Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Two Views Of The Projective Plane, Rebecca J. Thomas

Honors Theses

The projective plane is a mathematical object which can be defined in two ways. In the following paper, I will explain the two definitions and show how they are equivalent by establishing a homeomorphism between the two objects.

Friction Of (110) Diamond In The Presence Of Small Hydrocarbon Molecule, Catherine Manning

Honors Theses

Molecular dynamic simulations have been used to explore the friction between two (110) diamond surfaces in sliding contact. In general, when a third-body hydrocarbon molecule is placed between two computer generated diamond surfaces in sliding contact, the result is a reduction of friction as the load iH increased compared to the same surfaces in the absence of third-body molecules. The size, shape, and alignment of the third-body hydrocarbon molecules play an essential role in the reduction of friction. Results for a system with ethane presented as a third-body molecule will be compared to previous theoretical studies as well as existing …

Masterpiece: Computer-Generated Music Through Fractals And Genetic Theory, Amanda Broyles

Honors Theses

A wide variety of computer-generated music exists. I have writ.ten a program which will generate music by using genetic theory and fractals. The genetic theory is used to mold input pieces into a musical motif. The motif is then elaborated by the fractal formula into a composition. A brief introduction to the world of genetic theory and fractals is given. Analysis of a musical work produced in this manner shows coherent patterns and also emotion.

Issues In Automated Distribution Of Processes Over The Networks, Alexey Morozov

Honors Theses

The main goal of this paper is t o survey the issues an application developer would have to resolve in producing a system that would be able to spread its computational load across several computers connected by a network. Before this can be done, a brief introduction to distributed and parallel computing is necessary.

An Introduction To The Standard Model And The Electroweak Force With A Numerical Analysis Of The Yang-Mills-Higgs Equation, Zine Smith

Honors Theses

Particle physics is a relatively new field in science that has made amazing discoveries in the last few years. Particle physics seeks to know the most basic structure of mass and force which makes up our uni verse. This search has made tremendous leaps forward in the last part of this century with the use of particle accelerators and theoretical advances. The work of particle physics has begun to accumulate to the formation of what is known as the standard model.

This is a model of the universe which includes all basic forces and matter. Though this model is not …

Dynamic Phase Steepening In Alfven Waves, Stephen R. Granade

Honors Theses

Our solar system contains more activity and complexity than can be seen through a telescope. One such "invisible" phenomenon is the solar wind, created by a steady stream of particles blasted away from the sun in all directions. The sun's donut-shaped magnetic field lines channel this stream. Particles moving along the field lines perform an intricate helical dance, with ions winding one way and electrons the other.

The solar wind shapes and is shaped by the magnetic fields of the planets and the sun. If left undisturbed by outside influences, the earth's magnetic field, like the sun's, would resemble a …

Planetary Formation, Stephanie Blackmon

Honors Theses

This thesis discusses the current theories about the creation of our solar system and its planets. Additionally, the thesis discusses each planet, its features, and current scientific knowledge.

Presidential Popularity And The Linear Model, April Gosser

Honors Theses

Since the 1970's, much research has been done in an attempt to determine variables that cause decline of the president's popularity. Although there are different studies that give various reasons for the decline of the president's popularity, all agree that there is a trend of decline over the president's term. To represent the decline, James Stimson suggested a parabola model, whereas John Mueller suggested a linear-regression model. This paper attempts to show that a linear-regression model is more effective in explaining decline of the presidents from Truman to Johnson, than from Nixon to Bush. The findings show that a linear …

A Preliminary Study On The Separation Of Bovine Plasma Albumin-Copper Ion Dimer And Trimer Reaction Products By Ion-Exchange Chromatography, James T. Miller

Honors Theses

When bovine plasma albumin is in the presence of copper metal ions at pH values below the isoelectric point, a dimerization reaction takes place between the protein molecules. The kinetics of this reaction have been previously studied by using light scattering techniques. These techniques involve monitoring the amount of light scattered as the dimerization reaction proceeds. As the amount of dimer present increases, more light is scattered due to increased molecular size in the solution. Accurate calculations of the rate of this reaction depend upon knowing the ratio of dimer to monomer concentrations at any given time. Unfortunately, evidence has …

A Study Of Dislocations In Crystals Using The Technique Of Chemical Etching, Ramona R. Dennis

Honors Theses

The beauty of many of the crystalline solids has attracted man's attention from the earliest times. Eventually the science of crystallography developed from studies of their shapes. The word crystal sterns from the Greek word "krystallos" meaning "clear ice." The word was first applied to describe the clear quartz crystals found in the Swiss Alps. The crystals were thought to be formed from water under conditions of extreme cold.

