Interview

In our Stem class we each had a partner to interview and to make sure they were narrowing down their search on the Stem projects. We had to ask them about 6-8 questions specifically about their topic. My partner was Maggie who is very concerned with the oyster population. She is considering being a marine biologist when she graduates but is also interested in the art field. She wants to go to Horns Point and learn how to help restore the oyster population. She is considering making her project this year strictly research and then next year continue it even further with a model. I think this is a wonderful topic and I hope she does well. If you have any questions about the Stem project please let me know.

My Stem Project

In my Stem class we have a project due this spring. The topic could be on anything to do with science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. The project topic that I chose to do is dealing with muscles used for swimming and running. I am involved with many sports pertaining to swimming and running so this would be important information for me to use. As I begin to gather information I will post some of it on here. If you have any questions just let me know.

Three Variable System of Equations

In math we previouly learned about solving systems of equations in thee variables. To show an example of this concept I will be solving a word problem on this subject.

The problem:
You have $25 to spend on picking 21 pounds of three different types of apples in an orchard. The Empire apples cost $1.40 per pound, the Red Delicious apples cost $1.10 per pound, and the Golden Delicious apples cost $1.30 per pound. You want twice as many Red delicious apples as the other two combined.

Part A: Write a system of equations to represent the given information.
x= #of Empire apples
y= #of Red Delicious apples
z= # of Golden Delicious apples

Equation 1: x+y+z=21
Equation 2: 1.40x+1.10y+1.30z=25
Equation 3: y=2(x+z) ----> -2x+y-2z=0

Part B: How many pounds of each type of apple should you buy?

x+y+z=21
(-2x+y-2z=0) -1 --> 2x-y+2z=0
-----------------
3x+3z=21
x=-z+7

x+y+z=21
-z+7+y+z=21
7+y=21
y=14

1.4x+1.1y+1.3z=25
1.4(-z+7)+1.1(14)+1.3z=25
-1.4z+9.8+15.4+1.30z=25
-.10z+25.2=25
-.10z=-.20
z=2

x+y+z=21
x+14+2=21
x+16=21
x=5

(5,14,2)
5 pounds of Empire Apples
14 pounds of Red Delicious Apples
2 pounds of Golden Delicious Apples

GIS Systems

In my Algebra II course we were able to have a specialist on GIS (geographic information systems) come into our class and teach us about them. These GIS systems display alot of different information about various locations around the world.

The information in the GIS is found in many layers such as temperature, populations, and many more. Our main focus was on hurricanes. We researched their buffers, distance, when they occured, and much more. These GIS systems are able to display alot of information and could be very useful in multiple circumstances.

At the end of the three day lesson with Mrs. Cooper (the GIS specialist) we completed a project. I focused on hurricane Opal and completed an assignment on it. Some of the information I found i posted below.

1. The name of the hurricane I selected is Opal. This hurricane began on September 27, 1995 and lasted until October 6, 1995.
2. The length of hurricane Opal is approximately 2,365.221 miles.
3. This hurricane first made landfall in Quintana Roo, Mexico. This place has a low population and is located on the Yucatan Peninsula. The latitude is 19.41486 and the longitude is -87.53696.
4. When the hurricane first made landfall it was a tropical depression. It then went back into water and the next time it made landfall it was a category three hurricane. The first time it made landfall it had 30mph winds and the pressure was 1004 millibars.
5. The states hurricane Opal impacted are Quintana Roo, Yucatan, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. The two countries this hurricane impacted were Mexico and the United States.
6. The buffer I made around this hurricane was 20 kilometers.
7. It enhanced my understanding because before I didn’t realize how wide of an area a hurricane effected. I knew it effected more than just where the eye went but I never realized it went that far.

The next topic of my research is an aneurysm which is an interest of mine due to a very close family member being diagnosed with it not to long ago. An aneurysm is an abnormal enlargement of a blood vessel. I will be posting information on this topic as I gather it. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding information on this topic please let me know.

^ The picture above is an image I found of a stomach aneurysm which is the type of aneurysm I am most interested in. The picture is a little hard to see but it shows how the normal aorta in your stomach is much smaller than an aorta with an aneurysm. An aorta is the largest artery in your body.

Aneurysms if not treated in time will rupture. If the aorta aneurysms rupture there is an 80% chance of death. Death is caused when an aneurysm ruptures that causes internal bleeding. It usually takes around 5 years for the aneurysm to get large enough to rupture. Men over the age of 55 are about 3 times as likely to get an aortic aneurysm than a woman. This is all I really wanted to know on this topic but if you are interested and want me to research further into the topic I will certianly do so.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

In my math class we were questioning a problem concerning the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The picture to the left shows the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is tilted to the right. If you have any suggestions to help me improve or questions about what i have done let me know.

Question:

The top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is about 55.9 meters above the ground. As of 1997 its top was leaning about 5.2 meters off-center. Approximate the slope of the tower.

Answer:

(0,0) & (5.2,55.9) <-- two points used to determine slope

Y2-Y1

______ <-- equation used to find slope

X2-X1

55.9 is Y2 , 0 is Y1 , 5.2 is X2 , 0 is X1

55.9 - 0 = 55.9

___________ <-- substitute numbers into the equation

5.2 - 0 = 5.2

55.9/5.2 = 10.75

Answer: The slope is 10.75.

About me

I am involved with many activities including sports. I run cross country, am on two swim teams, and two lacrosse teams. My favorite out of all the sports is swim team. The picture to the left is of a girl swimming breast stroke which is my main event. Also, I am in the STEM program which is an honor. Out of our entire class only 25 students were selected through writing an essay and taking two tests. I was interested in the STEM program because I love math and science which are two of the main focuses of this program. I take school very seriously and thought this program would help me excel in the future. So far in STEM I have found a best fit line of attendance of Presidential Inaugurations. The slope of the line of best fit was 24051, which in this case means that for each year the amount of people attending increased by 24,051. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.

Hello

Hello,
I will be posting information I find about science, technology, and math.