Effect of Interest Rates

An interest rate is the price or cost of borrowing money.

For example you might borrow £1,000 from a bank. However, they will not give you the money for free you will have to repay the £1,000 plus interest. AND

The reward for lending money

If you put money into a bank you will gain interest as a ‘thank you’ for lending the money.

CHANGES IN INTEREST RATES

Banks and building societies regularly change their interest rates. A change will have a major impact upon consumers, savers, borrowers, homeowners and businesses.

INTEREST RATES GO UP

Group	Effect	Knock-on
Consumers	Costs more to take out a loan to buy a car or a kitchen	Less likely to buy expensive goods
Borrowers	Their loan repayments may increase	Less money to spend on other goods
Savers	They get a better return on their savings.	More likely to save than spend
Homeowners	Their mortgage repayments increase	Less money to spend on goods and services
Businesses	Loans for expansion cost more	Less likely to expand or buy new equipment

INTEREST RATES GO DOWN

Group	Effect	Knock-on
Consumers	Costs less to take out a loan to buy a car or a kitchen	More likely to buy expensive goods
Borrowers	Their loan repayments may decrease	More money to spend on other goods
Savers	They get a lower return on their savings.	More likely to spend than save
Homeowners	Their mortgage repayments decrease	More money to spend on goods and services
Businesses	Loans for expansion cost less	More likely to expand or buy new equipment

n.b also be aware that a rise in interest rates also tends to cause a stronger £ and vice versa

Experiments and Activities You Need To Know How To Describe

The Nature and Variety of Living Organisms

Structures and Functions in Living Organisms

1. Preparation of plant and animal cells (onion and cheek cells for microscope observation)
2. Osmosis in a model cell (Visking tubing – mass)
3. Osmosis in potato cells (potatoes – length)
4. Factors affecting the activity of catalase (raw/boiled/ground liver and hydrogen peroxide – height of froth)
5. What temperature does amylase work best at? (starch suspension, water baths – color of iodine solution)
6. Test for glucose (mixture of food extract and Benedict’s solution in boiling tube in hot water  bath – blue -> yellow/red)
7. Test for starch
8. Measuring the energy values of foods (holding burning food under a boiling tube of water until food is fully burnt – temperature change)

(f) Respiration

1. Respiration in animals and plants (breathing into a tube entering limewater)

(Experiments like this and variations)

(g) Gas exchange in humans

1. Effect of exercise on breathing rate http://www.curriculumonline.ie/en/Post-Primary_Curriculum/Senior_Cycle_Curriculum/Leaving_Certificate_Established/Biology/Biology_Support_Materials/Prescribed_Activities/Detailed_Templates/Investigate_the_effect_of_exercise_on_the_breathing_rate_or_pulse_rate_of_a_human.html

Transport in plants

1. Role of environmental factors in determining the rate of transpiration from a leafy shoot

• effect of wind (distance of fan) – photometer setup
• effect of light (distance of lamp – put a layer of perspex in between) – photometer setup
• effect of humidity (different-sized plastic bags around leaves) – photometer setup

 

Experiment to Measure the Speed of Sound in Air

1. Stand a measured distance from a building with a large, flat wall. Try to have no obstacles in the way.
2. As a trial, clap two wooden blocks together. An echo is heard: this is the clapping sound traveling to the wall and reflecting back at you. Clap repeatedly in time with the echoes (clap – echo – clap – echo etc.). Once a constant rhythm is achieved…
3. Have someone begin timing as you clap 51 times, stopping time on the 51st clap.
4. To calculate the speed of sound, divide 2x the distance to the wall by 1/50th the time for the 50 claps (the 51st is not included because that is when the stopwatch stopped timing).

Analysis of Handel “And the Glory of the Lord” (A Guide to the GCSE Music Set Works)

Analysis

The main concept that Handel communicates in this movement is joy, and much of the writing is intended to promote the feeling of optimism found in the text. Let’s have a look at how he does this.

