Monday, April 07, 2014

Tutoring

After a year tutoring with Sylvan Learning Center, the Eugene franchise has closed and I'm tutoring on my own!  If you're in the Eugene/Springfield area and looking for a tutor, I invite you to call or email!

As a teacher, I'm certified in advanced high school math and biology, but I also have experience tutoring French, Spanish, reading, writing, and general study skills!

Also I invite you to peruse some of my old lessons from Paradise Creek in Idaho.  They can be seen below!

458-205-1667
damianjkemp@gmail.com

Monday, August 27, 2012

Here and Gone Again!

After two years out of the country, I've just come back! Know what we have here that they don't have in France? French presses. They use espresso pots. I head off in a few days for fall session at Northwest Youth Corps! Wish me luck in the woods! In the meantime, I've kept these lessons, problems, and webquests available to anyone interested.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Geometry: 7-5 (Monday)

Angles of Elevation and Depression

Read 7-5 – this is just further application of SOH-CAH-TOA. Final Test in 2 days!

The alchemist sees Sally lurking outside his shop, and after a brief chat, hires her on as a servant. Today, she must fetch sulfur from the inland cliffs. After a half a day's trek, she reaches a cliff edge that looks down on broken rock dotted with yellow sulfur. If the cliff is 200 feet from the sulfur rocks, and the angle of depression is around 10 degrees, about how high is the cliff edge?

In 7-5, work problems 4-20 even, 28-44 even. Finally, go outside and find the height of the apartments next door! You'll need to find the angle from your eye to the building - talk to me to get help with the Angle of Elevation Device.

Extra Credit: # 19, 21-25 all. (21 is hard – you may need to draw a picture AND write an equation)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Geometry: 7-4 (Friday)

Trigonometry!

Read 7-4 – Now we can find every part of any right triangle, but the ratios are extremely difficult to memorize! Sine = Opposite/Hypotenuse, Cosine = Adjacent/Hypotenuse, Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent. Look at the Key Concept and Example 1 until you get the basic idea, and then write SOH-CAH-TOA or some other reminder in your notes. Say it to yourself a few times to start memorizing it. You'll use this one a lot.

As the sun creeps into the cellar entrance, Sally wakes up and goes wandering through town. She comes across an alchemist, and likes the look of their sign. The “A” is a right triangle 16 inches high and 4 inches wide. What is the measure of the angle at the top? What is the length of the hypotenuse?

In 7-4, work problems 6-16 even, 17, 32-46 even, 49-52 ALL, 70-82 even.

Extra Credit: # 59-61 all, 66, and the following:

Refer to #59. A second is a very small angle measurement equal to 1/60th of a minute, which is equal to 1/60th of a degree. A parsec is a parallax second, in other words the distance from Earth an object would have to be to have a stellar parallax of 1 second, or 1/(60*60) = 1/3600 degree. How many astronomical units are there in a parsec? If NASA scientists find alien life 197 parsecs away on Betelgeuse, how many astronomical units is that?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Geometry: 7-2 and 7-3 (Thursday)

Special Properties of Right Triangles

Today is the last 2-section day!

1. Read 7-2: We can now use the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem! Feel your powers increase tenfold!

2. Sally can't sleep, so she wanders aimlessly through the dark town. One area seems to have been burnt by fire, and a wall, surrounded by charred wood and threatening to collapse, has been propped up by a beam. The beam is 9 feet long, and touches the wall 5 feet up and the ground 7 feet out. Is the wall standing upright?

3. In 7-2, work problems 6-12 even, 20, 28, 40, 52, 60, and 62.

4. Read 7-3: Two special right triangles with specific leg-leg-hypotenuse ratios.
Sally wanders around the collapsed house, and finds the stairs down to the cellar. A support has collapsed diagonally across the 3 foot wide cellar entrance. She finds cheeses and salted meat inside, eats, and falls asleep. If the collapsed entrance is a 30-60-90 triangle, how tall is it?

5. In 7-3, work problems 8-12 even, 18-22 even (draw 20 & 22!), 32, 40, 52, 54.

Extra Credit: In 7-2 # 36, 37, 42. In 7-3, # 24-28 even.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Geometry: 7-1 (Wednesday)

First, take the Chapter 6 Quiz! If you need a few minutes to study, we can take some time to do that.

Read 7-1: Geometric means can be written as proportions, or as square roots. Make sure you understand both! This section can be confusing - ask me if it's not clear!

