Montesquieu - Rational Democracy

Do you agree? Is democracy better suited to some places than other? Or is it best for the progress of the world that all governments move towards elections and checks on governmental power?

I believe a Rational Democracy can either be very good, or very bad in a country. It cannot be said whether it is a ‘good or bad’ thing because it really depends on what state the country is. 

Rational Democracy can be good for a country, unlike what Montesquieu said.  This is because what he stated in his works was true, if you give someone a large amount of power, they will take advantage of it. To establish a democracy in every country, where each branch is limited is the best choice. People would finally have a say and get to vote for their leaders. Also, no branch, except the Legislative branch, a group of people, can overthrow the other, which happens if completely necessary. Overall, it is a good idea since it limits the power of each person, yet there is still a sense of power in a minimal way. 

But, then again, Rational Democracy is not for everyone, as Montesquieu said. As stated, a government should be dependent on the religion, cultures, and laws the country has established. Of course, a government should support their people and give them their basic human rights. But when the country has a law of cruel punishments, such as torture or death, it isn’t good for the people. Furthermore, as Montesquieu writes in his book Sparks and Isaacs, “The bottom line for judging whether a social order is acceptable is not whether any other society’s customs are similar to European ones, but whether they attend to people’s basic human requirements – for security, and for a degree of stimulating pleasure.” The government serves the people, and when the people dont have their basic human rights, as Locke stated, then it is no use to put in a democracy. 

In conclusion, either way can be good or bad, but certain aspects of the democracy are good, while others will not work with other countries. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.