Technical definitions can take a variety of forms and have multiple purposes. When writing a technical definition, it is always important to maintain focus on the audience’s needs. For example, FEMA has a wide variety of technical definitions on its Internet site that illustrate an understanding of its audience. Use this hyperlink to go to the FEMA definition of space weather and, after reading it, in 150 words, please explain the following: What is the author’s purpose in including this definition under the subheading “natural disasters” with respect to the document’s intended audience (you may need to define the intended audience for this document)? How is the definition developed logically and clearly (give an example)? Why do you or do you not find this technical definition useful for readers?
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The intended audience for this definition is anyone interested in learning about natural disasters. Specifically, a person who reads this article may also be interested in learning how the natural occurrences in outer space can have an effect and impact on a lot of our everyday technologies.
One way the definition is developed throughout the article is through its organization. The author begins by mentioning the role the sun plays in space weather, and continues to state the effects seen here on earth. Further, the author goes on to state specific examples of how space weather has affected us, and presses on the fact that the space weather has caused blackouts.
This piece is quite informative, and the information is laid out in such a tangible way so the reader is able to understand. Its use of real-life examples give it an added level of comprehension: it is possible that some readers may have experienced one of the mentioned blackouts, or a similar occurrence– from this, a reader is able to have a clearer picture of what the author is conveying.
Considering this document’s intended audience is anybody that could be affected by any form of natural disaster, in this specific case, space weather, the author’s purpose of providing this definition is to warn everybody of the potential dangers this phenomenon has the potential to create. The author also makes it a point to emphasize what one should do before, during, and after this phenomenon occurs in order to stay as safe as possible. Analyzing this definition, I would say that it is developed very logically and clearly. The author clearly defines what space weather, gives multiple examples of what space weather is capable of doing to our planet, provides facts and tips on what anybody should do if there were to be a instance where we faces space weather, and gave more resources for the reader to look at. I personally find this definition to be very useful for readers because it provides them with the crucial information that they would need to know in case this were to ever happen to them.
The author describes Space Weather as a natural disaster to raise awareness for the safety and welfare of the general public. The use of the subheading “natural disaster” refers to being compared to other natural disasters, such as Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and many other types of disasters. However, the author generalizes Space Weather for people that are in the engineering field in which they would be more of the intended audience than the general public. The development of the definition “Space Weather” is coherent and well developed. It begins with the scientific backgrounds on how the Space Weather is caused, and why people should be aware. Furthermore, the definition explains how this effects the technology that has great importance for society. For example, Space Weather has an impact that can cause damage to infrastructure such as electric grids. The damage to an electric grid caused by Space Weather is related to an event that happened in March 13, 1994 in which a powerful geomagnetic storm began a power blackout that left six million Canadians without electricity for nine hours. Therefore, the author is clear to the readers on how Space Weather has already affected us. This technical document is useful. However, the definition is not as useful to the general public as it is to engineers or scientists. Therefore, it is useful to engineers and scientists to possibly brainstorm an idea to prepare or prevent from Space Weather.
The term space weather is placed under the category natural disasters because it technically is a natural disaster. Even though this happens in space, and not on earth doesn’t mean it still can’t harm the planet. Like a natural disaster space weather can take out the electric grid and leave people without power for an extended period of time. The intended audience for this write up can be for anyone who doesn’t know what space weather is, and is curious as to how it can affect the planet. This is useful because it can teach someone what space weather is and how it can affect earth. This gives examples of the worst space weather and how it affected earth. One example is the Carrington Event when the telegraph lines were electrified and it shocked electricians, and the northern lights were seen in unusual areas like Cuba. This technical definition was well written and explained what space weather is well.