Unable to find food, Sally tries to sleep in the stable again, and ponders the roof (a right triangle with the right angle at the top), with its single vertical support (an altitude). If the roof is 13 feet wide, with 9 feet on one side of the support and 4 feet on the other side, how tall is the support?

In 7-1, work problems 6-12 even (for 12, draw it – this is ONE triangle, you just need to move the altitude), 36, 38, 42, 43, 50, 58-66 even. Finally, do the activity on p. 349 and answer questions 1-3 (yes, that means you'll do the activity twice – you can draw squares on your assignment paper, or get a separate sheet – ask me for a ruler if you need one)

Extra Credit # 28, 33, 34, 44, 45 (draw this out with a specific triangle, and remember the rules for similarity)

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Geometry: 6-5 (Tuesday)

Today we're looking at more proportions between similar triangles. We'll have a quiz tomorrow, so keep those notes up to date and study tonight!

Read 6-5

After waking, Sally remembers she's in a strange town, in a stable. The roof of the stable is shaped the same as the roof of the inn next door. It has a short, steep side, and a long, shallow side. A vertical beam runs from the bottom to the top of each roof. If the stable's roof is 10 feet wide with a 6 foot beam, and the inn's roof is 25 feet wide, how tall is the inn's beam?

In 6-5, work problems 2-6 even, 12-18 even, 24-28 even, 34, and 40-46 even.

Extra Credit p. 324 # 1-5 – Sirpenski Triangles, an introduction to Fractals (you don't need to draw the triangles, if you can calculate in your head)

If you have time, check out these 3D fractals.
http://skytopia.com/project/fractal/mandelbulb.html

Additional Extra Credit
: I'm planning on skipping Fractals. However, anyone interested may do 6-6 #4, 7-13 all, and 42 for a half an assignment's worth of extra credit.
FINALLY, if you do 6-6 first, you can also turn in a full-page fractal of your design (something iterative, at least mostly self-similar, and school appropriate) for another 5 points. It should include at least 5 stages.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Geometry: 6-4 (Monday)

Today is Parallels and Proportions!

Read 6-4 – Now we can cut triangles into proportional sections! Tomorrow we'll look at more parts of triangles, and then Wednesday we'll have a quiz over all of Ch. 6.

As Blackbeard's flotilla resupplies at Santo Domingo, on the island of Hispaniola, Gunnel Sally slips out into town. By the time she returns, the ships are gone! She sleeps in a stable, and has a terrible dream. A giant is running after her! Its right leg is longer than the left and swings out sideways, but both of its knees brush the rooftops as it runs after her. When she wakes up, she finds comfort in triangles and proportions. What can be said about the monster's lower and upper legs?

In 6-4, work problems 4-16 even, 20-24 even, 28, 46-60 even.

Extra Credit # 18, 26, 35-37

Friday, January 08, 2010

Geometry: 6-3 (Friday)

Similar Triangles

Read 6-3 – Keep your binder up to date with these theorems! VERY similar to the congruence theorems, but instead of ASA and AAS we simply have AA – any two congruent angles makes it similar!

The mainmast on Gunnel Sally's ship is topped by a triangular sail. A reefline cuts across it, and that line is exactly parallel to the base of the triangle. Is the triangular top section of the sail similar to the whole triangular sail? Why or why not?

In 6-3 work problems 2-10 even, 20, 26-32 even (on 28, start by looking for more right angles and parallel lines), 36, 40, and 50-60 even.

Extra Credit # 41, 42 (think about the city context), 45, and 46.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Geometry: 6-1 and 6-2 (Thursday)

Take the Chapter 5 Quiz!

6-1 and 6-2: Proportions and Similarity

1. Read 6-1 – ratios are simply another way of writing fractions.

2. Blackbeard comes across a merchant fleet. This fleet is heavily armed, with 500 cannons among its ships. Blackbeard's ships only boast 300 cannons. What is the ratio of Blackbeard's cannons to the merchants' cannons?

3. In 6-1 work problems 2, 4, 16, 26 (look back at proportions), 40, 44, 46.

4. Gunnel Sally enjoys poking around the captain's cabin while he's not there. Her favorite object is a scale model of the ship. If it's a perfect reproduction, and a 50 foot tall mast is 10 inches on the model, how wide would the captain's cabin be, if it's 10 feet wide in real life?

5. Read 6-2 – we'll use ratios to see if two polygons are similar.

6. In 6-2 work problems 4-8 even, 28, 32, 36, 52, 62, and 73.

Extra Credit: 6-1 # 23-25. 6-2 # 16, 26, and 44.

Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Geometry: 5-4 and 5-5 (Tuesday)

Triangle Inequalities
Spock: "But Mister Kemp, we aren't finished with yesterday's assignment. Now we're supposed to do a double-assignment today, too?"
Mister Kemp: "I know. Trust me, it'll be okay. Tomorrow we'll have some time to finish it all up."
Spock: "Yay! I'm going to get on Farmville and-"
Mister Kemp: "THAT BEING SAID, the Chapter 5 quiz will be first thing on Thursday, and you will need to be ready for it! And these last two assignments are slightly longer than usual. Use your time wisely!"

1. Blackbeard takes his fleet from Maracaibo up to Kingston, and then heads for Nassau in The Bahamas. If the trip to Kingston is 500 miles, and from there to Nassau is another 600 miles, what's the furthest it could possibly be from Maracaibo directly to Nassau?

2. Read 5-4 – Keep track of these theorems in your binder! Make sure you understand the concepts before moving on to the problems! Get my help if you need it.

3. In 5-4, work problems 2-10 even, 44, 52.

4. Read 5-5

5. The cannons on the new ship can be raised to aim higher in the air. Gunnel Sally notices two cannons next to each other, the first raised to a high angle and the second cannon at a very low angle, almost parallel to the deck. Which cannon's mouth will be farther from the deck, and which theorem proves this?

6. In 5-5, work problems 4, 6, 12-16 even.

Extra Credit: 5-4 # 34, 36, and 46. 5-5 # 8, 9, 28, and 30.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Geometry: 5-3 (Monday)

Review and Indirect Proofs

In 5-1, work problems 14, 23, and 26. Make sure to show your work!

In 5-2, work problems 20, 30, 42, and 48. Show all your work here, too!

Read 5-3

In several instances, the entire universe has almost been destroyed, but in each case Spock stepped in to save everything. Using indirect reasoning and this fact, write a short informal proof that the universe needs Spock to exist (i.e. for the universe to exist, Spock must exist).

The 5-3 problems are mostly small - just remember, I tend to pick the big ones to grade: In 5-3, work problems 4-8 even, 14-18 even, 22, 24, 38, 42-48 even.

Extra Credit: # 12, 31, 36, 40 (on #40 you'll need to prove the two halves are congruent).

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Geometry: 5-2 (Thursday)

Inequalities and Triangles - Remember to study for the test tomorrow! Also, the last few assignments are due at that time, finish them up tonight if you want full credit for them.

1. Read 5-2

2. Gunnel Sally likes hanging out under the shade of the mizzensail after her shift of watch atop the high crow's nest, because there are fewer people at the back of the ship. Mostly just the captain and officers, who ignore her. One of the exterior angles of the triangular mizzensail measures 130 degrees. What interior angles is this angle definitely larger than? Justify your answer.

3. In 5-2, work problems 4-14 even, 22-26 even (remember angles that are part of another angle are by definition smaller than it), 32-40 even, 45, 56, 62-68 even.

Extra Credit: # 1, 16, 28, 46, 57, 58.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Geometry: 5-1 (Wednesday)

Bisectors, Medians, and Altitudes - This and 5-2 will be on the test, keep updating your notes!

1. Read 5-1

2. The smells accompanying the captivity of over a hundred human beings are slowly washing out of the lower deck. One of the freed slaves, nicknamed Gunnel Sally by the ship's newly appointed captain, contemplates the triangular mizzensail. Three ropes run from its corners to a point near its center. After careful observation, Gunnel Sally notices that the ropes are all the same length. What is the name of their meeting point?

3. In 5-1, work problems 2-10 even (hint for 6: look at what you've learned about perpendicular bisectors. hint for 10: you will need to show that triangles EAD and EBD are congruent), 16-24 even, 34-38 ALL, 42, 46-54 even.

Extra Credit: # 14, 26-30 all.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Geometry: 4-6 (Tuesday)

Isosceles Triangles Today! Take a second and see if you can remember the difference between Isosceles and Equilateral.

1. Open up Blackbeard's newly captured slave ship again in Sketchup. If the mizzensail (rear sail) is an isosceles triangle, then what can be said of the legs (the two long sides)? What can be said of the base angles (the two angles toward the back of the ship)?

