First day of classes

First day of classes Yesterday was the first day of classes at MIT. I remember the excitement and anticipation I had on my first day back in 1996; I wish I could go through it all again! You might be wondering, what would I take as a first term freshman at MIT? What youll generally see is something like this: Some version of calculus Some version of physics Some version of chemistry A humanities, arts and social science (HASS) elective A freshman seminar Thats a general framework, but because MIT provides a good amount of flexibility, some students do other things that best suit their needs. And even within the courses that are required, there are many different options: some with large lectures from noted professors, others with small classes lead by strong teachers; some focus on theory, others on application; and so on. Also, remember that all freshman come in to MIT undeclared, and use the entire freshman year to explore MIT before choosing a major. In order to provide some real, concrete examples, I went to the Facebook and looked at the class schedules of some of my friends (names removed to protect the innocent). Here are a few representative schedules: Student #1 18.01A/18.02A: Calculus (a combined single and multivariable calculus course, taught by the beloved Professor Arthur Mattuck) 8.012: Physics I (often referred to as Physics for Masochists because of its rigorous, theory-based style) 3.091: Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry (perhaps the most popular freshman class because of its incredible teacher, Professor Don Sadoway) 21L.011: The Film Experience (a very good choice for a HASS elective) 8.S67: Particle Physics (Freshman Seminar, with Prof. Richard Yamamoto 57) Student #2 18.022: Multivariable Calculus (with the legendary Prof. Hartley Rogers) 7.012: Introduction to Biology (taught by Professor Eric Lander!!) 5.112: Principles of Chemical Science (the advanced theoretical version) 21L.448: Darwin and Design (HASS) Student #3 18.022: Multivariable Calculus (again, taught by Hartley) SP.311: Concourse, a freshman learning community with integrated small classes, which includes special versions of: 8.01: Physics I (the Concourse version is taught by a good friend of mine) 3.091: Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry 9.00: Introduction to Psychology (HASS, with Prof. Jeremy Wolfe) 22.A06: Nuclear Technologies (Freshman Seminar, with Professor Andrew Kadak) Student #4 18.01: Calculus I (single variable calculus) 8.01: Physics I (classical mechanics, taught in the collaborative and interactive TEAL format) 5.111: Principles of Chemical Science (Professors Ceyer Drennan) 21H.601: Islam and the West (HASS) 7.A18: Genes In the News (Freshman Seminar) And what did I take, back in the fall of 1996? Student #Matt 18.02: Multivariable Calculus (taught by my beloved Hartley back then) 8.012: Physics I (taught by the awesome Nobel Laureate Wolfgang Ketterle that year, who I should note is teaching an 8.012 recitation section this year!) 5.11: Chemistry (back before they had both a 5.111 and 5.112) 9.00: Introduction to Psychology (with Stephen Pinker) The History of MIT Freshman Seminar (no course number anymore, though it was a great seminar) Coming soon: a more in-depth look at freshman advising seminars. For more information about other exciting classes at MIT, cruise on over to Mollies latest entry. Finally, for those of you in Central Florida, Ill see you tonight at 7pm in Winter Park!

