Absolute Atomic Mass Definition

Absolute Atomic Mass DefinitionMany of us have come across the term 'relative atomic mass definition' while studying other chemistry topics. We have come across it in discussions on the subject, as well as on search engines such as Google. The question of how we define the relative atomic mass of a substance is important for all those involved in the chemistry profession. Of course, there are countless books and websites that provide discussion on this subject.The simplest way to explain the Atomic Mass concept is that atoms are counted according to their atomic mass. We can identify certain number of atoms in each substance. Therefore, the term 'atomic mass' refers to the number of atoms.Another way to define Atomic Mass is to observe how the atomic weight of a substance depends on the atomic mass of its constituent atoms. In other words, you can say that 'atomic mass' means the atomic weight of the component atoms, or the weight of the atomic component in a particular substance. We can define atomic weight as the number of atoms present in a substance, i.e.One more way to define 'atomic mass' is to understand how the atomic weight of one substance may be dependent on the atomic weight of another substance. When we say 'related substances' we mean 'having the same atomic mass'.Then, if you look at the atomic weight of several substances and consider the influence of their relative atomic mass on the 'atomic mass' of each of them, you will realize that some substances have almost the same atomic mass but different relative atomic masses. Thus, we get an even more complex classification of atomic mass.By the way, one question that needs to be clarified in this context is whether an atom is really considered to be part of an element. If you have understood the basic concepts of Atomic Mass, then it becomes clear that an atom is not really part of an element but instead may be considered to be like an element itself.In a nutshell, an atom is just a chemical proper ty (mass) that is related to other chemicals. Consequently, atoms may be classified as either high or low-molecular weight.

The 5 Tips To Choose The Best One On One Math Tutoring Service

The 5 Tips To Choose The Best One On One Math Tutoring Service Tackling your kid’s Math anxieties is the hardest job on earth but it can be made easy, if you resort to help and guidance from valuable sources. When in-person tutoring has gone out of focus, one on one tutoring through online medium is the best fit for your kid. How to find the best fit for your kid in Math tutoring? Here are 5 tips: Find out a person who is devoted to Math: There are many online tutors in the field who advertise their skills in handling Math topics. Along with, they are interested in handling other subjects also. It would be good if you can choose one who is strictly committed to Math and is specialized in Math areas. Such a math tutoring can throw away any challenge provided to him in tough and complicated Math problems. 100 #LessonPlans And Ideas For Teaching #Math http://t.co/gWy2T5eKsT â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) August 3, 2015 Pick out the right tutoring service that provides screened tutors: Reliable online math tutoring services provide tutors who are handpicked and screened in their specific domains of knowledge. Such tutors prove great with their certifications and credentials and can handle any intricate Math equation within no time. Ask for references from the tutor you choose: To understand the strength and authenticity of the tutor, ask for references which prove his success stories. They showcase how far he suits your requirements and what good he can do for your kid. These success stories boost your confidence in math tutoring and enable you to get your work done with success. Do You Hate Math? 5 Ways To Instill A Love Of Math In Kids http://t.co/SDnaKpFKp5 #backtoschool #homeschooling pic.twitter.com/afIR8VqvZx â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) August 12, 2015 Attend the first math tutoring session: Sit for demos with the tutor. Initial demos and tutoring session of the tutor should be attended by you along with the kid. This helps you in deciding the teaching style of the tutor and makes you understand how far he will come in tune with your needs and your kid’s learning aptitude. If you don’t find him alright, you can very well cancel the deal. Availability of flexible schedules: The main purpose of seeking one on one tutoring is to help out your kid in her crucial learning moments. If the tutor is not available on the time expected, there is no meaning in hiring a tutor. So, a Math tutor online with flexible schedules that go in line with your timings is the best bet for you. 8 #Videos That Prove #Math Is Awesome http://t.co/ctmhsmzZ7o pic.twitter.com/A3986sfavR â€" Tutor Pace (@TutorPace) August 17, 2015 There are online Math tutoring services which prove the best for student purposes in Math struggles. Especially, when you chat with a live Math tutor online, you know his merits and capabilities well and choose your favorite one as per your needs.