2. Read 4-6

3. In 4-6, work problems 2-28 even, 44, 50, 52.

Extra Credit: # 30 (first step – congruent triangles), 34, 36, 38, 42.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Geometry: 4-5 (Monday)

ASA and AAS Congruence

1. Read 4-5, and fill out your repertoire of different kinds of triangle congruence. Get this stuff in your notes! SSS, SAS, AAS, and ASA, along with other postulates and theorems that we're using.

2. Blackbeard was beaten back by the Spanish ships guarding Maracaibo, but luck favors the bold! He catches a slave ship transporting their human cargo to that city, and the entire crew surrenders! He maroons them on the Spanish Main (the mainland) and many of the slaves join him in piracy. NOTE: This part is historically realistic, although his assault on Maracaibo is not.

He fills the hold with cannon at the nearest pirate haven, and sails off. Let's take a look at the new ship. Download the pirate ship here and take a look at it in SketchUp.

This ship has three triangular sails stretched between the mainmast and foremast. If the points at which they attached to the mainmast form angles of 40 degrees and 100 degrees, what third piece of information would prove the triangles congruent?

3. In 4-5, work problems 4, 8, 18, 22-28 even, 32-40 even

4. ALSO read p. 214 "Congruence in Right Triangles" and work problems 1-5 as the last part of your assignment

Extra Credit: #14, 19, 29, p. 214 Congruence in Right Triangles #8 & 10

Friday, December 11, 2009

Geometry: 4-3, 4-4 (Friday)

More triangles! Today: Congruence, SSS and SAS Congruence

1. Read 4-3

2. In 4-3, work problems 4, 12, 20, 24, 30, 38

3. Read 4-4

4. Exploring the derelict vessel from last time, Spock finds a strange turbine, consisting of three blades. Each blade is a triangle with two long sides and a short side, and they're joined together at their smallest angle. If the long sides of each blade measure 1 meter and 1.5 meters, what other information would prove that all three blades are congruent?

5. In 4-4, work problems 2, 8, 9, 20-24 even, and 30.

Extra Credit: p. 199 Making Concept Maps 1-3, 4-4 problem 4, 9, and 19.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Geometry: 4-1 & 4-2 (Thursday)

Quiz Today!

Then on to Triangles:

1. Read 4-1

2. Betelgeuse, Bellatrix, and Rigel could be plotted at (-2, 5), (1,5), and (3,-3), respectively. These stars form a Bermuda triangle of the heavens (known as the Funkangulum), which Spock is the only organism to have entered and appeared outside again. What are TWO terms that apply to this triangle?

3. In 4-1, work problems 4, 7, 30, 44, 49.


4. Read 4-2

5. This time Spock is going to skirt around the Funkangulum. He travels from Betelgeuse to Bellatrix, and then turns toward Rigel. If the angle at Betelgeuse measures 40 degrees, and the angle at Rigel measures 20 degrees, how much did Spock turn at Bellatrix to head toward Rigel?

6. In 4-2, work problems 2-10 even, 36, 38, 48.

Extra Credit: 4-2 #12, 18-22 even, 45.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Geometry: 3-6 (Wednesday)

Quiz tomorrow! The last couple assignments will be marked down after tomorrow, so get them in! You may want to talk to me about taking a book home.

Perpendiculars and Distance

1. Read 3-6

2. A derelict vessel is drifting toward a Vulcan mining station. Spock, having become aware of this danger, beams aboard the vessel, hacks the controls, and attempts to steer it away from the collision.

In the plane defined by the vessel's trajectory and the station, the vessel, starting at the origin (0,0) with a slope of ½, comes within mere meters of the station's fragile drill assembly, at (5,8). How close did it get?

3. In the book, work problems 2-14 even, 24, 34 - 44 even (draw 34!)

Extra Credit: Problems 18-22 even, 29, 30, 32.

Geometry: 3-5 (Tuesday)

How do you Prove that 2 Lines are Parallel?

1. Blackbeard's fleet of 7 assorted warships and refitted merchant ships arrives at Maracaibo, intent on a raid. However, the coast is protected by a line of Spanish war frigates, and behind them a fort wall with cannon poking out. Blackbeard approaches at a 45 degree angle to the line of ships. This also puts him at a 45 degree angle to the line of cannons. What is true about the two lines?

2. Read 3-5 and add a justification for what you said about the lines in part 1.

3. In the book, work problems 2-8 even, 16-20 even, 30, 34, 38, 40, 46-52 even, 64.

Extra Credit: Problems 10 (hint - start with postulate 3.4), 12, 22, 32, 36, and 42.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Geometry: 3-4 (Monday)

Point-Slope Form and Slope-Intercept Form for Lines

1. Read 3-4

2. Captain Blackbeard's flagship has 65 hogsheads full of freshwater storage. If his crew consumes 2 hogsheads worth of water per day, write the equation for this consumption in slope-intercept form.