What TOEFL Score Do You Need to Get into College

If youre a non-native English speaker and youre applying to a college in the United States, chances are youre going to need to take the the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language),  IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or MELAB (Michigan Language Assessment Battery). In some cases you can take a combination of other standardized tests to demonstrate your language skills. In this article well look at the types of scores different college admissions offices require on the TOEFL. TOEFL Score Requirements for Top Schools Note that the scores below vary widely, and in general the more selective the college, the higher the bar is for English proficiency. This is partly because the more selective colleges can afford to be more selective (no surprise there), and also because language barriers can be disastrous at the schools with the highest academic expectations. Youll find that you need to be nearly fluent in English to be admitted to the United States top colleges and top universities. This makes sense: even in fields such as engineering, a significant portion of your overall college GPA is going to come from written work, discussion, and oral presentations. In the humanities, often over 80% of your total GPA comes from written and spoken work. Ive also included links to graphs of GPA, SAT and ACT data for applicants to each school since grades and test scores are essential pieces of the application. All data in the table is from the colleges websites. Be sure to check directly with the colleges in case any admissions requirements have changed. Also be aware that the paper-based TOEFL was revised in July of 2017 and is now available only in a few parts of the world where internet-based testing isnt feasible. 98 percent of test-takers use the internet-based TOEFL. Test Score Requirements College (click for more info) Internet-Based TOEFL Paper-Based TOEFL GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Amherst College 100 recommended 600 recommended see graph Bowling Green State U 71 minimum 500 minimum see graph MIT 90 minimum100 recommended 577 minimum600 recommended see graph The Ohio State University 79 minimum 550 minimum see graph Pomona College 100 minimum 600 minimum see graph UC Berkeley 80 minimum 550 minimum60 (revised test) see graph University of Florida 80 minimum 550 minimum see graph UNC Chapel Hill 100 minimum 600 minimum see graph University of Southern California 100 minimum not reported see graph UT Austin 79 minimum not reported see graph Whitman College 85 minimum 560 minimum see graph If you score a 100 or higher on the internet-based TOEFL or a 600 or higher on the paper-based exam, your demonstration of English language skills should be strong enough for admission to any college in the country. A score of 60 or lower is going to restrict your options drastically. Note that TOEFL scores are generally considered valid for just two years because your language proficiency can change significantly over time. Also, some colleges may require additional verification of English proficiency such as an interview because of some issues with cheating on the TOEFL. Cases in Which the TOEFL Requirement is Waived There are a few situations in which non-native speakers of English dont need to take the TOEFL or IELTS. If all of your high school education was conducted exclusively in English, you will often be exempted from the TOEFL requirement. For example, a student who spent all of high school at the Taipei American School in Taiwain would not need to take the TOEFL in most cases. Some colleges will also waive the TOEFL requirement if a student does extremely well on the ACT English sections or the SAT Evidence-based Reading exam. At Amherst, for example, a student who scored a 32 or higher on the Reading section and took the Writing exam can will be exempted, as will a student who scores 730 or higher on the SAT Evidence-based Reading exam. Low TOEFL Score? What Now? If your English language skills arent strong, its worth reevaluating your dream of attending a highly selective college in the United States. Lectures and classroom discussion will be fast-paced and in English. Also, regardless of subject—even math, science, and engineering—a significant percentage of your overall GPA is going to be based on written work. Weak language skills are going to be a severe handicap, one that can lead to both frustration and failure. That said, if youre highly motivated and your TOEFL scores arent quite up to par, you can consider a few options. If you have time, you could keep working on your language skills, take a TOEFL preparation course, and retake the exam. You could also take a gap year that involves English language immersion, and then retake the exam after building your language skills. You could enroll in a less selective college with lower TOEFL requirements, work on your English skills, and then attempt to transfer to a more selective school (just realize that transferring into very top schools such as those in the Ivy League is highly unlikely).

