Thursday, December 4, 2014

Math Blog #3

Before the Experiments
The day of the Bungee Jumping experiments was finally here. My group and I were nervous, yet we were confident about our equations. We first began class when Ms. Ange told us each to tell our equations and how we got it. Every group except us, had about the same numbers and the same structure of equation. When we came to our equation, which was not only in inches, but different than the others, everyone was curious to find out how we came to these conclusions. Our first equation was  RB = ((h - 12) / 8) -2. We got this by pure logic. H represented the height of wherever we were going to throw it off. The number 12 was how tall our barbie was, and we subtracted that by the height. We then divided it by 8, the amount the rubber bands stretched, and subtracted that all by two. We subtracted it all by two because after multiple experiments we noticed that out rubber band wrapped around our barbie's leg wasn't tight (we always wrapped it 6 times around), so a part of it stretched too. Therefore we came to our random equation, that was actually reliable. Our second equation was y = .11x - 2.3.  We got this as everyone else did - we found a slope, found two points, then created an equation. Ours was different then others, because as I said before, ours was in inches rather than in centimeters. Furthermore, Ms. Ange was curious to know how we had two equations that weren't equal to each other. We weren't sure how to explain this, but all we knew was that every time we plugged a number into each of the equations, it would come out with the approximately the same answer. I say approximately because when we plug a number in, the answer isn't usually a whole number. It has many decimals, and when we plug a number into both of these equations, the decimals are slightly different. But this is okay because whether we round up or down (because we cant have .25 of a rubber band) it comes up to the same whole number.


Experiment #1
Afterwards we began conducting the experiments. We first went down to the lower school near the playground. The height was fairly small, which didn't seem very difficult. The total height was 104 inches. We then plugged it into both of our equations and came up with our final rubber band amount - 9 rubber bands. We were the first to volunteer, so everyone's eyes were on us. Will and I have always been pushing and holding the Barbie, so we were the ones up on the ledge while Lauren was recording. We pushed our Barbie off, and it didn't hit the ground, in fact it was very close to it. Furthermore, we tried it a second time, because we had the time, and the Barbie came even closer to the ground which was great. Other groups went, and succeeded as well, and all I could think about was how amazing this was. We all came up with such different equations yet we all got the same amount of rubber bands.
Attempt #2

Attempt #1


Experiment #2
We then continued to our next height which was near the lower school as well. It was off the third story. Everyone seemed to be nervous for this one because it was such a high height. The total height was 224.5 inches. We then plugged it into our equation and we were very surprised. Both of our equations had different answers. For example, for one of our equations the solution was about 26 rubber bands, while the other one came to about 22-23. We didn't know what to do at first, but we decided to go with the 22 rubber bands because it was better to be safe than sorry. We went up first, again, and stood on the ledge hoping that it will work. We dropped the barbie off the balcony and it did not hit. Unfortunately our first try was a bit far from the ground, so Will and I wanted to try something different - we wanted to throw the Barbie. On the second time Will tossed the barbie down, and we were informed that it was very close to the ground. We were very surprised by this turn, and we were very happy. Because of our equations, we were still surprised though. We came up with the solution that our first equation that we came up with was only useful with small heights. This is because when we were testing it out, we only tested with smaller heights - we never exceeded 15 feet.
Attempt #2
Attempt #1








Experiment #3
We then went onto our 3rd place, since we still had time. This was located up in the art center where we would throw the barbie off to the floor below. This was definitely much higher than anything we did before, but we weren't scared. We knew that we could do it. The total height was 324 inches. We plugged it into our equation, but this time only in the second one. We then added the amount of rubber bands which was about 33. We went third this time, as we eagerly ran up the stairs. Me, being afraid of heights, was shaking while holding the rubber bands when Will was about to drop it; I was so terrified of looking down. Will then dropped our Barbie and it was very close to the ground. We were really happy about this, and then we tried it a second time. We then slightly tossed it off again and it once again almost hit the floor, but not quite.



Attempt #1
Attempt #2

Conclusion
We were overall really happy with our project. I think that we had a lot of problems within our group but in the end we worked together to make this project fun and a learning experience. If I were to work on this project again I would definitely put more work into it, because I know that would've really helped our group a lot more. I would definitely take it more seriously, because it wasn't a good feeling to leave it until the day before the experiments. Furthermore, I think the one thing that didn't work with our group was that we didn't come up with an exact plan. While everyone was out experimenting, we were inside looking for exact measurements, which didn't help us in the end. What did help us was finding the amount of rubber bands for higher places. In the future, I would definitely want to do this project again because I thought it was really fun and suspenseful.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Math Blog Post


This Class
Today, we worked on finalizing our equation and testing higher heights. In the beginning of the class we worked on at what point the third rubber band would hit. We stacked more books on top of where the rubber band #2 hit (Book 7) and used a trial and error method. We came up with a conclusion then established an equation for it. Our equation may not be fully correct but it's still something. Our equation was RB = (h - 12) / 8 then all of that subtracted by two. We then went outside and tested heights that were much larger than a couple of books on a desk. We tested out our equation, but then we realized that we missed a component so we added to the equation (the minus two) . Furthermore, we tried only two heights yet with the new equation it worked fine, though we still need to finalize.

