The second of the year-long classes that I have taken this year was a combination of both math and chemistry. Taught by Ms. Alderson, we learned through lectures, labs, and presentations about the basic aspects of chemistry in ther modern world as well as basic Sophomore-grade math. Our chemistry subjects ranged from petroleum and oil to molecular heat and air pressure. In math, we covered several important basics like proofs and formulas. In the end, her class not only gave me a better understanding of logics and science in the real world, but also helped me discover my interest in chemistry - something I felt comfortable enough with to take the SATs for it.
Project Overview - African Water ProjectThis was a double-class project that had both Humanities aspect and Math/Chemistry aspects. For a period of around two months, my partner (Ryan Freeze) and I had to put together a website, poster board, and model that talks about an African nation (Sudan) and water purification, including a phase it went through (Flocculation) and what water problems were present in our nation. For Chemistry, we had to research several types of water-born bacteria/diseases and issues revolving around uncleaned water. We also had to look into a water filtration solution that would be good for our assigned nation. In the end, we managed to pull a decent presentation with a lot of facts. If I had to say this project taught me something about life, it would be that communication is crucial to any relationshipo - professional or otherwise. To see more on the project, feel free to click below to see the site and other stuff on the project.
Project Overview - Alternative Energy Documentary
Another double-class project, this project put us in teams in of three with the goal of making a documentary discussing a type of energy-production as well as an alternative. With my partners, Brittany Parker and John Holtan, we were assigned the task of making a film on the mining and burning of coal as well as the alternative use of geothermal power. For chemistry, we had to learn the chemical science behind petroleum products like coal and fossil fuels. We also learned about how they are inefficient, despite their very-energetic molecular construct. We also learned how the process of geothermal works through using the steam and heat from the earth. In the end, this project taught me a lot about time-management and how to be detail-oriented when it comes to explaining things.
One of the later projects that was done in math and chemistry was our children's proof books - books that not only told a story but explain a math problem through the method of proofs and theorems. Nico Shirey and I, as a team, created a book known as "The Wanderer" that told the tale of an Arabic wanderer that comes across a city in turmoil over a wall that they arent sure is straight. Using several theorems and postulaes, the wanderer manages to explain that the wall is, infact, upright and straigt at a 45-degree angel to the ground. This assignment taught me several important values, including work-share-management and responsibility of what needs to be done. In the end, i was pleased with what my partner and I created.