Friday, January 31, 2020

Sherlock Holmes Essay Example for Free

Sherlock Holmes Essay Sherlock Holmes emerged in 1893 as a fictional amateur detective. He had solved many cases and was able to find the villain using scientific evidence. When Sherlock Holmes came out into the open, Britain was a corrupt place as the police force was useless and people used to kill and steal just for the sake of it. Jack the Ripper is the best known pseudonym to date from that period. He used to kill women prostitutes from the slums and cut out their throats. He then sent body parts of his victims to the police showing his superiority. People thought of Sherlock Holmes as a hero because they thought he could protect them from paedophiles and murderers even though he was a fictional character. The mastermind to Sherlock Holmes was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He based the super sleuth character on his fellow doctor, Dr Joseph Bell. He, like Holmes, was able to use the power of deduction to find out his patients occupation. Conan Doyle created this transcendent character because he was frustrated with other detective stories. Therefore he created a super human like detective who used scientific evidence to solve his cases unlike coincidence like the other detective stories. This made Sherlock Holmes a huge success story and when Doyle killed off the character, there was a public up roar and death threats were sent to his house. Because of this, Doyle brought back the character and his side kick Watson back from the shadows. Doyle managed to keep his audiences interested in Sherlock Holmes by cleverly making a flawless idea. This was to release different stories every month instead of keeping one story and carrying it one month after month. This was a clever and successful philosophy because Conan Doyle knew that if he stuck to one story then people would lose interest because people who missed an issue wouldnt buy the next one whereas if he made a new story every month then people would still buy the issue every month as they didnt miss anything. This is why it became known as Sherlock Holmes adventures. Sherlock Holmes adventures have a very unique structure. This is because it creates a story with in the story. It starts with the victim coming to Holmes about their problem(s). They then explain to him their problem(s). This is where Doyle creates a story within the story. Next, Holmes investigates and then sets out a plan. He eventually catches the villain. Parts of the structure can often vary. This is shown clearly in the story The man with the twisted lip. Instead of the victim coming to Holmes, they come to Dr Watson; Holmes right hand man. This shows us that Doyle is trying to vary his structure. Another thing is that the victims mostly always seem to be of high class. This is not present in the Red Headed League as Jabez Wilson (The victim) is of lower class. Although he is of lower class and his case is a bit dubious (this is because he suddenly stopped getting à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4 weekly from his secondary job as it just suddenly disappeared) Holmes was still determined to solve his case. This shows us that Holmes will take on any case no matter who his client is or how silly the problem was. A good quotation to support the matter is the strangest and the most unique things are very often connected not with the smaller crimes. The characters that the stories revolve around vary from story to story. There are only two characters that are present in all the 3 stories that I have read (The Speckled Band, The Red Headed League and The man with the twisted lip). These two characters are the sleuthhound Sherlock Holmes and the wannabe detective Dr Watson. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses characters as a good device by showing the reader and audience that he has used the six rules of a good detective story. * The crime must be significant * The detective must be memorable * The criminal must be a worthy opponent * The clues must be available to the audience * The suspect must appear early in the story * The solution must be reasonable and possible Because of these rules, Holmes appears to be supernatural to the naked eye but if looked at closer you would find that this mind-blowing character has an idiosyncrasy. This is because he smokes on a regular basis and takes drugs etc. The fact that he smokes is shown clearly in the quotation from the Red Headed League Watson, I beg of you leave me for 1 hour. I believe this is a 3 pipe problem This emphasises the amount that he smokes. 3 pipe problem means he will have to smoke three pipes before he will get the answer which implies that it is a very difficult issue. This is because a determined and intellectual person like him doesnt struggle with much. The quotation in the paragraph above also shows us the way Holmes treats Watson. Holmes treats him like a child who doesnt know much. Another quote to back up the matter is My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We are spies in an enemys country. This is when Holmes replies to Watsons question with an unclear answer. It shows us how disrespectful Holmes can be and that Holmes feels that Watson has a lot to learn. Watson plays the role of the narrator and hooks the reader. Another role of his is the foil. He makes Sherlock Holmes look better. You reason it out beautifully. I exclaimed in unfeigned admiration. It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings true. This extract quoted from Watson, admires Holmes professionalism. It