The Effects of Foster Care on Child Development Thesis

The Effects of Foster Care on Child Development - Thesis Example The researchers found that children who were placed in foster care were more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems than those who were maltreated but stayed with their caregivers or other at-risk children, even when controlling for family income and functioning prior to the start of foster care placement. Length of time in foster care, age at placement, and number of foster care placements did not appear to affect outcome, just whether a child was placed in foster care or not. Foster care, although aimed at providing adequate and proper care for children, could be critical in their behavioral and emotional stability; the discontinuity of emotional connection for the biological parents and a weak foster care system could be the main reasons of such problem. Research Questions This research will look at several factors to determine, if any, what effects foster care contribute to children developmental. This research will focus on the following: 1. ... ement adaptation through repeated measure design among the participants who experienced foster care and an examination of change in behavior problems over time among the maltreated participants and those who received adequate care. 3. What are long-term consequences of foster care on behavior problems, overall emotional health, and psychopathology in adolescence? 4. What is the difference in outcome for children placed in child protective service prescribe foster care versus care with an adult familiar to the child? 5. The impact of foster care on behavior placement as longer term placements that have been related to placement instability, number of placements to determine the age of first placement and to determine a possible relation between age of placement and the subsequent development of behavior problems. Problem Statement This research will look at several factors to determine, if any, what effects foster care have on child development. Chapter 2: Literature Review Behavioral Challenges of Children in Foster Care The outcome of being in the foster care may not be what is expected. Since the child is a stranger to the new home environment, he is expected to adjust. Considering that childhood is a very critical stage in human development, especially when pertaining to the emotional and behavioral aspects, foster homes may not entirely serve the benefits of having a family. In the case of James, he was forced to go into foster homes since his parents are not able to sustain for his medications (Webb, 2001). Tentative conclusions would basically say that foster homes are better than troubled homes because they serve as a chance for children to have better lives. However, studies show the contrary. Koch (2007) reports that children who were kept intact with their

