PHILOS 2YY3 Lecture Notes - Moral Relativism, Cultural Relativism, Meta-Ethics

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chocolateyellowjacket590

13 Sep 2012

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*essay: 40% - first draft due on november 4th, self-evaluation, due on 5th, peer evaluation due nov. Metaethics: nature and status of moral judgements. Normative ethics: justifying moral principles/values/frameworks for evaluating moral judgements. Applied/practical ethics: reasoned answers to concrete questions. Moral relativism: morals are relative to cultural conventions (conventionalism) or individual (subjectivism) choice. Moral objectivism: universal validity of some morals (both strong (absolutist) and moderate. Morality is in the eye of the beholder . Problem: little or no interpersonal criticism is logically possible and morality is about interpersonal interaction. Diversity thesis: a descriptive claim about the variety of diversity in the world, an acknowledgement that moral rightness and wrongness varies from society to society. Dependency thesis: rightness and wrongness of behaviour depends on society to which you belong, also, an acceptance that this is how it should be. *conclusion: there are no absolute or objective moral standards that are valid for all persons at all times.

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Tiny solid and liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere are called aerosols. Windblown dust, sea salts, volcanic ash, smoke from wildfires, and pollution from factories are all examples of aerosols. Depending upon their size, type, and location, aerosols can either cool the surface, or warm it. They can help clouds to form, or they can inhibit cloud formation. And if inhaled, some aerosols can be harmful to people's health.

These maps show average monthly aerosol amounts around the world based on observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite. Satellite measurements of aerosols, called aerosol optical thickness, are based on the fact that the particles change the way the atmosphere reflects and absorbs visible and infrared light. An optical thickness of less than 0.1 (palest yellow) indicates a crystal clear sky with maximum visibility, whereas a value of 1 (reddish brown) indicates very hazy conditions.

High aerosol amounts are linked to different process in different places and times of year. High aerosol amounts occur over South America from July through September. This pattern is due to land clearing and agricultural fires that are widespread across the Amazon Basin and Cerrado regions during the dry season. Aerosols have a similar seasonal pattern in Central America (March-May), central and southern Africa (June-September, and Southeast Asia (January-April).

In other cases, however, aerosol concentrations are not related to fires. For example, from May through August each year, aerosol amounts rise dramatically around the Arabian Peninsula and nearby oceans due to dust storms. Elevated aerosol amounts nestle at the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in northern India in some months, and linger over eastern China for much of the year. These elevated aerosol amounts are due to human-produced air pollution.

What is the most likely source of the high concentration of particulates that appear off the coast of northwestern Africa?

What is the most likely source of the high concentrations of particulates over central Africa and central South America?

What is the most likely source of the high concentrations of particulates over eastern China?

