Lydia Tan

What does it feel like to be watched as you work on something? Does it feel pressurising? Do you feel stressed? Does that make you want to do better to show to the person that you are able to do the job you are doing well? If your answer to the last question is yes, that is the Hawthorne effect in action!  …Well, somewhat.  Based on the known definition of the effect, this would be a correct example of the effect. However, due to some reasons which we will explain later on in this article,...

In a previous article, we learnt the importance of alternating currents (also known as AC) and its role of transmitting electricity over long distances. In this article, we will learn the physics behind generating AC. Then, we will explore how transformers work and we can answer the question that was left hanging in the previous article: why can AC be transformed, and not direct current (DC)?  How is AC generated?  The process of AC generation relies on  the conversion of mechanical energy to...

Psychology is the study of human behaviour. It explores why we think and feel the way we do. What motivates us to behave in the way we do? Why do people of similar backgrounds behave differently from one another? In 1943, a psychologist named Abraham Maslow published a paper titled “A Theory of Human Motivation”, where he attempted to explain what motivates us to pursue our different needs.  In this article, we will explore the theory commonly known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, as Maslow...