Let It Grow Sunday!

This week's game is called Grow.



Draw each item to the center of the ball to Grow it. If you drag them in the right order you will reach the maximum growth level for each object -- that's the challenge and it's not easy. ;-) Lots of trial and error. The number of different ways to play this game is 479 001 600. Can you find the winning strategy?

The Applied Math class will learn how to figure this out this week. Pre-Cal will learn it in about two more months and the AP Calculus students should remember from the Pre-Cal class. Do you?

Have Fun!

Zaeneb: Blogging on Blogging Post

Zaeneb was having computer trouble. She emailed me her blogging on blogging post. Here it is....

---

On February the 10 it was a great class because I understood everything that we were doing in the class. And the most things that impresed me in that class was when every body was asking questions about the home work and the graphs witch I did not really under stood then I finally understood.

In the course I understood what the teacher was talking about the grasps and the other assignments therefore I did my home work and I was glad that everything was becoming clear to me.

The thing that I thought was cool is when the teacher had thought us the grasps. On doughty could make a big difference and a really nice grasp also we can make a hart beat.

the thing that I did not under sod is the graphs and how they work I did not know where to put the dots and how to get the droughts on finally I got it after so many explanations and dissociations about how they got it to be there and why it should be there the moment of clarification came when my friends described it to me and made it really clear to me why it should be there I hope that I will not mess the thoughts and do them wrong on the test.
No, I haven’t come across something in the real world or another class that we've discussed in class.

Blah On Blahing

I'm hearing Blog way too often. Drives you insane eventually. Anyways, to discuss what I'm having trouble with, so that way Mr. K helps anyone or me. I have troubles with the following

Doing CSC and COT really fast and memorizing TAN.

That's about it. I'm working on it though. Just needed to post this. I need my marks =D

Tell Your Parents the Blog is Multilingual!

You'll notice that all posts on our blog now have a series of flags automatically added to the bottom. Click on a contry flag to have the blog translated into that country's language. You can choose from:

French, German, Italian, Portugese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Filipino

If you speak any of these languages, let me know if they work well enough to be understood. And tell your parents all about it! ;-) Encourage them to leave comments on the blog as well.

Surfing Sinefeld!

I found another π! It's getting closer .... ;-)

I'm getting lots of questions about graphing the trig functions -- keep'em coming folks! ;-)

I found something I thought might help. Play with Surfin' Sinefeld! He surfs sine graphs. ;-) (Click on the rectangle at the bottom with the word "graph" to start; and make sure your volume is on. Make sure to surf.) When your finished surfin' with Sinefeld, move on the the "Insidious Sinusoidal Quiz Device!"

OK, now lets play tag. I posted π, now it's your turn. When you post π you can also tag two people. The next two people to post π will be ........ Janet and jessica (I went with a J theme).

Post for Blogging on Blogging

Today's class was extraordinary from the days that we've been in the class. Personally, to tell you the truth doing the graph was really painful for me. Why? because I am not really a Math lover and it just come to a point in my head that it says "This must be STOP!!!" However, this day changed all my doubts in having to ever perform that such kind of graph. Seriously, I enjoyed this class today for what I've learned because of Mr.K continues effort but not that I'm saying that I don't enjoyed the previous classes that we had in the past, its just kind of different from today. Why? Because I'm happy to tell you that I understand it now, doing those graph is kind of EASY for me now. Unlike from the previous days that we were learning graphs, all I can say was "What was that?"or "Where did it came from?" Even though, I'm working those assignments that he gave us and almost every lunch, if I have time, I'm always asking for Mr.K's help.But I don't know it's just happen that it never got into my head. Maybe I'm not just fond with Math to get it into one sitting class.

Nevertheless my full thanks!!!to Mr. K for having such a GREAT PATIENCE for us. We all know that the party is just getting started but I hope this will continue this way.Well I guessed that's all I can say for our blogging on blogging.

Chinese? Checkers? Chess?

Chinese Checkers it is called in England. Kinasjakk (Chinese Chess) in Norway. The truth is that it has nothing to do with neither checkers, chess, nor China.

'The Chinese Checkers game board is in the shape of a six pointed star and is playable with two up to six people at the same time. Each player uses pegs or markers of a different color placed within one of the points of the star. The object is to move all your ten pegs across the board (move one step at the time or jump over adjacent pegs) to occupy the star point directly opposite. The player getting all pegs across first wins.' - More.

You can play it here.

(Thanks again to Think Again!)

π π Everywhere π

Wow! It's everywhere!

OK folks, now it's your turn. Everybody post π!