also highlights his deductive skills and scientific methods. Another thing Watson does is draw the mission to a satisfactory conclusion. This is also shown in the quote above. Watson always goes with Holmes on day and night trips to offer protection since he has a revolver. This shows his bravery as he offers his life and limbs to protect Holmes and himself. He often goes voluntarily even after Holmes has told him his life may be at risk. This reinforces his indomitability. Villains in Sherlock Holmes stories are always cunning and a good match for Sherlock Holmes. This makes the story more exciting and intoxicating as we dont know if the villain will get away with his crime. The villains are always of high class which makes them harder to track down or suspect as most people wouldnt question them. The villains in Holmes stories vary from classic villains or victims who are the villains. One classic villain is Dr Roylott. He is of high class and and has one of the oldest families in Britain. Another thing is that he is a doctor who has gone sour. This is reflected in the clothes he wears. As he goes to confront Holmes, he wears a black top-hat, a long frock-coat, a pair of high gaiters with a hunting crop swinging in his hands. This shows us that for a high class man, he has no self-esteem and has probably lost his dignity in the process. This definitely makes him a classic villain as he has no alternative but to become a villain to keep what he has left. All of this has an impact on the reader. It makes the reader second look Dr Roylott as they dont think he is a criminal at first but then it makes them look back at that decision and reassess the matter before making a conclusion that Dr Roylott is the villain. After this hectic period, the reader is left on the edge of their seats to find out if he gets away or if Sherlock Holmes and his accomplice catch him in the act. It builds so much tension as they are an even match. It makes the reader want to keep reading to find out what happens. Tension starts to build as soon as Dr Royllott walks in through the door. It has an impact on the reader as they want to know who the strange man is and why he came. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle manages to paint a picture perfect image of the characters into our heads. Doyle does this by using short but powerful adjectives to describe every unique and common feature of their body. He gives the detail over 1 or 2 lines to make it short and snappy. Even though he does this, he is able to paint the picture in our heads to the very last detail. A very stout florid-face elderly gentleman with fiery red hair This quote backs up the fact that the writer uses 1 or 2 lines of detail and is still able to make you imagine what the character looks like. He uses words like fiery which are short and snappy yet effective. It is ideal to describe Mr Wilsons hair colour. Florid is a good word as it lets the sentence flow and is still capable of using it to maximum effectiveness by describing Jabez Wilsons face. Holmes determination is probably the most important part of all Sherlock Holmes adventures. It is shown in all the stories I have read and has helped solve all 3 of the cases. This is because he always perseveres through the tough and easy times. The most iconic out of the 3 stories I read was probably The man with the twisted lip This is because it took him so long to figure out who the criminal was. Instead of turning his back on the case, he persevered and solved the case. He did this with sheer determination. In the end, the criminal was the victim (Neville St Clair). Overall, Sherlock Holmes is a magnificent character. This is because many people thought he was a real person. This shows how good Doyles writing was. Holmes also gave Victorian people hope as many murders and paedophiles lurked the streets. He even was a role model for the police force as trainee police officers were told to read them to show them how to catch criminals. Sherlock Holmes will be remembered for many centuries to come and his scientific way of thinking has been adopted by police forces. He will always be renowned as the greatest fictional and non-fictional detective the world has ever known. Baker Street also has a house where people post messages to Sherlock Holmes as that is where he is believed to have lived.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Information Technology :: essays research papers

OCCUPATIONAL STRUCTURE IMPACTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY â€Å"THE COMING OF THE NEW ORGANIZATION† Reading the article â€Å"The Coming of the New Organization† by Peter F. Drucker mentioned several major points of how Information Technology has impacted management and re-structured the corporation process on a whole. Information-based organizations have sufficient computing power to control the labor force without certain levels of management. Information Technology has reduced a variety of positions in the work place today. Positions ranging from cashiers, security personnel, typists and teachers to analysts, supervisors and managers and even higher levels of management have been eliminated. As new technology emerge, corporations will constantly review their business practices and processes to enhance their operations as well as cut costs. I agree with Mr. Drucker that positions most affected are, and will be, several layers of management and clerical positions. The function of a Supervisor, Assistant Manager and Manager is to merely coordinate, review and oversee an area or department