Head again to Google Earth and the Caribbean. Captain Henry Morgan sacked Maracaibo decades earlier, but Blackbeard thinks he can do it again. After filling his hogsheads full of freshwater in Santo Domingo, he sails south toward Maracaibo on the mainland. Using the coordinates of the two cities (to the nearest degree), find his course in point-slope form.

3. In the book, work problems 2-30 even, 36-42 even, 46, 47, 54-64, 69, and 70.

Extra Credit: Problems 31-33, 43, 44, 50-52, and the following:
If Blackbeard spots a merchant vessel ripe for plunderin', and sails off from Santo Domingo at a slope of -0.5 in search of it, where might he ultimately end up if he just keeps going? (pay attention to coordinates)

Friday, December 04, 2009

Geometry: 3-3 (Friday)

Slopes of Lines

1. Read 3-3

2. Go to Google Earth and look southeast of the U.S. to the Caribbean again. Notice Kingston, in modern Jamaica, and Port-au-Prince, in modern Haiti. When Blackbeard sails his 7 free frigates from Kingston to Port-au-Prince, plundering merchant ships along the way, what is the slope of the line he makes? (note that at the bottom of the screen the latitude and longitude of your mouse is shown) When he flees from the Spanish Armada on the way back to Port-au-Prince from Kingston, what is the slope of that reverse course?

3. In 3-3, work problems 2-12 even, 16-22 even, 32-36 even, 40, 50-52 even, 56-60 even, 66-72 even

Extra Credit: Problems 24-30 even, 38, and 42-46 even

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Geometry: 3-1 & 3-2 (Thursday)

Parallel Lines, Transversals, and their Angles

1. Read 3-1

2. Go to Google Earth, and zoom in on the Caribbean (southeast of the United States). Blackbeard normally trades along the route from Kingston (in modern Jamaica) to Port-au-Prince (modern Haiti), but raids and plunders along the route from the pirate haven of Tortuga (just north of Port-au-Prince) to the pirate haven of Port Royal (just north of Kingston).

The route that the Spanish armada patrols runs from Spain through these two routes, threatening Blackbeard each time. Could the terms transversal, or parallel, or skew lines be applied to these routes? If yes, which routes? If not, why not?

3. In 3-1, work problems 2, 4, 10-16 even (see example 2 & 3), 46-50 even, 53, 54, and 60

4. Read 3-2

5. In 3-2, work problems 4-10 even, 32, 34, and 42

Extra Credit: 3-2 #26-30 even, 36, and 48

Monday, November 30, 2009

Geometry:2-7 & 2-8 (Monday)

First of all, remember there's a test tomorrow! Make sure your notes are up to speed, because you can use them on the test. (for anyone who still hasn't put together their geometry notebook, today is the day!)

Now, the assignment:
1. Read 2-7

2. Back to the SketchUp and the frigate. You can download it here if you don't have it on your computer. Look at the mizzen (rear) mast. If you count the very bottom and very top of the mast, and all the joints in between, there are 5 “points” on the “line” of the mast, which we can call A, B, C, D, and E.

If BC = DE, formally prove that BD = CE.

3. Do problems #4-10 even, 26, 30, 34, 38, and 44

4. Read 2-8

5. Back to the frigate. If the top of the sail behind the mizzen mast is a segment CF, and the measure of angle FCD is 55 degrees, find the measure of angle FCB, justifying each step.

6. Do problems #4-8 even, 12-16 even, 24, 28-34 even, 40, and 44

E.C. Problems 41 & 42, and the following 2 questions:
What theorem from this section helps us solve problem 40?
The snake and the clearwater don't really form supplementary angles, but if they did, the acute angle would measure around 70 degrees. What would the obtuse angle measure?

Monday, November 23, 2009

Geometry: 2-6 (Monday before Thanksgiving)

First: Too many properties! Time to start a binder for all these, and some other notes we'll have throughout the quarter. Get a binder from the science room, they're next to the geometry books. We're sharing notebook paper with Government, so if you need some get it from the bin marked American Government.

Start taking notes - you'll at least want the statement types from p.77, and note down the properties from 2-5 and 2-6 as you read it. Anything in here can be used on the tests, and we'll have our first test next week!

