The Boffins Portal Team 
How much government is right for us? Would you like government breathing down your neck at every turn or no government at all so that you can indulge your happy spirits to the hilt? Each of these options has its dangers: too much government gives leaders authoritarian powers that choke individual liberty. On the other …
What’s the meaning of the phrase “Stop burning bridges after crossing the river?” Semantically, it means setting a bridge ablaze after crossing. But it is not logical to burn a bridge after using it. So, there is a deeper meaning of the statement than the literal meaning. Well, the long and short of it is …
When cultures come into contact, a number of interesting things happen. Acculturation is where elements are transferred from one culture to the other. This is due to intercultural interaction which causes people to acquire new cultural practices without abandoning their own culture. It can happen at both social and individual levels. Acculturation can be clearly …
What motivates workers in their jobs and workplace? To answer this, a psychologist called Frederick Herzberg set out to interview employees in a study done in the 1950s. He asked them what made them feel exceptionally good or bad about their jobs. The study revealed insights about job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction leading to Herzberg’s …
In scientific research, we typically use hypotheses for our statistical analysis. A hypothesis is a good or educated guess that tries to explain how two or more things are related. It is a statement that makes a prediction when there is no hard evidence yet or just before we embark on an investigation. A researcher …
Most of the substances we use in our daily life are mixtures. Air is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, inert gases, water vapor, and dust. Crude oil is a mixture of different components such as petrol, kerosene, bitumen, gasoline, diesel, and gaseous alkanes. By definition, a mixture is a substance made up of …
How can we draw or infer meaning from our surroundings? To do this, we depend on observation. But observation can take two forms: quantitative or qualitative. In research, quantitative observation is a type of observation that focuses on quantitative data. The word quantitative describes something that can be expressed in terms of quantity or numbers. …
Change is an integral part of life and the environment. However, in organizations, change needs to be introduced in a more purposeful and predictable way. Kurt Lewin’s model of change is a systematic way of implementing change. It’s based on the fact that change cannot be introduced at once or too quickly. Therefore, it is …
Every football team that plays in competition always has substitute players. That’s an extra number of players who can be quickly called in to replace another player if he gets hurt. The world of chemistry also has substitutes. It happens in types of reactions called single displacement reactions. This is a reaction where an element …
A transform boundary (also called a transform fault), is a fractured area or Faultline on the earth’s surface where two tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other. The plates’ grinding action against each other can produce phenomenal effects such as shallow earthquakes, widespread deformation of the crust, and displacement of rock. Transform plate boundaries typically …