Hmmm...do you think there's such a thing as a π dance?

There is a Pi song! Kate Bush recently came out with a new CD. One of the songs on the CD is called Pi. Check out the lyrics.

There's even Pi music. Someone has managed to turn all the digits of π into the music of π! ;-)

Below you'll find several online quizzes you can take to prepare for your test next week:

• Angles and Radian Measure


• Graphing Sine and Cosine Functions


• Amplitude and Period of Sine and Cosine Functions


• Translations of Sine and Cosine Functions


• Trig Equations (Review with lots of solved examples, 5 question Multiple choice quiz at the end)

Here are the answers to Exercise 6: page 1 of 3, page 2 of 3, page 3 of 3.

π Time!

π Day is Coming! The clock has started counting down! You can't tell from the picture, but the arms on this clock are moving in the mathematically correct direction: counterclockwise.

Pictures like this always get me wondering.....

Blogging Prompt

• What π time is it? (state exact hours, minutes, and seconds in radians)


• How much longer do we have to wait (in radian hours, minutes and seconds) until it's π (pie?) time?

Ok, let's have some fun with this.....can you find and post pictures of π? This one is an actual sculpture in Seattle. Can you find π in nature? Lets see how many pictures we can find. ;-)


Happy Blogging!

Sticks and Shadows

What's the connection between circles and triangles? That's what we've been talking about in class.

Trigonometry has something to do with it. I found an excellent site that allows you to play and learn all about it. Start with Stick and Shadows Part I and play through to Frequency and Amplitude.

Tomorrow we're going to talk about how to graph the sine, cosine and tangent functions. You can do a little preview here.

If you review this material before our class tomorrow you'll find class really easy to follow.

And, finally, as promised, the answers to Exercise 4 (page 1 of 2, page 2 of 2) and Exercise 5 (page 1 of 2, page 2 of 2).

Lucky Scribe

Hi! Guyzzz... This is Emile your sixth scribe for the wonderful Monday of February.I hope I can explain this to you smoothly.

Alright, let's get into the business.It's an even day today so we only have an afternoon class.To start with, Mr. K gave us some problems to solved as follows:
1.cos²x+2cosx=0; First you need to common factor it,
cosx(cosx+2)=0;there are 2 possible answers...
a. cosx=0( in radians are:3pi/2 and pi/2)Why? Because the cos theta is equal to zero in those radians.
b.cosx=-2 which is we all know that undefine because the highest value cos can have is 1 and the lowest value is -1
2.2sin²x+sinx=6
2sin²x+sinx-6=0;then
(2sinx-3)(sinx+2)=0
a.sinx=3/2 b.sinx=-2
This two have No solution because 3/2 is bigger than 1 and -2 is smaller than -1.
3.2cos²x=7cosx-3
2cos²x-7cosx+3=0
(2cosx-1)(cosx-3)=0;There are 2 possible answers
a.cosx=1/2 which is pi/3,5pi/3,7pi/3,13pi/3 etc.
b cosx=3 undefine
4. tan²x-1=0
(tanx+1)(tanx-1)=0
a.tanx=-1 which is 3pi/4, 7pi/4 etc.
b.tanx=1 which is pi/4,5pi/4 etc.

BUT, Mr. K trick us realizing that if we do that on the exam we're going to lost half a mark.Why?Simply because we don't have enough answer for those type of questions.We should notice that on exercise there was no specific domain that he gave us, so that means we just continue to give an answer but... he taught us some shortcut to do this kind of thing.Like:
1.Instead of writing many answer you can just write:
x=pi/2+kpi;let k be the integer
Since number 2 has no solution we'll just leave it like that
3.Instead of writing many answers you can just write for:
a.x=pi/3+2kpi; let k be the integer or
x=5pi/3+2kpi; let k be the integer
4.Like the others:
a.3pi/4+kpi; let k be the integer
b.pi/4+kpi; let k be the integer

After those problem solving we did another MENTAL MATH about the unit circle, which I think we're doing fine.Then we end our day by answering some questions from Ex.4. Don't forget that we have an assignment in Ex.5.

Well, I guessed that's it for me.Until your next scribe, who is Michael.

Sunday Funday!

Each Sunday, just for fun, I will post an online game or puzzle. This week it's a logic puzzle ... we look in on a prisoner with a problem ....

---

For the last trial, the king used not two, nor three, but nine rooms! The prisoner was told that one room contained a Lady and the other eight were either empty or filled with a tiger. The sign on the Lady's door was true, the signs on room with tigers were false, and empty rooms had signs that were either true or false.