The earliest recorded crystallographic observation was in 1597 by Andreas Libarius. He noticed that crystals of different substances often have characteristic shapes. He suggested that the salts in mineral water could …

The Examination Of The Adsorption Capabilities Of The "Magic" Black Rocks Of The Little Missouri River, Denise Leverett

Honors Theses

It has been seen that manganese oxides precipitate from aqueous solution as they pass downstream from cold water release reservoirs. This precipitation is visible in the form of black coatings on gravels in the river or stream bed. These oxide coatings not only cause the further oxidation and precipitation of manganese ions but also have the capacity for adsorbing trace metals from the system. The amount of metal adsorbed varies with the element. This study not only addresses the various elements which may be adsorbed but also the rates at which adsorption occurs and the factors which affect those rates.

A New Method For The Quantitative Determination Of Radon-222 In Natural Waters, Charles Whitlow

Honors Theses

Several studies in the past have shown radon to be present in many natural waters including mineral springs, hot springs, rivers, lakes, and rainwater. A compilation of tables of radon concentration in mineral and hot springs all over the world was published by Kuroda in 1953. Most of this radon comes from radium and uranium minerals which the springs flow over. The radon concentration in lakes is from two major souces [sic]. One source is dissolved radium and the other is the inflow of high radon concentration groundwaters [sic].

A Study On Gaseous Ebullitions Of De Gray Reservoir, Arkansas, David Pinkston

Honors Theses

This study was undertaken in order to determine the nature of and the factors that influence the gaseous ebullitions of De Gray Reservoir near Arkadelphia, Arkansas during a yearly cycle.

Two major types of gaseous ebullition are described in the literature. The first has to do with the production and ebullition of elemental oxygen from photosynthesis (Porcella et al., 1975). Hutchinson (1957) predicts that the formation of oxygen bubbles in this manner is limited to very shallow, well lighted, warm waters.

The second type of gaseous ebullition involves the anaerobic digestion of organic matter (Reeburgh, 1969). Anaerobic conditions exist in …

Principles Of Radioisotope Methodology, Gary Rothwell

Honors Theses

This honors project was designed for familiarization with modern instrumentation and experimentation methods for radioisotope detection and energy calculations. The two main instruments I studied were the Geiger-Mueller Counter and a single channel pulse height analyzer. This report will include a brief history of radiation and a description of the more important types. Next is a description of the two instruments mentioned and some simple experiments I conducted using them.

Hemorrhagic Component Of Northern Copperhead Venom, David Hill

Honors Theses

The major hemorrhagic component of northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) venom was partially purified by ion exchange and molecular sieve column chromatography. TAME and Phospholipase enzymatic activities were shown to be unrelated to hemorrhage. BAEE and procoagulant activities appear to be associated. Hide powder activity seems to correlate with hemorrhagic activity. Both show metal and disulfide dependences.

The northern copperhead, (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) is commonly found in forests from Massachusetts to Illinois, and in highlands as far south as Georgia and Alabama.

The venom of the northern copperhead has been reported to contain several en- zymatic activities as well as …

Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis, John Gibson

Honors Theses

Solid phase peptide synthesis is a relatively new biochemical process for polymerization of amino acids. It involves the selection of amino acids, blocking groups, and resins. This procedure was first investigated by R. B. Merrifield in an attempt to simplify previous methods of peptide synthesis. Since other methods involved amino acids, peptide esters, and diketopiperazines, peptide synthesis had been limited by amino acid selection and a host of technical problems. Solid phase synthesis alleviates many of these difficulties and limitations by supplying a faster and simpler stepwise addition of a wide variety of naturally occurring and synthetically prepared amino acids …

Theories On Planetary Motions, Jerry Thomason

Honors Theses

Anyone who has gazed into the starry sky with awe and amazement has often wondered what holds things together, where space ends and if there is no end, what wonders are beyond. The planets that are contained in this solar system and the growth of theories of the causes of the motions of these bodies are just some of the many wonders that a person can research.

In this work, I have intended to trace more or less a history of man's theories that govern the motions of the planets. I must admit that I will not cover by far …

Intuitive Concepts In Elementary Topology, Gary Rothwell

Honors Theses

My hour special study in intuitive topology originated in a curiosity of what exactly topology was and how it might be related to physics, my field of interest. The book I used was, Intuitive Concepts in Elementary Topology, by B.H. Arnold. This book is designed as a sophomore-junior level three hour course. Needless to say, I didn't quite cover the whole book in an hour a week. I mainly stuck to the intuitive concepts. Intuitive topology is dealing with more physical objects where the point set topology involves set theory; their unions, intersections and subsets.

Services Available To Admissions Office From Data Processing, Shirley Grant

Honors Theses

By using computer technology, such as punch cards, college admissions work flow can be better managed.

