Unit 3/4 Summary

Throughout this week in Math 9 we have been working on linear equations and the rules that go along with them. For this assignment, I will explain how to do linear equations with variables and constants on both sides.

To do linear equations, you need to remember a few key steps and rules:
1. You want to move the variables to 1 side of the equation, and the constants to the other. You can do this for which ever side you find easier (ex moving the smaller variable so you don’t have to deal with a negative variable)

2. When moving anything across the = sign, turn it into the inverse of itself (negatives to positive, positive to negative).

3. Add everything on each individual side together.

4. Divide the constant (on the other side of the equals sign) by the coefficient of the variable (if necessary). This will result in the answer for 1 of the variable (ex. 1y). However, if the coefficient was negative, it will result in the answer for -1y, in which case you need to turn it into the inverse of itself.

5. Double check your answer by going to the original question, and plugging the answer in, replacing the variable. See if it checks out.

Example 1:
2x = x + 1
2x – x = 1 (Moving x across the equals sign makes it negative)
x = 1 (Add everything on each individual side together)

Verifying example 1:
2x = x + 1
2*1 = 1 + 1
2 = 1 + 1
2 = 2

Example 2:
6x + 10 – 4x = 12x – 20
10 + 20 = 10x (Moving -20 across the equals sign made it positive, moving 6x made it negative, moving -4x made it positive. All the constants are now on one side, and all the variables are on the other)
30 = 10x (Add everything on each individual side together)
30/10 = 3 (Divide the constant by the coefficient, the coefficient is positive so we now have the result for positive 1x)
x = 3

Verifying example 2:
6x + 10 – 4x = 12x – 20
6*3 + 10 – 4*3 = 12*3 – 20
18 + 10 – 12 = 36 – 20
16 = 16

Element Sway

What questions did you need to research in order to create your sway? 

In order to create my sway, I had to research specific questions in order to find the information I was looking for, but not questions so specific that there wouldn’t be multiple reputable sources of information that I could cross verify. Some of my searches were: 

  • What are the atomic proprieties of Neodymium? 
  • Neodymium NFPA 704 fire diamond 
  • What are the usages of neodymium? 
  • How was neodymium discovered? 
  • When was neodymium isolated? 

These searches gave me multiple results of factual sources that I could cross verify to make sure my information was as correct as possible. 

What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project? 

The new tools I used as I worked through this project were EasyBib, Creative Commons photos, Pexels and Google Scholar. All these new tools helped me make my bibliography, helped me find reusable photos that I had permission to use, and helped me find information that I could easily cite from reputable sources. Some of the tools I used that I was already familiar with were Google Search, Sway, and Word. 

What was the process you used to investigate the topic?  

The process I used to investigate the topic consisted of using all my tools available to me and 1 by 1 going down the criteria sheet and finding credible information about each criterion, and then cross-checking that with another source. I used detailed questions in order to get the sources that I was searching for. 

How did you verify and cite the information you found?  

I verified the information I found via cross-checking it with other reputable sources. For example, RSC, Chemicool and Britannica all gave me the scientific proprieties of my element, and I crossed checked all of them (melting/boiling points, protons/neutrons, atomic mass, periodic table symbol). 

How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better? 

The process of completing this challenge went relatively smoothly. It was time-consuming, but overall, it was pretty easy as the tools I had available let me flow through the project with ease and find good scholarly articles and reusable photos. I do think given more time I could’ve found more photos to include in my project that were copyright-free. 

Unit 2 Summary

Throughout this week in Math 9 we have been working on powers and the rules that go along with them. For this assignment, I will explain the product rule and the exponent rule.

The product rule states that if two numbers are being multiplied that have the same base, you can simplify it by adding together the powers. Remember that if a number has no power, it actually has an invisible 1 power.

Example 1: 4^4 * 4^6 = 4^10
Example 2: 3 * 3^3 = 3^1 * 3^3 = 3^4

The exponent rule states that to simplify an expression where there are powers inside and outside a bracket, you can multiply the exponents (known as raising the power to the other power).

Example 1: (4^4)^4 = 4^16
Example 2: (8^3)^7 = 8^21

Unit 1 Summary

Throughout this week in Math 9 we have been working on adding and substracting fractions. For this assignment I will explain how to add fractions.

There are 4 main steps to adding fractions:
1. Turn any mixed fractions into improper fractions by multiplying the whole number by the denominator, and adding the sum to the nominator.
2. Find the LCM (lowest common multiple) of the denominators of the fractions you are multiplying. This is done by multiplying the denominator on each number by 1 to start, and raising the number by 1 until there are matching products from the current denominator you multiplied and any of the previous denominators you multiplied from the other number. Keep track of how many multiplications it took to find the LCM of EACH number.