How to Regain Confidence

How to Regain Confidence One of the biggest reasons that students do not reach their full potential is their lack of confidence. I'm sure we can all recall a moment where we've had a setback and this has left us feeling doubtful about our future actions. Set backs at school and university can be equally bad for a young person. With a bad exam result, for example, anxiety and fear can develop which can then have a negative impact on future exam success. In this blog post, Daniel S provides some useful advice on how to regain confidence and make sure you ace those exams! Most importantly this advice can help you be more confident when speaking english. Daniel S is an experienced tutor specialising in interview skills and public speaking, as well as teaching English language and literature. ...... How to Regain Confidence Most of us know someone who we envy for their apparent confidence and sense of ease. Ironically, making it  seem  easy is a clue to perhaps the simplest path to self-possession. Of course, we would rather feel genuine confidence than fake it. But with a strange alchemy, the two are intimately connected, intertwined like a double helix, the one feeding the other. Fear is necessary and powerful, of course, protecting us from danger and helping calibrate our responses to what’s around us. But too often in modern life it arises inappropriately and stops us from performing as well as we know we could. Mainstream wisdom touts countless strategies of varying complexity that focus on the self or focus on others. Often, they go something like this: Recipe for Self-Confidence  (which is not a secret recipe but just because it’s made of everyday obvious items, or is easy to understand, doesn’t make it easy to follow). Preparation time: a few moments to a lifetime. Cooking time: ditto. Ingredients: In no particular order, mix together in a living soul all or some of the following: standing tall, speaking slowly, breathing deeply, knowing yourself, believing in yourself, living by your principles, preparing well, dressing well, being kind and generous, thinking positively, rejecting negative thoughts, setting small goals and achieving them, focusing on solutions, changing small habits to acquire the habit for changing big habits, smiling, exercising, and being grateful. Garnish with knowledge, competence, loving kindness. Method: The next thing to do (which can be done firstâ€"unlike conventional recipes, you can start cooking up confidence at any time) is to remember that confidence is as confidence does, behaves, appears, or simply pretends to be. The apparent cool composure of a person on stage talking to five hundred people does not mean inside they are not terrified, grim and wishing they were anywhere else. Even some of the most seasoned performers have admitted to stage fright every time the curtain goes up or the camera rolls. Barry Humphries, the late Carrie Fisher, Kirk Douglas, William Shatner, to name a few, have all spoken about it publicly. Brian Wilson once said, “I have stage fright every single concert I've ever done. It's absolute living hell.” As in  The  Wizard of Oz, within bold fabulous creatures may sit shy humans operating the levers and switches that let the outside world see something else entirely. Conversely, normal souls with normal fears can appear more confident simply by telling the world as much. The word itself is from the Latin: fidere, “to trust”; and com, meaning “with” or used as an intensifying prefix, i.e. “to trust a lot”. Fidere also means faith. And on this spins the whole premise. Confidence is a quality that does not exist unless we say it does. It is as changeable as wind, fickle as a teenage crush, as powerful as any known force. Religions, ideologies, stock markets and love all depend to varying degrees on our hopes, beliefs and mutable points of view, and the confidence, high or low, that derives therefrom. What we think as individuals or as groups massively influences the world we live in. Presentation: A famous self-help book is called  Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway. The title points to the fragile heart of the matter. Be bold, it says, and all shall pass. But it also accepts that fear is a precipice, an edge, sometimes the thinnest part of a moment in time when we may decide to step back and not act after all. The book encourages us to reconsider those moments, to choose to go forward. And the beautiful kicker is, each step forward increases confidence and reduces fear. The scared actor may suffer and shake before striding onstage but they still do it. Perhaps it seems daft to suggest a matter so important to our wellbeing can be reduced to a simple formula, but it can. Sometimes we just need to remember to keep moving forwards and confidence will join us. ..... Daniel S is a trained interviewer with fifteen years experience of publishing and investment banking. He is also a writer and journalist, the author of three books, and he specialises in teaching interview skills and confidence as well as public speaking and a wide range of English at all levels for students and adults alike. If you would like to contact Daniel S or would like him as a tutor for your child, please send him a message through his profile. Alternatively for more tutors specialising in a range of subjects go to the Tutorfair website. Checkout out more  Tutorfair blogs  here: Five Strategies to improve Academic Performance Power Nap Your Way to Exam Success Photo credits: Rydon Bede Pix

Study More Effectively Using Deliberate Practice - PART 2

Study More Effectively Using Deliberate Practice - PART 2 Improving Academic Performance In a previous blog post on deliberate practice, we learned that it takes focus, motivation, feedback, and a desire to uncover the underlying elements of the big concepts. More importantly, we learned that it is the way to build new skills, be they academic, athletic, musical, or anything else. Let's now look at a few different examples of the concept in action, as well as explore what deliberate practice, in an academic context, involves in a bit more detail. Deliberate Practice in a Low Performing Charter School There is a charter school system called Knowledge is Powerthat is located in low-achieving, urban areas Students were tested in math proficiency before the beginning of the KIP program, and only 17% scored proficient. After changing to a curriculum based on the ideals of deliberate practice, 84% achieved proficiency. When a student enters the program, called KIPP, he or she must sign a contract that promises to persevere and follow through when the going gets tough. All students attend school from 7:30am to 5:00pm, and even have to be in attendance on some Saturdays and a few weeks throughout the summer. This is a big commitment. But the leaders of the program say that it is not just about putting in extra time. It is placing motivation, passion, and focus at the forefront of education and making sure that the teachers are instilling these ideals into the students at all points in the educational process. The staff creates a culture of discipline. The students learn, through training, a dedication to hard work and perseverance. And, they learn how to study the right way, with intense focus, effort, and a passion for improvement. So far, this method of teaching by deliberate practice has seen positive results in low achieving schools. These studies (and others) demonstrate to us that focus, determination, and motivation go a very long way in achieving academic success. How Important is Deliberate Practice? The term ‘deliberate practice’ was created by a man named Anders Eriksson, who studied people that had acquired expert performance in a subject and had excelled. He found that the main thing separating these geniuses from ‘normal’ people was the amount of time spent doing deliberate practice. Yes, of course natural ability helps a person excel, but Anderson found thatpracticing more and differently, more deliberately, than others was much more important than natural ability in the development of skill. Geoff Colvin, a past editor for Fortune Magazine, wrote about the properties of deliberate practice. They are as follows: Deliberate Practice is designed to improve performance. This means that the right type of practice is not, for example, just going out on a golf course and hitting as many balls as possible every day for 10 hours a day to become a professional golfer. It involves careful study and review of your shots, tweaking your form, and repeating. The practice needs to be repeated frequently. Your talent, skill, sport, academic subject, etc. needs to be treated as a priority when it comes to daily time management. A feedback loop, some sort of assessment based on whether or not you did things correctly and how you should adjust your technique and practice style based on the results, needs to exist. A popular quote outlines the reason beside the necessity for a feedback loop quite nicely: “The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over again and expect different results.” Time spent in practice needs to be mentally demanding. The brain should be fully engaged in order for deliberate practice to have its full effect. It should be very difficult to sustain this type of focused practice for more than a few hours. The tasks that are being practiced need to be difficult. If you are not constantly testing yourself and trying harder problems or skills, just coasting through the material, you will not reach your full potential. Finding things that are particularly challenging and working through them gives room for growth and allows progress to be made towards reaching ‘expert’ status. When you start to do things that push you out of your comfort zone, that is when you will truly excel and get better â€" that’s how skill is built in the brain. You might see how these properties of deliberate practice can be applied to improving your ACT or SAT score or getting better grades in school, but it can be helpful to use these rules in any area of life where you’d like to improve your performance and build your skills. As we’ve said a few times in this article, if you’re willing to put in the time, the focus, the motivation, and practice in the right ways, you can be well on your way to becoming an expert. Even if you aren’t looking to be the next Einstein, deliberate practice can get you that A in Calculus, or that higher standardized exam score, or better scores on tests in general. Deliberate practice gives you the tools you need to drastically improve your academic (and other types of) performance.

