Pushing the envelope

Obedience to authority is classically demonstrated in a more famous series of social psychology experiments performed by Stanley Milgram. He was a social psychology professor at Yale who was influenced by the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal. Eichmann’s defense for the atrocities he committed was that he was “just following orders.”

Researchers have tested many persuasion strategies, including the foot-in-the door and the door-in-the-face techniques, in a variety of contexts. Ultimately, the principles are effective in selling products and changing people’s attitude, ideas, and behaviors (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004).

In 1653, the French philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal published "Treatise on the Equilibrium of Liquids," which discussed the principles of static fluids. A static fluid is a fluid that is not in motion. When a fluid is not flowing, we say that the fluid is in static equilibrium. If the fluid is water, we say it is in hydrostatic equilibrium. For a fluid in static equilibrium, the net force on any part of the fluid must be zero; otherwise, the fluid will start to flow. Pascal observed...

Underflow gates are vital for controlling water flow in irrigation canals. The three main types of underflow gates — vertical, radial, and drum gates — serve different purposes while ensuring effective flow management. Vertical gates move up and down, generating a free-flowing water jet; radial gates pivot to regulate the flow; and drum gates rotate for precise adjustments. The flow through these gates is influenced by downstream conditions, resulting in free or drowned outflow.Free and Drowned...

Certain mathematical functions exhibit unpredictable or highly variable behavior near specific input values, making direct evaluation of their limits challenging. This complexity may arise from rapid oscillations or irregular patterns that obscure the function’s trend. In such cases, the Squeeze Theorem offers a reliable method for determining limits.According to the Squeeze Theorem, if a function is confined between two other functions near a particular point, and both outer functions approach...

The function that decreases as the input becomes very large provides a clear example of how mathematical functions can behave at extreme values. When the input increases continuously, the output becomes smaller and smaller, getting closer to a particular fixed value. Although the output never actually reaches this value, it moves nearer to it without limit. This behavior is a fundamental concept in understanding how functions behave as the input grows indefinitely. The graphical representation...