Our Big Find
The equation that we established as the final equation was a large finding for us. It worked really well, and we are proud of it. Though we do need to test it a few more times, it is allowing the barbie to reach very close to the ground without touching it which is great.

Our problem
I think this class we didn't work as efficiently as we could've. All the other groups were working hard and going outside while we were still in the same position as the last class, which isn't good. The overall group dynamic of our groups isn't working, which is strange because each of us are friends. I think because we aren't ready, therefore I will stay after school on Tuesday to finalize our project, and hopefully it will work better. 

Next Class
Regarding next class, I am very nervous. I don't believe my group is ready to do such a large task, especially since it is a summative assessment. As I said before I will stay after school to fix it and finalize it. I do believe over the days that we worked on this project, if we worked better we wouldn't have been in this situation, but you cannot go back in time. You have to move and try to do the best you can.


This is a trial we did in the classroom.
UPDATE - After School Lauren, Will, and I stayed after school because we felt as if we were very behind on our project. We got our barbie and many rubber bands and went to Mr. Oksness's class since he had tape measurers. When we got there we didn't find him, but we found another group that had a tape measure. While we were waiting, Lauren was problem solving different ways of coming up with an equation, while making a data table. During Lauren was doing this, Will and I were testing out our previous equation with different heights in the classroom. Each time (we did about 3 trials), the older equation would work. Lauren then found a new pattern through her work and developed the idea to make a new equation. We tried it many times but the answer would change every time we added a new number. We were only using two of the trials we did, when we should've plugged in more. It was definitely an unreliable equation that we would never use. We talked to other people from other groups, and they said they found their equation by creating a linear function. We then added more of our trials into a graphing calculator, and came to an equation. At first, we thought it wouldn't work but after trying it multiple times it worked perfectly. The new equation was y = .11x - 2.3. Therefore we had two different equations that worked perfectly. I am feeling so much better about this project and I cannot wait to show off our barbie tomorrow in class!



These are two trials that we did at the same place. I believe one of them hit the ground, while the other was very close to hitting it. 

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Barbie Bungee Jumping Task


Introduction
In the last few weeks of school we are working on a task called Barbie Bungee Jumping. In this task we are seeing how much rubber bands are needed from a certain amount of height, and coming up with a conclusion. Then in one of the last few classes she will tell us to throw the barbie off a certain height, and we need to adapt to it. My group consists of three other people: Will, Lauren, and Ian. I believe we all have strengths that when combined will be really good.

What we did
We started out by finding the height of the desk and seeing if one or two rubber bands would work. Only one rubber band worked, so then we tried to make it higher. Then, we found out the height of a math book and see if there are any changes to the results, there wasn't. Then we added two books, three books, etc. Each book was a small amount which will be a good thing once we come up with our equation. We ended up finding a difference between when the rubber bands would touch and tried to come up with a solution, though I don't believe we have.

Consistencies
We tried each of the stages multiple times to ensure we have an accurate results. To be consistent we have decided to keep the barbie doll's hand down. This is because we don't want to take any chances with it touching the ground. Furthermore, when making a table we did not count the rubber band tied around the doll's feet because we didn't believe it contributed a great amount, plus we need to be repetitive.

What we found
We have found out that even an inch of extra inch will make a difference. Between book 7 and 6 there are a few inches different, yet the three rubber bands work on book 7, while it doesn't work on Book 6. Book 6 was the point where the switch off between two rubber bands, to three. Our next step is to see when one rubber band doesn't work. We also found out that working together is much better, since I believe that in the beginning of the class we weren't communicating. Furthermore when we came up with what we were going to do we got a lot of work done.

What we will do 
Though we worked slowly, I believe we did achieve a lot, and we did find out a lot of things in our research. I believe that for the next class we should begin testing out our theories with larger heights rather than a few feet. We have not found a pattern yet, so we must try to look at our data and analyze it. Also, we should construct a graph with all of our findings and see if there are any patterns. Additionally, I do believe we should also try to come up with a formula because it would help us immensely.

This video is one of our trials in slow motion. As you can see the barbie hit the floor, which means that the amount of rubber bands was more than needed. 




These two pictures represent how we organized our data as well as what we did last class. 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Differences in Colonies

Thesis

There are many things that differentiate countries from each other: climate, economy basis, location. There is only one main difference between the Northern, Middle and Southern colonies that effected their society as a whole: the colonists' goals and motivation. This is because the beliefs each of the colonists had influenced the way they lived and the conflicts they got into.