Executing the Mentally Impaired

Executing the Mentally Impaired John Coffee (Michael Clarke Duncan) awaits execution in The Green Mile Last week attention was called to the topic of intellectual disabilities (ID) and the death penalty when a Georgia court granted a last minute stay of execution for a man with an I.Q. of 70 (the widely-accepted threshold for ID). The courts intervention was a relief for many, and a surprise to those familiar with criminal law in Georgia and elsewhere. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Atkins v. Virginia eleven years ago, states have been reluctant to set up legal tests which would classify inmates as intellectually disabled, leading to a system which clearly favors execution over mental care or rehabilitation. In Georgia, a defendant must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he is in fact mentally handicapped. This ensures that judges and juries will be very hesitant to rule in favor of an ID claim and most will be sent to death row. This has been the fate of numerous ID claimants in Texas where the legal standard required to pass as mentally handicapped (or mentally retarded, as the outdated legal text still reads) is so strict that almost anyone with a pulse and an operational nervous system is eligible for lethal injection. The Texas courts test for intellectual disability is based on seven Briseño Factors, named after the case which established the precedent. A Google search of the term reveals a large collection of stories about unjust sentences to be handed down to our most helpless citizens. To be considered intellectually disabled under the Briseño Factors, a defendant must prove to a jury that he or she lacks proper functioning in all seven areas covered by the test. These factors were created by judges instead of doctors, they are not scientifically based, and they include things such as the ability to plan a faculty observed in many zoo animals as well as nearly every human who ever lived. In addition to standards that could be met by an animal, the Briseño Factors also provide that courts should disregard an ID claim if friends or family members of the defendant do not believe he or she is mentally disabled. Regardless of feelings on the morality of the death penalty, surely there are few people who would suggest that systematically executing mentally handicapped prisoners is acceptable. Affronts to human rights such as this happen around the world every day, but should not be common news in a nation that prides itself on fairness and justice. Just as tyrannical governments in past centuries have sought to quietly eliminate undesirable populations, states governments right here at home are executing people who by all civilized standards should be safely confined from the general population and properly treated. The execution of mentally handicapped people is a disgrace to our society and a slap in the face to human rights. The only way to tackle the issue is by making yourself and others more aware of what happens to these poor unfortunate men and women. Stories of prisoners with intellectual disabilities facing the death penalty: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/category/categories/issues/mental-retardation http://www.thenation.com/blog/169243/updated-texas-executes-man-iq-61 http://www.theeagle.com/news/local/article_8a7ef928-9fe2-515d-9e44-ee6a700606a1.html

