I had a really fun time with this project. I picked the One Piece logo thinking it would be easy to recreate. It looks really cool, but it wasn't easy. I used a lot of parabolas which was really fun. It turned out that most of the curves in it that I thought were just circles weren't just circles, and I ended up having a lot more lines than I thought I would. I am a perfectionist, so I felt like each line had to be perfectly matched up, and I spent a lot more time on this project then I should've. A good thing is, I got really comfortable with decimals. I thought that the lines might be thicker if I made the image smaller, but it didn't work like that, so I just ended up working with really small decimals. My favourite part was the parabolas, because it felt good when I could use only one and it lined up perfectly with the curve. This project was definitely something I used to procrastinate, because there was always something to add to it or fix. But I'm still pretty proud of it. I love that there was a fun way of getting graphing and decimals into my head. I might spend some more time on Desmos over the summer.
-Mona https://www.desmos.com/calculator/xdf4k8fjgl
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This was probably my favourite project to do this entire school year. I had been dreading learning this stuff (specifically equations for different curves) since, like, 4th grade because, holy crap, it looked terrifying. But it’s now one of my favourite units. I was really surprised by how simple the whole concept is once you get the hang of it, and how easy it was to pick up. I loved that we got to make art out of math equations. I get to express two different sides of myself that don't usually get to cross over; my artsy-ness and my love for math.Two of my favourite things in a super cool combo??? Hell yeah. To be honest, I think my picture could have been a little simpler. I was stuck between doing a simpler image to start with, or just doing part of the one I chose. In the end, because of the level of detail in the original art, there was always something I could add, and I found myself working on it all the time (especially when I should have been doing some other homework) because I found it more fun and “it’s still homework”. I didn’t wind up getting close to finishing, and I had to figure out what to prioritize to make it look the most put together. (Not sure how that turned out but I think I did okay). I’m happy with how accurate I got my lines to be though; you can zoom in a bunch and it still looks not half bad. I think the face shape and hand are the best looking parts because they have the most precision. I had some difficulty using fractions, but I mean who doesn’t, right? However, instead of just sucking it up and figuring it out, I reverted to my decimal-loving self and proceeded like that. It was easier, but I kinda wished I’d tried a little harder. Decimals and fractions aside, I learned a lot through this project. From many different equations and higher understanding of why they work, to the fact that I have the patience to stare at a computer screen for 5+ hours at a time, meticulously changing things like 0.02 to 0.005, (for homework of all things) if I’m interested enough. (For anyone wondering, the art I chose is fanart of Kim Taehyung (a.k.a. V) in BTS :)) ~Feenie Word count: 398 https://www.desmos.com/calculator/xbpdcx90gb In this space, students were invited to write a letter to the February version of themselves. What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to the beginning of Math 10? If I could write a letter and offer a word of advice to my past self; I would say to stop and take a few breaths (breathers) because it will be fine no matter what the outcome is. Don't put too much pressure on yourself to be the best and don't fall into unhealthy comparisons even though it can be hard too. Also being sure and putting a firm foot on Study Dates and deadlines are important. Remember to study at least a few couple days before a test or exam occurs.