Northern Colonies

The Northern Colonies, made up of hard working Puritans, came for religious freedom from England. Coming with families, the Puritans were there to settle. They not only wanted to settle there permanently, but they wanted to come to build a model society or The City Upon a Hill. This was because England would have to look up to see their colony. Furthermore, because they wanted to establish a model society they built an education system. They made education accessible to all so everyone would be 'equal'. On the other hand, because they wanted to build a model society they had strict standards. If anyone was to do something delinquent, they would banish them immediately. Since they had a strict way of life they did not tolerate Indians. They ran into many problems with the Pequot Natives which even caused one of the largest wars between colonists and Indians: the Pequot War. Overall, their behavior and beliefs caused many improvements and deteriorations to their society


Middle Colonies

The Middle Colonies, made up of open minded Quakers, came for religious tolerance. William Penn, who was banished, established Pennsylvania as a place we're anyone was free to have faith.  Quakers believed anyone could reach God which caused a lot of problems between Puritans, who believed certain individuals were able to reach God. Furthermore, Quakers believed everyone was equal, including the Indians that they ran into. Because William Penn believed in buying rather than taking, he created a treaty between the colonists and the Indians. In this treaty he gave some wilderness land to the Indians - land that was an owed debt from King Charles II. Because of their open minded beliefs, they created a safe haven to many Quakers who had problems with church before.


Southern Colonies

The Southern Colonies, made up of young single men, came for because of economic motivation. They came for Gold that was supposedly in the New World. They originally came to the New world because they were the second sons of rich families, where the first son received the large sum of money instead. When they heard about the Gold filled new world they couldn't resist. Because they lacked many skills, they had many problems with starvation, and even had a 'Starving Period'. They did not want to put effort into creating a society because they believed they would be in the New World for a short period of time. Also because they did not want to work, they hired Indentured Servants who were promised land after years of work. After they were done with their work they would receive their land, except outside of the city walls where the Indians lived. The Indentured did not believe this was fair because they gave years of their life for this moment, and they were only lied too, which then caused Bacon's Rebellion. After the rebellion, they then shipped slaves from Africa to do labor instead. After many years of living in the colony, they then realized that tobacco was an easily grown plant, therefore basing their economy on that. Powhatan, the local Indians there, did not like that colonists were on the land. Also since the colonists viewed the Powhatan as heathens they did not want the Natives on their land. This created many different violent wars between the Powhatan and the Colonists. Overall this colony was successful in terms of their agriculture, except their discouragement did not benefit them.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

China - BRICS Project

Introduction
China is one of the most populated countries in the world. It is home to almost 1.3 billion people in the world. More than this, China is the most polluted country in the world. It is dangerous for people to be breathing the amount of carbon dioxide in China's air. Furthermore, China is consumes the most coal (for energy use) in the world. There is a definite link between this two points and I believe that if China can reduce its coal intake, then the pollution will reduce as well.  

Present
Based on many different sources, I have come to a conclusion that China has a problem right now, and they must work fast to fix it. At the moment, about 85% of energy in China is non-renewable which is a large problem. About 95% of that 85% is coal consumption. Coal is a nonrenewable source meaning that in a hundred years it will no longer be there. Moreover, China is the largest consumer of energy and emitter of greenhouse gases. The reduction of coal use may be the answer to reducing this pollution in China. In fact 58% of its energy is being used on heating/cooling their homes, while there can be different alternatives. Furthermore only 600 TWh of the entire 3464 TWh used, is renewable which is a dilemma. The largest non renewable source being used is Hydropower with 585 TWh. Though this is a small number compared to the large picture it does show improvement in trying to fix their energy consumption problem.

Predictions for 2050
I believe in 2050, China can and will change their ways. Though they are the number one CO2 emitters, they are building the largest renewable energy system in the world which in 2013 stood at over 1 trillion kilowatts per hour. If they can build these types of outstanding contraptions today, imagine how much they could have set up by 2050. Furthermore based on the World Electricity Outlook, I can see a 30 percent decrease in coal consumption from 2008 to 2035. Following this pattern could lead to large changes in their energy consumption. In conclusion, I believe that by 2050 China will till be working its way out of the crisis but it will be in a far better position than it is in today.

My Proposal 
There are many alternative renewable sources for China to use. For example, China can use more of their hydroelectric energy that they have the privilege of having. China has already created the Three Gorges Dam which is one of the biggest dams in the world that gives that a lot of energy. Moreover, China is bordering water on their right side which is a perfect opportunity to harness that potential energy.  Water is reliable and always there, so its a perfect source. Another alternative is Solar Energy. In fact, in 2013 China was the number one leading installer of solar panels. Additionally, China can also use wind power, such as windmills, to get their energy. China is the number one user of wind energy, which already benefits them if they increase the amount of wind energy they use. Finally, China can use biomass to harness energy. Currently, China is using only 5% of its potential biomass use. China has many areas with a lot of vegetation, and if they can use that vegetation to support and benefit them, it will really help them in the future. If they can harness all of that energy then they will be in a very good position. In conclusion, I believe China can use its hydroelectric, solar, wind, and biomass energy sources that they have.

