Effectiveness of the Free Market Economies over Mixed Economies Essay

Effectiveness of the Free Market Economies over Mixed Economies - Essay Example Competition is one of the simple reasons why there are generally so many diverse varieties of goods for consumers to choose from. On the production side of the market, firms making goods which are more popular with consumers can sell them at competitive prices and earn profits. But producers who make uninvited products, or operate unproductively and pay too much to create their products, will suffer losses, eventually, they must either learn to create and compete efficiently making produces customers need at competitive rates, or they will verve out of business. Another effectiveness of free market economies is that companies can fine-tune easily to changes i.e. they don’t have to follow the government procedures when they want to change the kind of products to produce. This is better as opposed as opposed to mixed economies where unsuccessful regulations may paralyze production processes. This can lead to shifting of economic balance. In a mixed economy, the government also d ecides on the amount of tax to be levied on products which lead to people grumpy about high taxes and their reluctance to pay. The main advantage is that a free market economy enjoys the determination of prices by forces of demand and supply without monopolistic or oligopolistic influences. The role of the state is very limited in determining what goes on in a free market as opposed to mixed market which is controlled by both government and private enterprises. Government regulation stimulates inefficiency. Free market leads to optimal allocation of resources in a country. This would only happen in a state of equilibrium or where the demand and supply are equal and there is a unique price for every commodity in question. In a practical world however...This essay offers a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the free market economy, as a type of the economic system. The free market example is The United States Of America. Economics system is the resolving system for the basic econom ics problem. There are three types of the economics system; planned economy, mixed economy and free market. Businesses and consumers select the products they will produce or buy in free market economy. In other words, the producers decide on the kind of goods to produce, how they are to be produced and what price to charge on the final goods produced and even what to pay their employees. The choices are made by persons themselves and not the government. Free market economies offer numerous advantages. One of the main advantages is competition Competition helps keep prices lower because several companies will be competing for customers. Lower prices are an effective way of attracting and retaining customers. Another effectiveness of free market economies is that companies can fine-tune easily to changes i.e. they don’t have to follow the government procedures when they want to change the kind of products to produce. This is better as opposed as opposed to mixed economies where unsuccessful regulations may paralyze production processes. In a free market economy innovation is compensated Producers who are innovative will come up with more efficient methods of production. Innovation of new products will see the needs of consumers in better ways that existing goods and services.

The Reasons We Drink Beer Essay Example for Free

The Reasons We Drink Beer Essay There are most likely hundreds of reasons, good and bad, why people drink beer. Everyone who drinks beer has their own personal reasons. Beer is a worldwide commonly known and used beverage that has become a part of our society. It’s been brewed and consumed for over several thousand years. Why is this drink so popular? Today we’ll explore a handful of reasons why people drink beer. Taste – Beer is an acquired taste. I doubt there are many people who admit that the very first beer they ever tried in life tasted very good. But those who kept trying beer grew accustomed to how it smelled, felt in the mouth and tingled the tongue. Once your taste buds lose their training wheels a whole new world of flavors are opened up to you. Buzz – Let’s face it, alcohol is a big reason why many people drink beer. It provides mind altering capabilities that offer some people enjoyment, others a distraction, and still for others nothing more than problems. Getting a beer buzz is an attraction for many as well as a regrettable side affect. Everyone has different limits, so get to know just how much beer is enough to get your buzz on. Social – Sharing a beer with friends or acquaintances is one way of sparking conversation and just being, well, sociable. It becomes a common bond between partakers. Not only does it loosen the tongue a bit, but also causes some to open up a bit. Identity – It’s funny how some people find a beer they like and stick to it. For some, it becomes part of their identity. Brand loyalty is hard to break for some. The beers you started drinking when you were a young adult often become the beverage of choice later in life. Many beer drinkers will try other beers for a new experience and find a new brand to identify themselves with. The type of beer you drink may say something about you that you didn’t realize. Variety – Beer comes in over 100 different styles and in thousands of different brands. No