The Secret to Making Your Brain Learn a New Language Fast

The Secret to Making Your Brain Learn a New Language Fast Youve always wanted to learn a new language. In fact, its top three in your bucket list. You were originally encouraged because everybody selling language products said it was easy.Then reality hit. Boom!You were getting nowhere. You tried everything but nothing works! You were bored to tears and ready to give up.But thank heavens you found this post at FluentU, because guess what? Theres hope.There is a better way.  What if I told you that there’s one thing you can do that will skyrocket your learning?And what if I tell you that it has been proven to work over and over, and you don’t even have to dial a 1-800 number for it?Sounds good? Great!We need a proper set-up to best understand this effective secret, so lets start with a short background on the language learning process. The Secret to Making Your Brain Learn a New Language Fast: The 6 Stages of Language LearningUnless you’re a linguistic genius, learning a new language will require you to go through these phases: Intro duction, Recognition, Familiarization, Proficiency, Deeper Proficiency and Mastery.IntroductionThis first stage refers to the initial few times you come across a language. This may come in the form of overhearing native Korean speakers in the subway or pressing the wrong key on the remote and ending up watching a French flick. You get your first tastes of the language and find the utterances weird or funny. It’s like Jim Carrey sounding off his gibberish antics.RecognitionYoull enter this next stage when, because of repeated presentations, you are now able to pick out the language from other languages. You may recognize the tones, rhythms and guttural utterances, or you may also recognize patternsâ€"such as the most commonly repeated letters. This means that you may not understand anything on a newscast in Japan, for example, but you know it’s Japanese.FamiliarizationFamiliarization is an advanced form of recognition in which you know the most fundamental elements of the languag e. For example, you know how to say thank you, please or good morning in Spanish. Perhaps you can also count in the language. You wield the most basic vocabulary and know the equivalence of words like house, girl, boy or beautiful.ProficiencyWhen you are able to converse naturally with a native speaker, you are said to be proficient. Your grammar may not be perfect, but you know the rules well enough and hold sufficient vocabulary to make yourself understandable to a native speaker.Deeper ProficiencyDeeper Proficiency comes next, and is an advanced stage where you speak the language as well as a native speaker. You are well informed in the nuances of the tongue and hold equal, if not more, vocabulary than the natives.MasteryMastery happens when you not only converse just as well as a native speaker, but you are able to talk formally or academically in the adapted language as well. This higher form of discourse, which is the result of years of training and immersion, is something tha t even native speakers don’t aspire to.Most people stay in the Familiarization phase all their lives. They may not have enough time or drive to get to the next level, or their study strategies are so ineffective that they bore themselves to tears.Many people also find themselves there because advancing to the next stage, Proficiency, requires a great deal of work. For example, you are considered proficient in the Chinese language only when you are able to understand 2,000 characters.Well who has the time to have 2,000 characters down pat?!With all that’s going on in our daily lives, learning a new language, unless our very livelihood depends on it, usually goes to the back burner. Most people never even see  the numerous ways you can make more time for language learning and just give up.But just like I said, theres a much better way.Repetition vs. Effective RepetitionOkay, I let the cat out of the bag with the title.What I’m referring to here is repetition.No, not really. What I’m really talking about is effective repetition.There’s a huge difference between the two. Mere repetition will not cut it. We need to be very careful because the much exalted concept of repetition just might be the fastest way to make a subject bland and boring.Try memorizing a 100-word vocabulary list from a piece of paper.Not so easy, is it? Notice that you can’t easily store the words in your long-term memory no matter how hard you try. That’s what pushing a rock uphill feels like.In fact, repetition used in this manner will only make your goals harder to reach because the brain will only pay attention to things that are novel, surprising and shocking, and there’s nothing duller than a laundry list of vocabulary words given by a teacher to be memorized.Is it really a surprise then that people give up and imagine the task to be impossible?Okay, so lets take a look at the better alternative: effective repetition.What is Effective Repetition?Effective repetition interes ts the brain into paying attention.And when the brain is paying attention, that’s when long-term memories are created. For example, do you still remember what you had for breakfast two Tuesdays ago? Highly unlikely. That’s because you were not paying attention.But how about this, do you still remember the face of your first love from years or decades ago?Many will not only recall your first loves name and face, but you might even remember the persons eye color, the smell of her hair or the way he smiles. You could even still hear their voice, the way he or she speaks and how it makes your heart skip a beat. You might even remember every conversation you’ve had!You were really paying attention, werent you?Effective repetition uses the same mechanism in the brain to make you learn the language faster. It’s effective because it taps into how our brains work. Just as you remember your first love’s mannerisms, you’ll find it easier to recall the nuances of a language.Like I s aid, effective repetition interests the brain into paying attention. So, how do we do that, exactly?Well, we don’t have any room for rote memorization here. That method doesn’t really work for the long term.We need to make the repetition memorable, and we do that by engaging the five senses.How to Make Effective Repetitions with the 5 SensesLet’s suppose again that you’re tasked with memorizing a list of the 100 most common words in Spanish. By using our sense of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, and incorporating them into the learning process, we can make that list very memorable.Let’s deal with each sense briefly:SightIn order to increase retention in your language learning endeavors, you need to see pictures, not words. That’s because our brain works pictorially, hence the term photographic memory. This explains why a photograph works better than a word, and why videos are more effective learning tools than words on the blackboard.So anytime you wish to memoriz e vocabulary, always associate the word with a picture. The more vivid, the more colorful, the better. This way, you get into the arena of effective repetitions.An awesome way to learn words effectively with photos is using  FluentU.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.Each hand-picked video is transcribed and translated, plus every word comes with an image, in-context definition and multiple example sentencesâ€"so you can engage both your sight  and  hearing!Another tip to improve retention using sight is to use interesting fonts and different colors when making a vocabulary list. You could use red font for feminine cases or gender-specific words, for example, or increase the font size for easy viewing.HearingFor effective repetition, try making a song out of the words you need to memorize. Put on a catchy tune and watch your memory speed soar. Creative preschool teachers have used this technique with great success. (Imagine memorizing the alphabet without the ABC songâ€"just try stringing those 26 letters together without a tune yikes!)A catchy tune you could use to memorize vocabulary is the song Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music which goes: Doe, a deer, a female deerAnother way to increase vocabulary retention is to study a foreign song by translating the lyrics into English. Since you now have words used in a certain context and have sung them to a specific tune, youll find it easier to mine the song for vocabulary words. Feliz Navidad, anyone?TasteWhen you pair a food-related word with its actual taste, you make the memory connection so much stronger. That is, the fastest way to learn the words for orange in any language is to eat one while memorizing. It will burn the translation into your head. This goes true for any food word.Effective repetition  is very vivid when it comes to taste. Try closing your eyes for the full effect.If the w ord you are trying to memorize is not accessible through the sense of taste, see if it can be approached through the sense of smell, which we’ll discuss next.SmellHave you ever been brought back to a certain place or time just because you got a whiff of something? You were happily walking on a busy street and suddenly you smelled the perfume used by a long-lost lover. Then suddenly, it all came back to you like it was yesterday, all the beautiful memories with that special person.The sense of smell is one of the most potent memory enhancers, and yet how many language learners incorporate it in their study? If you think looking at pictures is effective, just wait until you enlist the help of your nose.Although not many of your vocabulary words will necessarily be accessible through smell  (just like with taste), you could also use a scented candleâ€"try rosemary or lavenderâ€"to enhance your memory. And for those words that do have a scent, you’ll discover that the memory connec tion is simply on another level.Touch/KinestheticSome people learn best when they move: the kinesthetic learners. They learn a word best when they associate it with a certain gesture or action. And this gesture might be suggestive of the word or be completely random.For example, when memorizing the Spanish word redondo (which means round or circular), you might draw a circle repeatedly with your fingers to learn kinesthetically. Or when memorizing saltar (which means jump), you could actually jump.Doing actions like these are effective repetitions that help anchor the memory. It may look like just goofing around, but it’s actually a very efficient memory technique.So when you need to memorize something, straight up repetition just won’t cut it.Go for effective repetitions by engaging your five senses! It will make a world of difference.