Conclusion
In conclusion, I believe China isn't in a good position now, but based on different sources I have realized that they are trying to change this. Instead of increasing their coal amount, they are using more renewable sources of energy that are reliable and don't destroy the environment, which is perfect. Hopefully in the future, China can improve their habits and become energy-aware.

United States - Energy Project (Not BRICS)

In the present
Based on reliable sources I have come to a conclusion that the United States has to change their ways because if they do not, large consequences will come. For example, on Global Electricity Outlook, the non-renewable sources of energy make up more than 90% of the energy use. According to eia.gov, in 2014 the United States has used 57906 Trillion BTu (British thermal unit, equivalent to 1055 joules) which is a large amount. In 2013, 1000 Trillion BTu less was used. A year before, a thousand less. Though not all of this energy is from non-renewable sources, it's still important not to use an excess amount of energy.

Predictions for 2050
Based on what I have seen from different sources, I came to a conclusion that we are reducing our coal use and trying to find more renewable sources of energy. Therefore in the future, I believe that coal, natural gas, and nuclear power will no longer be our primary source of energy, though I do believe it will continue for many years until people realize it is a hazard. In the future, the United States will instead try to increase their use of wind energy. Just from 2008 to 2035 the wind power raised 459 TWh, which means that by 2050 there will be a huge difference. Furthermore, I do believe that solar use will increase in the future because between 2008 to 2035, it increased almost 100 TWh more which is impressive. In conclusion, I believe that in the future, the United Sattes will reduce their coal, nuclear, and natural gas consumption and begin using more reliable renewable sources.


My proposal
Just by looking at the different sources, I can see that the United States is working to improve their energy use. Our society is based on energy and technology, but if we can reduce that amount before it becomes a problem, it will be much better than worrying about it in the future. Based on many sources, I have come to a conclusion that, yes, we are using more renewable sources, except our energy consumption is increasing each year. This will be a problem when our renewable energy can no longer support our energy amount. If we begin reducing our amount now, it won't be a problem in the future. I believe the United States should reduce the energy consumption.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Stacking Cups


Stacking Cups - Act 1 from Mr.Stadel on Vimeo.


For this activity we had to figure out many things.

Questions

When does the white cup pass the blue? When are both the blue and white cups equal? What is an equation for this scenario?

What We Did

My group and I tried many methods but we almost immediately found out how to do it. We needed to multiply the amount of cups to the excess amount that would be left on each of the cups, subtracted by one. This is because on the first cup the amount of excess was already included in the height, therefore it was unnecessary to add it in. For the white cup (which has a smaller height) we were given the dimensions 9.2 for the height. The excess amount of 'cup' would be 1.3. For the blue cup the height was 12.1 while the excess amount was .8.

Formula 

The equation that we came up with was R(N-1)+H.

R = Rim
N = Number of cups
H = Height

Conclusion

After we came up with the equation, everything else became simple. We began guessing and checking and we finally came up to a conclusion. The cups will become equal at 7 cups each. The white cup will then pass the blue cup at 8 cups.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Pocahontas Interpretation

which is the most accurate portrayal of Pocahontas in your opinion?  Why did you choose this work?  How did the OVPL process enable you to come to this conclusion?

I believe the most accurate portrayal of Pocahontas was the engraving made my Robert Vaughan in 1624. This is because this engraved stone was made 17 years after the event took place. This engraving was the first made representation of the event between Pocahontas and John Smith that took place, which is important to keep in mind. Furthermore, the purpose of the engraving was to be a part of Generall Historie which was a book written by John Smith. Moreover, the engraving was based on his writings. This source is a secondary source, since it was made 17 years later, but I would consider it a reliable source since this was the first visible evidence of the event happening, so it wasn't based on someone else's painting. In the picture, Pocahontas looked like young girl, and looked like she wore traditional clothing. Furthermore, the Natives in the background do look native, as opposed to other sources where they look more European. By looking at other sources, I can tell that this one would probably be the most reliable. It was closest to the real event, it was the first representation, and it was based on John Smith's writings (a primary source).

