the deaths of Megan and Stephanie. Once we explored our improvisation through evaluation I felt with the audiences views and opinions that if we were asked to improve our improvisation that we could do so with great success Therefore to conclude I believe that the task of creating an improvisation based on Blood brothers proved to be successful as though there were weak points the positives balance and manage to outweigh the bad. I also feel that this prepared improvisation has helped me develop a greater understanding of many things. Firstly it has helped me learn how to co-operate with a group of people with great confidence and strong views. My improvisation has also helped me understand friendships and contrasts between people with greater compassion and has also broadened my understanding of the Blood Brothers production to a new level.