Biography of Ruth Handler, Inventor of Barbie Dolls

Ruth Handler (November 4, 1916–April 27, 2002) was an American inventor who created the iconic Barbie doll in 1959 (the doll was named after Handlers daughter Barbara). Barbie was introduced to the world at the American Toy Fair in New York City. The Ken doll was named after Handlers son and was introduced two years after Barbie debuted. Handler was the co-founder of Mattel, a company that manufactures a variety of popular toys. Fast Facts: Ruth Handler Known For: Handler founded the toy company Mattel and invented the Barbie doll.Born: November 4, 1916 in Denver, ColoradoParents: Jacob and Ida MoskoDied: April 27, 2002 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaSpouse: Elliot Handler (m. 1938-2002)Children: 2 Early Life Handler was born Ruth Marianna Mosko on November 4, 1916, in Denver, Colorado. Her parents were Jacob and Ida Mosko. She married Elliot Handler, her high school boyfriend, in 1938. Mattel With Harold Matt Matson, Elliot created a garage workshop in 1945. Their business name Mattel was a combination of the letters of their last and first names. Matson soon sold his share of the company, so the Handlers, Ruth and Elliot, took full control. Mattels first products were picture frames. However, Elliot eventually started making dollhouse furniture from picture frame scraps. That proved to be such a success that Mattel switched to making nothing but toys. Mattels first big-seller was the Uka-a-doodle, a toy ukulele. It was the first in  the line  of musical toys. In 1948, the Mattel Corporation was formally incorporated in California. In 1955, the company changed toy marketing forever  by acquiring the rights to produce the popular Mickey Mouse Club products. The cross-marketing promotion became common  practice  for future toy companies. In 1955, Mattel released  a  successful patented toy cap gun called the burp gun. Invention of Barbie In 1959, Ruth Handler created  the Barbie doll. Handler would later refer to herself as Barbies mom. Mattell founders Ruth and Elliott Handler with a barbie doll. Courtesy of Mattel   Handler watched her daughter Barbara and friends playing with paper dolls. The children used them to play make-believe, imagining roles as college students,  cheerleaders,  and adults with careers. Handler aspired  to invent a doll that would better facilitate the way young girls were playing with their dolls. Handler and Mattel introduced Barbie, the teenage fashion model, to skeptical toy buyers at the annual Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959. The new doll was very unlike the baby and toddler dolls that were popular at the time. This was a doll with an adult body. What was the inspiration? During a family trip to Switzerland, Handler saw the German-made Bild Lilli doll in a Swiss shop and bought one. The Bild Lilli doll was a collectors item  and  not intended for sale to children; however, Handler used it as the basis for her design for Barbie. The Barbie doll’s first boyfriend, the Ken Doll, debuted two years after Barbie in 1961. Handler said Barbie was a symbol of freedom and possibility for young girls and women: â€Å"Barbie has always represented that a woman has choices. Even in her early years, Barbie did not have to settle for only being Ken’s girlfriend or an inveterate shopper. She had the clothes, for example, to launch a career as a nurse, a stewardess, a nightclub singer. I believe the choices Barbie represents helped the doll catch on initially, not just with daughters—who would one day make up the first major wave of women in management and professionals—but also with mothers.† The Story of Barbie Handler created a personal story for the very first Barbie doll. She was named Barbie Millicent Roberts and she was from Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie was a teenage fashion model. Now, however, the doll has been made in many versions connected to over 125 different careers, including president of the United States. Barbie came as either a brunette or blond, and in 1961, a red-headed Barbie was released. In 1980, the first African-American Barbie and Hispanic Barbie were introduced. The first Barbie was sold for $3. Additional clothing based on the latest runway trends from Paris were sold as well for between $1 and $5. In 1959, the year Barbie was released, 300,000 Barbie dolls were sold. Today, a mint condition #1 Barbie doll can fetch as much as $27,000. To date, more than 70 fashion designers have made clothes for Mattel, using in excess of 105 million yards of fabric. There has been some controversy over Barbies figure ever since it was realized that if the doll were a real person, her measurements would be an impossible 36-18-38. Barbies real measurements are 5 inches (bust), 3 1/4 inches (waist), and 5 3/16 inches (hips). Her weight is 7  ¼ ounces, and her height is 11.5 inches. In 1965, Barbie had bendable legs and eyes that opened and shut. In 1967, a Twist N Turn Barbie was released that had a movable body that twisted at the waist. The best-selling Barbie doll of all time was the Totally Hair Barbie of 1992, which had hair from the top of her head to her toes. Other Inventions After fighting breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy in 1970, Handler surveyed the market for a suitable prosthetic breast. Disappointed by the options available, she set about designing a replacement breast that was more similar to a natural one. In 1975, Handler received a patent for Nearly Me, a prosthesis made of material close in weight and density to that of natural breasts. Death Handler developed colon cancer in her 80s. She died on April 27, 2002, at the age of 85. Handler was survived by her husband, who died on July 21, 2011. Legacy Handler created one of the worlds most successful toy companies, Mattel. Her Barbie doll is one of the most popular and iconic toys in the world. In 2016, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris had a Barbie show featuring hundreds of dolls alongside artworks inspired by Barbie. Sources Gerber, Robin.  Barbie and Ruth: the Story of the Worlds Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her. Harper, 2010.Stone, Tanya.  The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: a Dolls History and Her Impact on Us. Paw Prints, 2015.