Lastly, ~just~remember to have fun and get things done! * At the least I could say it's been the most different math course for me. Before this semester I always thought that math was one of my absolute worst subjects. I never really found it interesting or fun, and that gave me pretty much no motivation to practice it. At the beginning of this course I was actually surprised that I wasn't as terrible as I was in math 9. At the pace we were being taught I found myself being able to understand almost immediately. The first couple chapters were the easiest for me, mostly because it was sort of like review. But once we got to polynomials and roots I started to see my old roots coming back. I think I had to hit this 'bottom' in math for me to realize that I needed to be working harder and procrastinating less. I've always been a procrastinator when it comes to math, but it didn't really hit me academically until these chapters. After this I began to take doing my homework after each lesson more seriously. I realized that I needed more time to process the information after I had learned it, and not cram it before the test. I've been trying to do the best that I can at keeping up with all the homework and making sure I don't fall behind drastically. I think this method really helps because it let's the math get comfortable in your brain, so when the test rolls around you aren't panicking because you don't understand all of it. Overall, I've definitely learned how to keep my grade up the hard way and understand how much doing the homework practice right after the lesson can help you understand the material even better. Also it turns out that I'm not as terrible at math when I try. * TO me, DO NOT START READING FANFICTION!!!!! EVER! No matter how many times Cousin Calumnarchy tells you to! (and buy more frozen mango) DON'T LIE ABOUT HOMEWORK TO YOUR PARENTS! Don't use decimals, use fractions, and actually study!! Don't wing it! Even though you are great at winging it! Don't just shrug it off when Ms. B makes a grade mistake, tell her about it! GET YOUR 4% back!! Never stop hoping for it!! - Future You (note from Mrs. B: it is not too late,lol!) * Dear February Anastasia, First of all, congrats on your upcoming exchange! Here's a concept; do homework while you're there!!!!!! If you don't, you will regret it when you get back, especially when you need to finish planning, and exams are in a week and a half. Also, is getting a job really a good idea? Do you really have time for everything? In terms of math, you really need to stay caught up! It's not fun to come back with three months worth of homework to do. As long as you pay attention to school in France though, math will be easy when you're back. The most important thing to take with you from this is to do homework as you get it, or else you will end up overwhelmed, procrastinate, and then have even more homework. Good luck! (you'll need it) -June Anastasia * My Dearest, _______. So you're starting the second semester. Pre-Cal 10 isn't as scary as you think, honestly. Shake off what happened last semester, and talk to your classmates beside you! Trust me, front row is a guarantee for giggles and inside jokes. Don't ever be afraid to ask Mrs. Bjornson for help, because it pays off in the long run. Finals are around the corner AND YOU DIDN'T FREAKING WRITE YOUR NOTES LIKE YOU WERE EXPLAINING IT TO A FIVE-YEAR-OLD. WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS RANDOM VARIABLE MEAN AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM? But your notes look like the bomb.com, by the way. Points for that. Exponents will swing a baseball bat to your kneecaps, so make sure you ask someone who's mathematically inclined to make sure you know what you're doing. I wish I asked for help earlier. Oh! You will have a graphing art project at the end of the year, so look into different equations! It's more fun than it looks. Also, please for the love of god, stop wearing solid black clothes. You look like an emo child. Don't wanna be like your siblings, do you? You've branched out incredibly and talking to strangers has come with ease. You were even the first to break the ice to others! Look at that! You've got the coolest, tight-knit friend group you've ever had, and even when you think that they don't care about you, they really do (Wait for your birthday, they got the best surprise for you ;) ). You've had some bigass family emergencies/issues this semester, and please don't bottle up your emotions and thoughts before you word-vomit and ugly-cry in front of your math teacher. It wasn't pretty, haha. I wish you the best of luck throughout this semester, darling. Math might be your enemy, but keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You got this. Take a deep breath. Reset your day. Keep going. I believe in you. Ps: You know that boy you like. Yeah. No matter how cute he is, and even if he feeds that malicious little infection, he's not worth the time. Yours, You, five months into the future. * Dear future self, First of all always remember that you are never alone. If you don't understand something the odds is that someone else doesn't understand either. Asking for help and asking questions isn't a sign that you are weak or dumb. It's a sign that you are brave and strong, when you realize that you're struggling and are able to ask for help. Another piece of advice is to not leave all of your work of the unit till the end or not do it at all. Because if you don't work on it and keep up yo date on work it gets harder to understand. Math takes practice and mistakes so that you can learn from them, not doing your work and making those mistakes to learn off of won't help you improve. I hope this helps you future self. * Dear Past self, I know that going into this math