How to Learn a Language in 3 Months 3 Swift Strategies for Rapid Fluency

How to Learn a Language in 3 Months 3 Swift Strategies for Rapid Fluency How to Learn a Language in 3 Months: 3 Swift Strategies for Rapid Fluency Theres more than one way to learn a language quickly and effectively.As  with any other learned skill, theres no secret formula for learning a language. Theres no rule that specifies that learning  takes exactly 3 years, 280 hours, 6 months or 10,000 flashcards.So, anyone can learn any language in three  months under the right conditions.Its not about having the right genes or the most expensive course, but instead about adopting  the right language learning mindset  and putting energy into your studies.Depending on your motivation and your circumstances, the path to casual comprehension and conversational confidence may look quick and easy. You might want to learn a language in this specific amount of time because youre planning a trip, entering the job market  or any of a million other reasons. For someone with less immediate motivation, the path may look arduous and following it may take more time.So, instead of telling you the way to learn a new language in three short months, we ll give you three different and highly flexible  ways you can go. Well focus on the core features of these strategies that will translate into success for  any three-month language learning mission. Learning a Language in 3 Months: What It Means and What It DoesntBefore embarking on your linguistic journey, ask yourself what you mean when you say you want to learn a language in three months.Youll need to set reasonable, concrete goals.  Fluffy words like fluency with abstract, subjective meanings, make for equally fuzzy motivation. Instead, try to define your goals in terms of linguistic feats youd like to be able to perform 90 days from now.Are you looking to be able to have pleasant everyday conversations? Read the news? Make new friends? Give a rousing speech, pen a great novel or pass through society masquerading as a native speaker?In thinking about goals like these, try to form them in terms of your four core language skillsâ€"listening, speaking, reading and writingâ€"and o n linguistic actions rather than arbitrary benchmarks (e.g., being able to talk to strangers at the bar, rather than something like  learning 500 vocabulary words or memorizing the past perfect tense).Most learners who are able to study their language full-time (or close to it) for three months can reasonably aim to navigate everyday conversations successfully, understand the majority of what they hear, be able to express themselves clearly in simple terms and be able to engage with media like TV and newspapers.Every learner and situation is different. Whats important is that you focus on your defined goals, use your language every day and take an approach that works for you as an individual learner.Here are three of those possible approaches.How to Learn a Language in 3 Months: 3 Swift Strategies for Rapid Fluency1. Take a 3-month Language Immersion TripImmersion learning is popular for a reason: It works.For most aspiring language learners, and especially those who want to make gi ant leaps in progress in just a few months, it doesnt get better than immersing yourself in your target language. Not only will you be presented with endless daily opportunities to strengthen your speaking and listening skills, but youll also have an unrivaled chance to  amplify your language skills by learning about the culture surrounding the  language.Before starting an immersion trip, do a bit of initial research into your target language. Learning strategies can differ greatly depending on how closely related your target language is to your first language or one that you already speak well.So, if youre heading off to spend three months in French immersion and your native language is English, start by brushing up on the similarities in sounds and word parts between your two languages. If youre studying Chinese or Arabic, on the other hand, start by learning about the most challenging differences between these languages and those familiar to you, like their different written scri pts and difficult sounds.And then fasten your seat belt, put your seat back in the upright position and prepare for takeoff.Month 1: getting comfortable with your languageIn your first month of immersion language learning, your main objectives are learning to recognize words and phrases in your language, overcoming the initial anxiety and discomfort of speaking  and starting to use your language right away.The primary goal is to become more familiar and comfortable with the language.So, heres your game plan:Begin with a basic vocabulary list and start learning the essentials of everyday communication immediately.Hang out in parks, cafes and restaurants, spending as much time as you can listening to people talking in public places.Immediately get started watching TV, movies and other videos to see and hear what your new vocabulary actually sounds like and how its used.Watch  childrens shows where the characters  speak slowly and articulately  about practical  topics like shapes, colo rs and animals. Want an alternative to the purely authentic? Muzzy BBC has created animated video series for children that teach a variety of languages, and they may just be a great option for adult learners who enjoy going the fun and colorful route.Put yourself in situations where you have to navigate typical customer service conversations.Seek out at least one conversation partner  early in your first month who has the patience to have slow, simple conversations with you as you build your skills.Most important of all in your first month is to make mistakes freely and overcome your speaking anxiety. The shy and the introverted can find this part more challenging, but youll never start truly learning your language until you accept that youre going to be making a lot of mistakes in the next three months. Each mistake  is a crucial step in your learning process.Month 2: structure and experimentationBy the start of the second month, you should have a few  hundred words and several doz en handy  phrases youre able to use confidently in one-on-one conversation. Take a moment to congratulate yourself on your first linguistic baby steps, and get ready to break into a jog in your second month.As soon as you feel like youre understanding a (slight) majority of what you hear on your childrens shows or other beginner TV shows, raise the bar.Try out some documentaries and familiar animated films dubbed into your target language. The documentaries will usually employ a slow, exaggeratedly articulate speech thats easier for learners to understand, and revisiting your favorite childhood Disney movies will help your comprehension by letting you hear your target language in a very familiar context.As your vocabulary grows, pay  closer attention to grammar and basic rules that will help you be better understood. Refer to a good book or website to learn basics like the past tense or noun gender, but try to do most of your learning by actively paying attention to native speakers and making mental notes about when they use different verb forms or articles.Strive to have new and different conversations every dayâ€"repeating the same coffee order every morning is good for warming up, but it doesnt count as learning anymore when youre just repeating it over and over again. Try ordering some new things off the menu every day!Input-based learning is the priceless result of immersion. You get to soak your brain in linguistic material every day, and opportunities to listen and speak are unlimited.  