Read 2-6 and note down those properties!

Compost Math: Last time, Algebra 1 students used the formula (100 x 15% + H x 40%) / (100 x 1.5% + H x 1%) = 30/1 which can also be written (15 + 0.4H) / (1.5 + 0.01H) = 30 to find how many grams of hay (H) per 100 grams of kitchen scraps would be needed to get the carbon/nitrogen ratio in the compost to 30:1 (30 grams of carbon/1 gram of nitrogen).

They found that 300 grams would be needed for 100 grams of scraps, which is a lot! We might need newspaper instead...

What I want you to do is to create a formal (two-column) proof to show that H=300. Start with one of the formulas above, and use the properties from 2-6.

Then move on to these problems: #4, 6, 10, 14-24 even, 30, 32, 38-44 (40 & 42 explain in terms of conditionals and laws), 50, 52.

Extra credit: 26, 28, 34, and 35.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Algebra 1A & 1B (Friday)

Before you get started on your MyMathLab work, check out these Carbon/Nitrogen Ratios. At the top it says that a 30:1 ratio is best for compost, in other words, 30 parts carbon to every 1 part nitrogen. We'll be composting kitchen scraps, and notice that "kitchen scraps" near the bottom is 10-20% carbon and 1-2% nitrogen (too little carbon).

Let's assume our kitchen scraps going into our compost will be around 15% carbon and 1.5% nitrogen. In other words, for 100 grams of scraps, 15 grams will be carbon and 1.5 grams will be nitrogen.

The ecology class identified nonlegume hay, wheat straw, and leaves as possible sources of carbon, to balance out the ratio. If we use hay, and assume it has 40% carbon and 1% nitrogen, we can write a formula to determine how many grams of hay to add to each 100 grams of scraps to get the right 30:1 ratio.

The formula ends up looking like this: (100 x 15% + H x 40%) / (100 x 1.5% + H x 1%) = 30/1 = 30
(H is grams of hay, 100 is grams of kitchen scraps, and carbon is on top, nitrogen on the bottom)

Use this formula to find how many grams of hay should be added (round to the nearest gram). The first step will be to multiply everything by the denominator (100 x 1.5% + H x 1%) Turn in your work and results to me, and we'll use them for the compost!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Geometry: 2-4, 2-5 (Friday)

First, read 2-4.

Spock, having thoroughly beaten the moon ninjas, basks in the accolades of his peers.

Uhura tells him the following: “Anyone who can fight that many moon ninjas could captain their own ship.” She continues, “I can tell you’re well versed in mathjutsu.”

Chuck Norris adds, “If you were a space captain, you could explore the subtle infinities of the universe. A person who’s well versed in mathjutsu might even be able to unravel the mysteries of dark matter. I personally find dark matter fascinating. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to hunt down the moon emperor within his caverns of phosphorescent crystal.”

What two deductive conclusions can Spock make from these statements, other than that the emperor of the ninjas' moon will soon die?

Which Law did Spock use in each of those two conclusions?

In 2-4, work problems 8, 16-28 even, 34, 36, 44, and 46.

Read 2-5, and work problems #8, 10, 18-24 even, 28, and 38.

Extra Credit:
On page 88, read about matrix logic and complete problems 1 & 2
Also, here's Halloween Night, the mother of all matrix logic problems.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Geometry: 2-3 (Thursday)

The deceptive moon ninjas have returned wielding wakizashis, and Spock has no choice but to destroy them with lasers. IF the moon ninjas had made it to the engine room, THEN the dilithium crystals would have been stolen.

Finish this statement so that it means the same thing: IF the dilithium crystals haven’t been stolen, THEN ___________________________.

Read 2-3 in the book, and work the following problems: # 2-12, 20-56 and 64-68 even

Finally, what conditional did you create in the first part of this assignment?

Extra Credit: Complete one or both.
Biconditionals - These are just if-then statements that go both ways. Answer problems 1-5 on p. 81.
Gadget Security - this is probably familiar, but in math it's called "matrix logic", and we'll see it again tomorrow.

For everyone!

YOU may have an opportunity to attend a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math online academy in the Spring, and even to go to a NASA academy, with all expenses paid.

This is an opportunity for Juniors who will have finished the required classes and have a 2.7 or higher GPA in the Spring.

Required classes: Algebra I, Geometry, Earth or Physical Science, Biology (Ecology may count) - OR - proficient on all ISATs.