United Nations Essay Example for Free

United Nations Essay â€Å"The UN is made up of 191 nations from around the world. It is frequently called the UN. It was established in 1945 soon after the Second World War as a means of bringing people together and to avoid war. The UN logo depicts the world held in the olive branches of peace†. (CBBC Newsround) United Nations: Post Cold War Era The United Nations is considered to be an international entity that has â€Å"struggled with the challenges of globalization for several years, especially since the Asian financial crisis† (Ruggie, 2003, p. 1); it has power, according to one people, to solve the international issues such as wars; however to another group of people, the United Nations has its own certain limitations beyond which it cannot operate or seems not to be operating. The very first evidence in this regard when the United Nations is seen almost completely paralyzed despite with all its might is the Cold War era that stretched over 40 years. In this connection, Holmes (1993) informs us that â€Å"For over 40 years, the Cold War conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union paralyzed the peacekeeping functions of the United Nations. With few exceptions, the United Nations and other multinational organizations were ineffective in resolving major conflicts because of the zero-sum nature of the Cold War†. In 1993, Holmes critically reviewed the United Nations’ operation in the scenario of the Post Cold War era and that time he came up with the observation that the United Nations had a heavy hand put by the United States of America. He tells us that the United Nations operations like peacemaking, peace-enforcement, and military involvement were limited for certain reasons such as the huge monetary aid, the troops contribution by world states to back up the United Nations’ force. These limitations, according to Holms, kept United Nations a body that was not independently powerful to take actions against any mayhem going on in the world. He tells us of the U. S. policymakers that how they would look for the loopholes where they could make a way into the controlling of the United Nations so the national sovereignty could be secured: â€Å"The challenge for U. S. policy makers is to identify these circumstances and to develop guidelines for ensuring that U. S. interests are protected. The United States should, in this regard, be sensitive to three variables: (1) how a peacekeeping operation affects American national security; (2) how much it costs; and (3) the degree to which it erodes American sovereignty† (Holmes, 1993, p. 1). The kernel point to Holmes (1993) is that the United Nations is not a free body to work without pressure from a country (the U. S. ) so â€Å"if it attempts to overreach its powers, and pretends to be an independent force in international politics, the United Nations will surely fail in maintaining any kind of world peace and stability† (Holmes, 1993, p. 1). Moving ahead we witness a similar remark made by O’Brien (2003) that â€Å"The United Nations was conceived by the United States 60 years ago to express, embody and extend American ideals†; yet there is another observation by Goff (2003) that the United Nations is only as strong as is the will of the states which run it: â€Å"The United Nations system relies on the collective will of all its members. It is these member states that set its priorities. The United Nations cannot act without their consent. It falls, therefore, upon us all to make the United Nations relevant in todays world† (2003, p. 1). Frankly speaking, In practice the United Nation has not developed as was first imagined initially it was composed mainly of the Allies of World War II, largely European major countries, , and nations of the Americas and Commonwealth countries. It was imagine as an organization of â€Å"peace-loving† nations, who were uniting to stop future aggression and for other humanitarian reasons. However, Close cooperation among members was predicted; and the Security Council especially was predicted to work in relative unanimity. Hopes for necessary accord were soon crashed by the frictions of the â€Å"cold war†, which impacted the functioning of both the Security Council and other UN organs. The United Nation has played a comparatively secondary role in the most world crises, including 1973; the Pakistan-India War of 1971; the Afghanistan war and Vietnam Israeli-Arab Wars of 1967. However in the very begging of 1970s the united nation amplified its activity in the development of less dominant countries. (Schuijt, 2005) â€Å"Even as the U. N. is called on to tackle enormous problems like ethnic, state and religious conflicts and sustainable use of natural resources, the organization reflects the imbalance of power that exists between powerful and weak nations† (Schuijt, 2005) Certainly, it would be true to say that some dominant countries are using the United Nations as a vehicle for their own interest and rule over the world. David Shorr cited the great example on this thing in â€Å"world have the UN they deserve by saying that the â€Å"The UN is only as strong or as week as governments want it to be. Member states should stop using the UN as a â€Å"scapegoat† for governments’ failure to achieve international consensus. The UN cannot change on its own; the responsibility lies with governments to implement reform in the best interest of the UN†. (Shorr, 2006) Many developing countries’ leaders opine that the UN in every aspect discriminates between developing and non-developing countries. Moreover, the UN is playing a dual role for different countries in every aspect, whether politics, social norms, safety, security etc. for instance, Bahamas continues to emphasize the need for bigger and more comprehensive discussion of globalization and its effects on the well-being of concerned commonwealths, with the United Nations given a role in solving these issues. Further they quoted that, we have continuously expressed dangerous concerns over certain decisions by the United Nations or its organs that were not coherent with the aims and intentions of the Charter. However, nothing was done to right the wrong. When errors are discovered, it becomes our obligation to correct them. They further emphasized, that UN should go over the legal political basis of its own undertakings in the period of 1950s and 1960s in relation to the cardinal rights of our Melanesian sisters and brothers in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in West Papua and the UN must not in this â€Å"The United Nations cannot and must not, in this new millennium, carry on to turn a blind eye on its own past failures, which has led UN to three long, agonizing decades of injustice, tragedy and guerrilla warfare in West Papua. It is morally, politically and legally wrong to do so. The Organization has competent bodies, such as the Special Committee on decolonization or the International Court of Justice, which should look into the matter. The Netherlands -– the former colonial Power –- should recognize its share of the responsibility in helping to resolve the situation of West Papua in a peaceful and transparent manner. †(World Leaders Adopt, 2000) But on the other hand, developing countries member like the US and UK deploring this fact that they are using the UN for their own interests and they also believe that being a powerful member of the UN they have to offset things in an news paper article published in June 16,2005 in Los Angles Times US put US reforms first and declared that â€Å"United States — a veto-holding member of the council along with Britain, France, Russia and China — believes that a bigger group would not necessarily be better†. (Farley, 2005) Another example is the Republic of Paula who surely believes that the UN will strive hard to embrace the remaining non-member nations around the globe. And in this aspect, they hope that the UN will change his rigorous attitude towards developing countries. Besides this, they are confident that these goals at a certain extent are achievable like through the help of 2000 UN reforms. They further disclosed the facts that, â€Å"The United Nations has enabled smaller, developing and least developed countries, such as my own, to contribute to world peace in our own albeit small way. Whilst there have been measurable benefits from membership of the Organization, it also has the positive scope to deliver much more equitable changes†. (World Leaders Adopt, 2000) United Nations’ Reforms However, after 2000 the United Nations met severe criticism for its operations and seemingly dependence over the United States of America. Moreover, there were issues of better managing the in-organization matters such as security, funding, and so on. Thus, a series of reform episodes started making its place in the pages of United Nations’ history. It was expedited after the Iraq invasion by the United States of America as the â€Å"oil-for-food† became the household phrase of international politics. For example, President Bush’s frequently quoted remark â€Å"America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country† is something that reminds us of the absolute power days when slavery was practiced. (Schaefer and B. Kim, 2004) Thus, all these mayhem led people such as Annan to come up with some solid say that would, at least on the surface, guarantee the impartial role of the United Nations in the world and the through some solid reforms. As such Annan came up with the three major areas that needed to be redefined for the better operations of the United Nations. These were: development, security, and human right. These opened up for the public in the year 2005 and â€Å"The secretary general’s report [was] based on tow earlier studies. One was done by the committee he appointed [in 2004] to propose U. N. reforms. The second study was about how to meet goals set five years ago for reducing world poverty in half by twenty fifteen. † (Gollust, 2005) Nonetheless, by seeing the US 2000 reforms one can easily understand that the US government uses the UN for their own countries political interests to a certain extent, it is believed that America and some other dominant countries being a Vito power uses UN as a scapegoat. But on the other hand American denies these facts in a news paper article â€Å"George Mitchell, a former U. S. Senate majority leader and a co-chairman of the Task Force on the United Nations, which was created by the U. S. Congress, said he had encountered objections to American sponsorship of the reforms and had tried to combat them. Its wrong to think that reform is a favor done for the U. S. , he said. I make the argument to countries that their long-range interest is served by supporting this. While we have indicated that this is an American priority that is a conclusion that they ought to be reaching for themselves. † (Hoge, 2005) Moreover, 22nd Meeting of Chairmen/Coordinators of the Group of 77 held in Geneva in 7-9 july 1997, the chirman said that â€Å"The United Nations must carry out its mandated, comprehensive role in the economic and social areas. This includes policy analysis, consensus building, policy formulation and coordination, and delivery of technical assistance to developing countries† (22nd Meeting of Chairmen, 1997) This is an area for more study, to see the Iran ongoing nuclear scenario one would easily conceive the role of the UN in Iran nuclear technology. In this regard, The Irani government countinously accusing the UN. â€Å"Ahmadinejad said while giving interview in CBC News in Sep 19, 2006 they were transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eye of United Nations inspectors. He questioned why his country was being denied its own nuclear program when others have not†. (CBC News, 2006) In January 1992, Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt assumed as the UN’s first post-Cold War Secretary General under the enormous pressure from the US and also from the lobby groups like the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce), he instantly set to work reforming the secretariat and annihilating programs that drew the acutest corporate warned by his advisors that the IMF and world bank based in Washington DC and under big influence by the United States treasury had a comparative degree of advantage over the united nation in the both macro and micro economic policy domain and that the united nation lose creditability if it for some reason did not scale back its efforts in this area. The UN secretary general’s official believes that the â€Å"UN â€Å"must change or die† and that it must reach out to â€Å"new actors† in a globalizing world, beyond the nation-state members†. (Paine, 2000) Conclusion The United Nations must abandon the double-standard and come up with the peaceful solutions to maintain the security and peace, combat problems such as environmental degradation, diseases and terrorism and guarantee a dialogue among nations. â€Å"The developing countries should be helped to reduce their foreign debt. Throughout its history, the United Nations has achieved enormous successes, including the solution of various conflicts throughout the world†. (World Leaders Adopt, 2000) In the end, I would like to say that it would be good for the world that the UN must abandon double standards between dominant and developing countries and should come up with peaceful solution for the sake both world security and safety. The first duty of the UN should assure all countries in terrorism, disease, environmental degradation and so on. Obviously, the developing countries should be giving sufficient help in unburden their foreign debts. The duty of the United Nations is to promote and develop like Somalia and other African regions. The United Nations should provide equality guarantee to underdeveloped in terms of every thing human rights to politics. References 22nd Meeting of Chairmen/Coordinators of the Group of 77 Chapters Geneva, 7-9 July 1997, Statement Of Principles on UN reform Brett D. Schaefer and Anthony B. Kim (July 9, 2004). Forging Freedom Coalitions to Promote U. S. Priorities in the United Nations CBBC Newsround | UNITED NATIONS | What is the UN? http://news. bbc. co. uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/world/united_nations/newsid_1721000/1721851. stm Accessed, April 18, 2007 CBC News UN being abused by West: Iranian PM (Tuesday, September 19, 2006) David Shorr, March 7, 2006 World Leaders Have the UN they Deserve Ellen Paine (October 2000), The Road to the Global Compact: Corporate Power And The Battle Over global public policy at the united Nations John Gerard Ruggie (2003). The United Nations and Globalization: Patterns and Limits of Institutional Adaptation. Global Governance, 9(3), 301+ Kim R. Holmes (1993). New world disorder: A critique of the United Nations. Journal of International Affairs, 46(2), 323-340. Columbia University School of International Public Affairs Martin Schuijt (November 29, 2005). The Mother of All Coalitions. (November 30, 2005). Inter Press Service Maggie Farley, News paper article, Los Angeles Times (June 16, 2005), US Puts UN Reform First, Official Says Press Release: (8 September 2000). World Leaders Adopt ‘United Nations Millennium Declaration’ At Conclusion of Extraordinary Three-Day Summit

