Passage 1
People mistakenly assume that a falling penny will accelerate for the entirety of its fall, achieving breakneck speeds by the time it reaches the ground. This would indeed happen if all the air were removed and the penny was tossed off the Empire State Building into a vacuum—but as things are, collisions with air molecules slow falling pennies down. Air resistance opposes the penny’s downward motion, counteracting the force of gravity. The faster the penny falls, the greater the air resistance, and so at a certain maximum velocity, the drag force becomes equal and opposite of the downward gravitational force. With the two forces balanced, the penny no longer accelerates. Instead it falls at a constant speed, called the terminal velocity, all the way to the ground.
Passage 2
Overeating can also be triggered by our emotions. Some people turn to food or alcohol in stressful situations, such as after a family argument or a particularly difficult day at work. Other vulnerable times may be when you’re feeling tired, bored or sad. Identifying triggers and cues that cause you to overeat can help you to change your behavior in these situations and avoid unwanted calories. Write down the times when your emotions lead to eating. This will help you to identify situations when you’re particularly vulnerable to excess snacking. Ask yourself if you must have the food—thinking about what you’re doing can help you avoid extra snacks. Replace images of food with other positive thoughts. Distract yourself from eating by doing something else you enjoy.
Passage 3
Issues management has two major components for a manager. The first is having a process to uncover issues, determine their impact on the project, examine alternatives, and bring in people to make the best decision under the circumstances. These procedures ensure that issues are recognized and resolved as quickly as possible. The second component of issues management is applying specific problem—solving techniques. This includes some understanding of techniques such as Fishbone diagrams, Pareto charts, and root cause analysis. Having an understanding of one or more of these techniques allows you and your team to understand the nature and cause of the problem, what options are available, and what alternative would be the best course of action.