one beer brand is identical to the next. You could spend your entire life trying to sample all of the beers that are available in the world and still not be able to try them all. Very few beverages can claim this kind of variety. Health – This could be an entire subject in of itself. There must be dozens of reasons why beer is healthy for you. Taken in moderation, beer: †¢ is good for your liver. It expands the blood vessels and helps speed up metabolism. †¢ can help lower your risk of heart attacks and stroke. †¢ prevents cholesterol from oxidizing. Some hop compounds prevent LDL from oxidizing and clogging arteries. †¢ boosts vitamin B5, B12, folate and other valuable mineral levels. Unfiltered beers have more of this benefit. †¢ may help in combating cancer. The compounds in some hops are showing promise for preventing certain types of cancer. (Bingham report 1998) †¢ helps ensure healthy bones. Bone improving nutrients are leached from the brewing process in a form that is readily accessible to the body. †¢ helps you relax and sleep more easily. Two vitamins, lactoflavin and nicotinic acid are present in many beers and helps to promote sleep. Beer is also a natural sedative. †¢ Contains antioxidants that can help slow the aging process. †¢ Contains fiber. A liter of beer can have up to 60% of your daily recommended fiber. †¢ Helps fend off gallstones and kidney stones. Peer Pressure – One of the sad reasons why many drink beer. The pressure to conform and fit in with others is a constant issue. Many people, especially teens, drink beer just because their friends are doing it. For others, drinking beer is a right of passage in life. Heritage – Breweries have been part of communities for generations and generations. Many communities in ancient and modern society rally around their local brewpubs and breweries throughout the world. Beer was one of the many bounties of a year long harvest. Locally made beers garner more loyalty. Colorado – we live in one of state’s that produces the most amount of beer in the nation. With nearly 100 different breweries and brewpubs, the availability of hundreds of quality craft beers simply can’t be ignored. Colorado is a travel destination for many of the world’s beer drinkers. Even one of the biggest beer festivals in the world, the Great American Beer Festival, is held here each year in October. Food – Beer makes the perfect compliment for lots of different kinds of food. Pairing food and beer is becoming quite popular, just as it has been for wine. There are beers that go well with just about every type of food, from meats, appetizers (cheeses, breads, snacks) and desserts.

COP 3530, Discrete Data Structures and Algorithms, Summer 1999, Homework 3 :: UFL Florida Computer Programming Homework

Class Notes: Data Structures and Algorithms Summer-C Semester 1999 - M WRF 2nd Period CSE/E119, Section 7344 Homework #3 -- Due Thu 10 June 1999 : 09.30am This is the key for Homework #3. Answers are in blue typeface. * Question 1. Given an 8-element sequence S = (3, -10, 4, -3, 8, 6, 5, 1), diagram the merge-sort tree (architecture) for the divide, sort, and conquer phases of the merge-sort algorithm, as we did in class. Label each level (e.g., L1, L2, etc.), as you will need this information in Question 2. Do not write code for merge-sort. Answer: Level 1 (3, -10, 4, -3, 8, 6, 5, 1) / Level 2 (3, -10, 4, -3) ( 8, 6, 5, 1) / / Level 3 (3, -10) (4, -3) (8, 6) (5, 1) X X X X

Should Drinking Age Be Increased to 21

Should drinking age be increased to 21. It is no secret, that people drink alcohol before they turn 21. Stories about drinking on college campuses and high school parties are very easy to find. That is why underage drinking can be stopped if the law were changed. The major reason that people drink at an early age is because they feel it is fun and exciting to do something they are not supposed to. However, if it would be lowered to 18, then the trill of doing something illegal would vanish. Besides that, 18 is the age of adulthood in the United States, and adults should have the right to make their own decisions about alcohol consumption.What is also very important, that other countries had demonstrated that young people, who are allowed to drink at the age of 18, don’t go wild. Although the legal alcohol purchase age is 21, a majority of college students under this age consume alcohol in an irresponsible manner. This is because drinking by these youth is seen as enticing â₠¬Å"forbidden fruit†, a â€Å"badge of rebellion against authority† and a symbol of adulthood. According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism the major argument for lowering the drinking age is that prohibitions have always provoked over – indulgence.Those of us who have attended college over the last 25 years can certainly attest to the fact that the law has done nothing to diminish freshman and sophomore access to alcohol. It has only pushed underage consumption underground. The statistics show that many underage people drive home after a night of drinking in order to hide it from their parents. If the drinking age were lowered, young adults would feel less pressure to notify their parents that they have been drinking. Ultimately, the greatest threat to people’s safety comes, when young adults drive home under the influence.In addition, we say that 18 year olds are adult enough to kill and die in the armed forces, change the course of