The author has placed the term space weather, the sun’s or space’s interference and disruption of technology, was categorized under the natural disaster section. They placed it under that category to show a paradox of instead of the technology having a harmful effect on the environment and space, but instead a natural defective influence that the environment has on technology. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) made this document for the general population, expressing how extreme space weather can cause tremendous damage to infrastructure and electronics. The author gave a short brief straightforward description of the term by giving the disastrous effects it could have on the earth. However, to make the document more technical, he could have done added a few more details. I thought the author could have been more detailed in explaining what type of variable conditions on the sun and space caused space weather. In addition, besides damaging electric grids and circuits, how else could space weather have disrupted the environment.
The author wanted to show that weather in space can affect us here on earth and that it should be treated the same as any other natural disaster. The intended audience in this article is anyone who may not be informed of the dangers that weather in space can have on us.
The author first starts at the cause of space weather, so that the reader can understand how it happens. They then go onto explaining how these changes in the suns atmosphere affect our satellites and power lines. They also break down the storm into the before, during and after stages.
I found this technical definition very useful. I had some basic knowledge about the suns atmosphere can affect the surround planets, but the author goes further and tells you how to prepare for the storms. They even break down the storms into categories. The author goes as far as to tell you how to get space weather alerts and where you can find out more information than what they supply the reader with.
The author’s purpose for including this definition under “natural disasters” because it has the potential to be a large scale disaster like the others listed. The target audience wouldn’t necessarily be a rocket scientist, which would make it the average United States citizen in need of information about natural disasters. I think the definition is developed very clearly and logically when the author strongly mentions “highlighting the importance of being prepared.” It allows for the author to convey to the reader that the information aforementioned is both important and extremely vital to their own safety at any given time. The placement under the subheading natural disasters becomes useful to readers, because it provides necessary precautions about what to do in the event of extreme space weather. Another reason that it is useful is that the author listed tabs for Before and After to which they provide very detailed information about what to do in preparation and once the natural disaster happens.
The author puts “space weather” under the sub category, “natural disasters”, because that is what the event would seem like to most people. It seems like it would be considered a natural disaster because of how crippling it could be to the electrical grid, but it would be better under a “Space” category, as it is not really a natural disaster. For the purpose of the website and the audience they are trying to reach, the category works, because it shows people the effects of these solar storms and how to prepare for them just like a natural disaster. I think the definition has a logical layout. It starts with a very shallow explanation of what space weather is and then attempts to explain it in more detail, breaking down the different events and causes of space weather. I think the article works well to explain what space weather is. If you just wanted a cut and dry definition, you could come to the page, read the first couple of lines and leave. By reading further you get a greater understanding of what space weather truly is and why it is important.
I believe that the author included Space Weather under the “natural disasters” subheading because typically, when someone thinks of a natural disaster, we think of hurricanes, tornadoes, etc. No one is very familiar with “space weather,” let alone considering it a natural disaster. Therefore, I think the target audience for this article is any citizen that keeps cautious of natural disasters. After giving the definition, “The term “space weather” refers to the variable conditions on the sun and in space that can influence the performance of technology we use on Earth,” the author makes it clear as to why the topic is placed under “natural disasters” by including “Extreme space weather could potentially cause damage to critical infrastructure – especially the electric grid – highlighting the importance of being prepared.” This tells why space weather is dangerous and is something to be aware of since we do not hear often of dangerous space weather. I think this is a useful definition to readers because not only does it highlight the importance of being cautious when dealing with space weather, but also brings light to a topic that most people (the audience) has probably never been aware of before.
The intended audience of this definition is a United States citizen that needs information about how to prepare for a disaster. The average citizen may not know what space weather is referring to so its definition is included under the “natural disasters” section of Ready.gov. Although the word space is used in the definition it is not a circular definition because space just needs clarification. Without clarification it is unclear if space is referring to “the physical universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere” (Google.com) or “a continuous area or expanse that is free, available, or unoccupied” (Google.com). Space was clarified by referencing the sun, something everyone should be familiar with. Weather being explained as a variable condition is also acceptable because it is not the difficult part of the word. This definition is useful for readers because it makes them understand the word without provided more information than necessary.