Since by now you should be  completely unfazed by making mistakes, push yourself harder and abandon your remaining conservative impulses.Month 3:  sprinting to the finishBy now youre used to speaking your target language every day. Even though you still make errors at nearly every turn, and even though youre still fuzzy on the details a lot  of the time, you get the gist of whats said to you more often than not, especially when someones speaking to you clearly without to o much background noise or other distractions.The third month of immersion is all applied learning. Youve been soaking up the language for two months and practicing it as you go, but now its time to start really using it organically like a native speaker would.Heres what youll be doing in this third month:Totally shut down your first language, both inside and outside your head. Switch all your electronics to the language youre learning, forego your favorite English-language series, go on a social media hiatus and strive to think in your target language whenever possible.Soak your ear in your language every single day. Watch TV,  listen to the radio  and continue  eavesdropping in public parks.Strive to find TV and video content that challenges you. If you understand more than about two-thirds or three-fourths of whatever youre watching or listening to, its time to bump up to the next level.Most importantly, seek out conversation at every turn. Find as many one-on-one conversation pa rtners as will have you, and when youre feeling extra ambitious, sit down in a small group conversation and do your best to offer some on-topic interjections while you follow along.After three months of immersion, some learners will still struggle to understand rapid native speech or to express their thoughts clearly, while others may have more trouble with reading instructions or writing texts and Facebook messages. Thats normal!Remember that your goal was never to be perfect at the end of three months. Check back in with the goals you set before starting, then give yourself a giant pat on the back for the past three months.At-home alternative: living room language immersionJumping up and spending three months in a foreign country might not accommodate everyones schedule, budget or life all of the time, but thankfully there are a few substitutes that offer a viable alternative for the most motivated and dedicated.Jump into the 21st century and take advantage of all the digital and analog  hacks available today for creating a language immersion environment without leaving home.2. Spend 3 Months Learning a Language with Authentic VideoNot so long ago, time and money were the biggest roadblocks cutting off would-be polyglots from their language learning dreams. Then the Internet came along and basically took care of those two things, just like that.If you like the structure of a formal course but relish the freedom of individual study, learning online could be right for you.If you need the flexibility of studying whenever your hectic schedule coughs up 20 free minutes or if you cant justify spending hundreds of dollars on language courses, its time to think about learning a language online.FluentU uses real-life video to help you learn vocabulary and usage in context, which is exactly how  you learned your first language.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language lea rning lessons.As you browse and watch video content sorted into six levels (from Newbie to Native), you can click on the interactive subtitles to view in-context definitions of unfamiliar words. Enter the learn mode  for each video  for dynamic, memory-boosting activities. Practice the words youre learning with FluentU flashcard decksâ€"you can even import your own vocabulary and design your own digital flashcards.FluentU goes beyond grammar and vocabulary to help you actually learn to speak and use a new language naturally, and its an effective, efficient and enjoyable  strategy for learning a new language in a matter of months.Month 1: getting your newbie feet wetIn your first month using FluentU, start out with some of our Newbie videos and get ready to start exposing your ears and brain to your new language.Before watching your first videos, be sure to review the Vocab tab beneath each video, where youll find key words and phrases from the video along with  their definitions.If it helps you getting started, download the video transcript and read along with it. You can even print it out and take notes on it.Review your vocabulary in video flashcards, where youll find short video clips with transcriptions in your target language and English, along with contextualized definitions above.Find speaking opportunities and start practicing what youre learning early! Check out  our essential guide to Skype language exchange for tips on where to find conversation partners online.Once youve spent a few weeks calibrating your ear to recognize the sounds and words of your target language and have tried it out yourself in a few Skype sessions, its time to start putting your language to work.Month 2: exploring real-life situations and developing real-life skillsIn your second month of using FluentU, fast-track language learners can bump up from Newbie to Elementary videos. As you strive to become competent in understanding and using your language, try to focus on videos o f real people in real-life situations, and imitate their language use when youre practicing.Start challenging your ears by watching some of the Newbie and Elementary level videos without subtitles. Dont worry about understanding every single word, but do strive to follow the main ideas and the flow of the conversation.Beef up your vocabulary by developing a reading habit in your target language. Weve got  all the best recommendations.Ramp up your conversation time and aim to speak your language for an hour or more multiple times a week (or more whenever possible). If youre getting burnt out on Skype exchanges, try finding local language exchanges through websites and social networks like Meetup and Couchsurfing.You could also  consider finding a language tutor for extra practice. WyzAnt is a great option for finding a tutor in your area. You can see how much each tutor charges per hour as well as some of the ratings that other people have given them. If youre all about online langua ge learning, check out Verbling. It allows you to explore hundreds upon hundreds of language teachers from all over and find the one who’s perfect for you.In the second month of online language learning, youll want to find as much conversation time as possible alongside your continued study through video and vocabulary lessons on FluentU. This should be the period where you feel that your vocabulary and listening comprehension both really take off, preparing you to jump into the deep end in your  third month.Month 3: applying your intermediate skillsAfter two months of FluentU, you should be more comfortable hearing and understanding your target language than you ever were  after two tortured years of high school language classes. Pushing through to the intermediate level will depend on constantly and actively exercising your language muscles and doing heavier lifting  every week.Start watching Intermediate level videos on FluentU, and make a point to explore the menus and watch v ideos on multiple topics (like arts and entertainment, business and health and lifestyle) and all formats (such as music videos, news and TV shows).Turn off the English subtitles. After watching each video once with the target language subtitles alone, watch again with all the subtitles off.Make sure that you play your way through each videos learn mode, learning new words in context as you go.Use your active skills every single day. Speak or write in your language as often as possible to exercise the part of your brain that produces (rather than interprets) language. For feedback on your writing from native speakers, try a penpal exchange site like Lang-8.  