Melody

• Handel states each line of the text with its own melodic idea, resulting in four very different ideas, or motifs, which are each developed throughout the piece, sometimes together, sometimes separately.
• Handel uses both triadic and stepwise melodies, and often follows one with the other by way of contrast. The first motif (“And the glory, the glory of the Lord‟), starting in bar 11, is a good example of this.
• Melodies often rise and fall in contrast with each other – for example, the second motif (“Shall be revealed‟ – starting in bar 17) descends to contrast with the ascending first motif.
• Repetition of small melodic cells is used, such as in the third motif (“And all flesh shall see it together‟), which starts in bar 43. Sometimes these repetitions are in sequence, such as in the second motif (bars 18-19).
• Handel achieves a sense of occasion and dignity by proclaiming the very austere words of the fourth motif (“For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it‟) on just two notes. This is first seen starting in bar 51.
• These motifs are often combined, so that some voices sing one motif whilst other voices sing another. A good example of this is seen starting in bar 22, where the tenors and sopranos have the first motif, and the altos (followed by the tenors) have the second. In the passage of music starting in bar 93, Handel has three motifs going on at once!

Word setting

• Clever word setting is one of Handel‟s trademarks, and we can see evidence of it in this movement. Handel contrasts syllabic word-setting (e.g. in the first motif, bar 11) with melismatic (e.g. the second motif, starting bar 17).
• Word painting can be seen in the fourth motif (e.g. bars 51-57) where the slow rhythms reflect the importance of the text.

Rhythm and metre

• The movement is in triple time, and has a lively dance-like feel to communicate the joyful mood of the words.
• There are many examples of hemiola, usually as the music approaches an important cadence point, such as bars 9-10.
• The music is driven throughout by an incessant crotchet rhythm in the bass line.
•  The three beats of silence before the final cadence are extremely dramatic.

Harmony and Tonality

• The movement is in the bright key of A major, emphasised by the first motif, which starts with an A major triad and ends with a rising scale to the tonic note.
• Modulations in the movement are to the dominant (E major – e.g. bar 22) and the dominant of the dominant (B major – e.g. bar 74). Handel avoids minor keys and the flatter sounding sub-dominant. The modulations occur at important parts of the movement, dictating its structure. This is known as functional tonality.
• Primary chords (I, IV and V – the major chords) and perfect cadences are extremely common in this movement, adding to its bright, optimistic mood.
• Handel carefully chooses moments to use a more grand-sounding plagal cadence – most striking is the one in the very last bars of the movement.

  Texture

• This is arguably the element that Handel contrasts the most, resulting in a very colourful setting.
• When the altos start, in bar 11, they are alone, but they are answered by the other three vocal parts in homophonic texture, making this opening exchange sound very declamatory. In many of the homophonic sections, it is the basses who have the melody.
• There is much use of imitation, resulting in sections of quite complex polyphonic textures, such as bars 17-22, the first entry of the second motif.
• Handel contrasts the combinations of voices to make the texture colourful and interesting. Bars 22-33 are a good example of this.
• Polyphonic and homophonic textures are contrasted throughout, and Handel often uses homophony to emphasise an important phrase, such as in bar 33, and at the end (when the tempo slows as well).
• Handel contrasts between one, two, three and four-part vocal textures.

Orchestral writing

• Handel uses the orchestra in three main ways – to double the vocal parts, to drive the music forward (especially in the writing for basso continuo) and to provide short interludes between the choral sections.
• The orchestral writing is mainly string-orientated. Section A questions

  In the exam, a short extract from the movement lasting between 30 and 60 seconds will be played five times. Depending on the extract, these are examples of the types of questions you might be asked:

1. How does Handel make the music sound joyful in this section?
2. Complete a very short section of melody (you will be given the rhythm, and it may be one of the four main motifs. You could alternatively be asked to notate an extract of rhythm only).
3. Name the cadence at bar x.
4. What is the key of this extract?
5. To which key does the music modulate at the end of this extract?
6. How does Handel contrast the texture of the choral parts in bar(s) x?
7. What is the name of the melodic/rhythmic/harmonic device in bar(s) x? (See the box to the left/right for a summary of devices).