a n ation in the voting both, judge other adults on a jury, be prosecuted as an adult, enter into binding contracts, operate automobiles and heavy machinery, smoke tobacco, own and operate a business, have a bank account and credit card, own a house, be married and have a family of their own. As a Froma Harrop, nationally syndicated columnist wrote in her Feb. 9, 2010 article â€Å"Age Discrimination for the Young† â€Å"Being adult who cannot have a beer is highly, absurdly inconsistent. â€Å" According o her, in our imperfect world, the law has to draw lines, however arbitrary. But laws that only appear to address a problem by burdening young people aren’t wise, and they aren’t fair. For the past 20 years, the U. S. has maintained a Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21, while in most other countries is 18, and in U. K. is as low as 16 in restaurants. According to John Cloud, writer for Time Magazine, all those countries with drinking age under 21 tend to have fewer alcohol – related problems, than we do in the U. S. In those countries, people learn how to drink from an early age and do so in the safe and supporting environment of the home.Alcohol statistics say that teens coming from homes that had no alcohol and were not taught how to drink responsibly had more issues with alcohol. The behavior in these teens was less risky if parents allowed them to drink at home. In today’s world alcohol is and always going to be a problem no matter what age we are. However, there is no evidence of massive brain impairment, alcohol dependency, or underage alcohol abuse, which the experts tell us, will be the inevitable result of lowering the drinking age in the United States.By lowering drinking age, young adults would be allowed to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs and official school and university functions. In these situations responsible drinking could be taught through role modeling and educational prog rams. Mature and sensible drinking behavior would be expected. If the drinking age was lowered, it will help kids realize how important alcohol is, and how mature we must become when we are under the influence of alcohol.

A World Lit Only by Fire: the Medieval Mind and the Renaissance

In the first section of William Manchester’s A World Lit Only By Fire, we are taken into a world that is vastly different from our own, and we see a kind of attitude which is rarely seen today. Manchester stresses the fact that the peasants in the Dark Ages had no knowledge of what was happening in the rest of the world. In our age of twenty-four-hour news networks and instantaneous access to information from across the globe through the internet, it is hard to fathom that if we were still living in the Dark Ages most of us would be completely oblivious to the activities of the rest of the world outside of our small village.Manchester also points out that the common people in the Dark Ages had no conception of time. Most would not have known what century it was, let alone the specific date. For most peasants, time passed in a cycle of seasons, and they only needed to know the days of the week in order to know when it was the Sabbath. This is in stark contrast to the life of a modern man. We can know time down to the second. And we need to know time with greater precision. While the peasants of the Dark Ages needed only to recognize the passing of the seasons and when the Sabbath was, modern man often needs to know the time of day precisely.We are constantly on a schedule. School and work starts at a certain time, and we must be there on time. Another fascinating difference which Manchester points out is the fact that most of the peasants did not have surnames and were either referred to by their first name alone, or by a nickname. I found this very strange. Manchester does a good job of showing the differences between the modern mind and the medieval mind. Being aware of these differences allows the reader to appreciate the huge impact that the Renaissance had on Europe.Now in the next section of A World Lit Only by Fire, entitled â€Å"The Shattering,† Manchester shows us several events that â€Å"shattered† beliefs during the Renaissance. Most of these had something to do with the Church at the time because religion was one of the most important parts of Medieval and Renaissance life. The first event that shattered beliefs and changed life did not immediately cause a revolution but had a long-lasting impact on the future of Christianity. That event was the dissemination of the works of Erasmus.With his constant criticism of the Church and his calls for papal reform, he proved that one could criticize the church without being a radical revolutionary, for Erasmus was a devout Catholic. Before Erasmus, few had dared to criticize the Roman Church and those who did were not taken seriously. However, with his satires, Erasmus appealed to all classes of people and gave the people the encouragement to call for reform and criticize the Church. This may have influenced Martin Luther, even though he disliked Erasmus’ work, to nail his 95 Theses to the Castle Church door at Wittenberg.The fact that Erasmus was widely pop ular also contributed to the change in the thinking that anyone who criticized the church would be damned to hell. Even though Erasmus didn’t do anything as revolutionary as Martin Luther, his brilliant satires were able to change the mindset of Europeans