of employees. Most levels of management do not have the knowledge of completing day to day operations and tasks, but more of an ideal of the process. In my eleven years of employment with Fortis Health, formerly John Alden Life Insurance Company, several positions were eliminated, replaced by some form of Information Technology. Managers and supervisors that produced a variety of productivity reports using an Excel spread sheet (a form of technology), are replaced by a programmer implementing a software and coding a program to automatically read other input/output systems and calculate and measure productivity. Clerical positions such as typing, filing, and phone operators were eliminated, replaced by voice automated software and imaging software. Information Technology is defined as any system for the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management, movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or information, via computer system, software and computer equipment. Working in this field requires a variety of knowledge with specific and detailed knowledge. Employees with this knowledge (specialists) are more likely to survive a corporation’s re-structure due to an implementation of new technology. The most powerful positions within a company are Information Technology positions. These positions create, monitor, enhance and control the day to day operations of a business. A year ago I was recently transitioned from an Accounts Payable Supervisor to a Project Analyst in an Information Technology department. In my year of being employed in this department, I’ve been exposed to a vast amount of Information Technology knowledge.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Addicted to Smartphones Essay

Have you ever experienced a sudden burst of laughter from someone beside you, and when you turn your head, that person is just watching his or her cell phone without realizing that he or she is in public and disturbs others? Have you ever paid attention to what people around you are doing when waiting for a bus, sitting in the subway, or even before a meal comes to the table? How many of them are holding a smartphone with eyes focused on the screen and fingertips busy dancing back and forth on the touch panel, and never get bored? With the development of 3G and wireless technology, cell phones are no longer restricted to simple communications such as calling or texting. After the appearance of smartphones, things like surfing the Internet, socializing, taking photos or even FaceTime can be done instantly in your hand. See more: My Writing Process Essay Smartphones are becoming parts of many people’s lives. These days, a new phenomenon named â€Å"smartphone addiction† has emerged. In fact, recently in China, the spread of smartphones has attracted more and more young people into the world of virtual Internet at the expense of their interaction with real world relationships; it has also aroused heated discussions on whether or not we should take some actions on limiting this tendency. As a matter of fact, even though smartphones have created a more convenient life and have also changed our way of communication in a digital era, the improper use of smartphones is problematic in our daily lives, and the public should be aware of this. It is necessary for the Chinese to pay serious attention to the excessive dependence on smartphones, and try to lessen the negative influence of smartphones in our daily interpersonal relationships. Before talking about the impacts, we have to take a look at the smartphone market in China. According to the new figures from International Data Corporation, IDC’s worldwide quarterly mobile phone tracker, China’s share of the global smartphone market will rise to 20.7%, up from 18.2% in 2011 (Moscaritolo). Wong Teck Zhung, the senior market analyst with IDC’s Asia/ Pacific client devices team, stated that â€Å"[Chinese] smartphone shipments [were] expected to take a slim lead over the U.S. in 2012[, and there would] be no turning back this leadership changeover† (qtd. in Moscaritolo). This change in leadership means that China will become the leading country-level market for smartphones. Moreover, China even â€Å"overtook the UK and became the second largest country in application downloads. A quarter of ‘Angry Birds’ global downloads lies in China. In 2011, 613,445 applications were available in China, 74% of which were free versus 25% globally† (â€Å"China at your fingertips†). By the end of the second quarter of 2012, smartphone users in China have hit 290 million, while among them, 59% lies in the age group 18-34 (â€Å"Q2 2012†), as indicated from the report released by Iimedia which is the largest telecom and wireless consulting institution in China. Therefore, young people have become major smartphone customers. In terms of the way people communicating, the smartphone revolution constitutes a second major milestone after the Internet. The report from Iimedia shows that by the end of this June, the amount of China mobile Internet users has topped 388 million (â€Å"Q2 2012†). For the first time in Chinese history, mobile Internet users have gone beyond PC netizens, and turn into the biggest Internet terminal. Since China has become the world’s largest country of smartphone consumption, Chinese are engaging more than ever with electronic media which is represented by smartphones. It is worth taking a closer look to see how dependent Chinese people are upon their smartphones through some data from a film clip done by GroupM Interaction which is the global leading media investment management group: More than 500 Chinese magazines have more digital downloads than traditional circulation. Single-day mobile transactions on Taobao during its â€Å"12.12† promotion topped RMB 200 million, while 1 in 5 Taobao users accesses the site via mobile. 