Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Odds vs Plath

Odds vs Plath Brereton 1In American society, the common stereotype is that the father has the role of the dominant figure in the household. The father-daughter relationship in male-dominated family structure is critical because the absence of a father has a negative impact on the daughter. Sylvia Plath and Sharon Olds may come across as two seemingly different poets; however, they are quite similar, especially in their driving forces behind their writing styles in poetry. The lives of Plath and Olds are both expressive of the realities of a father-dominated family, in which both of these poets lost their fathers at a young age. This is significant because both poets have faced a similar traumatic event that has had everlasting effects on their adult womanhood, which is reflected in their writings. The poems that best support this argument are Plath's, "Colossus", "Daddy" and Old's, "My Father Speaks To Me From The Dead".English: Grave of Sylvia Plath The grave of poet S...For both these woman, the ir accesses to father-daughter relationships were denied based on life circumstances. Ironically, their fathers were their muses for writing and are what made them the women they are today.Plath is categorized as a poet that touches upon the highs and struggles of her life growing up, such as the tragic loss of her father, which is reflected within her work. Plath comes across as a poet that is depressed, victimization, dark thoughts and negative energy full of anger and rage. Plath was confused and angry about her father's death. Plath never had a chance to mourn the loss of her father in the stages of grief. It's almost as if she goes back and forth from denial isolation, anger, bargaining, and depression. She almost reaches the peak of acceptance but never completely makes it past it. Plath constantly expresses her hate for why her...

Sunday, March 1, 2020

How Chemical Hand Warmers Work

How Chemical Hand Warmers Work If your fingers are cold or your muscles ache, you can use chemical hand warmers to heat them up. There are two types of chemical hand warmer  products, both using exothermic (heat-producing) chemical reactions. Here is how they work. Key Takeaways: Chemical Hand Warmers Chemical hand warmers rely on exothermic chemical reactions to release heat.There are two main types of chemical hand warmers. One type releases heat by air activation. The other type releases heat when a supersaturated solution crystallizes.Air-activated hand warmers are single use products. Chemical solution hand warmers are re-usable. How Air Activated Hand Warmers Work Air-activated hand warmers are long-lasting chemical hand warmers that start working as soon as you unseal the packaging, exposing it to oxygen in​ the  air. The packets of chemicals produce heat from oxidizing iron into iron oxide (Fe2O3) or rust. Each packet contains iron,  cellulose (or sawdust to bulk up the product), water, vermiculite (serves as a water reservoir), activated carbon (distributes heat uniformly),  and salt (acts as a catalyst). This type of hand warmer produces heat anywhere from 1 to 10 hours. Its common to shake the packets to improve circulation, which speeds the reaction and increases the heat. Its possible to get a burn from direct contact between the hand warmer and skin, so the packaging warns users to put the product on the  outside a sock or glove and to keep the packets away from children, who could get burned more easily. Air-activated hand warmers cannot be re-used once they have stopped heating. How Chemical Solution Hand Warmers Work The other type of chemical hand warmer relies on crystallization of a supersaturated solution. The crystallization process releases heat. These hand warmers dont last as long (usually 20 minutes to 2 hours), but they are re-usable. The most common chemical inside this product  is a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate in water. The product is activated by flexing a small metal disk or strip, which acts as a nucleation surface for crystal growth. Usually, the metal is stainless steel.  As the sodium acetate crystallizes, heat is released (up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit). The product can be recharged by heating the pad in boiling  water, which dissolves the crystals back into the small amount of water. Once the package cools, it is ready to use again. Sodium acetate is a food-grade, non-toxic chemical, but other chemicals can be used. Some chemical hand warmers use supersaturated calcium nitrate, which is also safe. Other Types of Hand Warmers In addition to chemical hand warmers, you can get battery-operated hand warmers and also products that work by burning lighter fluid or charcoal inside special cases. All of the products are effective. Which you choose depends on the temperature you want, how long you need the heat to last, and whether you need to be able to re-charge the product. How to Make a Chemical Hand Warmer Its easy to make a DIY hand warmer using iron, salt, and water in a plastic bag. Materials Iron filingsSalt (sodium chloride)Warm (not hot) waterSand, sawdust, vermiculite, or sodium polyacrylate gelZip-top plastic bags Procedure In a small zip-top bag, mix 1-1/2 tablespoons iron filings, 1-1/1 tablespoons salt, 1-1/2 tablespoons sand (or other absorbent material), and 1-1/2 tablespoons warm water.Squeeze the air out of the plastic bag and seal it.Its a good idea to place the bag of chemical inside another bag, remove the excess air, and seal it.Shake or squeeze the content of the bag for about 30 seconds to mix the contents and form a slush. The bag will get hot and will remain hot as long as the chemical reaction proceeds. If the bag gets too hot to hold, set it down. Dont get burned! Another option is to wrap the bag in a sock or towel. This is an air-activated hand warmer. Even though most of the air is squeezed out, enough remains in the bag for the oxidation reaction. If you closely examine the contents of the bag after the reaction is complete, youll see the iron has changed into iron oxide or rust. This type of reaction cannot be reversed unless energy is added, so the hand warmer cannot be re-used. If you want to prepare a homemade hand warmer for later use, keep the salt and water separate from the iron and filler until youre ready for the reaction to occur.