Hannah Devlin's article "Let there be light: Germans turn on 'largest artificial sun.'" The title of the article provides the reader an idea of what the article is about since the author has focused on educating people about a project in which engineers have ventured into creating an artificial Sun. This is a project aimed at developing a light source close to the sun but without the negative impacts of global warming. The argument of the author is that if the project becomes successful, carbon-neutral fuels will be produced and this will be critical in minimizing the problem of global warming. This argument is a valid one as the focus of the project aims at such a reality.
The author's main argument is that the project would be able to deliver on the intentions and objectives, which are to produce heat similar to the sun while presenting minimal effects when compared to the sun. This would be achieved through heat that has been generated in the room where the project is being experimented, and which is described as capable of directly burning an individual if they entered the room when the light is switched on (Devlin, 2017). The energy which would be harnessed in the project would be sufficient to produce hydrogen fuel that can be used to power aircraft.
This article was published in a daily publication that would make it circulate to a large number of people, as the intention of the author is to inform the audience. The argument is presented in a simple manner to ensure that it informs the intended audience, which is the general public. The ideas behind the development of the project are complex and the utilization of simple language ensures that the author communicated with the intended audience and delivered the message as desired. The general purpose of the article is informing the audience of the development that has been made through the undertaking of the project to develop "artificial sun."
The argument which is presented in the article, to support the main idea is not strong enough but can meet the fundamental objective of informing the general public on the input of the project. To a professional within the field in which the article might be intended, the argument could be weak and fails to convince individuals that can be considered to be widely knowledgeable on matters relating to the generation of power. The article is, however, informative and the from the information presented, it can be considered effective as it can convince the target audience for the author.
The evidence presented in support of the argument is mainly anecdotal and comes from personal experiences and testimonies. The descriptions of what can be achieved by the project are based on information provided by professionals within the field and hence can be considered sufficient evidence, although it lacks statistical values to support the argument. The pictures included in the article, on the project, form part of the much-needed evidence to enable the audience to understand and know that the descriptions presented in the article are correct.
This evidence is reliable as the main aim of the article is informing the general public of the capabilities of the project and its presence. The author did not need to conduct any research on the topic as this was an informative article seeking to pass information to the general public. With much of the audience being made up of individuals without extensive knowledge in the field, and others not aware of the existence of the project, the evidence presented in the article is sufficient for the material. It can be considered to offer a complete information as desired by the author as there is no need to describe how the project works.
While the article is informative, it is described as the world's largest artificial sun because the technology has been applied in different settings to produce light similar to the sun and which has been mainly utilized to support research activities that require such light (Darula & Kittler, 2015). The current project, however, is different from the previous ones undertaken as this is intended to produce energy like the sun does. Many previous projects which included artificial sun were mainly conducted in laboratories to provide an environment similar to the terrestrial conditions, but in which certain parameters could be modified, for purposes of conducting research.
References
Darula, S., & Kittler, R. (2015). A methodology for designing and calibrating an artificial sky to simulate ISO/CIE sky types with an artificial sun. Leukos, 11(2), 93105. Devlin, H. (2017, March 23). Let there be light: Germans switch on largest artificial sun. The Guardian. London. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/23/worlds-largest-artificial-sun-german-scientists-activate-synlight
