The notion of mental breadth refers to the acceptance of the coexistence of different ideas.
The concept of breadth has several uses. The first meaning mentioned in the dictionary prepared by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the widening, distension or lengthening of something .
Breadth, in this way, can refer to a person's ability to understand, tolerate, accept or value different issues. For example: “We need teachers with greater mental breadth, who are willing to understand the new habits of children” , “The company manager has demonstrated his breadth of judgment when evaluating the different situations of employees” , “ “This man lacks breadth: he does not accept that society has changed in recent years.”
Mental openness
In this context it can be understood as a synonym for open -mindedness , since it refers to the capacity that each person has to accept the coexistence of different concepts or ideas, without some canceling out the others . The examples in the previous paragraph mention the need for this predisposition in the teaching staff, something essential for children to grow up in an environment free of prejudices, which allows them to know themselves and enjoy their differences, instead of suffering because of them. they.
On the other hand, there is closed-mindedness , which can be defined as the impossibility of understanding a concept, either due to prejudice or ignorance. This characteristic of certain people who refuse to open up is also known as obstinacy or obstinacy , and is one of the worst enemies of cultural progress.
Individuals who lack mental breadth reject those they consider different , since they do not understand that they are also different in the eyes of others. The origin of this contempt is usually a very deep fear, probably of being treated in the way that they themselves adopt, and this makes it very contradictory. Thanks to breadth comes change , another of the enemies of closed people, and this gives rise to the growth and evolution of society.
The numerical difference that is recorded between two values is called amplitude.
Amplitude as a numerical difference
The idea of amplitude is also used with respect to a difference that can be registered numerically between two given values : “The local team surpassed Spain by far and qualified for the next round of the tournament,” “Political analysts were surprised by the extent of the defeat of the ruling party in the last elections” , “This region is characterized by thermal amplitude: the days are hot, while at night very low temperatures are recorded” .
It is important to note that the concept of amplitude, when used to indicate the difference between two numerical values , is relative. This is because certain parameters, specific to each field, must be taken into account in order to determine if the resulting number is large.
When studying the temperature changes of a region between the hours of day and night, to continue with one of the previous examples, a difference of 1 degree Celsius cannot be taken as large, but values well above 10 are necessary. to generate a considerable impact. On the other hand, in a calculation in which the minimum is 0 and the maximum is 1, oscillations of 0.8 do speak of amplitude. We must remember that the units of measurement are arbitrary, since they are invented by humans to study natural phenomena.
The notion in physics and electronic communication
In the field of physics , the variation that exists in a magnitude that changes over time is called amplitude. The magnitude can be calculated in an electromagnetic signal or in wave or oscillatory movements.
A technique known as modulated amplitude is a technique that, in electronic communication, consists of transmitting information using a transverse wave whose amplitude varies depending on the data it sends.