AP Statistics Final Essay: LDS Dating

AP Statistics Final Essay: LDS Dating

We decided to do this experiment because it’s something that hits close to home. People say that one shouldn't waste time on things that they don’t have any connection with or they won’t be inspired to go further or make sure it’s done correctly. So because of this reason, we wanted to do an experiment that we had an association with. Hannah and I have lived our whole lives in the LDS church hearing the standards for the youth, one of which being not to date until you are 16 years old. Since we've both seen our friends with their boyfriends/girlfriends in Jr. High School, we started to wonder how many of the LDS youth in today’s pressuring times had dated before they were 16 years old.

When we first started out on this experiment we were going to be using a convenience sample. After some consideration though, we changed to cluster sample so we could have a more pure form of responses; convenience samples are usually super inaccurate. In the end, we decided to change it to a census so there would no bias from us in choosing who got to take the survey or the complication of assigning numbers to random people and then picking the numbers for each class that we went into. We thought it’d be too much of a hassle.

We changed the survey’s amount of questions to ease the heaviness of the survey and so we could separate and define which gender and age groups marked either one of the answers to the main question. The questions we included were: What gender are you? What age are you now? Have you ever dated before you were 16? Were you pressured to date before age 16?

In our experiment there were some things that went perfect and other things that failed to meet our expectations. All the teachers allowed us to hand out the survey since we had went and asked them in advance. Only one the seventy was invalid which was better behavior than we would have thought from these teenagers. Something we probably could have thought over more and did more carefully was the location. We handed out the survey in a LDS Seminary classroom with their teachers in the room so that might have created some pressure. This could have created a response bias ( they could have just said what they thought we wanted to hear).

Refer to the last page of this report for the raw data. To collect our data, we went into all of the seminary classes during seminary on a day when others were not absent because of their extracurricular activities like dance practice. Going to one classroom at a time, we gave them the survey after explaining that the results are anonymous and that the survey needed to be taken seriously. (“SERIOUSLY KIDS!”) After the students completed the survey we let them put it in a soon-to-be-sealed manila envelope.

From the data we found out something we dreaded but admittedly thought we would. There was a large percentage of the LDS youth that had dated. “Well” we said, “So much for our purpose.” As far as weaknesses go, above mentioned it talks about the way we issued and collected the surveys was a little bit sloppy because of the fact that we had done it inside a LDS church.

 For the statistical significance we compared the pure probability to the percentages that we actually got. There would be a pure probability of 0% because in an ideal world, where the LDS youth and youth in general would do what they were told 100% of the time, there would be no chance of dating before one was of age.  Our data, however, shows that 52% of LDS youth attending seminary in (our town) have dated before they were sixteen… a dramatic comparison to the original 0% chance. Out of our sixty-nine usable surveys, thirty-six indicated that they had dated, thus giving us our 52%.

 We can conclude from our experiment, that “It’s really scary… THERE’S NO HOPE FOR OUR FUTURE! IF THE MORMONS HAVE LOST IT, THEN EVERYONE’S LOST IT!” But we suppose that’s not necessarily true. We can also conclude that even though 60% of the girls have dated, more than half of those girls felt as though they were being pressured into it. Although 41% of the boys had dated, only a little more than a fifth of those felt that they had been pressured.  In total, out of the 53% of the entire sample that have dated, the pressure ratio was 42%.

Some limitations might be those in areas who have less church members. The results of this sample couldn't necessarily be applied to those areas because people in different communities react differently to each individual church standard. Namely the one of dating; where some may say ‘Who would it hurt?’ and others would say ‘Evil things will come out of it’. The size of the city could also influence it differently because there would be more people who have different standards and with the need for acceptance growing amongst teenagers the pressure is different.

The next step would be to try out this survey in different communities like the ones we had mentioned above. It’d be interesting to see how the results from a small town community like (our town) would compare to those of Seminary classes in New York City or third-world countries like Africa. They would need to hand out the same exact surveys. It might be best to get one of the kids from there to hand them out and to explain it so the survey doesn't feel so pressured and formal.

A different way we could further this experiment is in checking in on these same teenagers in the next couple decades to see whether they had stayed in their faith or not.