and may have enabled, against his own wishes, the Protestant Reformation. The next event discussed by Manchester is the Reformation itself. Sparked by Martin Luther’s outrage at the sale of indulgences, this is the event that split Christianity in half.Those loyal to the existing Christian Church headed by the Pope became known as Roman Catholics, and those who were not loyal to that Church formed different Protestant Churches. Before the Reformation there was one authoritative representative of the word of God; i. e. , the Pope. Most Christian literature was in Latin, but since Latin was essentially a dead language, most people could not read or understand it, and this helped the Church maintain control of Christians of the age. Within this system, freedom of religious thought was extremely limited.Saying anything that contradicted the pope could get you labeled as a heretic and sentenced to jail, or even death. After the Reformation, several different Churches formed and as they formed, they warred with each other. The pope was no longer the supreme head of Christianity as he had been before the Reformation. Bibles where published in living languages. All kinds of opinions were published in pamphlets. One undesirable consequence of the Reformation was the different sects fighting with each other.Each different sect believed it represented the one true religion. Fighting between sects became common. Fighting between Catholics and Protestants was rife. Protestants burned Roman Catholic churches, smashing mosaics and statues, and even killing innocent women and clergy. The Roman Church started its notorious Inquisition, which was especially violent in Spain. Before the Reformation there was only one Christian Church so religious violence in Europe was rare, but after the Reformation religious violence and persecution became commonplace.The Reformation was a major turning point in the history of Christianity. Without it, America today would be a different country, since many settlers in early America came to escape religious persecution. Manchester’s section on the Reformation is therefore perhaps the most important section in the book. In the last section of A World Lit Only by Fire, entitled â€Å"One Man Alone,† Manchester writes about Ferdinand Magellan and his circumnavigation of the globe.In this section, Manchester takes time to go into extremely fine detail about Magellan’s voyage in order to explain what type of man Magellan was, and, more importantly, to show how big the odds were against his actually finishing his voyage. Manchester seems to idolize Magellan, in part because Magellan wasn’t seeking fame or wealth, but instead simply had a dream and was determined to make it a reality, something that I think most people can respect.

How To Turn Spanish Adjectives Into Adverbs

How To Turn Spanish Adjectives Into Adverbs In English, it is common to create an adverb by adding the suffix -ly to the end of an adjective. In Spanish, we can do something almost as easy- create an adverb by adding the suffix -mente to a certain form of the adjective. How to Use -Mente The -mente is added to the singular feminine form of the adjective. For example, the singular feminine form of ruidoso (noisy) is ruidosa, so the adverb form is ruidosamente (noisily). The adjectives with separate masculine and feminine forms are those whose dictionary listings end in -o, such as quieto (quiet). To create the corresponding adverb, change the ending to -a, in this case quieta, and then add -mente. Thus the corresponding adverb for quieto is quietamente (quietly). Since many adjectives have no separate masculine or feminine forms, the suffix is often simply added to the singular. So the adjective triste (sad) can be turned into the adverb tristemente, and feliz (happy) can easily be turned into felizmente (happily). Examples of Adjectives With Corresponding Adverbs Here are some of the most common Spanish adjectives that have corresponding -mente adverbs along with possible translations. Note that in a few cases the meanings of the Spanish adverbs are different than what you might expect simply from adding -ly to the English equivalent adjective. abierto (open), abiertamente (openly, obviously)aburrido (boring), aburridamente (in a boring manner)alto (tall, high), altamente (highly)cansado (tired), cansadamente (wearily, tediously)comà ºn (common), comà ºnmente (commonly, normally)dà ©bil (weak), dà ©bilmente (weakly)dulce (sweet, kind), dulcemente (sweetly, gently)equivocado (mistaken), equivocadamente (mistakenly)feo (ugly, dreary), feamente (horribly, badly)grande (large, great), grandemente (extremely, greatly; largely can often be translated using en gran parte or principalmente)inteligente (intelligent), inteligentemente (intelligently)justo (fair, just, exact), justamente (fairly, justly, exactly)lento (slowly), lentamente (slowly)limpio (clean), limpiamente (cleanly, with integrity or honesty)lindo (pretty, beautiful), lindamente (beautifully, elegantly)llana (flat, level, unpretentious, modest), llanamente (plainly, frankly, straightforwardly)loco (crazy), locamente (with lack of prudence or moderation)nuevo (new ), nuevamente (anew, again; a common way of saying newly is recientemente) pobre (poor), pobremente (poorly)rpido (quick, fast), rpidamente (quickly, rapidly)repugnante (repugnant), repugnantemente (repugnantly)raro (rare), raramente (rarely)rico (rich), ricamente (richly, very well, abundantly)sano (healthy), sanamente (healthily, healthfully)seco (dry), secamente  (coldly when referring to behavior; curtly)simple (simple, easy), simplemente (simply, straightforwardly)sucio (dirty), suciamente (in a dirty or filthy way, meanly)tonto (stupid, foolish), tontamente (stupidly, foolishly)tranquilo (quiet, calm), tranquilamente (quietly, calmly) Avoiding Overuse of -Mente Adverbs Even though a -mente adverb may exist doesnt always mean its the only or even the preferred way of expressing something. First, in Spanish, more so than English, it is common to use an adverbial phrase even though a single-word adverb may exist. For example, while baratamente can be used to indicate that something was bought or made cheaply, it is more common to say a precio bajo (at a low cost) or even de forma barata (in a cheap way). Second, there are a few adjectives that are often used as adverbs even though separate adverbial forms exist. Among the more common are rpido and lento, which can mean not just fast and slow, respectively, but also rapidly and slowly. Spelling and Pronunciation of -Mente Adverbs As in the above examples of dà ©bil and rpido, if an adjective has an accent mark, the corresponding -mente adverb retains the accent mark, even though the spoken emphasis likely will be on the next-to-last syllable. Adverbs in a Series When two or more s: Habla lenta y claramente. (She speaks slowly and clearly.)Anda cuidada, dolorosa y pacientemente. (He walks carefully, painfully and patiently.)Creo que ests equivocado: triste, absoluta y totalmente equivocado. (I think youre mistaken - sadly, absolutely and totally mistaken.)

What to See at the 10 Best London Museums

What to See at the 10 Best London Museums SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips London has many attractions, but almost all visitors to the city will carve out time for its world-class museums. Many of London’s museums, spanning history, art, science, and more, contain some of the largest collections in their field, as well as many historical and priceless pieces. Other museums are smaller and more intimate, showing individual stories of Londoners through the ages. This guide explores the ten best museums in London. It’s organized into history museums, art museums, as well as off-the-beaten-track museums. In addition to describing the museum’s collections and standout pieces, the descriptions include each museum’s hours, costs (most of the museums on this list are free!), and the closest tube station to help you get around. London truly has a museum for all types, and this list contains museums that will appeal to history buffs, art aficionados, science geeks, garden lovers, and more. The Best London History Museums London has one of the richest histories of any city. The collections of these museums span prehistory to the modern age, and they showcase artifacts from London, the whole of the United Kingdom, and places, past and present, around the world. Entrance to the Natural History Museum The British Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-5:30PM and until 8:30PM on Fridays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Tottenham Court Road and Holborn If you can only visit one museum in London, make it the British Museum, the most visited museum in the city and one of the world’s great museums. With roughly 8 million pieces, the British Museum’s massive collection includes works from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, and the Americas. The British Museum specializes in ancient history and has some of the world’s most extensive collections from ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Assyria, and Mesopotamia. Two of the museum’s most famous pieces are from their ancient history collections. The first is the Rosetta Stone, used to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic language, a huge moment in the historical world. The second is the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles because they were brought from Greece by the Earl of Elgin. These marbles once adorned buildings on Athen’s Acropolis such as the Parthenon, and there is a longstanding debate on whether they should be returned to Greece. Despite the controversy, the huge marble friezes, adorned with classical Greek sculptures, are beautiful to see. This large museum spans three floors and contains nearly 100 galleries. There are maps inside, but it can be helpful, especially if you’re short on time, to review floor plans of the museum so you know where to go and what to see once you arrive. The British Museum was established in 1753, and in many ways it’s an old-school museum. There are not many interactive exhibits, and most pieces are exhibited in standard glass cases with labels describing their history and importance. This can cause children and non-museum people to get bored after awhile. However, many of the museum’s pieces are so historically important and beautiful to see that every visitor to London should at least stop by for an hour or so to marvel at pieces from all over the world. Additionally, entrance to the museum is free, although some temporary British Museum exhibitions do charge a fee; you can book tickets for these online. Also, the British Museum’s hours are extended on Fridays if you’re looking for something to do in the evening. If you’d like help navigating the museum, there are regular tours