Thursday, October 23, 2014

First Draft

She didn't think it would be this bad. No one did.
It was one of those nights where the clouds seemed pulled like cotton balls until they were barely holding together. Also hanging the sky was the large full moon that seemed darker than usual. In Santa Fe, California, the parents of young 4 year old Jessie had called a babysitter to take care of their precious daughter. The babysitter, Teresa, was an old family friend that they trusted with their life.
An hour passed and Teresa arrived at their household. The parents thanked her dearly, and began walking out the door.
"We'll be back around 11, make sure she's in bed before," said the father. The mother once again thanked her for coming on short notice.
Since Teresa and and Jessie were already acquainted, they gave each other large hugs, and began playing board games. The game lasted about an hour before Jessie began to get hungry. Teresa set up a large chicken dinner, where the wonderful aroma reached upstairs. Jessie excitedly came to the table, and began eating fericiously.
"This is great!" Jessie exclaimed.
"It was my mother's recipe." Teresa replied. There wasn't much conversation after, as the delicious food was more of a priority for them. It was about 7 o'clock, and Teresa thought it was an appropriate time for Jessie to get ready for bed.
"Wait, can't I have some ice cream first?" Jessie insisted. Teresa didn't think there was a problem with the idea, since there was still a lot of time before she had to be in bed.
"The ice cream is down in the basement, in the freezer. There are also some ice cream toppings in the cabinet above it." Jessie said happily. Teresa made her way to the basement door and opened it. Almost immediately, she smelled an awful odor that smelled like sulfur. Strange, she thought to herself, I would think it would be less dusty. She made her way to the freezer and grabbed the large carton of cookie dough ice cream. She peered out the window and saw a little girl standing outside. She had tattered clothing and her eyes were bloodshot. She wore a long red cape that looked to be newer than the other dirty clothes. She seemed to be staring right at Teresa. Creepy, Teresa thought. She quickly ran upstairs, not looking back into the eerie basement. She came back to the dinner table, finding Jessie sucking on her fingers.
“Here’s the ice cream, please eat quickly because you're already up late.” Teresa said tersely, still a little frightened from the basement.
“But you forgot the sprinkles!” Jessie exclaimed. Teresa suddenly felt a gut feeling in her stomach to back into the basement. She cautiously walked back to the basement door. She opened the door slowly and the smell of rotten eggs once again surprised her. She advanced to the freezer, but before she opened the freezer door, she once again saw the same little girl with the red cape, with a knife in her hand. Feeling terror, she got the sprinkles and ran back into the dining hall, intending to call the police. She gave the sprinkles to the Jessie and reached for the phone.
“But you forgot the cherry on top! I told you to bring it,” yelled Jessie. Teresa found herself shaking. She had to call the police, but something was stopping her. I have to go back down, thought Teresa. I need to see the little girl in the cape again. She put the phone down, and ran back into the basement, keeping the strange little girl in her mind. She grabbed the cherries from the cabinet, not looking out the mirror. Come on, look out the window! Her gut told her. Don't, her brain said promptly. She took a quick peek out the window and saw the same little girl smiling at her. Her hand clutched the knife, which now had blood splattered on it. Teresa made a quick decision and dropped the cherries and ran upstairs to check on Jessie.
Teresa arrived and found Jessie dead. Her entire face was mangled so it was unrecognizable, but Teresa knew it was her. Teresa silently wept to herself, and began shaking uncontrollably. She once again reached for the phone and called the police.
About an hour later, the police arrived, as did the parents of Jessie. Pictures were taken of the crime scene, and dozens of police officers were scouting the house looking for signs of a break in. A tall police officer approached Teresa and the parents, and began asking Teresa questions on what had happened.
“W-well, we were eating dinner, and then J-Jessie asked for ice cream. I went downstairs into the basement, opened the freezer, and looked out the window to see a little girl with a bright red c-cape, and a knife in her hand.”

“Huh?” The mother said. “We don’t have windows in the basement.. Only mirrors.”