Based on their performance in this course, students may also be selected to participate in an all-expense-paid 7-day resident academy in the summer, including activities at NASA Ames Research Center in California.

Here's the website: http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/science/ISAS/index.htm The deadline to apply is December 4th.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Geometry: 2-2 (Wednesday)

Today we'll work on logic. When moon ninjas confuse the ship's computer with haikujutsu, Spock (having beaten all of them with mathjutsu) is forced to personally challenge the broken computer's logic matrix.

Which of the computer's crazy sentences is false? Explain why each sentence is true or false.

1. The moon does not exist.

2. Space is very big.

3. Statement #1 AND statement #2 are both true.

4. #1 is false OR #2 is false.

From the book: Read 2-2 and do problems 2-44 even, 52, and 54.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Geometry: 2-1 (Tuesday)

I'm going to be adding to this assignment Tuesday morning, but it will definitely include the following book work:

1. Look at these rainfall averages across the year for Moscow. If next year we had 5.6 inches of rain in January, 4.3 inches in February, and 4.5 inches in March, how many inches of rain should you expect that year for April?

2. Read 2-1 in the book (starting on page 62). What is the term for what you did in part 1?

3. Take your time and do these right! Problems 6-10 even, 11, 24, 30-40 even, 44-66 even (44 is tricky! read carefully!)

Ecology - Dichotomous Keys

Today's main ecology assignment is going to be using one of several online keys to discover the identity of one of two of the conifers growing behind the school.

One conifer is a full, bushy tree at the top of the hill near the back. The other grows in a row of scraggly trees off to the right. Pick one, and let's get started.

1. Choose a dichotomous key. Here's the one we looked at Friday. This one has pictures. This one is more specific, but has no pictures.

2. At each step of the key, write down a sentence that describes the choice you made for your tree. For instance, "The tree has needles 2-3 inches long." If you need a ruler, I can provide one. If you have trouble finding any part of the tree, talk to me. One of the trees has no female cones, that's okay, ask me about it if it's a problem.

3. Find the identity of your tree and record it.

The next assignment will be to create a dichotomous key for 8 plants! This is similar to what we did Friday, only this time I want to make sure you ask questions the same way a dichotomous key would. "Does this plant have round or pointed tips on its leaves?" is a good example. Creating a list of each plant's features is not enough, it must be in the form of a key. Take time with this!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Geometry - Friday the 13th

I've shortened this, and we'll push back the quiz until Monday. As usual, this is all part of the assignment.

1. Start with the reading, 1-6. Notice that concave shapes are cave-shaped.

2. Next, since it's Friday the Thirteenth, let's start with Freddy. If you pretend the bottom of his hat is a straight line, then it becomes a polygon. Describe it. How many sides? Is it convex or concave, regular or irregular?

3. Go back to SketchUp! It should still be saved when you open the program (there's a link to SketchUp at the lower left of the screen) Use the frigate from before, or the International Space Station or the Apollo Command Module.

Find and record 2 examples each of convex regular and convex irregular polygons somewhere on the object. For each one, tell where you found it (sail, thruster, etc.) and how many sides it has. If you can, find an example of a concave irregular polygon. Why don't concave regular polygons exist?

4. Lastly, the book assignment. All problems ending in 0, 4, or 8.

5. Extra Credit if you have time (most people won't, I know): get on Google Earth and look at Nevada. What kind of polygon is it? Okay, here's the tough part - find the perimeter of Nevada. Remember the distance formula, and that there are 60 miles in a degree. (By the way, there aren't always 60 miles in a degree, but south of Canada that's a reasonable estimate).

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Geometry - Assignment for Thursday

First of all, finish up from yesterday's assignment if you're not already done.

Now, Google Earth and SketchUp should be installed on just about every computer here (except 2 and 13). Start by opening Google Earth. Your first assignment is to go back to Blackbeard's excursion from Barbados to Anguilla by way of Dominica. These islands are in the southeastern Caribbean. This is to be turned in with the rest of the assignment.

1.a. After taking a minute to familiarize yourself with google earth, notice that at the bottom is latitude and longitude. Using the fact that 1 degree = 60 miles, look at the coordinates of the islands, and find the distance from Barbados to Anguila.

b. Find the midpoint between the two. About how close is it to Dominica?

2. In your books, read 1-5.

3. Now a sketchup assignment, click here. After this file downloads, it should open a page asking what template you want. Select meters, which opens Blackbeard's frigate in sketchup. See if you can find at least 4 of the following 5 things: vertical angles, a supplemental angle, a complementary angle, perpendicular lines, and a linear pair. Describe them. (The masts, in order from back to front, are called mizzen, main, fore, and bowsprit) This is also part of the assignment.