Deforestation and its Effect on our Environment Today Free Essays

Deforestation Deforestation is the operation of cut plants and trees because of fuel and architecture expanding and other reasons. Forests are cut down for many reasons. This essay will describe the causes and effects of deforestation, and how can we solve this problem. We will write a custom essay sample on Deforestation and its Effect on our Environment Today or any similar topic only for you Order Now There are many causes of the deforestation. Firstly, Agricultural expansion, large scale agriculture is the main economic factor behind deforestation. Another factor which is Logging for Timber logging especially illegal logging, is a major cause of deforestation. Moreover, road construction is the infrastructure development that contributes most to deforestation because roads encourage immigration and the spread of agriculture into forests, particularly in remote areas where property rights are unclear. What’s more, is the firewood collection, one third of the world’s population uses biomass fuels, mainly firewood, to cook and to heat their homes, together with population growth, this can have a devastating effect on forests in poor countries. Deforestation effect on our environment deeply today. Deforestation resulted in Climate Change, when deforestation occurs, many of the trees are burnt, which resulted in releasing the carbon that is stored in them as carbon dioxide. This leads to greater concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Therefore, the climate will change which cause the global warming. Furthermore, When forests are cut down, this regulation of the flow of water is disrupted, which leads to alternating periods of flood and then drought in the affected area. What then should be recommended as solutions to these problems? For every tree that is cut, three, not two should be planted in its case. We have reached such a critical point that to prevent the desertification so we need to plant more trees. In brief, deforestation is a warning to the worldwide life. It has become a huge concern in today’s life. Deforestation can be solved only if everyone cooperate with each other and stop people from cutting these forests. Remember you can make a change and influence the people around you to save our beautiful planet. Also, Recycling is an option for the richer countries. How to cite Deforestation and its Effect on our Environment Today, Papers

Attitues Essay Example For Students

Attitues Essay What contributes most to your feelings and attitudes about religion?At a young age I found I had a great interest in exploring my own, as well as others religions. I read quite a few books about different religions and went to as many different churches as I could. It was in high school that I really began to branch out. I earned the nickname da buddha because I always seemed to be reading some book on eastern religions. Then in college I took a more personal approach. I spent time with a few people with different religious backgrounds exploring what their faith had to offer. One man named Sankirtan das I took a special interest in, he was a follower of Jagad Guru, a student of the Hare Krishna movement in the 60s. Then after taking time away to travel and discover myself, my interest in religion stopped. To be honest the only reason I enrolled in this course was to satisfy a prerequisite. I have gone from wanting to be a minister and almost enrolling in a seminary to being very cyni cal and detached from religion. If I was to have to describe my own religion, I would say it is either a mix between Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism (as well as a few others), or it is simply nonexistent. I have locked in to the view that no matter how hard I search for truth I will never find it, therefore I stopped searching. Honestly, Im ok with that. I believe it was in the book Siddhartha buy Herman Hesse that Siddhartha said, a stone is but a stone and I love it for that. Now I probably murdered that qoute but what he was saying is dont try to read in to life simply live and love each moment. That I guess is my religion. I live each moment for that moment and dont worry about God, or Buddha, or Krishna, or Alla, or (I could keep writing for days). I do keep in mind what I have learned from these religions, however. I try to live my life in a manner that is virtuous. I wouldnt want to come back as a mosquito or anything (that was a joke, ha ha)I must say that in my journey for truth I have come across a few people that really hit on something. One is a man named Thitch Nhat Hanh. Im sure you have heard of him and probably read his books. He is a Vietnamese monk who ties together many religions that seem so distant in their beliefs. His books came to me at a time when the many religions I had studied were beginning to clash in my head. I was raised as a Christian, yet I had begun to grow very found of much of the Buddhist faith. The book Living Buddha Living Christ gave me the vision to see I would not be turning my back on my religion to embrace another. Rather my own beliefs were enriched and strengthened by combining the two. Jagad Guru was another whose words touched my heart. He explained reincarnation in a way that actually made sense to a southern white boy from a Christian background. That was a task in itself yet he also began to talk many things that a year before I would of called blasphemous. I almost decided to go to Jagads retreat to hea r and understand more of his teachings. However I decided to go on my own retreat, a decision that would completely change my beliefs. I got in my VW bus that I had worked hard to restore and hit the road. The key was I didnt take a single piece of religious literature. I only had my thoughts to keep me company (especially sense my radio wasnt working). I was able to let myself do the teaching instead of always relying on the words of others. It was then that I discovered I had no need for that safety blanket called religion. To many people hide under it for comfort or use it in defense or simply hold on to it because it is so familiar. Religion is used to fill the void in peoples lives whatever that void may be. Only by discarding it can one truly be alive, living in the present moment. Living each moment leaves no room for religion for there is no need for it. I believe in a force beyond my own but I no longer dwell upon it, for it is and always will be an unknown. .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec , .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .postImageUrl , .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec , .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:hover , .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:visited , .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:active { border:0!important; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:active , .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uae737898d5cfb158d17f5bc298c12aec:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The house on mango street EssayWhy is it important to me to let you know what I have written?We must all find our own way and whether or not you listen to me to some how aid in your journey does not make a difference to me. I know no more than you or any other. Bibliography:none