Simulated Alpha Scattering, Gerald L. Fuller

Honors Theses

My approach to the experiment is to use a box of certain dimension as the Gold atom. This, I'm going to bombard with B.B's as alpha particles. Therefore this is a simulated alpha scattering experiment. The box is like unto the atom whereas shooting into it you cannot see what happens nor where it happens, but draw on your information taken while observe the effects outside the atom and the box likewise. A screen is used with the atom, and I have used a cardboard square placed in slats around my box to record the direction the particles enters and …

The Auditor And Statistical Sampling Techniques, Marilyn Metcalf

Honors Theses

"The auditor's overall objective is to determine whether the accounting process is free from material error." To complete his objective, the auditor must thoroughly analyze all aspects of the financial statements used in the accounting process in order to satisfy himself that they fairly represent the results of activity for the period under audit and of the financial position at the end of that period. If the volume of the transactions is great, time and economic factors may keep the auditor from making a 100 percent examination. Since a complete examination cannot be made, the auditor must choose a portion …

Radiation Problem, Gerald L. Fuller

Honors Theses

A sphere of radius 'a' which is radioactive and which has an average range 'b' in the sphere. What fraction of total radiation will escape the sphere?

Modern Art Through Geometric Eyes, Janice M. West

Honors Theses

When tourists--even homefolks--go through a modern art museum, many opinions are accumulated. Some people may have chills when they see a certain painting, while others get a sick feeling of dizziness when they see the same one. In fact, if there were an opinion box at the exit of an art show, I imagine you could almost accurately count the different opinions by counting the total number of people who viewed the show. Yet, there is one opinion that most 'ole foggies' (and I use the term loosely) would agree upon, and that is this: "Why that's nothing but a …

The Major Contribution Of Leibniz To Infinitesimal Calculus, Carolyn Rhodes

Honors Theses

A study of the work of Leibniz is of importance for at least two reasons. In the first place, Leibniz was not alone among great men in presenting in his early works almost all the important mathematical ideas contained in his mature work, In the second place, the main ideas of his philosophy are to be attributed to his mathematical work, not vice versa. He was perhaps, the earliest to realize fully and correctly the important influence of a calculus on discovery. The almost mechanical operations which one goes through when one is using a calculus enables one to discover …

The Regular Polyhedra: A Study In Visual Aids For Teaching Geometry, Sammye Halbert

Honors Theses

Traditionally, mathematics, past simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, has been taught of as being so boring, irrelevant, and in short, one of the unavoidable evils of school. An advertisement in The Mathematics Teacher expressed the general attitude of many students when it said, "mathematics was invented by an old magician in the desert who, with the help of his talking monkey, bakes equations and cupcakes in the hot sun." It seems that many students think mathematics is just one problem after another that has some mystical answer floating around in the air somewhere. The object is to get that …

The History Of The Stream Preservation Movement In Arkansas, Rex Moreland Terry

Honors Theses

The history of Arkansas' Stream Preservation movement is not a long one, because only in the recent past have Arkansans taken a serious look at the long term effects of such things as damming streams and clearing land.

The core of the movement for stream preservation centers around the Buffalo River, in the Northwest Arkansas Ozarks. Because of this, the bulk of this paper will be devoted to the Buffalo.

Comparison Of Three Schools Of Thought In The Foundations Of Mathematics, Carolyn Rhodes

Honors Theses

Some of the most memorable events of the twentieth century took place as a result of conflict. Out of the numerous conflicts staged during this period, only one was resolved not on a common everyday piece of writing paper. The proponents of the conflict--E. V. Huntington, Oswald Veblen, Bertrand Russell, A. N. Whitehead, and David Hilbert--did not use weapons, but they used basic mathematical structure to wage the most extensive and critical investigation into the foundations of mathematics. As a result three schools of thought which are of special prominence and interest were brought to light. These are the postulational …

Bayesian Statistics: The Fundamental Theorem, Carolyn Rhodes

Honors Theses

The problem of the foundation of statistics is to state a set of principles which entail the validity of all correct statistical inference, and which do not imply that any fallacious inferences is valid. This sentence describes the purpose of much writing on statistical inferences, in general, and Bayesian statistics, in particular. Bayesian statistics was first introduced in a publication by Thomas Bayes in The London Philosophical Transactions, volumes 53 and 54 for the years 1763 and 1764, after Bayes' death in 1761. However, since the entire statistical research of Bayes' involves enormous study, this paper will limit itself to …

Mathematics Of Investment, Claudia Morgan Griffin

Honors Theses

By using the text Mathematics of Investment by William L. Hart, Griffin examines the mathematics of investments.

A Brief Study Of Topology, Mary Beth Mangrum

Honors Theses

Topology is the study of topological properties of figures -- those properties which do not change under "elastic" motion. It is generally divided into two branches: set topology and algebraic topology. Set topology discusses the nature of a topological space, the properties of sets of points, the definitions of limits and continuity, the special properties of metric spaces, and questions concerning separation and connectedness. Algebraic topology deals with groups which are defined on a space, their structure and invariants.