Example: 4 and 6
4: 4(1), 8(2), 12(3)
6: 6(1), 12(2)

LCM:12

3. Change the denominators of both fractions to the LCM and multiply the nominators of both fractions to the number of multiplications it took to reach the LCM.
4. Add the two fraction’s nominators together. If desired/needed, revert to a mixed fraction and simplify the fraction by finding the lowest common divider (opposite of LCM).

Whirligig project

For the first portion of my whirligig project I chose to do a poem on Jenny and her grandmother. I call it “A lesson to be learned”.

For the second portion of my project I decided to do a BioBag.

For the third portion of my project I decided to do figurative devices.

“Getting any respect at Montfort was going to be like climbing a glass mountain” pg.8 is a simile that compares getting respect in Montfort’s ego chain to climbing a glass wall. Climbing a glass wall is obviously very difficult, and you will get cut along the way, so this simile is showing how hard it is to get respect in the new school. I think the author chose to use this simile to put you in Brent’s state of mind. He is the new kid in the school, trying to fit in and be cool, and as Brent is insecure and needs reassurance, it is almost impossible to climb up the ranks.

“My summer was like being sick in your stomach.” pg.77 is a simile that compares being sick to your stomach to Tony’s summer. Tony had a bad summer being forced to do music and he didn’t get any of the birthday gifts he wants. In this quote the author compares Tony’s summer to throwing up, saying that it is gross but afterward you feel better. I think the author chose this quote to portray how bad Tony’s summer was. Throwing up feels awful, and the feeling of throwing up is bad too, but after you feel better. It perfectly describes Tony’s summer with an experience that most people have had.

“I was the driver but hadn’t understood the journey” pg.112 is irony since Jenny had been the one driving the car yet not understanding the journey. Being the driver, she was the one making all the turns, but not understanding where they were taking her. I think the author chose this piece of irony to try and create the imagery of a driver following directions but not knowing where they would end up. It represents a dumbed-down version of the hero’s journey. The grandmother asking her to drive was the call to adventure. The stops were the trials. And then the grandmother was the mentor at the end that taught Jenny a valuable life lesson at the end of the chapter resulting in a transformation.

“He felt like a bee returning to a hive, greeted and accepted by all” pg.131 is a simile that compares feeling reaccepted by society in Brent’s mind to being a bee returning to a welcoming hive. Brent was obviously never left society or the “hive”, but he felt as if he was an outcast, and this simile explains that now in his heart he feels as if he belongs again. I think the author chose this quote for a literal visual that explains how brent felt. It is easier to picture a bee leaving its’ hive and returning than it is to imagine how Brent was feeling, so that’s why I think the author chose this simile.

HCE 9 – English Write

A lack of respect, equality, and inclusion still exist and are a prevalent problem in our world today. A good visualization of this is the photo “Birds on a wire” by Banksy where inequality, lack of respect, and lack of inclusivity in our world are demonstrated by birds on a wire. The inequality and lack of inclusivity towards the non-native and colored bird in this photo is representative of the ways lots of people in our society are treated today just for being different or new. This image uses the colored bird to represent an immigrant and the crows to represent the racist, anti-immigration, and privileged people of our society today. It shows the poor treatments towards the colored bird, which is obviously not from where the crows come from, with the crows holding up signs saying: “migrants not welcome”, “go back to Africa” and “keep off our worms”. This represents a lack of inclusivity towards the colored bird, not wanting it to sit on their wire or share their worms. It also shows a lack of respect, as they are being more than not being inclusive towards the bird, they are looking down upon the colored bird in a condescending manner. Lastly, the crows are demonstrating inequality as they are treating themselves as superior to the colored bird, with the sign “migrants not welcome” showing that the crows think of the colored bird as nothing more than the title “migrant” and not as a living breathing bird just like them. From my interpretation, Banksy created this piece to try and demonstrate this problem in our world in a way that people can understand. The small bird had done nothing wrong, and the crows had plenty of space on the wire and probably plenty of worms to eat, but instead of helping one another the crows were being racist and wanted the colored bird to leave for no reason.  

English 9 Bento Box Project

This is my bento box project for the short story “The Sea Devil” by Arthur Gordon. In this project, I reflected on events in the story, made real-world connections with the theme of the story, and described the character’s perspective throughout the story. For the bento box I used Thinglink which is an online tool for interactive presentations.