held throughout the day focusing on different parts of the collection. Some of these tours are free while others you have to pay for and book online ahead of time. The British Museum’s website has information on all tour times and prices. Museum of London Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Barbican and St. Paul’s For those who want their museum to have a narrower focus, the Museum of London does an excellent job of chronicling the history of the city from the prehistoric age to modern day. The museum has a large collection, with over 6 million objects, but because it only focuses on the history of London, as opposed to the history of many world regions, it can feel more straightforward and less overwhelming to visit. There is only one route through the galleries which take you in chronological order through London's history. The exhibitions start with prehistoric London and include part of a 200,000-year-old mammoth jaw, a 6,000-year-old axehead made from jadeite, and an Iron Age chariot decorated with intricate Celtic-style designs. The galleries then continue through the history of London, covering the Roman era, Medieval London, the Black Plague, the Great Fire of London, the Victorian era, the Industrial Age, modern London, and more. Each gallery contains numerous artifacts from the time period it covers. In fact, the Museum of London contains the world’s largest urban history collection. Some highlights of the museum include a large collection of Medieval jewelry, the death mask of Oliver Cromwell, and the Lord Mayor’s State Coach from the 18th century. The Museum of London is highly interactive with quizzes, touchscreens, props to try on, and recreations of Victorian streets and pleasure gardens that visitors can walk through. Appropriately, the museum is located within one of the oldest parts of the city, a few blocks from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The building (which has plans to move within the next few years) is flanked by the remains of a Roman wall, so you’ll be looking at historical objects before you even set foot in the door. Imperial War Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Waterloo and Elephant Castle Spanning the start of World War I to present day, London’s Imperial War Museum puts a human face on the impacts of war and armed conflicts. Though the museum now has exhibits on all modern armed conflicts Britain and the Commonwealth have been involved in, it originally only covered World War I, and this period is still a major focus of the museum. When you enter the museum, you’ll be greeted by multiple large military artifacts, including tanks, guns, and aircraft hanging from the ceiling. The most extensive galleries in the museum, on the first and second floors, cover World War I and World War II. To show the effect war had on individuals and to make its impact more personal and relatable, the museum presents stories and artifacts from individual people instead of focusing primarily on strings of numbers or lists of battles. Individual stories from both the front lines and the home front are included. The collection includes letters written to and by soldiers, trench art, souvenirs brought home from battles, and historical photographs, as well as large collections of badges, weapons, and uniforms. Highlights include a rifle owned by Lawrence of Arabia, a pistol of Winston Churchill’s, and a Union Flag recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Towers. As you move to the upper floors, the tone gets noticeably darker. Galleries cover atrocities of the Holocaust, the history of antisemitism in Europe, and modern warfare and ethnic violence. This is not a museum for children (the Holocaust exhibition is restricted to visitors ages 14 and older), nor is it a museum for people looking for a light and cheery way to spend an afternoon. However, the Imperial War Museum does an extremely moving job of covering some of the most important periods in world history. Natural History Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-5:30PM Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Station: South Kensington It’s famous for its dinosaurs, but the Natural History Museum covers nearly the entire breadth of the world of science. It has over 70 million specimens organized into five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology, and zoology. The Natural History Museum is one of the most eminent science museums in the world, and its collections include specimens collected by Charles Darwin, exhibitions of dinosaur fossils, and a life-size model of a blue whale. Within the museum’s 36 galleries, visitors can view thousands of specimens, learn about the human body, study geologic forces that shape the Earth, and marvel at dinosaur fossils and full-size models. The Darwin Centre Cocoon, where guests can watch scientists at work in the labs, is also a popular spot to visit. The museum is housed in a large, ornate building dating back to the mid-1800s; some visitors simply drop by to marvel at the architecture. With such an expansive collection spanning several centuries, the Natural History Museum can provide a bit of an inconsistent experience. Some of the older exhibits, like some of the taxidermy and animal models, have a slightly dated look. Newer exhibits, particularly those on dinosaurs, human biology, and volcanoes and earthquakes, are much more modern and interactive. In