Salem witch trials Essay -- essays research papers

Salem Witch Trials: Casting a spell on the people Today, the idea of seeing a witch is almost inconsequential. Our Halloween holiday marks a celebration in which many will adorn themselves with pointy black hats and long stringy hair, and most will embrace them as comical and festive. Even the contemporary witchcraft religious groups forming are being accepted with less criticism. More recently, the Blair Witch movie craze has brought more fascination than fear to these dark and magical figures. So, it becomes no wonder that when our generations watch movies like the Crucible, a somewhat accurate depiction of the Salem Witch Trials, we are enraged and confused by the injustice and the mayhem that occurred in 1692. For most, our egocentric view of the past almost stops us from seeing what a dilemma was brewing in that Puritan lifestyle. At that time, witches were far more than a generic costume for a casual holiday celebration, or a tolerated religion, or a new form of Hollywood fasc ination, they were the work of an awful, vengeful, unseen power. In the seventeenth century, almost everyone, even those with the best of educations, where under the belief that witchcraft was evil and the control of the devil. Witchcraft had once, before the Middle Ages had been accepted as the powers of medicine and good deeds; however, the church of that time had proclaimed the craft as the work of the devil and the actions of heretics. From then on witches were greatly dreaded. They believed that they had special powers that allowed them to cause harm to those that they had quarrels with; they could read minds, tell the future, bring up ghosts of the dead and force the holy to perform unholy acts. There was only one way to save someone who sold their soul to the devil for the gifts of witchcraft, to kill them (Dickinson 4). People were branded witches for unrelated mishaps. If the farmer’s sheep all died from a virus in the water, then the neighbor who fought with him las t week must have cast a spell. In a world where people are certain of witchcraft, nothing is accidental. Consequentially, many people were unjustly condemned to death. In the beginning of the century the targets for witchcraft were â€Å"the poor, the elderly, the mentally ill, the rude and quarrelsome†, but as the century drew to an end those accused were chosen â€Å"more [democratically],† even those as young as fou... ...ent theories of what the girls were afflicted with. Several researchers postulated that they were suffering from ergot poisoning from spoiled rye grain. Others thought that girls were enjoying the attention that they would have never received otherwise being young females. Similarly, others thought that the cause of their symptoms are from a popular psychological disorder from the 1970’s called clinical hysteria or mass hysteria, referring to a condition experienced by a group of people who, through suggestion, observation, or other psychological processes, develop similar fears, delusions, abnormal behaviors, or physical symptoms. (Trask 1 and Plotnik 520) The Salem witchcraft delusion became the road to what is now known as the road to Enlightenment. Although the trials in New England did not end there, Salem marked the beginning of and end to the horrible injustice. Witch-hunting is still an epidemic that plagues today in other forms. People are made to suffer for their beliefs. Religious and political persecution has stained every century since then. Perhaps, the greatest thing gained from the trials was the understanding that the majority is not always the voice of justice.