2011 mobile e-commerce in China reached RMB 11.5 billion. Westerners pray before eating, while 67% of Chinese take photos and post them on-line. Smartphone users check their mobile phones every 6 minutes. 38% of smartphone users spend more than 5 hours a day on their phone. Mobile is the new cigarette. 92% of youth use their mobile phones on the toilet. Each day over 1,000 people start a new romantic relationship via their mobile phones. (â€Å"China at your fingertips†) Based on the information above, it is not difficult to see that many people have become too engaged with smartphones. As a result, this heavy engagement has led to the unique dependence on smartphones and, consequently, causes Chinese people’s addiction to them. A new study from the University of Maryland asked 200 students to undertake a 24-hour media-free assignment including their smartphones, and the conclusion found â€Å"that most college students [were] not just unwilling, but functionally unable to be without their media links to the world† (â€Å"Students Addicted to Social Media†). Here is what the project director Susan D. Moeller, a journalism professor at the University of Maryland and the director of the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda which conducted the study, notes: We were surprised by how many students admitted that they were â€Å"incredibly addicted† to media†¦ The students did complain about how boring it was [to] go anywhere and do anything without being plugged into music on their MP3 players, [b]ut what they spoke about in the strongest terms was how their lack of access to text messaging, phone calling, instant messaging, email and Facebook, meant that they couldn’t connect with friends who lived close by, much less those far away (qtd. In â€Å"Students Addicted to Social Media†). After 24 hours abstinence, the students’ responses show â€Å"that students’ lives are wired together in such ways that opting out of that communication pattern would be tantamount to renouncing a social life† (â€Å"Students Addicted to Social Media†). Many students did not even realize how much their cell phones had meant to them. In a British study, 36% of the students claimed that they cannot be separated from their cell phones (Ji). Medical authorities are even considering â€Å"whether to designate Internet addiction as a disease in the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders† (Shelton). In fact, not just the U.S, China is under the same situation of this marvelous smartphone addiction. A research done by a multinational market research company, Synovateon, observed 8, ;[lm000 people from all over 11 countries, and found out that people from China and Singapore had the most obvious smartphone-obsessed symptoms (Ji). Due to the fact that almost everyone around is suffering the same condition more or less, many people in China do not consider this addiction as a severe problem. However, smartphone addiction does become influential in our daily life and affect people’s interpersonal relationship subconsciously. These days, plenty of people interrupt social conversations to check messages on their mobile devices. More and more Chinese like to take out their cell phones while gathering with friends. Looking at cell phones from time to time has become a major habit for many people in China. Barry S. Fagin, a professor of computer science, once declared that â€Å"the Internet has a strong potential to adversely affect social relationships† (Fagin). With today’s rapid growth of smartphones and wireless technology, Barry’s opinion cannot be more proper. Recently, Mr. Zhang, a citizen from Tsingtao, together with his brother went to visit their grandfather. While the old man tried to talk many times at the table, the children in front were all concentrating on their smartphones until he broke a plate with a long face, and asked them to go eat with their cell phones (Ji). More unfortunately, this case is not singular. People have entertaining conversations with strangers online via smartphones, whereas being mean to daily face-to-face talks. Chinese people are easily giving up their real life affection because of a little smartphone. I have heard my friend saying that let Siri be your friend, but then, what about your real friends? Even so, some may still argue that just like the Internet, smartphones have brought the whole world even closer and have made it possible for instant communication. With nowadays boom in technology, with smartphones and our access to the Internet being so easy, the possibility of information access from anywhere at any time means that distance might not be so important and obvious like it was. As an international student studying abroad, FaceTime does allow me to contact my family and friends over the Pacific wherever I want as long as we are both awake and have an iPhone in hand. The appearance of smartphones might seem to have reduced the distance between people. Nevertheless, it is not totally true. Studies have shown that â€Å"most people still keep in touch with their personal group of friends and social network in the real life via the Internet and phones† (Ji). A man in the U.S. will not be attracted by any Chinese home pages on Facebook, while a Chinese, in most cases, is not interested in reading in English