Autonomy & Fuel Cells

Autonomy & Fuel Cells

            If you looked up the word “autonomy” in the dictionary you’ll probably find some sort of definition like “independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions: the autonomy of the individual” or “the condition of being autonomous; self-government, or the right of self-government; independence” (Dictionary). And that’s what scientists have done as a fuel source. Well almost anyway. And if you try to Wikipedia this subject, make sure you aren’t confusing it was autotomy because that could cause some major confusion.

            Since I left you in the cold in the last paragraph I figure now would be a good time to tell you what I mean. Fuel cells are the next big thing in our daily lives. Using common fuel this energy device is going places, literally. They have already been used to power a lot of vehicles including: buses, automobiles/cars, forklifts motorcycles, boats, and even submarines.

            Okay, okay, let’s slow down and re-wind to talk about where this came from. The idea for the fuel cell came from way back in 1838 when a man named Christian Friedrich Schönbein had some of his work published. Just a year later a hot-shot lawyer and scientist, Sir William Robert Grove, demonstrated then sketched a picture of a fuel cell. His sketch looked something like this below:

(Wiki)

Let’s give props to that guy. Now just skip a couple years and in 1955 W. Thomas Grubb (and a little later Leonard Niedrach) expounded on the idea that Schönbein and Grove had worked on so diligently. In the future, their work would lead to the use in Project Gemini (Wiki)

            Through more revisions of the fuel cell, Roger Billings finally developed the first hydrogen fuel cell automobile in 1991. And might I add: good on him. These fuel cell cars are so much more efficient then the most commonly used gasoline needing cars.

 I wouldn’t be surprised if most models of cars have the fuel cells within the next twenty years or 

so. What scientists have done to create such a thing is quite amazing. With all the dedication we 

might be able to stop (or at least slow down) our dependency on gasoline, especially from foreign 

countries.

Periodic Properties

Periodic Properties

“Eventually all the pieces will fall into place, until then... laugh at the confusion,

live for the moment and know that everything happens for a reason.”

            All the elements on the periodic table were set where they are for a reason. Believe it or not (and I hope you do) there is a formula for the placement. The 118 elements have been ordered into their exact spots through many processes.
            Every one of the elements in the table are organized  in an order from lightest to heaviest. This means that the elements whose atomic weights are near the same number will be very close together on the table. This was discovered and made popular by Demitri Mendeleev. As for columns, elements that have matching properties will be in the same column.

            As a simple principle, one can say, “The higher an electron’s energy, the farther from the nucleus it is.” (Colorado¹) What is it talking about right there? It’s saying that the atoms get bigger as you add electrons to higher energy levels. This chart shows the size of the structure of the atoms:

          

(Colorado²)

            Now, as you look at this picture questions might start to form in your head. Now, ignore those and listen to what I have to say. There are two main parts that go into this periodic table; Groups (or Families) and Periods (or Series). Families are the vertical arrangement of elements. Series are the horizontal arrangement of elements. Focus on the latter one mentioned. Now, in the table there are seven clear series. From left to right they are: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, halogens, noble gases, the lanthanide series and the actinide series. They all have different properties that I won’t go into because our class was quite enough that this should only be one page long.

            But on a side note, there is also a thing called sublevels. To read through them there is: s sublevel, p sublevel, d sublevel, and the f sublevel. These sublevels run on a energy based system. Respect the system.

            As we look at the innocent periodic table of elements we start to see patterns. Patterns that could only have been created and thought up by a mastermind. So enjoy these patterns and the simplicity they bring to your life before the mastermind starts to control our brains with what they have created. The end. (Omniscient¹¹)







 

Sources

Ÿ  Colorado¹ - http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/periodic_table/atomic_structure.html

Ÿ  Colorado² -http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/periodic_table/periodic_properties.html#size

Ÿ  Omniscient¹¹ - http://www.TheResourcesOfMySarcasticMind_HopeYouDon’tGetMad.org

Curiosity, anyone?

Curiosity, anyone?