The Tragic Impermanence of Youth in Robert Frosts Nothing Gold Can Sta

The Tragic Impermanence of Youth in Robert Frost's Nothing Gold Can Stay In his poem "Nothing Gold can Stay", Robert Frost names youth and its attributes as invaluable. Using nature as an example, Frost relates the earliest green of a newborn plant to gold; its first leaves are equated with flowers. However, to hold something as fleeting as youth in the highest of esteems is to set one's self up for tragedy. The laws of the Universe cast the glories of youth into an unquestionable state of impermanence. It is an inescapable fact that all that is born, pure and clean, will be polluted with age and die. The aging process that Frost describes is meant to be taken literally as well as metaphorically. Literally, the plants that Frost describes are an example of this nonexclusive law of aging. This prooving through common natural phenomenom the tangible and scientific merit of the poem. There is also a spiritual understanding. Frost uses a religious allusion to further enforce the objective of the poem.Whether Frost's argument is proven in a religious or scient ific forum, it is nonetheless true. In directly citing these natural occurrences from inanimate, organic things such as plants, he also indirectly addresses the phenomena of aging in humans, in both physical and spiritual respects. Literally, this is a poem discribing the seasons. Frosts interpertation of the seasons is original in the fact that it is not only autumn that causes him grief, but summer. Spring is portrayed as painfully quick in its retirement; "Her early leaf's a flower,/ But only so an hour.". Most would associate summer as a season brimming with life, perhaps the realization of what was began in spring. As Frost preceives it however, from the moment spring... ...f impurity. In Christianity it is called sin. The fact that pollution of the soul is a concept in religion the world over is a testament to the Universal nature of Frosts argument. Frost's poem addresses the tragic transitory nature of living things; from the moment of conception, we are ever-striding towards death. Frost offers no remedy for the universal illness of aging; no solution to the fact that the glory of youth lasts only a moment. He merely commits to writing a deliberation of what he understands to be a reality, however tragic. The affliction of dissatisfaction that Frost suffers from cannot be treated in any tangible way. Frost's response is to refuse to silently buckle to the seemingly sadistic ways of the world. He attacks the culprit of aging the only way one can attack the enigmatic forces of the universe, by naming it as the tragedy that it is.

