Lab 2 "The Cube"

This week, we are taking time to experience the Scientific Process. We are looking at a cube, with unique features on each face of the cube. We are to make observations about the features of the various faces of the cube to create a hypothesis of what is on the bottom of the cube (which we cannot see)

To begin, here are some observations I made of the sides of the cube I can see:

1. The two sets of opposing facing sides, that I can see, share the same color. There are white opposing sides and blue opposing sides. The top is red.

2. The two sets of opposing facing sides, that I can see, share the same first two letters of the name printed on the side. The blue sides both have names that begin with "Ro". The white sides both have names that begin with "Al". The red top has a name that begins with "F".

3. The names printed on opposing facing sides appear to have one male name and other female name. The blue sides have the names "Rob" and "Roberta". The white sides have "Alma" and "Alfred". The red top has the name "Frank".

4. There are numbers on all of the visible faces of the cube; two per face.

5. The blue sides appear to share the number "3" as one of two numbers.

6. The white sides appear to share the number "2" as one of two numbers.

7. The red side/top also bares two numbers. One is "4" and the other "5".

8. The number in the bottom corner appears to be the shared number of the two opposing sides.

9. The number in the top corner of the face appears to correlate with the number of letters in the name displayed on that particular face. The side with "Rob" has the number "3". The side printed with "Roberta" has the number "7".  The side printed with "Alfred" has the number "6". The side printed with  "Alma" has the number "4". The side printed with "Frank" has the number "5".

10.  The number of letters in each name displayed is one letter different than the last:  Rob(3), Alma(4), Frank (5), Alfred (6), Roberta (7).


Hypothesis

I hypothesize the color of the absent face of the cube will be red. I believe it will have the number 4 in the lower corner of the face and the number 8 in the upper corner of the face. I believe the face will have a female name that is 8 letters long.

Reasons for my Hypothesis

I observed the opposite faces sharing a number of characteristics. Because of this, I created a hypothesis based on the absent face acting the same with its counter face, as the other faces of the cube had.

• I believe the color of the absent face will be red, to correlate with its opposing face; as the other opposing faces have also shared the same color. 
• I believe the number in the lower corner will be 4, to correlate with its opposing face, as the other opposing faces of the cube shared the same bottom number as well.
•  I believe the name on the absent face will be a female name, as 'Frank' is a masculine name, and the other opposing faces have one male name, and the other female.  
• I believe the name will be 8 letters long to continue the pattern of increasing the number of letters in the name by 1.  
• I believe the name will begin with an "Fr", as the other opposing sides have shared the first two letters of their names; "Frank" is the opposing face of the absent face.

The Tragedy of the Commons

Per Essentials of Ecology, the definition of commons, or common property, is "where the rights to certain resources are held by large groups of individuals". A few examples of commons include places like camp sites, parks, beaches, rivers, and national forests.  Please note, as with anything, I am sure there are privately owned versions of the examples I have given. The areas I am speaking of  are considered common property because there is not a single person owning them, rather, a collective group using them. Many people may enjoy the areas' resources and beauty. 

For instance, I enjoy camping with my family. We tend to go out into the forest for our camping; here is a picture from our most recent trip into the White Mountains.

Camping can be a lot of fun, but also a lot of responsibility. I cannot count the number of times my family and I have personally picked up the garbage of the previous campers. In addition to coming up on a literally 'trashed' campsite, I have witnessed camp sites where the grass and foliage had been matted down, simply from too much camping happening in a single area, as well as debris of past fires where people where careless with their campfires. 

A major problem with the commons is there isn't an entity holding individuals accountable for their actions with the commons. If folks are being disrespectful, overusing the resources of the commons, or using the resources inappropriately, currently, there is not much of a consequence. There are state troopers and forest service employees, but their numbers are few in comparison to those using the commons.

We have established that humans are not feeling an immediate consequence to their actions with the commons; but the ecosystems of the commons certainly are. Essentials of Ecology defines sustainability as "ability of earth's various systems, including human cultural systems and economies, to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely". There is grave fear of the commons' sustainability capabilities with the way we are currently treating the areas. Sustainability can only happen if we honor the boundaries of the ecosystems of the commons; by over fishing, over camping, and polluting the commons, we place great strain on the areas. 

While the picture can look fairly bleak when discussing the shortcomings of our current commons situation, there are a few things that can be done to correct/assist. One tactic to slow/cease the overuse of the lands and waters is to begin utilizing a permit system. This would require patrons to purchase a permit for use of the commons. This could also allow the government to close off the commons prior to overuse.  Another way to address the issues with the commons would be to make the land no longer 'common'.  By selling off the commons, private owners may tend to it. This would lead to less use of the areas, and more maintenance provided to the areas. I am more hopeful the first option (permitting) will continue to take root.

When looking at the big picture regarding the commons, I certainly appreciate the ability to enjoy the lands and waters; however, I feel it is a privilege, not a right. I would gladly pay for a permit to view these areas if it meant they could sustain their fragile ecosystems and remain intact for future generations. I go back to my worldview; Environmental Wisdom. "Worldview holding that humans are part of and totally dependent on nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us". (Essentials of Ecology, p.25)