 Second Draft

The Girl in the Red Cape

She didn't think it would go this far. No one did.
It was one of those nights where the clouds looked like someone had pulled them to appear as strained cotton balls. A full moon was out tonight, glistening the sky with an unusual dark light. In Santa Fe, California, the parents of young four year old Jessie had called a babysitter to take care of their beloved daughter. The babysitter, Teresa, was an old family friend that they trusted with their lives.
An hour passed and Teresa arrived at their house. The parents thanked her eagerly and began walking out the door.
"We'll be back around 11, make sure she's in bed before," articulated the father. The mother once again thanked her for coming on such short notice.
Since Teresa and Jessie were already acquainted, they gave each other warm hugs and began playing board games. The game lasted about an hour before Jessie began to get hungry. Teresa prepared a large dinner, where the wonderful aroma reached upstairs. Jessie excitedly came to the table and began eating ferociously.
"This is great! Yummy yummy in my tummy!" Jessie exclaimed.
"It was my great grandmother's recipe," Teresa replied happily. There wasn't much conversation after, as the delicious food was more of a priority for them. Jessie gobbled her food like a vicious dog, and licked her lips when she was finished. It was about 7 o'clock, and Teresa thought it was an appropriate time for Jessie to get ready for bed.
"Wait, can I have some ice cream first?" Jessie insisted. Teresa didn't think there was anything wrong with the idea, since there was still remaining time before she had to be in bed.
"The ice cream is downstairs in the basement, in the freezer. There are also some ice cream toppings in the cabinet above it," Jessie expressed happily. Teresa made her way to the basement door and opened it. Almost immediately, she smelled an awful odor that smelled like sulfur. Her nose immediately scrunched, and her eyebrows frowned. Strange, she thought to herself, I would think it would be less dusty. She made her way to the freezer and grabbed the large carton of cookie dough ice cream.
She peered out the window with a short glance and was surprised by what she saw. A little girl was standing outside of the window looking in. She had a pale face that seemed angry. Her round eyes were strained and bloodshot, which was strange because she was no older than 10 years old. The girl had tattered clothing that was ripped and torn. She wore no shoes, and Teresa can see that blisters covered her entire foot. Her long blonde hair covered her slouching shoulders. A long cape she wore around her head was as clean as a room in a mental asylum. The cape resembled a bloodlike color that frightened Teresa. It seemed not to match with her other clothes, as it was much newer.
Creepy, Teresa thought. She quickly ran upstairs, not looking back into the eerie basement. She arrived at the dinner table, finding Jessie sucking on her fingers.
“Here’s the ice cream, buddy! Please, please, please, eat quickly because you're already up late.” Teresa said tersely, still frightened from the basement.
“But you forgot the sprinkles and the cherry!” Jessie hollered. Teresa suddenly felt an urge to go back into the basement. She nodded quickly and began making her way towards the basement without even realizing it. She opened the door slowly, and the smell of rotten eggs once again surprised her. She advanced to the freezer, but before she opened the freezer door, she once again saw the same little girl with the red cape, but this time with a knife in her hand. The knife looked like a butcher knife; One she would always see in horror movies, but never in real life. Feeling terror, she got the sprinkles and ran back into the dining hall, intending to call the police. She gave the sprinkles to Jessie and reached for the phone.
“But you forgot the cherry on top! I told you to bring it,” yelled Jessie. Teresa found herself shaking. She had to call the police, but something was stopping her. I have to go back down, thought Teresa. I need to see the little girl in the cape again. She put the phone down, and ran back into the basement, keeping the strange little girl in mind. She grabbed the cherries from the cabinet, not looking out the window. Come on, look out the window! Her gut told her. Don't, her brain said promptly. She gave in, and took a quick peek out the window and saw the same little girl smirking at her. Her hand clutched the knife, which now had blood splattered on it. She saw the blood drip down the knife, slowly trickling down. She could practically hear the dripping noise that emerged from the knife. The face of the girl looked the same as before, but this time a large grin appeared on her face. Her teeth were rotted and seemed to be dirty after a long time of not cleaning them; as if the little girl was living in a forest. Teresa tried to look away, but her eyes were fixed on the strange little girl. Her heart was pumping with so much adrenaline. Teresa made a quick decision, dropped the cherries, and ran upstairs to check on Jessie.
Teresa sprinted back upstairs and found Jessie dead. Her entire face was mangled so it was unrecognizable, but Teresa knew it was her. Teresa silently wept to herself, and began shaking uncontrollably. She once again reached for the phone and called the police.
About 20 minutes later, the police arrived, as did the parents of Jessie. Pictures were taken of the crime scene, and dozens of police officers were scouting the house looking for signs of a break in. A tall police officer approached Teresa and the parents, and began asking Teresa questions on what had happened.
“I should've just called the police. I can't believe I didn't follow my own common sense," She bawled, and then continued the story "W-well, we were eating dinner, and then J-Jessie asked for ice cream." Teresa had difficulties holding in her tears. "Then, I went downstairs into the basement, opened the freezer, and I looked out the window to see a little girl, I do not recognize, with a strange red c-cape, and a knife in her hand.”
“Huh?” The mother stuttered. “We don’t have windows in the basement.. Only mirrors.”

Reflection

As you can see from the difference of both drafts, I have changed a lot. I used much more descriptive words to support my text, which I think greatly improved it. Furthermore, I also focused on a few parts of the story where I amplified it and made it very descriptive. As you can see in the first one, I did not amplify anything, but in the second one I really tried to improve my text and make it interesting. I think what went well in the short story was my overall improvement. I think I started in one place, and ended in the far side of the other. I also think I learned many things in the process such as how to show not tell. At the same time, this was difficult for me to change my ways. I have always written in a not-so-descriptive way, and to now alter the way I write was pretty difficult. Something else that was difficult was the fact that I was torn between two stories. I wanted to write about something that happened to me, but I didn't think I could expand on it, and add a moral. I do think the story I have now is much more developed and stronger than the first draft of the other story. Overall, I think this whole experience taught me a lot along the way. 

Core Value Reflection

I believe on core value I have been succeeding throughout this quarter in English would be communication. This is because I feel like I constantly participate in class and give my insight on my opinion. Furthermore in discussion I am constantly trying to play devil’s advocate with others and try and get their own opinion. One example of me communicating was when we were sharing our literary analysis posters to others, where I was always involved in the conversation. I especially like communicating in literary analysis because sometimes there is no right or wrong answer, and to hear other people’s thought is great.