Devices are compositional “tools‟ used commonly to develop or emphasise a musical idea. Devices found in this set work include:

Melodic devices: sequence, imitation (this also falls under texture).

Rhythmic devices: hemiola.

Harmonic devices: pedal notes, inverted pedal notes, suspensions.

Section B questions

Section B will start with one or two simple, short-answer factual questions about the music or its context – such as:

•   In which musical period was this piece written?
•   In which year was this piece written?
•   In which city was Messiah first performed?
•   What type of movement immediately precedes this chorus?
•   What is an oratorio? (Or what genre of music does Messiah belong to?)

  Then there will be a question demanding a longer answer in prose, worth 10 marks. This will be about one or more of the elements of music, as described above.

  Examples could include:

•   Describe how Handel creates contrast in this movement. Concentrate your answer on melody, rhythm and texture.
•   How does Handel achieve a sense of joy and optimism in this movement? Concentrate your answer on melody, rhythm, harmony and word setting.
•   What features of melody, harmony, rhythm, texture and instrumentation are typical of the Baroque period in this movement?

Reactivity Patterns in Group 1 and Group 7 Elements

• THE HIGHER THE NUMBER OF VALENCE SHELLS…
• THE MORE EASILY THE ELECTRONS ARE LOST AND
• THE LESS EASILY THE ELECTRONS ARE GAINED

• As you go down Group 1, reactivity increases. The valence electron gets further from the nucleus so its attraction to the nucleus is weakened, making It is easier to lose.

• As you go down Group 7, reactivity decreases. There are less shells higher up Group 7 so the nucleus is closer to the region outside of the element, making it easier to attract electrons. As the number of shells increases, the nucleus is farther away from the region outside of the element so it is harder to attract electrons.
  

Structure of a Villus

Epithelium only one cell thick so that there is short distance for active transport and diffusion

Goblet cell produces mucus which protects gut lining against digestion by body’s own enzymes

Capillary transports glucose (from carbohydrate breakdown) and amino acids (from protein breakdown)

Lacteal transports fatty acids and glycerol (from fat breakdown)

Gland lined with cells which produce digestive enzymes including maltase

Vein delivers absorbed products to the liver via the hepatic portal vein

Artery delivers blood to villi

Experiment proving that exhaled air contains more carbon dioxide than inhaled air

(A, B and C refer to the tubes unless specified)

Close end of B. Breathe in. Air from atmosphere enters through A, passes through limewater and enters your mouth (cannot enter through B because closed).

Open end of B and close end of A. Breathe out. Exhaled air passes through limewater in test tube B and exits through B.

Limewater in test tube B (which contained the air you exhaled) turns milky much faster than in test tube A (which contained the air you inhaled).

Notes on Handel’s “And the Glory of the Lord”

Modulations

The modulations happen in this order (all major keys): A-E, E-A, A-E, E-B, B-E, E-A or think of it this way: AEAEBEA

• Modulation 1 (from A major to E major) happens around when Idea 2 (“shall be revealed”) comes in for the first time

• Modulation 2 (from E major to A major) happens at the end of the orchestral link just before Idea 3 (“and all flesh shall see it together”) comes in for the first time – at the start of Idea 3, the key is already A major

• Modulations 3 and 4 (from A major to E major straight to B major) happen about 7 bars/seconds after the sopranos sing Idea 4 (“for the mouth…”). NOTE: THE MODULATIONS BETWEEN THE 3 CHORDS LITERALLY HAPPEN WITHIN 3 BARS. A short orchestral link happens a while after this and it is still in B major.

• *Modulation 5 happens somewhere around here from B major to E major – still thinking of a signal point*

• The final modulation, Modulation 6 (from E major to A major), happens just before “and all flesh” (A) -> “and all flesh” (T) -> “and all flesh” (B) i.e. just before the altos sing “and all flesh” echoed first by tenor and then bass in quick succession (LISTEN OUT FOR WHEN THE TEXTURE IS BRIEFLY REDUCED)

Photosynthesis Investigations for Chlorophyll, Carbon Dioxide, Light