National Health Care Spending Paper

Sloan Miller [email  protected] com Home 614-377-0096 Objective Seek to work in an environment that will challenge me further; while allowing me to contribute to the continued growth and success of the organization. Obtain a position that will provide me the ability to apply my work experience to a growing industry. Look forward to working with a company that promotes quality products and services; and provides me with the opportunity to meet and exceed assigned daily goals. First Choice Security April 2010 to presentDuties: As a security guard where my position require me to be alert, quick responding and fasting thinking on duty. I was responsible of guarding, patrolling and monitoring premises to avoid theft, violence and the infraction of rules. And to safe guard the assets and people within the premises of a company. Teach and Learn: May 2012 to July 2012 Duties: to provide care, education and nurturing for children of a variety of ages. As a daycare provider I provided genuin e passion for caring for children and the ability to relate to a diverse group of kids.My communication skills and the ability to positively interact with children, parents and other daycare staff members is something that I performed on a daily basis. Wackenhut Security: Duties: To provide security for different types of organizations which my company had taken on the responsibility to prevent violence and negligence from occurring at the different locations I had to safe guard. Education: South High School 1998 to 2001 Job Corp: Business clerical trade 2004

Kentucky Vital Records - Marriage, Death Births

Kentucky Vital Records - Marriage, Death Births Learn how and where to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates and records in Kentucky, including the dates for which Kentucky vital records are available, where they are located, and links to online Kentucky vital records databases. Kentucky Vital Records: Kentucky Department for Public HealthOffice of Vital Statistics275 East Main Street - IE-AFrankfort, KY 40621Phone: (502) 564-4212Fax: (502) 227-0032 What You Need to Know:Personal check or money order should be made payable to Kentucky State Treasurer. Call or visit the Web site to verify current fees. All requests MUST include the signature and a photocopy of a valid photo ID of the individual requesting the record. Web site: Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics Kentucky Birth Records Dates: From 1911 (statewide); selected counties from 1852 Cost of copy: $10.00 Comments: Access to birth records in Kentucky is not restricted by law.  With your request, include as much as you can of the following: the name on the birth record being requested, date of birth, place of birth (city or county), fathers full name, (last, first, middle), mothers full name, including her maiden name, your relationship to the person whose certificate is being requested, your daytime telephone number with area code, your handwritten signature and complete return mailing address.Application for Kentucky Birth Certificate * The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives has birth records for the cities of Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Newport, which enacted records collection ordinances before 1911. KDLA also has selected birth records (statewide coverage) covering the years 1852-1862, 1874-1879 and 1891-1910. Consult their website for a list of available birth records by county. Online:Kentucky Vital Records: 1852–1914 is a collection of free, digitized microfilm images on FamilySearch; includes birth records from the 1908–1910 range for many KY countiesKentucky Birth Records, 1847–1911 includes indexes and images (requires subscription to Ancestry.com) Kentucky Death Records Dates: From 1911 (statewide); selected counties from 1852 Cost of copy: $6.00 Comments: Access to death records in Kentucky is not restricted by law.  With your request, include as much as you can of the following: the name on the death record being requested, date of death, place of death (city or county), your relationship to the person whose certificate is being requested, your purpose for needing the copy, your daytime telephone number with area code, your handwritten signature and complete return mailing address. For deaths occurring from 1900 to 1917, the city and/or county of death is required in order to locate the record.Application for Kentucky Death Certificate * The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives has death records for the cities of Louisville, Lexington, Covington and Newport, which enacted records collection ordinances before 1911. KDLA also has selected death records (statewide coverage) covering the years 1852-1862, 1874-1879 and 1891-1910. Consult their Web site for a list of available death records by county. Online:Kentucky Death Index 1911-1992 (free)Kentucky Death Certificates and Records 1852-1953 including digitized Kentucky death certificates from 1911-1953 (requires subscription to Ancestry.com) Kentucky Marriage Records Dates: From June 1958 (statewide), but many go back to early 1800s Cost of Copy: $6.00 Comments:  The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics does not have records of marriages prior to 1958. Copies of marriage certificates prior to June 1958 may be obtained from the county clerk in the county where the license was issued. Send your request to the Clerk of Court in the county where the marriage license was issued.Application for Kentucky Marriage Certificate Online:Kentucky Marriage Index 1973-1993 (free)    Kentucky Divorce Records Dates: Varies by county Cost of copy: Varies Comments: The Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics does not have records of divorces prior to 1958. Records of divorce proceedings prior to June 1958 are available from the clerk of the circuit court that granted the decree. Online:Kentucky Divorce Index 1973-1993 (free) More US Vital Records - Choose a State