One core value that I can improve on is risk taker. The problem with me is that I follow the teacher’s guidelines, and thats it. I never have the creativity to think further or deeper about something. For example, Ms. Baumgarten told us that the necklace in The Necklace represented her confidence or the person she wanted to be. I listened to what she said but I never went ahead and came up with my own theory. I think especially in English, I should constantly be thinking deeper on subjects, because as I said before sometimes there are no right or wrong answers.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Today in class we worked on an activity where we got a country, and then found the statistics of cigarettes used per day. We then answered questions about the statistics we found.

Surprising Information I'm very surprised by the facts that I learned today. It was an overall eye opening experience for me because I learned so many things about smoking. Smoking not only affects your body, but it does affect how much money you spend on the cigarettes. I have always known that cigarettes are bad for my body, I didn't realize that it would cost so much.

My decisionThis will definitely stay in my mind as I grow older because it just adds to the list of negative aspects of cigarettes. I would much rather spend my money on other needs, such as food or shelter. Basic needs are much more important for me, not cigarettes. They not only shorten my life span, but also take thousands of dollars out of my wallet. 

Passive Smoking
Yes I think its perfectly fine for the government to tell its people not to smoke in public places. When people smoke in open places with other people, they are not only putting themselves in danger, but they are putting others in danger of second hand smoke. It is not only selfish, but harmful effects can take place on the non-smoker.

Prices Increased?Yes I think they should be increased, but only slightly. Increasing the cost of cigarettes can make people stop, but it can also encourage people to buy more, and therefore lose more money. It all really depends on the person buying the cigarette but I think it will have a more positive effect than negative. Overall, I believe the prices of cigarettes should be larger

Monday, October 6, 2014

Prisoner's dilemma reflection

After playing the prisoner's game, I realized that I am a very selfish person. I only thought about myself winning the cake, rather than working together and both getting cake (which we didn't know). Furthermore, my decisions weren't rational and I was close minded about taking risks. For example, I only encouraged to put blue when I was talking about getting their trust then destroying it. I never mentioned putting it there just because we would risk losing 5 points.  I was more motivated by the fact that we would win cake if we got to twenty points. Moreover, this connects to our lesson unit where it talks about Hobbes vs Locke. It's funny because we all said that we agree with Locke's philosophy a little bit more. Now that we have finished it shows Hobbe's theory right. Humans are people, who if they want something, will get it by any means, even if it means betraying the trust of others. Additionally, it opened my eyes a little bit more at my actions, because I was encouraging people to win, more then to work together. I think this is because as we grow older, and grow with new experiences, we are more cautious and suspicious of our surroundings. Overall, I believe that this activity has really taught me to look at different perspectives, or in this case, Hobbe's.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Science Reflection Quarter 1


Throughout this quarter I believe I have really been succeeding with my responsibility. I am completing my homework on time, and I feel like I have really put effort. Furthermore, I am not doing my assignment just to finish it, I am really using my effort into it and making it a good piece of work. Moreover, I think I also study responsibly for tests or quiz. I'm always ready and confident to do a test. I also take very elaborate notes both in class, and out of class.

This picture shown is a picture of my packet. As you can see, its complete and full.

image1.JPG

In the next few months, I would really like to improve on my risk taking skills. The problem with me is that I constantly write down notes and things that the teacher says, but I never go beyond. I need to have the willpower to go and check new websites and videos to take that extra step to get better grades. It would really benefit me if I begin this habit now and then use it when I have harder concepts to understand. I want to at least go to 3 different websites per unit, so I can really grasp the concept and master it.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Vision Board - Specific Goal


This image is of Stanford's campus. Since I was in fifth grade I have always wanted to go to Stanford. I will need to really push my self towards this goal, but I hope one day I can achieve it. To help achieve this goal, I can maybe look more into what I want to do when I grow up, and what classes I can take in these high school years. Furthermore, maybe as I get into the IB program in 11th grade, I can really focus on my academic work, and less on my athletics/club work. This will create more opportunities for me to learn new topics, and deepen my understanding. To can begin to go over topics that are going to be explained, so I can always stay ahead. Furthermore I can stay a few days after school to go over subjects that may not be my strongest area.

Vision Board Collage

This is my Vision Board. I chose these images because they represent something to me. 

Banking Blog Post




Bank Policy 
In the past few math classes we have been learning about bank accounts. Traditionally, there are two bank accounts: Checking and savings account. There are also other special accounts that bank offer as a 'super saver'. Within these banks there are two different interests, compound and simple. A compounded interest is when the interest rate is constantly being added on to a new amount.  On the other hand, there is simple interest where the interest rate is constantly added onto the original amount.

