OUMH2103 English for science and technical purposes

Question 1

1a) From the website stated that ebonite is a first “synthetic resin” that invented by Mr. Charles Goodyear in the United States in 1839. Ebonite is black-coloured, elastic horn-like material and a crack in ebonite is glossy. It is clear brownish-red in thin film form and brownish-red in powdered form. Its main raw material is rubber. By mixing and heating rubber and sulphur, they combine and become low-elastic and very film vulcanized rubber with an elongation percentage of approximately 3%.Ebonite is durable, scientifically stable and provides excellent electrical insulation and machinability. When the surface of ebonite is polished, it gives a beautiful, lacquer-like gloss. With these characteristics, ebonite is widely used in many industrial sectors. 

2b) Process of writing a summary

A good summary is easy to read and explains all of the main points in the original. It is important to remember that the main idea of the article is conveyed clearly and concisely. The summary is much shorter than the original document and written in the unique style of the writer. The summary condenses a lot of information into a small space and explains all of the important notions and arguments.

The following are important steps in writing an effective summary:

Step 1: Read the whole text carefully at least twice. Always read more than one time so that clearly understand the content or idea of the text.

Step 2: Take down below important information

i) Who was the author of the text

ii) Why was it written

iii) When was is written

Step 3: Look for the main point

The aim of a text/ article/ report/ essay is to convey a certain idea or topic through the use of exposition and logic. In a summary, we need to identify the main idea of the article and put this information into our own words. To do this, we must be willing to read the article several times. On the first reading, try to gain a general notion of what the article is trying to say. Once we have done this, write down your initial impression. This is most likely the thesis, or main idea of the article. A good summary should be comprehensive, concise, coherent, and independent. We should isolate all the important points in the original passage and note them down in a list. Review all the ideas on our list, and include in our summary all the ones that are indispensable to the author's development of her/his thesis or main idea. Besides, eliminate repetitions in our list. Even if the author restates the same points, we should only include it once. Our summary should be considerably shorter than the source. A general term can be used to replace a list of object or events. For example, “electrical insulation materials, premium gold and silver lacquer fountain pens, instrument mouthpieces, smoking supplies and fishing gear” can be substituted with “industrial sectors”. A summary must be coherent. It should make sense as a piece of writing in its own right; it should not merely be taken directly from our list of notes or sound like a disjointed collection of points. A summary must be independent as well. We are not being asked to imitate the author of the text we are writing about. On the contrary, we are expected to maintain our own voice throughout the summary. Don't simply quote the author; instead use our own words to express our understanding of what we have read. After all, our summary is based on our interpretation of the writer's points or ideas. However, we should be careful not to create any misrepresentation or distortion by introducing comments or criticisms of our own.

Step 4: Take notes and prepare a mind map

A mind map is a diagram that displays information visually. The rules for creating a mind map are simple. First, write the subject in the center of your paper / canvas. Then, draw branches that point away from the center. Each branch symbolizes one thought or idea related to the subject. Use meaningful keywords to write these ideas onto the branches. From each branch more ideas can branch off. There is no limit to the number of hierarchical levels in a map.

Step 5: Start writing a summary based on the noted using own words or sentence structure.

Start your summary with a clear identification of the type of work, title, author, and main point in the present tense. Check with your outline and your original to make sure you have covered the important points. Never put any of your own ideas, opinions, or interpretations into the summary. This means you have to be very careful of your word choice. Write using "summarizing language." Periodically remind your reader that this is a summary by using phrases such as the article claims, the author suggests, etc. Write a complete bibliographic citation at the beginning of your summary. A complete bibliographic citation includes as a minimum, the title of the work, the author, the source. Use APA format.

Part B

Question 2

2a)

The diagram shows the process of canning pears. Canning is a preservation method that involves placing foods in jars or similar containers and heating them to a temperature that destroys micro-organisms that cause food to spoil. During this heating process air is driven out of the jar and as it cools a vacuum seal is formed. This vacuum seal prevents air from getting back into the product bringing with it contaminating micro-organisms.

Before the process of canning pears, the pears are grown in the orchard. The ripe pear are harvesting and transfer to canning factory for further process. In the factory, the pears are inspected and separated. Good pears are sent for washing and cold storage while rotten pears are rejected. After that, good pears are peeled. Then, they are coring, halving or slicing into small pieces according to customer requirement. The cut pears are then go through blanching process before they are filled into the cans. Juice or syrup is added into the cans for better flavour.

The cans are closed and sealed before proceed to the next process, cooking. During cooking, they are heated at temperatures high enough and for a long enough time to destroy all micro-organisms. The cans are then cooled in cold water or air, after which they are labelled and stored. Finally, the canned pears are despatched to customer premise for retails.

2b)

A picture is worth a thousand words. Or in other words that complex idea you are trying to explain to your reader in several detailed sentences can actually be better clarified with one single picture. Visual communication, which is based on the use of visual elements, such as drawings, illustrations and electronic images, pictures, flow chart certainly has made it easy for us to explain, understand and remember/memorize information that is important to us especially in scientific and technical writing. Likewise, sometimes without the help of any visual means, we tend to take time, to digest facts. Other type of visuals commonly found in scientific and technical writings are graphs, flow charts, exploded views, maps, photographs and representative drawings.

In writing of scientific and technical report, it is more rationale and important to use visual than only pure text. Below are the advantage of using visual aid for report writing.

i) Deliver information more directly

Often, you need visuals to bring out an important points or to summarize data. Some information, such as statistics, is always better conveyed in a picture than verbally explained. The reader would not only understand the information instantly and far more clearly, but it would also let the presenter make his/her point rather easily. Using visual aid will allow you to illustrate a complex idea in dynamic ways. You can effortlessly generate an org chart, graph, table and etc., using software tools easily now a day.

ii) More flexible than verbal communication

An image makes sense to everybody despite cultural, geographical, ethnic or language differences among people. For an example, if you are presenting your report among an audience which is spread across different geographical areas and speak different languages, an image could convey your message far more effectively than in any form of verbal communication; especially since visual images do not pose any language or cultural barriers. Therefore, using visual communication would allow you to deliver the message more persuasively to the diverse audiences.

iii) More attention-grabbing and engaging

People only tend to remember 10% of what they hear and 20% of what they read. However, they actually tend to remember 80% of what they see. This is why most of us use the visual aid to express ideas or share information. For an example, if a scientific or technical writing only consisted of long paragraphs of details, the reader would lose her interest and abandon reading altogether. However, with a couple of relevant images, the attention of the reader can be won and retained successfully. Likewise, with diagrams and charts, you can elaborate the information you want to convey in a much more appealing and engaging manner.

i) Makes an impact on the audience

If you want to spark a response in or stir the emotions of the members of your audience, using visual communication is the guaranteed way to do so. An image has a higher chance of evoking an emotional response in a person than a set of words, written or spoken.

iv) Increase the credibility of your message

“Seeing is believing”. An image, a video or a graph is not just a way to get the attention of your audience, but it is also a way to win their trust. A couple of catchy sentences about your brand will get your target market to look your way, but a nice image or an interesting video of your product and service would guarantee a positive response from your audience and help you earn their trust; for, an image could reinforce the credibility of what you represent.