Signal Transduction Essay Example

Signal Transduction Essay Cells are not only the â€Å"smallest units of life† but they also depict â€Å"the best machineries in the world†. Cells not only work exceptionally well within their own systems but coordinate efficiently with other cells in order to ensure their survival. Reactivity, which refers to the living thing’s ability to respond to signals from the environment; enables the organism to react to various stimuli, either behaviorally or physiologically (The Characteristics of Life). Signals come in various forms such as changes in temperature, illumination, pressure and even intercellular chemical concentration. Other signals which take subtler forms are those which signal either cell division or cell differentiation. Protective responses are also carried out by most cells whenever foreign substances intrude the organism’s body. Such feats are only possible through signaling systems which are either intracellular or intercellular (The Cell Signaling Test) and are ge nerally referred to as signal transduction pathways.Signal transduction figures in information metabolism. Information metabolism refers to the cell’s reception, processing and consequent response to information from the environment (Signal Transduction Pathways: An Introduction to Information Metabolism). At the cellular level, signal transduction refers to the movement of signals from the outside to the inside of the cell. The process through which signal transduction occurs varies depending upon the nature of chemicals and their associated receptors. Signal movement can be as simple as those which involve the receptor molecules of the acetylcholine class or can be as complex as those which involve combinations of ligand – receptor interactions and several intracellular events. In the case of simple signal transduction, signals pass in or out of the cell through receptors which are mainly composed of channels. The process is effected out by ligand interaction through the form of small ion movements. These ion movements in turn result to changes in the cell’s electrical potential and consequently, to the propagation of the said signal along the cell (Mechanisms of Signal Transduction). Complex signal transduction, as mentioned before, does not only involve ligand interactions but also several intracellular events. These events include phosphorylations induced by the enzymes tyrosine kinases and/or serine/threonine kinases. Protein phosphorylations are specifically helpful in understanding the process of gene expression since they influence, to a large extent, enzymatic activities and protein conformations (Mechanisms of Signal Transduction).Pathways of signal transduction could therefore be depicted as molecular circuits. A pathway typically begins with the transfer of information from the environment towards the cell’s internal system. Nonpolar molecules (steroid hormones such as estrogen) could easily penetrate the cell membrane and could therefore, enter the cell. Once inside the cell, these molecules bind to proteins and interact with the cell’s DNA. The consequence of this interaction is that the molecules’ directly influence gene transcription. Other molecules, such as those which are too large or too polar, are not able to pass through the cell’s membrane. The information that these molecules carry must then be transmitted to the cell’s interior through another means. Such means is accomplished through the action of a membrane – associated receptor protein. A receptor of such type has often two domains: an extracellular and an intracellular domain. The former contains a binding site to which a ligand or a signal molecule is recognized. The interaction between the receptor and ligand consequently alters the receptor’s tertiary or quaternary structure as well its intracellular domain. Though such structural changes have been effected, the small number of receptor molecules in the cell membrane limits, or to a certain extent, hinders the yielding of an appropriate response. Ligands or primary messengers therefore, carry information which is transduced into forms which can either modify or influence the cell’s biochemistry.Second messengers comprise the next step in the transduction pathway. These messengers relay information from the receptor – ligand complex through changes in their concentration. Changes in concentration amplify the signal’s effect and influence, to a large extent, intracellular signal and response.   Protein phosphorylation is another means of information transfer. Responses are elicited by the activation of enzymes such as protein kinases. These enzymes transfer phosphoryl groups from ATP to certain protein residues such as serine, tyrosine and threonine through the process of phosphorylation. cAMP-dependent protein kinase as well as other protein kinases are links that transduce changes in the fre e second messenger concentration into alterations in protein covalent structures. These changes are less transient compared to secondary – messenger concentrations but the results of such process are reversible (Signal Transduction Pathways: An Introduction to Information Metabolism).Once the signal has been initiated and has been transduced to affect other cellular processes, it is equally important that the signal is terminated effectively. Signal termination is mostly carried out by the action of protein phosphatases. Whereas protein kinases are responsible for phosphorylation (Signal Transduction Pathways: An Introduction to Information Metabolism), protein phosphatases are responsible for dephosphorylation (Protein Phosphatases).   Dephosphorylation refers to the removal of a phosphate group (Dephosphorylation). The importance of this phase in the signal transduction pathway is clearly manifested when the process goes awry. If the effects of a previous signal are sti ll in effect, the cell could not respond to new and incoming signals. Cancers and uncontrolled cell growth are often the offshoot of the failure in this phase of the pathway (Signal Transduction Pathways: An Introduction to Information Metabolism).