The purpose in including this definition under the subheading “natural disasters” is to make sure their audience, those people who want to be prepared and have a plan in the event that one of numerous disasters were to happen, are made aware that space weather has a direct correlation to certain natural disasters effecting electrical systems with such phenomena as solar flares and bursts of radiation. This definition is developed logically by first giving a general description and then goes into deeper detail as well as providing examples to help clarify such as when they explain The Carrington Event. I think this definition will be beneficial to readers who’s intention are to be prepared for anything, even solar flares. Some may consider these readers the “Doomsday Preppers.” This article is also designed to inform individuals that not all disasters that require our attention originate from our own planet.
After reading this, it is clear that the articles audience is the general public. Space weather is something that effects everyone since it can influence the performance of technology on Earth. In this article, the author includes space weather as a “natural disaster” because it is one. We are not able to control space weather so it really does fit. Now the author did a good job with the definition. They started out by giving a very basic definition that involves the audience in it and this gets their attention. It then goes into more detail and gives good examples, such as the Carrington Event, which shows the audience how much it can affect them. I think that this technical definition is useful because it does a great job at explaining what space weather is. It informs readers that may have never heard of it before and gives a good understanding of what it means.
The target audience of this article could be anyone who uses electricity in their everyday lives. Which is, for the most part, everyone. “Space weather” is a term referring to the conditions on the sun and in space that can directly affect the technology we use on Earth. The reason the author puts the term under the heading of “natural disaster,” is because it is not man made. Which means this would be out of our control. This will cause the reader to be drawn into the article because now they have been warned how dangerous space weather can be to us. After explaining all of this in the opening sentences, the author then gives the reader an example of extreme space weather. FEMA did a good job of explaining this disaster making it easy for everyone to understand. The author also did a good for explaining exactly what happens in a space weather event. Stating that it will directly effect our electromagnetic field causing all electronics to overload. Overall I could understand all of the points the author was trying to get across.
The author’s intended audience for this document was the general public. More specifically, the intended audience was the general public interested in being informed about natural disasters. The purpose for including the space weather definition under the subheading “natural disasters” is most likely due to the effects space weather can have on peoples lives. Space weather is said to be capable of damaging critical infrastructure. The definition lists damage of the “electric grid” as an example. The author develops the definition logically and clearing by first starting with a brief easy to understand base definition and then stating its possible effects on the reader. Then the author went into explaining the causes of space weather and stating specific examples of events that have occurred in the past. One example that the author uses is a power blackout in Canada that left 6 million people without power for 9 hours. The author also has tabs listed “Before”, “During”, and “After”. These tabs explain how the reader can prepare, endure, and recover from a space weather event. I find this technical definition useful to readers because it does a good job of 1) simply defining a complex idea and 2) explaining to the reader how they can prepare and plan for possible dangerous space weather events.
The purpose of writing this definition under “natural disasters” is to focus on the needs of the reader. If a reader was looking up natural disasters or anything similar, like earthquakes, wildfires, etc., they would more likely be interested in reading about space weather. The definition is described in a way that shows its affects on humans. Because space weather occurs in space and away from humans, readers might find it difficult to understand something that has nothing to do with them. Next the writer explains the damage space weather could do to the human race. This also makes the reader more likely to be interested. After that, the writer talks about the causes of space weather. The order of the definition interests the reader and then goes into more of the specifics about the topic. I think the definition was useful; it was very organized, even down to “before”, “during”, and “after” the weather, the paragraphs were also kept small, which made it easier to read. The definition is kept somewhat short, which makes the definition more easy to understand and causes less confusion.
The definition of space weather on FEMA’s website is for the general public. The definition logically informs the general public what space weather is, and then states what extreme space weather is. What the author is trying to say is this is what we need to worry about. The author makes it clear by not grouping space weather with extreme space weather, which could easily be mistakenly placed together. The author placed the definition under the natural disaster subheading because to most this is a natural disaster. This makes sense because there is no way to stop it, it’s naturally happening. This naturally occurring event has the ability to disrupt the electrical grid, which is disastrous to most people in the world. This style of writing is important to the reader because it gets the desired message across without using too many words to do so. It leaves the reader informed instead of using a lot of words, which could cause the reader to be confused.