class you don't know exactly what to expect, and that you have a bad history with math. So when you have your first class, please try to approach this with a new attitude, one of doing your best, and being excited for trigonometry(its going to be the highlight of your year, along with the Desmos stuff). Also, maybe try to do your homework a bit more on time, it will probably help you tonnes, because after a while you'll forget the things you learnt and that will make doing the homework even more difficult. All in all, you will like this class, and even if right now you feel like you are terrible at math and it will never get better, just wait it out, because it will, and you will end up really enjoying the class and the teacher. -The future you, with better hair * Dear February Me, Well you're still alive and kicking in June, though exams might still get us yet. My first piece of advice I can give you, is that homework is best when finished. You're going to find that math homework isn't all that bad if you just start. If you manage your work load then you will actually begin to have a social life... it's truly a miracle. Advice 2, don't be afraid of math. I know that math has always been a butt kicker of a subject, but you need to learn it. Plus, you're actually going to start to enjoy doing math. That may be hard to believe now, but just wait. Numero tres: Ms. Bjornson is really nice. I know we have a long standing history of being afraid of teachers, but math will be easier if your know what you're doing. Ask questions! My fourth and piece of advice is, figure out how to use a calculator NOW. Trust me, it'll save your life. Good bye and good luck on this extra life. Love, Future You * Dear past me, Think long and hard before skipping most of Unit 3's home work, it doesn't disappear. It. Comes. Back. This term, lets face it you will start out scared and in denial, finding it so much easier to not do the homework so it doesn't make you break into a cold sweat and procrastinate. You won't know for a bit, but this class will be the most challenging, frustrating, wonderful and beautiful experience you will have all year. It will teach you that you can tell people you are struggling even if it is not in math. This means so much to you even if you refuse to admit it. As well don't compare yourself to others, just because you try your best and it isn't a hundred percent doesn't mean you are worth less than anybody else. Try to accept that you might have to work a lot harder than a lot of people and this doesn't make you weak, it makes you determined. Some chapters are big ones and you will procrastinate even though you don't want to. Also, make more lists. Lists are freaking amazing .Like really amazing. Not nerdy, amazing. ok maybe a little nerdy and amazing, Finally I just want you to know that this class will be a big one for you and it goes fast so at least try to have fun, and of course keep a Mrs. B quote list, you have no way to know all the crazy things that will happen. Anonymous * Don't worry. you will be fine. DON'T YOU DARE SLACK OFF THOUGH. keep paying attention in class! stop getting sick. even when it gets boring keep at it. remember: inverse sohcahtoa for angles. AND DON'T YOU DARE FORGET IT. surface area is only the surface of an object not the overlap points. pick something easy for desmos so you have more time to do other work sheets. don't let your self be overwhelmed. OR ELSE. make sure you master the technique before doing the test. OR SUFFER ETERNAL DAMNATION. And most of all don't stress out. :D it's going to be a long hard road but you will make it eventually (probably). remember: don't get cocky. OR FEEL THE WRATH OF THE MATH GODS. anyway have a good February it's only going to get better (it's going to be a wild ride). * "pls rember that wen u feel scare or frigten never forget ttimes wen u feeled happy wen day is dark alway rember happy day" -Anonymous I should want to tell myself that I should pay attention during the factoring section, considering I bombed on that test. I know I've never been very good with school, it's never seemed very important to me. It's just now dawning on me that I can't keep coasting by doing the bare minimum. I want to have done better and I also want to do better but I think it would take more than a conversation to motivate me. If I could leave myself with only one thing, I would tell myself that Justify will win the 2018 Kentucky Derby. * Dear past Kenzie, though there is not much advice i can give you to help you on your journey as knowing me you wont listen. All i can say is this, at some point in time you will be offered a sandwich. Take it, or you will regret it. with respect, Kenzie. (P.S. do your homework dammit) * My advice to past me learning math: Delight in the fact that you don't understand. In a couple of months you will know how to write symbols for things you didn't know existed, find solutions to things you didn't know were a problem, describe and derive and contrive patterns that look like abstractions to you now. Trade worry for wonder. Know that being Good At Math is the result of trying hard, not a reason to avoid it. Savour the feeling of finally unravelling a tricky question, or likewise tying up loose ends. Think of your homework and an interesting challenge instead of a chore, because once you get started, you generally enjoy it. Don't forget that a thing in brackets squared means (the thing)(the thing). I swear if you learn that early on your grade will probably improve by like 5%. Now you're set. Time flies, so enjoy every moment, especially Story Time with Ms B * The most important thing this semester is to not worry about where you are right now or that you aren't the most successful student or person in the world. Instead, just keep