Economics and business competition

Merriam-Webster defines competition in business as "the effort of two or more parties acting separately to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms." Seen as the pillar of capitalism in that it may stimulate innovation, hearten efficiency, or drive down prices, competition is touted as the foundation upon which capitalism is justified. According to microeconomic theory, no system of resource allocation is more capable than pure competition. Competition, according to the theory, causes commercial firms to develop new products, services, and technologies.

This gives consumers greater selection and better products. The greater selection typically causes lower prices for the products compared to what the price would be if there was no contest or little competition . However, competition may also lead to wasted effort and to increased costs in some circumstances. Similarly, the sychological effects of competition may result in harm to those involved.

Design of experiments

The experiments conducted in accord with the scientific method have several features in common. The design of experiments attempts to balance the requirements and limitations of the field of science in which one works so that the experiment can provide the best conclusion about the hypothesis being tested.

In some sciences, such as physics and chemistry, it is relatively easy to meet the requirements that all measurements be made objectively, and that all conditions can be kept controlled across experimental trials. On the other hand, in other cases such as biology, and medicine, it is often hard to ensure that the conditions of an experiment are performed consistently; and in the social sciences, it may even be difficult to determine a method for measuring the outcomes of an experiment in an objective manner.

For this reason, sciences such as physics and several other fields of natural science are sometimes informally referred to as "hard sciences", while social sciences are sometimes informally referred to as "soft sciences"; in an attempt to capture the idea that objective measurements are often far easier in the former, and far more difficult in the latter.

Tropical cyclone

In meteorology, a tropical cyclone is a storm system with a closed circulation in the region of a center of low pressure, fueled by the heat released when moist air rises and condenses. The name underscores their origin in the tropics and their cyclonic nature. They are illustrious from other cyclonic storms such as nor'easters and polar lows by the heat mechanism that fuels them, which makes them "warm core" storm systems.Depending on their power and location, there are various terms by which tropical cyclones are known, such as tropical depression, tropical storm, hurricane and typhoon.

Tropical cyclones can produce enormously high winds, tornadoes and torrential rain, and drive storm surge onto coastal areas. Though the effects on populations can be catastrophic, tropical cyclones have also been known to reduce drought conditions, since they transport enormous amounts of moisture. They carry heat away from the tropics, an important mechanism of the global atmospheric circulation that maintains equilibrium in the earth's troposphere.