LingQ is another great online practice option that provides you with the support of native speakers, who can give you feedback on your writing or pronunciation.Find a series in your language to get way too  into. Whether its a sitcom, drama or thriller, getting emotionally involved in the characters and their storylines helps yo ur brain process the language more naturally and gives you a fun way to use your language skills.The fantastic thing about FluentU is that it doesnt matter how fast you progressâ€"you can move easily from Newbie to Advanced and everything in between according to your own pace and interests. The interactive subtitles make any video at any level approachable to every learner!It works because its organic. Memorizing and repeating verb conjugations from a workbook is helpful for some, but any learner learns better and more efficiently when they engage with the natural language just as its native speakers use it every day.Throw in a couple cool mini-movies and TV shows and youve got a language learning program youll actually look forward to working on every day.3. Mix and Match Language Learning Strategies with Self-studySometimes youre your own best teacher.Theres no rule out there that says you must follow one particular program, trademarked method or exact formula to learn a language. Especially for experienced language learners and those in touch with their own preferences  and learning styles, cherry-picking the best parts of existing programs, websites, apps, books, podcasts and social networks to design an individual learning plan can be the best way to go.You know how you learn best, but keep in mind that youll want to address a few key areas if you want to reach overall competence and comfort with your language. Focus on training yourself in your four main linguistic skills:1. Listening. A good listener is a good language learner. If you hope to use a language effectively, youll need to train your ear and brain to recognize things like unfamiliar vowels and identifying where one word ends and a new one begins in everyday speech.2. Speaking. Use it or lose it. As you listen and take in more linguistic input, using that new knowledge to form your own words, sentences and conversations is the practical application that makes the learning stick.3. Reading. The emphasis on reading in a second language will differ from learner to learner. For some, learning to read captions and public signs will suffice, and others may want to be able to follow a trending Twitter hashtag or read the latest political news in their target language.4. Writing. Like reading, the amount of time you devote to writing in a foreign language will differ based on your own learning style and preferences. For most, chatting on Facebook and keeping a daily journal are good ways to ensure you practice your active skills every day.As you design your own language learning routine, keep these four skills in mind, never neglecting the first two. Heres an example of how you might piece together a self-study routine to learn a language in three months.Month 1: laying your linguistic foundationsIn the beginning stages, build up the basics.The basics include recognizing and understanding spoken sounds, using your guidebook phrases and working towards mastering the basic vocabul ary of 500 or so words you need to navigate everyday life successfully.Start out with Duolingo  or a  flashcard app  like  Memrise to begin building your basic vocabulary, and be sure to practice every dayâ€"even if its only for a few minutes. You need to start building a habit at this stage.Soak your brain in the sounds of your language. Explore language learning channels on YouTube, watch simple childrens shows and  listen to podcasts.Start speaking the language daily within your first week. You can find conversation exchange partners on sites like iTalki or ConversationExchange.com.Read a Wikipedia page about your hometown, your favorite band or your professional field. Use your familiarity with the subject to learn as many words as possible in context and look up the rest.By the end of the first month, hopefully you will have rooted out the parts of your routine that arent working for you, identified the areas that challenge you most and gone Googling for extra online resources to help get the language down. Then its time to take your basic vocabulary and finely attuned ears into month two.Month 2: picking up the paceWhile you continue studying your language from every angle, its time to focus on speaking and conversation and let the rest follow.Speak your language daily or as close to it as possible. Aside from online exchanges and social networks, you can check around places like your local university or community college or immigrant resource center to search for more real-life conversation partners, or you can post ads on sites like Reddit or Craigslist.Create a customized feed with Feedly to follow your favorite blogs and websites in your target language.Prime yourself with periodic grammar lessons from books or web pages, but dont try to memorize the rules you read about. Instead, try to notice when native speakers use the forms or words discussed, look for patterns related to when they do or dont use certain verb endings or definite articles. Then i mitate them.When youre studying on your own, you can make people and social interaction the focal points of your learning  rather than learning a certain number of vocabulary words or a particular verb tense.In the second month, challenge yourself to understand as many new kinds of input as you can.Then comes the home stretch.Month 3: broadening your linguistic horizonsYour focus in your third month may depend on your particular goals with the language (like whether youre prepping for a backpacking trip, a job interview or an exam).Even so, all learners will benefit from getting as much speaking and listening time as they can.Broaden your linguistic horizons with these tips in your third month of self-study:Widely diversify the kinds of video content youre watching by using a site like Streema to find and watch local TV stations all over the world. Be sure to include videos of real people having realistic conversations like on talk shows or sitcoms (as opposed to animated cartoons o r newscasts).Continue to speak every day via Skype or other exchanges, and focus on using what youre learning from your TV and video time. Discuss topics youre learning about on TV shows or in documentaries. Strive to use the new phrases and words youve learned while watching them.Add to your Feedly feed some news sites, pop culture blogs and other written material that challenges you. Practice writing about these topics by chatting with native speakers on an app like HelloTalk.How to Keep Learning After 3 MonthsRegardless of the method you choose, your language learning will hardly  be done after three months.After those first three months, youll still find yourself frustrated that you cant understand whats being said at times. You might find yourself speaking beautifully and confidently one day only to return to stammering and struggling the next.Even though you can certainly learn a language in three months, the truth is that youre never really finished. As you continue on your l anguage learning journey, remember to use the same principles discussed here to keep building on your progress.Keep watching TV and movies, use the best websites and apps for refreshers and, above all, keep using your language, listening to it and speaking it whenever you can.If done right, learning a language in three months will just be the beginning of a lifelong linguistic journey, the benefits of which will continue to grow throughout your multilingual life!