working, you will thank yourself later and you will be proud of what you've accomplished. Don't fall behind, I know that the day was long and hard but that doesn't really matter. Even if it's only five questions. Those will be five questions you will thank yourself later for doing and you will be prompted to do more afterward. There is nothing more annoying than falling behind on your homework and having to make up for it. Don't do it later. DO. IT. NOW. Also, don't worry about what other people are doing, they might be 10% higher than you are or just always "get it", but if you don't focus on yourself and put your energy into getting better you will never be able to do what you admire so much in others. You have no control over other people's math success so you might as well make you're own. One last thing, just ask more questions and get that extra half hour of sleep, those alone will help you understand what's going on and help you to focus better and stay on top of things. To conclude: Don't compare yourself to others, and, instead, make your own success. Just do the work right away and you will be more happy with yourself (and it's much easier to catch up on one day opposed to three) Ask more questions and be rested enough to be prepared to work. * Dear me, You will enjoy this class. Remember to finish your math homework. Chapter one is Geometry, it was pretty easy. Chapter two is trigonometry, you'll have fun with that. Chapter 3 is factors and products. You're going to have problems unless you do the homework before the test. Don't get overconfident. Make sure that you do all of the factoring homework before the Chapter 3 and 4 tests, as it will greatly affect your mark. Chapter 4 is roots and powers. You need to pay close attention in class. Chapter 6 is linear functions. Make sure to ask as many questions as possible to try to get ahead in graphing from now on. Trust me, we have algebra down, it might take a bit to get back into the swing of things, but it's going to be fun. Chapter 7 is systems of linear equations. You'll start to do desmos in chapter 6. It's fun because it's artistic, you'll like it. Also, pay attention in class and don't spend to much time wasting time talking. Study the quadratic function to be able to do it quicker. Signed, Me * I would tell myself that it would be way different from math 9, in that it was harder (duh) but also that I was way more willing to ask for help when I needed it, which isn't something I do in other classes so Math 10 gave me something new besides math, which I didn't expect back then. Since February I gained a lot of math skills, and learned that math can actually be enjoyable, which I DEFINITELY didn't except back then. As much as i really didn't appreciate having such a heavy class last block, it ended up working out for the better because I got into whatever I was working on and would stay after school to keep going, and I'm sure if I had gone home I wouldn't have picked up again, and I liked how convenient it was to just stay and work with help. But over all that my favorite thing about the course was about how in the homework one can redo a question they got wrong, and still get full marks, which isn't something doable in French, for example. It gave me lots of opportunities to get better marks and I'd easily have a 30% lower mark had that option not been available. So I'd tell my old self that math doesn't have to suck, but still don't overestimate yourself (interest inventory), also I would literally beg myself to work on measurement. Please redo the dang homework questions you got wrong because now you barely know how to do it. I would also say to get your pows done early so you wouldn't be typing frantically over a computer at 10pm on a Sunday with a million other things to do 4 days before the end of the year exams, because you screwed that up for both of us honesty. The last thing I would say to myself is to please write better notes. They were useful at the time, but now that it's like 5 months later and I've forgotten how to do everything, I would appreciate some instructions honestly, also maybe don't write them in glitter gel pen, it's hard to read and gives me headaches because it's really bright. But thanks for not throwing them out I guess? There was an attempt. * Hi past Megan!! How are you? ha kidding! I know how you are, I was in your shoes, literally! You are so so excited about the semester to come and all the fun classes you'll have!! all your favourite subjects woohooooo!! Now, take the time to be excited but I do have to warn you, when you get back from the big exciting adventure, you will have about one month to finish everything and it will be a lot tougher than expected!! I want you to soak in as much info as you can while in France and do all the homework you are supposed to!! But, while I am saying this, do not jeopardise any opportunities or adventures because of this advice; it is meant to be ignored as even though I am saying it now, I do not regret a single decision I made over that trip, and I don't want you to either. Also make sure you work out even a little because 14 hours a week of P.E. hits you hard! But do not worry even a little bit. you will be fine and you will have fun, because happy always finds a way. It is important that you let your peers, friends and everyone else that even though everything seems drastically important now, it can always be fixed and it will be okay. If no one from the future came back to change it, then how bad can it really be? I think you are a wonderful person and study harder and ask more questions and have fun!! <3 Hello everyone it is Megan van Campen here to chat about my bitter sweet desmos experience. I chose to do a picture of our dearly beloved sir Barry B. Benson from The Bee Movie.
