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FAQs - Mechanics

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FAQs - Mechanics

  1. Does Basic Concepts in Environmental Sciences allow me to bookmark where I am?
    Basic Concepts in Environmental Sciences does not have a built-in bookmark feature. However, both recommended browsers enable users to add bookmarks.
  2. Does Basic Concepts in Environmental Sciences include a generic calculator for adding, multiplying, etc.?
    No, the developers chose not to add one believing that most people already have such a calculator application on their computers. We recommend that people using operating systems that permit multitasking (Windows 95 or Mac OS 7 or later) open and minimize their calculator for easy access while working on Basic Concepts in Environmental Sciences.
  3. How can I print pages?
    Directly under the title on each page (Basic Concepts in Environmental Sciences) you will find a link entitled "Print Version". Clicking on this link displays a version of the page more appropriate for printing. From there, simply use your browser commands to print the page. The Print Version contains the entire text content of the page.
  4. Why is the text on some printed pages too faint to read?
    This problem sometimes occurs when you print pages that contain light-colored text on a dark background using a postscript printer. You will notice that elements that were created as graphics (e.g. equations) print as seen on the screen (i.e. light text on dark background).
  5. Can you enlarge the size of the right-hand frame that contains the text?
    Yes, in Netscape 4.7, you can right-click on any frame in a frame set and select an option that will open the frame in a new window all by itself. This feature is not available in Internet Explorer 4.01.
  6. Who can provide me with help if I don't understand or have questions about the content?
    Mr. Dennis Shipman of the U.S. EPA's Air Pollution Training Institute will gladly respond to your questions. He can be reached by e-mail at shipman.dennis@epa.gov or by clicking on the "Help" button on your screen (see "E-mail Contact").
  7. Is there any way I can speed up the animations?
    There are three factors that affect the speed of the animations:
    1. The speed at which they were designed to run
    2. Your computer's CPU
    3. The speed of your Internet connection

    Some animations were designed to run slowly in part because they have no sound. These animations were designed to give the average person enough time to read and assimilate the information displayed on the screen. The animations include no sound for a couple of reasons:

    1. To make them load more quickly over the Internet
    2. To enable the greatest number of people to access them (no sound cards or speakers required by users).

    Increasing the speed of your computer processor and/or Internet connection could make the animations run faster.

  8. When should you use the browser's "Back" button to return to a lesson?

    There are several situations where your browser's "Back" button may be the best (or only) option for returning to where you were in the reference material. These include the following situations:

    1. Accessing an Appendix from a link within a lesson
    2. Accessing a calculator via the "Calculators" button (on screen) or from a link within a lesson
    3. Linking directly to another lesson from the right-hand frame. This may happen when you click a link in the Review Exercises that takes you directly to another lesson.
  9. Under what circumstances do the Java applet calculators return output that displays "Error"? Also, I've noticed that occasionally the applets give erroneous output.

    The Java applets automatically return "Error" as output in the following situations:

    1. When the calculation involves a zero divide.
    2. When an input or output value is outside the acceptable ranges defined by the development software. Values cannot be greater than or equal to 1037, nor can they be less than or equal to -1037. Also, values cannot be in the following ranges for fractions: -10-37bottom x< 0 or 0 < x bottom 10-37. These restrictions should not pose a problem.

    The calculators substitute "0.0" for input values containing non-numeric characters such as commas, percent signs, and parentheses. (Decimal points are fine because they are handled as numeric characters.) Consequently, inputting non-numeric characters will result in erroneous output.

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