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.