As many of you may know, almost my entire project got deleted (It was my fault as I had forgotten to save it past about 25 lines) Even though many of you have done over 100 lines by now and have created incredible projects, 80 lines had seemed like the world to me because those 10 hours of crazy precise line making were so much fun and made me more proud than I" am of most of my creations. I thoroughly loved doing this project and can proudly say that before those lines were deleted, they were exact up to 4 decimal points and there was NO overlap of gaps to be found and they were all unique and lovely and I am extremely proud of myself. When my laptop froze, I didn't know what to do so I waited 9 hours before finding out my only solution was to restart my computer and lose it all. I cried (I know a little lame, leave me alone) and I got over it. After deciding that to try and restart would be a waste of more of my time, I left it at that. I do have to say that even though this was a tragic incidence for my personal happiness, in the long run, it was incredibly wonderful for my academic success, being able to wholly focus on my math homework instead and using my work blocks for work sheets and practice tests, this was overall a great outcome for my learning. A couple wise words of advice from a veteran: -SAVE YOUR WORK AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN!! -and stop as soon as you've done the basics, make sure you're caught up on homework, then if you still have extra time, go back and do 304758 lines and show the world, but it is not worth having a stunning project and failing a test. Thanks for reading and have a stunning afternoon Everything will be okay! Megan 365 words:) The entire experience was enjoyable: from the Des-Faces to the marble slide and concluding with the final project. I have learned a great deal from this project, particularly from experimentation with equations. What I have learned includes, but is not limited to; sigma notation, sin waves, cosine waves, tangent waves, and logarithmic spirals. All of this was very enjoyable to learn, especially given the fact that I enjoy math in general.
I chose an image that would be an enjoyable challenge. In hindsight perhaps choosing a drawing would have been easier than trying to replicate a photo of the detonation of a thermonuclear bomb.. I also realised (belatedly) that the explosion that was represented is in fact not a detonation of the Tsar Bomba but rather of a French thermonuclear bomb test, code named "Licorne." In any case, I found it quite difficult to achieve asymmetrical parabolas and to be able to truly recreate the image. This is because it is a natural event and therefore full of unique and "imperfect" organic shapes. Morgan was the first to have created a slanted parabola as well as found a way to sharpen it's point. I was appreciative oh his prior work on this and showing me how to do it. I also underestimated how long this project would take to complete. I spent much of the time experimenting with different approaches and notations. I found many ways that created shapes that could have been useful but I was not able to implement them correctly as I sometimes did not fully understand the math. I also decided to use some quartics because it was necessary to get some of the shapes (a parabola did not provide a blunt enough end ("nose"), and instead produced a curve that was softer. I preferred the quartic because the blunted nose or point was useful for the image. The notation might be slightly off or incorrect because it was new to me, but nonetheless it still provided the shape I needed. At first I wanted to use some form of polar graphing and logarithmic spirals, but they rely on radians. Radians are an alternative way of notating angles (instead of using degrees). I decided against this because it was too complex trying to create a domain and range and to change the line's location in Desmos. -Zane https://www.desmos.com/calculator/hoe1htlprv My first mistake was choosing an image that was almost entirely thick lines and curves. It was jut so pretty, and I didn't quite realize how long it takes to copy lines and move them over by a hundredth of a unit until I was doing just that at midnight. On the bright side, I now have a very intimate understanding of decimals. Strangely enough, my greatest challenge was getting plain old slope-intercept lines to have the angle I needed. For a while I resorted to using y2-y1/x2-x1 just to get the slope I wanted, until I discovered the miracle that is point-slope form. Like...you just plug in the co-ordinates...and the line goes right there...incredible. Another fun thing I discovered was the delightful combination of the elipse formula and sliders! I thought this was a brilliantly sneaky way of making curves without having any understanding of how the equation worked, until I realized that I had unwittingly learned which variables did what without using the sliders at all. Curse you, math project! Making me learn!! The most important skill I practiced was without a doubt overcoming perfectionism. Coming to terms with not finishing the entire bird and leaving lines with awkward gaps in them was an important process in my learning, outside of mathematics.