Compound vs. Simple
In my opinion, I think compounded interest is a lot better, but in some scenarios simple interest can be a bit better. For example, we watched a video where a man who lived for a thousand years wanted to check  on his bank account. He originally had 20 cents, but with an interest of 2.25% it grew to a larger amount. We weren't told of the new amount, and we had to figure it between ourselves. We originally found the simple interest amount which turned out to be $20. We thought this was a bit low, so we then tried the compounded interest. We then calculated the compounded interest and found that amount was around $4,000,000,000 dollars. There is a huge difference between these two and though, we don't leave our money in the bank for thousands of years, I believe it would still make a difference. Furthermore, I believe that if I were to invest in a bank, I would want to have a compounded interest, as well as a high rate. Moreover, I would also like to keep about a thousand dollars in the bank for emergencies and never touch it. As the years go by, it will grow to a larger amount, which will benefit me.

Citations 
Fox in Flats. "Piggy Bank - Fox In Flats." Fox In Flats RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Finding the midpoint

We viewed a video about 4 boys who drew two points, and a point in the middle. After that, we had to guess which person had the closest point in the middle. Furthermore, we had to back up these facts with why. I thought it was Chris because I thought his looked a lot more accurate, while the others were less precise.
This is Chris's guess, except without the coordinates. (It comes later) 
In the beginning, if I would want to know the exact midpoint of each one, and who got the closest I would need to know a lot of things. I would want to know the coordinates of each point, and want to measure the distance between each point with a formula. After, we talked about which one would be closest to the middle and why. I was the only person who guessed Chris, and when asked why, I just said that it looked that way. Someone then contradicted me by saying that his was too spread out, and I agreed. 

Afterwards, Ms. Ange showed us the exact coordinates, angles, and lengths, and we had to figure out a way to find the exact midpoint. My first reaction was to look at each information given and just guess to see which one was most accurate. For example, which one had the straightest angle, and which measurements were the most even. Then, when we had access to the internet, I decided to find the midpoint formula, and plug each person's lengths into it. I would then compare and subtract the guess and the actual midpoints, and see which ones were the most accurate. I found that Andrew's and Nathan's were both equally accurate. 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Scoring the winning goal; a healthy lifestyle

Fitness Goals

My goal for this year is to improve my upper body strength. For example, I would like to be able to do 20 consecutive pushups, without needing to rest. This is because I've noticed that over the years my upper strength has degraded. Moreover, I would really like to strengthen it, so I will not need to worry about it anymore. I would connect this goal to perseverance because I will need to persevere through this hardship, to get to my goal, but it will be worth it. Also, it is connected to risk taker because I will need to go out of my comfort zones in order to achieve my goals. 

Regarding the SMART goals, I believe my goal meets the criteria. My goal is specific because it includes a specific number as well as a specific activity. My goal is also measurable, because I can tell whether I get to my goal or not. I need to get 20 pushups in order to reach my goal, therefore it is measurable. My goal is attainable because I know I can improve on this skill of mine. I had this skill in the past, but I didn't follow up; I didn't continue to improve my strength. My goal is meaningful because I have been struggling with my arm muscles, and PE would be a perfect time for me to improve on this skill. I will need about a few months to achieve my goal because I want it to become a habit for me to do pushups, and a few months is enough time for that habit to form. 

The achievement of my fitness goal will impact and improve my life because I will overall become confident with my abilities. I have always been a little insecure about my upper body strength and to improve it would be amazing. Furthermore, the health benefits I can receive from maintaining a healthy body will also be splendid. The achievement of my fitness goal will benefit me in the future because I no longer need to worry about improving my upper body strength, if I make it a habit now.

Studios, HJ Media. "Pushups!" Flickr. Yahoo!, 13 Oct. 2012. Web. 04 Sept. 2014.


  • What does your latest beep test result tell you about your current level of fitness?
    My latest beep test tells me that I can work even harder. I got a heart rate that was in the third zone, which means that I could've ran for even longer, but I didn't. Next time, I will try to not stop if I feel slightly tired, but when I really feel maxed out.

  • How did monitoring your heart rate during this unit help inform your level of fitness?
    Finding our heart rate can improve our fitness because that way we can know how much we are working in terms of our cardiovascular system. Furthermore, in the previous question I know I can work harder and run for longer based on my heart rate.

  • What revisions do you need to make in order to refine your fitness goal? Are they based on interests and abilities? What core values are being demonstrated?
    I don't think I need to edit my fitness goal at all. I think it's still an acceptable goal that I will be able to reach by December. My goal was originally based on the fact that I can barely do a pushup, and I want to change that. The core values being shown are curious it and risk taking since I am doing something new, and taking a risk.

  • What approaches could you take that will challenge you to succeed?
    The only thing I really can do is practice harder in PE class as well as practice at home. When I have the chance to practice my upper body strength I should take it.