apricottermite85

Vapor cycles
5EM - Thermodynamics
September 2010
1 The T-S diagram
The temperature-entropy diagram is an alternative to the well knownpressure-
volume diagram. Before using it to analyze different vapor cycles,we need
to understand it properly.
1. Plot the following transformations for ideal gases in a T-Sdiagram
(a) Isothermal expansion
(b) Isobaric expansion
(c) Isometric heating
(d) Reversible adiabatic expansion
(e) Irreversible adiabatic expansion
2. Repeat the last question, but this time do it for a realsubstance,
starting in the compressed liquid1 region and ending in thesuperheated
region, when possible. Indicate the boundaries of eachregion.
3. We know that under certain circumstances the area under theplot
in a P-V diagram represents the work performed during theprocess.
What does it represent in this case? Under what assumptions isyour
answer true? Compare examples 6.1 and 6.2.
2 Thermal machines
We understand by thermal machine a device capable of transformingther-
mal energy (heat) into mechanical energy (work). We already knowthat
these machines have a limited efficiency which, in the two-sourcesmodel, is
obtained by Carnotâs cycle.
(Compressed liquid is sometimes also called subcooled liquid)
2.1 Carnot cycle
This cycle, although efficient, is impractical. To begin with, theextreme
temperatures of the cycle should be within the sources temperaturesfor a
finite heat flow to exist.
1. Given the temperature of the sources, draw the cycle accordingto the
named limitation.
2. Show that this leads to lower efficiency than the theoreticallimit.
3. Assume that heat flow from/to the sources is proportional to thetem-
perature difference between them and the working fluid, anddemon-
strate that a higher power output is related to a decreasedefficiency.
2.2 Rankine cycle
Out of the several practical possibilities, Rankine cycle and itsvariations is
widely used, especially for electric power generation.
1. Draw the basic cycle in a T-S diagram and explain it.
2. What does the efficiency of the cycle depend on? Comparewith
Carnotâs.
3. What are the differences between the ideal cycle and the realone?
4. Describe how it is modified by superheating and/or reheating.Explain
te benefits.
2.3 Problems
After answering the previous questions solve the followingexercises from the
book: 8.2, 8.4, 8.5, 8.13, 8.19, 8.20
3 Frigorific machines
3.1 Reverse Carnot cycle
We have already studied Carnot cycle in detail as the ideal thermalmachine.
Now we will take is as the starting point to understand thecharacteristics
of frigorific machines.
1. Draw the ideal cycle in a T-S diagram and explain it.
2. Show that this cycle has a theoretical efficiency Ã =Tcold/Thot-Tcold
3. What are the difficulties in implementing such cycle in actualdevices?
3.2 Actual refrigerators
1. Why is the turbine replaced by an expansion valve in mostcases?
2. Plot the actual cycle and explain the differences with the idealcase.
3. How do cascade and multistage systems improve the performanceof
the refrigerator?
4. What aspects are important in the choice of a refrigerant fluid?Justify
3.3 Problems
After answering the previous questions solve the followingexercises from the
book: 10.2 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 10.22, 10.23 10.1D

3. 3 Stratosphere-troposphere exchange

The rate of exchange of air between the troposphere and thestratosphere is critical for determining the potential of variouspollutants emitted from the surface to reach the stratosphere andaffect the stratospheric ozone layer. One of the first estimates ofthis rate was made in the 1960s using measurements of strontium-90(90Sr) in the stratosphere. Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope(half-life 28 years) produced in nuclear explosions. It has nonatural sources. Large amounts of 90Sr were injected into thestratosphere in the 1950s by above-ground nuclear tests. Thesetests were banned by international treaty in 1962. Following thetest ban the stratospheric concentrations of 90Sr began to decreaseas 90Sr was transferred to the troposphere. In the troposphere,90Sr is removed by wet deposition with a lifetime of 10 days (bycontrast there is no rain, and hence no wet deposition, in thestratosphere). An intensive stratospheric measurement network wasoperated in the 1960s to monitor the decay of 90Sr in thestratosphere. We interpret these observations here using a 2-boxmodel for stratosphere-troposphere exchange with transfer rateconstants kTS and kST (yr-1) between the tropospheric andstratospheric reservoirs. The reservoirs are assumed to beindividually well-mixed.

Let mS and mT represent the masses of 90Sr in the stratosphere andin the troposphere respectively. Observations of the decrease inthe stratospheric inventory for the period 1963-1967 can be fittedto an exponential mS(t) = mS(0)exp(-kt) where k = 0.77 yr-1.

1. Write mass balance equations for mS and mT in the 1963-1967period.

2. Assuming that transfer of 90Sr from the troposphere to thestratosphere is negligible (we will verify this assumption later),show that the residence time of air in the stratosphere is tS =1/kST = 1.3 years.

3. Let m'T and m'S represent the total masses of air in thetroposphere and the stratosphere, respectively. Show that theresidence time of air in the troposphere is tT = tS (m'T/m'S) = 7.4years. Conclude as to the validity of your assumption in question2.

4. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) have been adopted asreplacement products for the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which werebanned by the Montreal protocol because of their harmful effect onthe ozone layer. In contrast to the CFCs, the HCFCs can be oxidizedin the troposphere, and the oxidation products washed out byprecipitation, so that most of the HCFCs do not penetrate into thestratosphere to destroy ozone. Two common HCFCs have trade namesHCFC-123 and HCFC-124; their lifetimes against oxidation in thetroposphere are 1.4 years and 5.9 years, respectively. There are noother sinks for these species in the troposphere. Using our 2-boxmodel, determine what fractions of the emitted HCFC-123 andHCFC-124 penetrate the stratosphere.

PHILOS 2YY3 Lecture Notes - Moral Relativism, Cultural Relativism, Meta-Ethics

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