Form and Function   Term Paper ID:31055 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: An essay using examples of modern technology to argue in favor of function following ...... More...

3 Pages / 675 Words 1 sources, 2 Citations, MLA Format $12.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: An essay using examples of modern technology to argue in favor of function following form, even though there can be cases when form and function are one. Paper Introduction: Form and FunctionIntroduction The debate about form and function is an ongoing one Some arguethat form follows function others like architect Frank Lloyd Wrightbelieved that form and function are one However in contemporary societythere is ample evidence that function follows form for without anunderstanding of form we cannot derive function Even so there are somecases when form and function are one Body In Leach\'s Rethinking Architecture Umberto Eco provides an exampleof form and function via a story about an elevator While the Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. While someone who never usedan ATM machine might understand it is where to get money from a bank, theymore than likely have no idea how its forms (the bank card, the numbers,the electronic dispensing mechanisms) are the key to this function. In this sense, function must always follow form becausewithout an understanding of the forms that provide function one cannotdiscern the key to function. As such, functionfollows form unless this goal is achieved by form.Conclusion As objects become more complex, like cell phones over conventionaltelephones and computers over typewriters, the forms that hold the key tofunction are met with greater demands to signify function. However, in contemporary societythere is ample evidence that function follows form, for without anunderstanding of form, we cannot derive function. London: Routledge, 1997. As such, form and function are basically one in theexample of a modern ATM Machine, because the forms of the ATM Machineadequately convey function. As Eco maintains, "...the primitive, even if he can guess thefunction, does not know that these forms are the 'key' to the function"(Leach, p. Form and FunctionIntroduction The debate about form and function is an ongoing one. One could not say the same thingabout the forms and functions of a computer. Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory. As such, we see that unlessthe forms of a function are able to achieve the goal discussed by Eco, thenfunction follows form. While the designer ofthe elevator completely understood the forms of the elevator, the up anddown buttons, the floor numbers, the emergency buttons, etc., Eco maintainsthat a primitive soul without knowledge of an elevator would be hardpressed to understand its function because of a lack of understanding ofits forms. One might beable to deduce how to type a page of text faced with a conventionaltypewriter and paper, because the forms of the typewriter denote theactions to assume to utilize function. 186). For example, at the card swiping lane there is apicture of a card to show the correct position to swipe it and an arrowshowing which direction to swipe it. Therefore, modern technology isan excellent example that argues in favor of function following form inmost cases. Form and function can at times be one, despite needing anunderstanding of form to fully realize function. Eco also addresses this phenomenon in hisessay on form and function: The principle that form follows function might be restated: the form of the object must, besides making the function possible, denote that function clearly enough to make it practical as well as desirable, clearly enough to dispose one to the actions through which it would be fulfilled (Leach, p. Some arguethat form follows function, others, like architect Frank Lloyd Wrightbelieved that form and function are one. Yetmodern ATM machines have forms that are successful in conveying whatfunction they underlie. Once this is done, the screen lightsup with forms in a series of questions. One example of how thisis possible is the example of an ATM Machine. 186).Even so, such a process is determined by a previous codification thatwithout which form cannot achieve this objective. Even so, there are somecases when form and function are one.Body In Leach's Rethinking Architecture, Umberto Eco provides an exampleof form and function via a story about an elevator. For example, they would have no idea how satellites, digitaltechnologies, or mobile technologies provide the cell phone's function.Nor would they understand the forms of the cell phone itself that permitits function, from the use of its buttons and text messaging to its abilityto take a photograph or download a song. However, these questions havearrows that point to the appropriate button if this is the choice onewishes to make. While someone whodied during the era of telegraph communications may guess that our moderncell phones have the function of letting us speak to someone else, theywould never understand the forms that hold the key to the cell phone'sfunction. We see numerous examples of function following form in contemporarysociety with its plethora of new electronics devices. Works CitedLeach, Neil, (Ed.). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

Many of our Papers can be Downloaded From This Site!

PLEASE READ THIS, IT IS IMPORTANT!

Office hours are Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm (PST). You may place orders for custom research over the phone during office hours. E-mail requests can be made to our graduate and undergraduate department any time, and will be reviewed during office hours. You may also contact customer service any time through e-mail, and we will review your message during business hours. A great many papers can be downloaded right from this site, but not all of them. If you would like to know if a particular paper is downloadable, just look in the description for: "Available for Internet Download: Y" or "Available for Internet Download: N" If you wish to purchase a paper which is NOT available for immediate download, you will need to make other shipping arrangements. Also, please be aware that these orders are processed Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm (PST). If you place your order after 4:45pm on Friday, it will not be processed until the following Monday morning. We charge $8 per page for all of our pre-written reports, plus shipping (and tax for California residents). However, the highest cost of any ONE report is $136, or 17 pages. Please, take a moment. Make sure you have chosen the report you want or need BEFORE you complete your order. If you are not sure, allow us to help you. We do not offer refunds or exchanges, so it is important for you to let us answer your questions during office hours. Reports which are e-mailed or downloaded are in Microsoft Word format. We are making more reports available for e-mail delivery faster than we can update our listings. Please call to check on the status of particular reports. There are many other shipping options which are listed on the Checkout page.