These were the signs:

1. The lady is in an odd-numbered room.


2. This room is empty.


3. Either sign 5 is right or sign 7 is wrong.


4. Sign 1 is wrong.


5. Either sign 2 or sign 4 is right.


6. Sign 3 is wrong.


7. 7. The lady is not in room 1.


8. This room contains a tiger and room 9 is empty.


9. This room contains a tiger and 6 is wrong.

The prisoner studied the nine signs for a while and came to the conclusion that the problem was unsolvable. The king admitted his mistake and told the poor prisoner if room eight was empty or not.

The prisoner needed no more help. He deduced where the Lady was. What about you?

Problem source: The Lady or the Tiger and other Logic Puzzles by Raymond Smullyan. (With thanks to Think Again!)

The Scribe List

This is The Scribe List. Every possible scribe in our class is listed here. This list will be updated every day. If you see someone's name crossed off on this list then you CANNOT choose them as the scribe for the next class.

This post can be quickly accesed from the [Links] list over there on the right hand sidebar. Check here before you choose a scribe for tomorrow's class when it is your turn to do so.

Cycle 4

calvinw. Jacky S. a-b33-l Abdi aldridge Manny Emile Jefferson

Regine Van michael MARK marcquin** jessica janet

T3DDiE jan Anh Lerwyne senait*? raymond? charlene

Trigonometry Meets Geometry

As promised, you can "see" the sine, cosine and tangent functions represented geometrically here. Click on the yellow dot and drag it around the screen.

Also, you can download the answers to Exercise #2 (Page 1 of 3, Page 2 of 3, Page 3 of 3) and Exercise #3.

Have fun playing with that applet! ;-)

Blogging on Blogging

Today was a good class but I'm even more impressed with what's happening outside of class! I'm really happy about the number of people who took advantage of their spare during period 2 today to get help with homework questions that were troubling them. The best thing I saw during that time was students getting together in small groups, helping each other out and learning from each other. One of the stops I pointed out on the Critical Path to Success was forming a study group. Maybe, for some of you, period 2 is the time and place to do that. What do you think?

We were talking about exactly what sort of post you're supposed to make to get that mark on your test. The kind of post I'd like you to make should have one or more of these characteristics:

• A reflection on a particular class (like the first paragraph above).


• A reflective comment on your progress in the course.


• A comment on something that you've learned that you thought was "cool".


• A comment about something that you found very hard to understand but now you get it! Describe what sparked that "moment of clarity" and what it felt like.


• Have you come across something we discussed in class out there in the "real world" or another class? Describe the connection you made.


• Respond to a Blogging Prompt I posted. (see below)

Your posts do not have to be long. I'm far more interested in the quality of what you write rather than the quantity.

Blogging Prompt
To help us along our blogging journey I've decided that I will also occasionally post a Blogging Prompt. It will be easy to find because I'll always put it under a heading like the one above this paragraph. Feel free to create your own Blogging Prompt for the rest of us if you like. If it's a really good one (i.e. has rich possibilities for blogging) we'll count it as your post. ;-) Here's my first one:

We've learned how to measure angles using both radians and degrees. Blog a brief paragraph identifing ways in which these two types of measurement are similar. Blog a second paragraph outlining the ways in which they are different.

This sort of compare and contrast exercise can be made easier to do using Venn Diagrams. Draw two large overlapping circles. List the similarities in the overlapping section and the differences in the appropriate non-overlapping sections. If you like, you can use this web tool to do it online. If you do blog about this prompt and want to post your diagram we'll talk about how to post pictures sometime in class. ;-)

Happy Blogging!

Day#1 Scribe

This is Van, and I'm writing the first scribe for Precal40. It's most likely going to look bad, but at least I tried, and Mr. K tried helping me. So here I go