FEMA did a great job of writing a technical definition of space weather because they used very simple, clear and organized details in their definition. They placed the definition under the subheading “natural disasters” to organize it in a category that the general public could easily recognize. This greatly clarifies in a very broad sense what space weather is to the intended audience (the general public) without the reader even having to read the definition. The definition is developed very clearly in the first opening sentence which states exactly what space weather is and how it can effect us on earth. Then the author proceeds to show an example of extreme space weather, the Carrington Event. By giving a detailed example for the definition, FEMA helps the reader better understand what could and has happen in the event of extreme space weather. I found this definition extremely useful for readers. I found it useful because FEMA does a great job of informing the general public of the event using terms they can understand.
The audience needs to understand that it’s under the natural disaster category because it is a force in nature that can effect our every day lives but was not caused by man. The primary reason this is so important is because strong activity from the sun can knock our our satellites off lines and take down all of our communications and leave us in the dark. This article is here to explain to the audience how important it is to be aware of such a phenomenon no matter how rare it might be. The article is very easy to understand because it explains how the suns CME’s cause a disturbance in the electromagnetic field overloading our electronics with to much current. Then it gives a brief history of recorded events and a timeline of exactly what would happen in chronological order. I can fully understand the technical documents text and believe that it is useful to an audience of any sort.
In creating technical definitions it is definitely important to maintain focus on the audience’s needs. The author of the space weather definition published on FEMA’s website created the definition for the general public. The placement of the definition is wise because it allows the audience to find it easily, and stresses the importance of space weather and the fact that its effects could be as detrimental as any natural disaster. Placing the topic under the “natural disaster” tab is fitting, because if you read the definition you learn that space weather can be disastrous. It is clear that this definition is aimed toward an audience of the general public because the author used plain, simplified English.
The definition was developed in a clear manner that makes it most useful for readers. By having a sentence definition at the top of the page, the author gets his point across to the audience immediately. Then, located farther down on the page is an extended definition of the term. This extended definition continues the use of plain language and also offers examples of space weather having effects on Earth. This technical definition is useful for readers because it is one which provides an easy understanding of space weather which anyone searching the internet can locate.
The author has intended this piece of work for the general public who are interested in learning and preparing for space weather. It is written so that the general public can read and gain a better understanding of geomagnetic storms. The article is most likely placed under the “Natural Disasters” heading because, to the audience, this event may be considered to be a natural disaster.
The definition of space weather is clearly defined chronologically by describing the events that cause the weather in space, then how it affects the earth, then how it affects us as people and their electronics. It also describes the span of disaster the weather may cause, by A) listing the scaling system and B) listing extremes, such as the Carrington Event.
I find this technical definition especially useful for readers, as it provides helpful information to the readers that may help them regardless if a space storm is coming or not. It is always nice to know how to handle things ahead of time.
The technical definition for space weather is beneficial for everyone to read. However, during my reading about space weather I learned that the main area for concern is the nation’s electric power grid. This means that northern territories are at a higher risk to experience the effects of space weather than southern territories. Even though power outages caused by space weather is uncommon, if it would ever happen, it could potentially be equivalent to a natural disaster. I believe the definition is developed logically and clearly because after a very brief introduction the definition gets straight to the point concerning what exactly space weather is and what causes it. I also like how the definition gives examples of space weather events. For example, I liked how the definition talked about the strongest geomagnetic storm which occurred in1859. It explains how this storm set telegraph papers of fire and effected the northern lights. I find this definition useful because it taught me about something I knew nothing about. I also find this definition useful because it gives a list of things that should be done before, during and after a space storm occurs.