-Isolde Hey yo, Mr Nat here
This project was one of the most exciting this year, and certainly one of the most graphic. On a very practical level, it helped me understand linear equations, but in a deeper sense, it also lead me to a greater appreciation of my place in society, and an understanding of my privilege within it. It made me realize that my greatest difficulty was getting the lines to match on my graph, while millions of Chinese children are having to parent themselves due to growing income inequality. We have a free press, which means I have the freedom to pick an art project on Rick and Morty, which I chose because of its curved lines, unlike in Russia where journalists have to avoid assassination. And while using inequalities helped my understanding of graphs, it also helped me visualize how inequality effects so many people today. At first, slope intercept form didn’t make sense to me, but now I understand how to derive a line from two points. Because I have access to free education, unlike Niger, where only 15% of adults are literate. Because I don't live in poverty, I was able to research what tools are available through Desmos, so I can learn by example. Sorry for the weird social justice talk, it was the only way I could get myself to concentrate at this hour. Anyways, cya all on monday. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/worst-schools-world/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG9YHMcLK2Q https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/may/30/russian-journalist-arkady-babchenko-who-was-reported-killed-is-still-alive http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6219/234 Let me just start off by saying that this project has been one of my favourites yet!
For my 'Art', I chose a pair of figure skates, as I am a figure skater. First, looking at the image, it did not seem very hard to recreate, however, when I started to write the equations, I realized how difficult it actually was. Due to the fact that I have a very minimal understanding of graphs and equations, recreating some curves and lines were a challenge. That did not stop me though! I tried to learn as much as I could during this project, while still having fun. One of the things I did learn through this project and this unit was the different uses of graphs. Deeply indulging in this project allowed me to appreciate graphs for its many uses. The equations that helped me throughout this project was y = mx + b (formula for linear equations in slope-intercept form) and y = x^2 (formula for parabola). My art required an equal amount of curves and straight lines, and knowing these two formulas and how they work helped me recreate the art. One thing that definitely shocked me was how many lines made up that one piece of art. When first observing it, it only looks like a few lines here and there, but once you start looking at with a great amount of attention, you realize it is not just a couple lines and that it is a few hundred lines. Finally, I think this project was an overall great learning experience. I was able to showcase my math knowledge learned both in and out of this class. I was able to enjoy it as well, which makes the task something I look forward to working on. By : Sheyda Shams Word Count ~ 296 Hello everyone,
As you may already know I chose to do my project on the nintendo toad from Mario and all those fun games that you would play with your siblings. I chose to do a toad because my brother was playing a mario game and inspiration kind of struck because it looked like it could be fun but oh boy.. The hardest part for me would have to be restricting the parabolas of the mouth. It wouldn't line up and it would be very difficult to do until I used variations of Slope-Intercept form and added restrictions which made it look like two A-okay curves. Another difficult task for me would have to be the coloration of the spots on his head because it wouldn't look to symmetrical, being the tired sleep-deprived grade 10 I am, I worked on the left side which ended up looking slightly better then the first. Plotting coordinates was a bit tough too unless I zoomed in really really close and kept it in check. The section I'm most proud of would have to be the vertical ellipses for the eyes because they ended up looking identical and similar to the photo of reference, as well as the small circular pupils. If I could do something differently, I would defiantly try to focus more on the rest of the toad besides the facial features. Although, I had enough (75) equations for just the facial structure and details (not including the goggles I added, which was a mistake, haha) Overall, I would rate this experience a 8.5/10, if I was bored and wanted to do some Math this is exactly what I would do. ~Carpe Diem~ - A.B Word Count: 283 We each have our own approach to our studies. In my own experience, it took me until second year university to refine my process so that I could obtain the grades I wanted, in the most time and stress efficient way possible. |
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June 2018
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