4. At some point, I'll call everyone together and we'll go try to find the angle of the sun using protractors.

5. Book assignment: 4-62 even, but skip 36 and 40. On #6 it will help to make an equation first.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Geometry - Assignment for Wednesday

Hi folks! Today has 5 parts.

Part 1: Start google earth downloading by clicking here, unchecking "download google chrome", and clicking the big button at the bottom that says agree and download. Internet explorer may block it, just click the bar at the top and tell it to allow the download. Once it starts, tell it to run the installer.

2. While Google Earth is downloading, read 1-4. The books are back in the other class, grab a purple binder while you're there. We'll use this to store study materials, mostly assignments.

3. A pirate google earth thing - nevermind, we'll do that tomorrow.

4. Get a protractor from me, and use it to measure and record the four angles between your fingers and thumb on one hand (fingers outstretched). This is due along with the assignment.

5. #4-42, 50-66, 28-32 even, 38 (think 180 degrees).

Monday, November 09, 2009

Algebra 1B - Examples of Scientific Notation

Here's a list of numbers expressed in scientific notation. Take a second to look over the list and try to comprehend each amount. Then translate all of these numbers (except the last two and the number of candles needed to reproduce sunlight) into standard notation. This will be part of today's assignment. Take a last look at the numbers and see if they're easier or harder to comprehend as an amount.

Situation Scientific Notation
X-Ray frequencies 1 x 10^16 (vibrations/second)
Bottles of Champagne consumed by the French yearly 1.245 x 10^8
Number of toothbrushes purchased by Americans yearly 2.8 x 10^8
Number of candles it would take to reproduce sunlight 3.01 x 10^27
Grains of sand on Miami Beach 1.7 x 10^14
Weight (in tons) of all the water on Earth 1.97 x 10^18
Number of people around the world who speak Mandarin 6.5 x 10^8
Length of a Hemoglobin molecule 6.8 x 10^-6
The mass of the hydrogen atom (in grams) 1.66 x 10^-24
Number of ways to arrange 52 ordinary playing cards 8.066 x 10^67

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Solar Cars and Cells

Below this is some old class information. Check it out if you're interested in the topics! From here on up will be information related to Ecology, Algebra, and Geometry at PCR in Moscow.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Solar Cars Webquest (Old)

Here are the websites for today's Solar Cars Webquest

First you'll be taking a Solar Car Tour and taking some notes on the information there.

Next, go to the Mercedes-Benz "Cedy's World" to learn about different parts of cars.

Now go try out SEPUP's Car Creation Game to see what makes a car efficient.

Last, you've got a webpage about one of the First Motorcycles to check out.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Cell Diversity Webquest (Old)

This list of cell pictures is old, but you can look through it again if you're finished with today's webquest.

Animal Cells:

Fat Cell
White Blood Cell
Nerve Cells
Bone Cells
Muscle Cells

Plant Cells:


Gardenia Leaf
Guard Cells

Fungus Cells:

Hair Fungi
Yeast
Mold

Protists:

Amoeba
Mineral Skeletons
Euglena
Plankton
Giardia

Extras:

There are some really interesting pictures to take a look at if you have extra time.
First of all, Invertebrates can look like aliens at this magnification!
Athlete's Foot is another interesting fungus. The blue is spores.
Pollen is made of two cells - a pollen tube cell that digs down through the flower where the pollen lands, and the sperm cell that travels down the tube and fertilizes the egg.
A Dust Mite Egg shell can enclose a single large cell, or a fully developed, very ugly dust mite.
Blood from a Wound contains red blood cells, white blood cells (green and blue), and immune cells (yellow).
Brain Tumor Cells are shown growing here.
House Dust is shown, read the contents to the left.
A Paramecium is pictured here, with its furry cilia and little mouth visible, even though it's only a single celled protist.
Another Paramecium, which contains green algae which live inside it in a symbiotic relationship. It can swim around to eat other cells, and photosynthesize too.
Baker's Yeast (a fungus) is piled up here, the little bumps are "scars" from when these divide.
These Filter Cells help your kidneys keep your blood clean.
Sometimes Algae Produces Fossils, and that's exactly what this protist picture is.
A Cheese Fungus is shown here forming spores.
Some more pictures of Neurons. These are more realistic.