In our precal40 class, period 2, Mr.K discussed and asked, why there are 360 degrees in a circle and why couldn't we use a different number instead of 360?. Teddie says "100", because it's a more natural number. Mr.K agrees, but then says "it's actually 400 degrees in the whole circle. The british liked your idea so much, they did that. They would be "gradians". So anyone else going to give an answer? No? Okay, let's see how many numbers divide from 360 evenly."
1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9, 10,12,15,18,20,24,30,36,40,45,60,72,90,120,180,360.
So that's probably why. Then he said something about some greek civilization that had base 60 and we have base 10, and that's probably why seconds, minutes are in 60's. So, Mr. K draws a nice circle and is impressed with it. Everyone agrees. A damn good circle (sorry if that counts as a swear). So, Mr. K draws the radius and asks for a volunteer to come up, stretch their hand as wide as possible. So, Marc comes up and volunteers. Marc gets his own measurement of his hand width strentch. Called "MARC" units. Mr. K goes, "that's some nice unit we got there, Marc units. Oh boy." So, he takes a towel, and measures the radius with it. He gets that length and wraps it around the circle. So, 3 times it's almost halfway around. He stops and says "see that little amount there?, that's the remaining decimal part of Pi. 3.14 yada yada, and that number continues on this very day!". He says "Sorry Marc, you had your time" and erases the MARC units. So, Mr. K goes on, and that, 180 degrees is equal to Pi radians. Because, Pi is, how many times the radius is used, till it reaches half across the circle going around. So he goes on to discuss Pi and it's relation with Degrees.
π/6 radians = 30 degrees
π/4 radians = 45 degrees
π/3 radians = 60 degrees
π/2 radians = 90 degrees
2π/3 radians = 120 degrees
3π/4 radians = 135 degrees
5π/6 radians = 150 degrees
π radians = 180 degrees
7π/6 radians = 210 degrees
4π/3 radians = 225 degrees
3π/2 radians = 240 degrees
3π/2 radians = 270 degrees
5π/3 radians = 300 degrees
7π/4 radians = 315 degrees
11π/6 radians = 330 degrees
2π radians = 360 degrees

Mr. K then gave us a formula that looked like this

D/180 = θ/π

Where D is the degrees and θ is Radians

To convert from degrees to Radian and vise versa, plug in the numbers.

That was the morning class.

The afternoon class, was merely to write into our math dictionaries and practice a few questions for the conversion.

So, that's all I got to say. And the person I feel like picking on to do the next Scribe is Calvin!, Have fun!. And btw, this took me 45 minutes to do. (not kidding). Sorry if it was long and boring, but I did my best. And most likely some of the things I said were probably false, but oh well. Enjoy people!

Students Made This!

Blogging is a very public activity. Anything that gets posted on the internet stays there. Forever. Deleting a post simply removes it from the blog it was posted to. Copies of the post may exist scattered all over the internet. I have come across posts from my students on blogs as far away as Sweden! That is why we are being so careful to respect your privacy and using first names only. We do not use pictures of ourselves. If you really want a graphic image associated with your posting use an avatar -- a picture of something that represents you but IS NOT of you.

Two teachers in the U.S.A. worked with their classes last year to come up with a list of guidelines for student bloggers.

One of them, Bud The Teacher, has these suggestions, among others:

1. Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.



2. Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don’t share anything that you don’t want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. Don’t give out your phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.



3. Again, your blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. Always. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don’t.



4. Never link to something you haven’t read. While it isn’t your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.

Another teacher, Steve, developed a set of guidelines in consultation with his students. You can read them here.

Look over the guidelines and add the ones you like in the comments section below this post; either from one of Steve's students or one of your own. I think Bud's suggestions are excellent. We'll be using the one's I highlighted above as a basis for how we will use our blog.

Cheers,
Mr. K.

You're Here! Let's Begin ...

Hi There! You found our blog! This is the place to talk about what's happening in class; to ask a question you didn't get a chance to ask in class; to get copies of a handout you didn't get in class (here's the course outline); for parents to find out "How Was School Today;" to share your knowledge with other students;.... Most importantly it's a place to reflect on what we're learning.

Remember what I said about the Forgetting Curve? Well a big part of Learning and Remembering involves working with and discussing new ideas with other people -- THIS is the place to do just that. Use the comment feature below each post, or make your own post, or make your own blog and link it to this one, or....the sky's the limit...let your imagination soar and lets get down to some serious blogging!

Here's your first online assignment:

Do you see the Links list in the side bar over there on the right? Follow the Study Skills Resources link. Browse through the sites until you find one that you think has excellent suggestions on how to study math; then, on a piece of loose leaf paper (or this worksheet) to be handed in on Monday:

1. Write the address and name of the site you most liked.


2. Rate the site out of 100; i.e. give it a grade!


3. Write a brief description (no more than 4 or 5 sentences) of the site.


4. Include a comment on what it was about this site that made it stand out for you (no more than 1 or 2 sentences).

Repeat this exercise for the second link that deals with Test Taking, i.e. how to write a test.

If you take this assignment seriously now and invest some real time and energy into it, you'll probably do real well in my class this semester...who knows, it might even help you in your other classes too! ;-)

Have Fun!

PS Don't forget to email me ASAP and get signed up as a contributor to our blog!! When you get your "invitation" to our blog, follow these directions to get yourself signed up at Blogger.