as well. There is not too much for smartphones to contribute in bringing the world closer for many people. Instead, they make the distance even further, not physically, but mentally. Just like an online rearrangement of a proverb goes, â€Å"the furthest distance in the world is not between life and death, but when I stand in front of you, yet you are playing with your cell phone† (qtd. in Ji). In the research conducted by the University of Maryland, a student wrote: â€Å"Texting and IM-ing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort. When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable†(â€Å"Students Addicted to Social Media†). This information is dangerous. Getting used to smartphones makes people even more lonely and isolated from the real world. People, especially the young generation tends to focus too much on their smartphones, which is partly a result of their fear of self-loneliness and the lack of the ability of being alone. If things continue in this way, people are losing the ability of daily interpersonal communicating. A study done by Stanford University shown that â€Å"every other hour people spend in front of their computers, they would cut at least 30 minutes’ face-to-face communications† (Ji), and the same happens to smartphones. This fact has made researchers worried about â€Å"the neural circuit which controls people’s ability of face-to-face communication will degenerate, thus decreasing the neurotransmitters in the brain and even losing the whole function of this part† (Ji). With time goes on, human will lose the ability of identifying the hidden meaning behind a certain expression or language from others, which we achieved from a long time evolution. If this worry ever came true, it would be the biggest tragedy in the digital era. So, after talking all above, what can be done to eliminate this addiction and help the Chinese to find better ways for using their smartphones? Experts suggested that people should take some mandatory measures (â€Å"Experts†). A game played by my friends might be able to provide some good advice. Every time hanging out for meals, we will put all of our phones in the center of the table, and whoever is the first one to reach his or her cell phone during the meal is going to pay for everyone. Besides, sports and outdoor exercises will also help. People, especially in China where they normally stay indoors with nice air-conditioning and comfortable equipment, should open themselves to more outdoor activities. When doing something outdoor, being enveloped under the bright sunshine, sweating a little bit, and completely enjoying yourself, you will find no reason to keep addicted to your smartphones. Compared to the beauty of nature, nothing really matters. There is nothing wrong with falling in love with your smartphones. However, the Chinese have to realize the effect this love may bring on to them. The improper use of smartphones not only has negative influence on themselves in real life relationships, but it is also not respectful to others. In the modern world, of course we cannot live without smartphones, but we can do something more fun. Find what you like instead of smartphones, go for it, and enjoy yourself. Smartphones are just tools, not our complete life. Do not let them take over all our joy of life. Works Cited China at your fingertips. Dir. Tony Chen. Prod. Bessie Lee. GroupM Interaction, 2012. Film Clip. â€Å"Experts teach you how to get rid of your cell phone addiction†. Medpharm & Health 9 (2012): 5-5. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. Fagin, Barry S. â€Å"The Internet Makes Distance Matter Less for Good and Ill†. The Internet. Ed. Gary Wiener. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. 22-28. Print. Ji, Guoliang. â€Å"The Furthest Distance in the World†. City National Newspaper 15 Oct. 2012. Web. 13. Nov. 2012. Moscaritolo, Angela. â€Å"China to Overtake U.S. as Top Smartphone Market in 2012†. PC Magazine Mar 2012: 1-1. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Q2 2012 Chinese Smartphone Market Monitoring Report†. Iimedia (2012): n.pag. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. Shelton, Jim. â€Å"Hi, I’m (insert name here), and I’m a Facebook addict†. New Haven Register 10 Mar. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Students Addicted to Social Media- New UM Study†. University of Maryland Newsdesk 21 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2012.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Science Terms and Definitions You Should Know

Scientific experiments involve variables, controls, hypotheses, and a host of other concepts and terms that might be confusing. Glossary of Science Terms Here is a glossary of important science experiment terms and definitions: Central Limit Theorem: States that with a large enough sample, the sample mean will be normally distributed. A normally distributed sample mean is necessary to apply the t-test, so if you are planning to perform a statistical analysis of experimental data, its important to have a sufficiently large sample.Conclusion: Determination of whether the hypothesis should be accepted or rejected.Control Group: Test subjects randomly assigned to not receive the experimental treatment.Control Variable: Any variable that does not change during an experiment. Also known as a constant variable.Data  (singular: datum): Facts, numbers, or values obtained in an experiment.Dependent Variable: The variable that responds to the independent variable. The dependent variable is the one being measured in the experiment. Also