general, though, the Natural History Museum is a favorite among visitors to London. If you’re tired of reading labels, it’s easy to simply walk through the galleries and admire the specimens. Kids in particular are always impressed by the large models of animals that are a standout attraction at the museum. The Best London Art Museums London's museums are a mecca for art lovers. These three art museums each have some of the largest and most prestigious art collections in the world. From traditional galleries lined with paintings to avant-garde fashion exhibitions, these museums have it all. Ophelia by John Everett Millais, on display in the Tate Modern The National Gallery in London Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM and until 9PM on Fridays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Charing Cross and Leicester Square Housed in a large Classical building that dominates Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery of London is the city’s most-visited art museum. The museum displays over 2,300 Western European paintings dating from the 1200s to 1900. The collection includes masterpieces from numerous periods including the late Medieval period, Renaissance Italy, and French Impressionism. Museum highlights include Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, The Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci, and The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck. There are also pieces by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Goya, Monet, and Renoir, among many others. The National Gallery follows standard art museum conventions: priceless paintings displayed attractively in different galleries without a lot of extra frills. Art enthusiasts will love the variety and quality of the works displayed and could happily spend a week viewing the collection, and even people not normally interested in art should stop by to check out the highlights. This museum contains London’s (and one of the world’s) most prestigious collections of art. However, if the thought of spending hours looking at centuries-old paintings doesn’t inspire much excitement, you may want to keep your visit short and move onto other activities after you’ve viewed the most important pieces. The National Gallery also hosts regular lectures, holiday events, and concerts, as well as guided tours (most of these charge an admission fee). Victoria and Albert Museum Hours: Open daily from 10AM-5:45PM and until 10PM on Fridays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Station: South Kensington If the National Gallery represents the apex of what a traditional art gallery can achieve, the newly refurbished Victoria and Albert Museum (the VA) is a much more modern take on an art museum. The VA is dedicated to decorative arts and design, and its collection spans seven floors and 150 galleries. Works include paintings, photographs, textiles, jewelry, architecture, ceramics, and glass. The museum includes pieces spanning 3,000 years and multiple continents. There’s a huge breadth of pieces here, and you may find yourself wandering past Japanese suits of armor, 16th-century Persian rugs, gilded German writing cabinets, newly created glass pieces commemorating the British Antarctic expedition, and a collection of over 2,000 miniature paintings, to name a few. The VA is a great museum to visit if you’re not interested in the traditional oil painting-filled art galleries. Its diverse collection means each gallery has something different, and the museum’s extensive renovations have given it a clean, modern look. In addition to the works in the galleries, other pieces of interest include a massive glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the entrance and a courtyard with a fountain and wading pool. If you have an entire day (or week) to spend at the museum, you may be content to wander the galleries and see what you discover, but many visitors may want to scan an overview of the museum’s collections beforehand so they know what they want to see when they arrive. Tate Modern Hours: Open daily from 10AM-6PM and until 10PM on Fridays and Saturdays Cost: Free (Some temporary exhibitions charge a fee) Closest Tube Stations: Southwark and Blackfriars The Tate Modern is London’s standout gallery for modern and contemporary art. Situated along the bank of the Thames, the Tate Modern picks up where the National Gallery leaves off, showcasing works of art from 1900 to the present day. Unlike the National Gallery; however, the Tate Modern doesn’t only contain paintings. There are also photographs, sculptures, videos, mixed media, and architectural pieces. Some of the most popular pieces include a looming spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, Ophelia, a painting by Sir John Everett Millais, and works by Henri Matisse, Andy Warhol, and Georgia O’Keefe. The museum is housed in a former power station, and the building retains much of its original industrial feel. In stark contrast to the Classical buildings of many other London museums, in the Tate Modern visitors will make their way past massive former oil tanks and a soaring turbine hall. While admission to the permanent galleries of the museum is free, the Tate Modern also has frequent temporary exhibitions and performances which do require an admission fee. Visitors who aren’t particularly fond of modern art may find some of the Tate’s pieces confusing or