How to Use If and Only If in Mathematics

How to Use 'If and Only If' in Mathematics When reading about statistics and mathematics, one phrase that regularly shows up is â€Å"if and only if.† This phrase particularly appears within statements of mathematical theorems or proofs. But what, precisely, does this statement mean? What Does If and Only If Mean in Mathematics? To understand â€Å"if and only if,† we must first know what is meant by a conditional statement. A conditional statement is one that is formed from two other statements, which we will denote by P and Q. To form a conditional statement, we could say â€Å"if P then Q.† The following are examples of this kind of statement: If it is raining outside, then I take my umbrella with me on my walk.If you study hard, then you will earn an A.If n is divisible by 4, then n is divisible by 2. Converse and Conditionals Three other statements are related to any conditional statement. These are called the converse, inverse, and the contrapositive. We form these statements by changing the order of P and Q from the original conditional and inserting the word â€Å"not† for the inverse and contrapositive. We only need to consider the converse here. This statement is obtained from the original by saying â€Å"if Q then P.† Suppose we start with the conditional â€Å"if it is raining outside, then I take my umbrella with me on my walk.† The converse of this statement is â€Å"if I take my umbrella with me on my walk, then it is raining outside.† We only need to consider this example to realize that the original conditional is not logically the same as its converse. The confusion of these two statement forms is known as a converse error. One could take an umbrella on a walk even though it may not be raining outside. For another example, we consider the conditional â€Å"If a number is divisible by 4 then it is divisible by 2.† This statement is clearly true. However, this statement’s converse â€Å"If a number is divisible by 2, then it is divisible by 4† is false. We only need to look at a number such as 6. Although 2 divides this number, 4 does not. While the original statement is true, its converse is not. Biconditional This brings us to a biconditional statement, which is also known as an if and only if statement. Certain conditional statements also have converses that are true. In this case, we may form what is known as a biconditional statement. A biconditional statement has the form: †If P then Q, and if Q then P.† Since this construction is somewhat awkward, especially when P and Q are their own logical statements, we simplify the statement of a biconditional by using the phrase if and only if. Rather than say if P then Q, and if Q then P we instead say P if and only if Q. This construction eliminates some redundancy. Statistics Example For an example of the phrase â€Å"if and only if† that involves statistics, look no further than a fact concerning the sample standard deviation. The sample standard deviation of a data set is equal to zero if and only if all of the data values are identical. We break this biconditional statement into a conditional and its converse. Then we see that this statement means both of the following: If the standard deviation is zero, then all of the data values are identical.If all of the data values are identical, then the standard deviation is equal to zero. Proof of Biconditional If we are attempting to prove a biconditional, then most of the time we end up splitting it. This makes our proof have two parts. One part we prove is â€Å"if P then Q.† The other part of the proof we need is â€Å"if Q then P.† Necessary and Sufficient Conditions Biconditional statements are related to conditions that are both necessary and sufficient. Consider the statement â€Å"if today is Easter, then tomorrow is Monday.† Today being Easter is sufficient for tomorrow to be Monday, however, it is not necessary. Today could be any Sunday other than Easter, and tomorrow would still be Monday. Abbreviation The phrase â€Å"if and only if† is used commonly enough in mathematical writing that it has its own abbreviation. Sometimes the biconditional in the statement of the phrase â€Å"if and only if† is shortened to simply â€Å"iff.† Thus the statement â€Å"P if and only if Q† becomes â€Å"P iff Q.†