known as the dependent measure or responding variable.Double-Blind: When neither the researcher nor the subject knows whether the subject is receiving the treatment or a placebo. Blin ding helps reduce biased results.Empty Control Group: A type of control group that does not receive any treatment, including a placebo.Experimental Group: Test subjects randomly assigned to receive the experimental treatment.Extraneous Variable: Extra variables (not independent, dependent, or control variables) that might influence an experiment but are not accounted for or measured or are beyond control. Examples might include factors you consider unimportant at the time of  an experiment, such as the manufacturer of the glassware in a reaction or the color of paper used to make a paper airplane.Hypothesis: A prediction of whether the independent variable will have an effect on the dependent variable or a prediction of the nature of the effect.  Independence  or  Independently:  When one factor does not exert influence on another. For example, what one study participant does should not influence what another participant does. They make decisions independently. Independenc e is critical for a meaningful statistical analysis.Independent Random Assignment: Randomly selecting whether a test subject will be in a treatment or control group.Independent Variable: The variable that is manipulated or changed by the researcher.Independent Variable Levels: Changing the independent variable from one value to another (e.g., different drug doses, different amounts of time). The different values are called levels.Inferential Statistics: Statistics (math) applied to infer characteristics of a population-based on a representative sample from the population.Internal Validity: When an experiment can accurately determine whether the independent variable produces an effect.Mean: The average calculated by adding all the scores and then dividing by the number of scores.Null Hypothesis: The no difference or no effect hypothesis, which predicts the treatment will not have an effect on the subject. The null hypothesis is useful because it is easier to assess with a statistical analysis than other forms of a hypothesis.Null Results (Nonsignificant Results): Results that do not disprove the null hypothesis. Null results dont prove the null hypothesis because the results may have resulted from a lack of power. Some null results are type 2 errors.p 0.05: An indication of how often chance alone could account for the effect of the experimental treatment. A value p 0.05 means that five times out of a hundred, you could expect this difference between the two groups purely by chance. Since the possibility of the effect occurring by chance is so small, the researcher may conclude the experimental treatment did indeed have an effect. Other p, or probability, values are possible. The 0.05 or 5% limit simply is a common benchmark of statistical significance.Placebo (Placebo Treatment):  A  fake treatment that should have no effect outside the power of suggestion. Example: In drug trials, test patients may be given a pill containing the drug or a placebo, which resembles the drug (pill, injection, liquid) but doesnt contain the active ingredient.Population: The entire group the researcher is studying. If the researcher cannot gather data from the population, studying large random samples taken from the population can be used to estimate how the population would respond.Power: The ability to observe differences or avoid making Type 2 errors.Random or Randomness: Selected or performed without following any pattern or method. To avoid unintentional bias, researchers often use random number generators or flip coins  to make selections.Results: The explanation or interpretation of experimental data.Simple Experiment: A basic experiment designed to assess whether there is a cause and effect relationship or to test a prediction. A fundamental simple experiment might have only one test subject, compared with a controlled experiment, which has at least two groups.Single-Blind: When either the experimenter or subject is unaware whether the subject is getting the treatment or a placebo. Blinding the researcher helps prevent bias when the results are analyzed. Blinding the subject prevents the participant from having a biased reaction.Statistical Significance: Observation, based on the application of a statistical test, that a relationship probably is not due to pure chance. The probability is stated (e.g., p 0.05) and the results are said to be statistically significant.T-Test: Common statistical data analysis applied to experimental data to test a hypothesis. The t-test computes the ratio between the difference between the group means and the standard error of the difference, a measure of the likelihood the group means could differ purely by chance. A rule of thumb is that the results are statistically significant if you observe a difference between the values that is three times larger than the standard error of the difference, but its best to look up the ratio required for significance on a t-table.Type I Error (Type 1 Er ror): Occurs when you reject the null hypothesis, but it was actually true. If you perform the t-test and set p 0.05, there is less than a 5% chance you could make a Type I error by rejecting the hypothesis based on random fluctuations in the data.Type II Error (Type 2 Error): Occurs when you accept the null hypothesis, but it was actually false. The experimental conditions had an effect, but the researcher failed to find it statistically significant.