boring. However, come with an open mind and this is one of the best museums in the world to get a taste of the breadth and quality of what modern and contemporary art can offer. You may leave a newly-converted modern art lover. Best Off-the-Beaten-Track Museums in London These are less-known, typically small museums that provide a very different experience than the most famous London museums. They generally focus on how individuals lived in London and, unlike the above museums, some of them charge admission fees. The entrance to the Geffrye Museum Leighton House Museum and Art Gallery Hours: Open Wednesday-Monday from 10AM-5:30PM. Closed Tuesdays Cost:  £7 for adults,  £5 for concessions (discounts) Closest Tube Stations: High Street Kensington and Kensington (Olympia) It’ll be hard to get an audience with the queen while you’re in London, but anyone can get a glimpse of one of the city’s most opulent interiors if they visit Leighton House. The building was once of the home and studio of Victorian artist Lord Frederic Leighton, who filled the house with his own pieces and works of art he gathered during his travels. Though it looks fairly ordinary from the outside, the interior of the house is so sumptuous it’s like walking around a jewelry box. While there are Victorian elements such as gilded and carved columns, antique wooden furniture, and marble work, the highlight of the house is its bold Middle Eastern decorative style. The house’s showpiece is the Arab Hall, a two-story extension decorated with glittering Middle Eastern tiles collected by Leighton. The house also contains stained-glass windows, an extensive collection of paintings and sculptures, elaborate paintwork, a gilt-painted dome, and, to top it all off, a fountain in the middle of the house. If you’re tired of seeing art displayed individually in plain glass cases, this is a great museum to see how one of London’s elite incorporated works of art into his home. Geffrye Museum Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday from 10AM-5PM. Closed Mondays. Cost: Free Closest Tube Stations: Hoxton Station (London Overground) Located in Shoreditch, London, and easily reached by taking the Overground (as opposed to the tube), the Geffrye Museum is housed in a series of attractive 18th-century almshouses. Like the Leighton House, it’s a former home converted into a museum, however; instead of focusing on one man’s expensive tastes, the Geffrye Museum explores the history of typical middle-class homes from 1600 to present day. The rooms go in chronological order so visitors can see how houses have been decorated throughout the centuries. However, the highlight of the museum is outside. The grounds of the museum are surrounded by period gardens that showcase the changes lawns have undergone during the same time period the museum’s rooms cover. There are also herb gardens and walled gardens to see. Scattered throughout the gardens are benches and chairs for visitors to relax in, as well as an onsite cafe. Unlike many museums, the Geffrye Museum doesn’t have a â€Å"must-see† piece. Instead, take in the homey experience the entire museum offers. The gardens are best from April to October and, during this time, the Geffrye Museum is a great place to enjoy a rare sunny day in London and take a break from spending time indoors. Foundling Museum Hours: Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10AM-5PM and Sunday 11am-5PM. Closed Mondays. Cost:  £8.25 for adults,  £5.50 for concessions (discounts) Closest Tube Station: Russell Square For an in-depth look at one of the more unique and poignant sides of London’s history, check out the Foundling Museum. This museum tells the history of the Foundling Hospital, which was founded in 1739 as England’s first hospital for abandoned children. It covers the founding of the museum, the circumstances of mothers who had to abandon their children, how they handing-over process worked (each mother left their infant with a token, such as a button or piece of cloth, to later identify the child if she ever returned), how the children were cared for, and the museum’s current charity work. Visitors to the museum will see record books used to record children who came into the hospital, notes on which mothers were deemed â€Å"acceptable† to leave their children there, schoolbooks and uniforms used by the children, and tokens left behind by children whose mothers never returned. The museum also contains a diverse art collection, with numerous paintings and sculptures lining the rooms and hallways. Most of these were done by 18th-century artists who donated the works themselves to help support the hospital. Visitors can also see the preserved 18th-century interiors from the original hospital, period furniture, and a collection of Handel memorabilia (Handel was a prominent fundraiser for the hospital during his lifetime). Additionally, the museum frequently has temporary exhibitions that show art related to women and children. The Foundling Museum movingly tells the story of one of the less-discussed parts of London’s history, and it’s an excellent place to visit for people interested in learning about both art and history. This is a small museum that can be visited in an hour or two. However, there is a lot of text to read within the rooms if you want to get the complete history of the hospital, so if you’re looking for an easy stroll through exhibits, it may not be the best choice.