SAT Test Dates 2017-2018 (Plus a BONUS!)

SAT Test Dates 2017-2018 (Plus a BONUS!) Looking for  SAT test  dates  for the 2017-2018 school year? Check out our complete schedule with registration deadlines. Prepare for the SAT online by taking this free sample practice test. The  SAT test answer key  is here. If you need  a  tutor  here is a list of  the best  SAT prep tutors.  Our  SAT  tutors  are trained to approach each students individual needs, providing a customized tutoring program that is tailored to yield the best results! SAT Test Dates 2017-2018 (Plus a BONUS!) Looking for  SAT test  dates  for the 2017-2018 school year? Check out our complete schedule with registration deadlines. Prepare for the SAT online by taking this free sample practice test. The  SAT test answer key  is here. If you need  a  tutor  here is a list of  the best  SAT prep tutors.  Our  SAT  tutors  are trained to approach each students individual needs, providing a customized tutoring program that is tailored to yield the best results!

AHS General Chemistry Practice Exam

AHS General Chemistry Practice ExamThere are many areas of the AHS general chemistry practice exam that you will likely find unique. This is why it's very important to study for these specific areas because the AHS chemistry is a bit more flexible than the majority of chemistry practices available.If you've ever taken a chemistry practice exam you probably know that the different areas are very similar, but vary in the different areas of the AHS general chemistry exam. Most of the general chemistry practice exam areas focus on common topics that can apply to your classroom coursework and laboratory experience. It's important to remember that the more general a topic is, the more difficult it is for you to fully grasp it and to answer it correctly.Many chemistry practice exam areas are very similar, including one of the more common ones - tetrachloroethylene. The tetrachloroethylene area concentrates on how to answer questions about this chemical in the class setting. If you do not un derstand the substance or the experiment required to understand the substance, you may have trouble answering a question related to this chemical in a classroom setting.The next area of the AHS general chemistry practice exam focused more on lab work and equations. In this area you will be asked to fill out lab sheets from the laboratory. You will need to understand how to complete each test correctly so that you don't get penalized in the future.Another common area of the AHS general chemistry practice exam is one that we'll cover below, but which has gotten much less press in recent years - synthesis. Synthesis consists of completing a lab question about the synthesis of a chemical compound using the AHS formula. This is important to know because if you fail to meet the required level of knowledge, you will not receive an acceptable grade on the exam.Finally, let's talk about the synthesis areas of the AHS general chemistry practice exam. A synthesis area focuses on the synthesis of a chemical compound using the AHS formula. This is much like a laboratory examination because this area involves the completion of a lab sheet.Remember that the AHS general chemistry practice exam is meant to be a reflection of your real-life knowledge, skills, and abilities. As you study for the general chemistry practice exam, you need to remember that it focuses on topics that are similar to what you will learn in your classroom classes and laboratory experience. You must also remember that this practice exam is designed to test your knowledge so don't take the test for the reason of 'clearing your test.'