Using If-Then-Else and Switch in Conditional Statements

Using If-Then-Else and Switch in Conditional Statements Conditional statements in a computer program support decisions based on a certain condition. If the condition is met, or true, a certain piece of code is executed. For example, you want to convert user-entered text to lowercase. Execute the code only if the user entered capitalized text. If not, you dont want to execute the code because it will lead to a runtime error. There are two main conditional statements used in Java:  the if-then and  if-then-else statements, and the switch statement. The If-Then and If-Then-Else Statements The most basic flow control statement in Java is if-then: if [something] is true, do [something]. This statement is a good choice for simple decisions. The basic structure of an if statement starts with the word if, followed by the statement to test, followed by curly braces that wrap the action to take if the statement is true. It looks like this: if (  statement  ) {// do something here....} This statement can also be extended to do something else if the condition is false: if (  statement  ) { // do something here...}else {// do something else...} For example, if you are determining whether someone is old enough to drive, you might have a statement that says if your age is 16 or older, you can drive; else, you cannot drive. int age 17;if age 16 {System.out.println(You can drive.);}else  {System.out.println(You are not old enough to drive.) There is no limit to the number of else statements you can add.   Conditional Operators In the example above, we used a single operator. These are the standard operators you can use: equal to: less than: more than: greater than or equal to: less than or equal to: In addition to these, there are four more operators used with conditional statements: and: not:!  or: ||is equal to:    For example, the driving age is considered to be from age 16 to age 85, in which case the AND operator can be used. else if ( age 16   age 85 ) This will return true only if both conditions are met. The operators NOT, OR, and IS EQUAL TO can be used in a similar way. The Switch Statement The switch statement provides an effective way to deal with a section of code that could branch in multiple directions based on a single variable. It does not support the conditional operators the if-then statement does, nor can it handle multiple variables. It is, however, a preferable choice when the condition will be met by a single variable because it can improve performance and is easier to maintain.   Heres an example: switch ( single_variable ) {case value://code_here;break;case value://code_here;break;default://set a default;} Note that you start with the switch, provide a single variable and then set out your choices using the term case. The keyword break completes each case of the switch statement. The default value is optional, but good practice. For example, this switch prints the lyric of the song  Twelve Days of Christmas  given a provided day. int day 5; String lyric ;  // empty string to hold the lyric switch (day) {case 1: lyric A partridge in a pear tree.;break;case 2:lyric 2 turtle doves;break;case 3:lyric 3 French hens;break;case 4:lyric 4 calling birds;break;case 5:lyric 5 gold rings;break;case 6:lyric 6 geese-a-laying;break;case 7:lyric 7 swans-a-swimming;break;case 8:lyric 8 maids-a-milking;break;case 9:lyric 9 ladies dancing;break;case 10:lyric 10 Lords-a-leaping;break;case 11:lyric 11 pipers piping;break;case 12:lyric 12 drummers drumming;break;default:lyric There are only 12 days.;break;}System.out.println(lyric); In this example, the value to test is an integer. Java SE 7 and later support a string object in the expression. For example:String day second;String lyric ;  // empty string to hold the lyric switch (day) {case first:lyric A partridge in a pear tree.;break;case second:lyric 2 turtle doves;break;case third:lyric 3 French hens;break;// etc.