         Combining the forces of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) the two have come out with something grand. In a big step for human kind a rover has been prepared to land on Mars. Launched November 26, 2011, the rover is scheduled to land at Gale Crater on Mars in mid-August 2012. This rover’s task is to establish whether or not the Red Planet is or ever was able to support life.
          Imagine how you would feel if you got to name a famous space rover made by world renowned programs? That’s probably how Clara Ma felt when her essay with the suggested name Curiosity won the Mars Science Laboratory naming contest. The twelve-year old wrote a paragraph that caught the eye of many. Ma wrote:

Curiosity is an everlasting flame that burns in everyone's mind. It makes me get out of bed in the morning and wonder what surprises life will throw at me that day. Curiosity is such a powerful force. Without it, we wouldn't be who we are today. When I was younger, I wondered, 'Why is the sky blue?', 'Why do the stars twinkle?', 'Why am I me?', and I still do. I had so many questions, and America is the place where I want to find my answers. Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder. Sure, there are many risks and dangers, but despite that, we still continue to wonder and dream and create and hope. We have discovered so much about the world, but still so little. We will never know everything there is to know, but with our burning curiosity, we have learned so much. (NASA)

Since then, Curiosity has been a long-awaited mission for science nerds everywhere. The answers that this rover promises humanity are the answers to some questions that have been around for a very long time.
          Curiosity is substantially larger than Spirit or Opportunity (the Mars Exploration Rovers that came before it). This rover is about the size of a Mini Cooper which makes it nearly five times as large. It also weighs a hefty 1,984 pounds (1600 lbs. more than the previous rovers). With all the weight and bulk, this rover’s estimated maximum terrain-traverse speed is 90 meters per hour. Please note like I have that during track season not one of CCHS’s athletes ran a 100 meter sprint in more than 30 seconds. So this is probably super slow and painful to watch. Over Curiosity’s two year mission it is anticipated to travel no less than 12 miles.
            The landing spot, Gale Crater, on Mars was chosen out of a list of places because of the different attributes it has. Inside Gale Crater is a mountain rising 3.1 miles of layered rock. Since the mission is to look for any sign of possible life on this planet, one of the first things Curiosity will be doing is taking a look at a very dense and bright colored rock. This kind of rock is different from all other rock types inspected on Mars. It might just be a piece of an antediluvian playa lake deposit. The rocks from there will be checked for the existence of organic molecules. (Wiki)
          Of course this crazily weighted will need insane amounts of power and I honestly think I should get extra-extra credit for writing this paragraph. Through the natural decay of a non-fissile isotope (see why I should extra-extra credit now? *nudge nudge*) of plutonium-238 generators produce electricity. Heat is given off by the decay regardless of the time of year or day. The heat is then turned into the electricity used to operate Curiosity. This method is an extremely smart move for NASA and MSL. Pu-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years giving it a long time to produce energy. (EPA)
          If Curiosity gets the answers that we hope to achieve from this then this will be a major breakthrough. And even though I still can’t get over how super-duper slow this little (kind of big) piece of equipment goes I even hope the best for it. I hope this report this report cured your curiosity of Curiosity (good pun, ay?). So tune in August of 2012 if you want an update on what this little rover has to offer. 

Electromagnetic Pulse

Don’t Cut the Red Wire

            Can one these days possible imagine what life without technology would be like? Texting with cell phones and letting people across the world know that you just made yourself a PB&J sandwich through face book is a highly common and mundane thing nowadays. Most teenage kids (and probably a lot of adults too) would literally have a spaz attack if all the technology were to crash down. So we better start preparing by getting more psychologists because an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack can happen anytime.

            The world has had the knowledge to make an EMP attack happen for a while now. Actually, since 1945 it’s been known about. The United States first discovered this side effect (but almost overlooked it) when they were first testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific Ocean about 1000 miles away from Hawaii. The electromagnetic waves traveled far and blew out a couple electric streetlights and signal lights. It’s an invisible pulse from an nuclear blast that completely and permanently destroys electronic equipment over mass distances.

            Even my mother remembers the possibility of this attack and what it would do. In fact, when the power went of earlier today it was one of the things that had crossed her mind. And that’s not all surprising. She did grow up during the time when that was one of the biggest scares. In 1962, the Soviet Union executed a series of EMP-producing nuclear tests. Yeah, that’s pretty darn scary if I do say so myself. Even though before the U.S. did a test in space called the Starfish Prime (part of Operation Fishbowl, no joke). The Soviet’s came out more powerful and more damaging they were done over a inhabited large land mass and at a setting where the Earth's magnetic field was more intense even though the weapons they used were smaller.
            Fear. That’s the only thing keeping us safe from these attacks from other countries. Fear that we might be able to send something back seconds before our technology is crashed. And we all know that most people wouldn’t be able to handle living without their I Love Lucy re-runs.

Sources

Ÿ  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse

Ÿ  http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/emp.htm

Ÿ  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvu08Y9XJ0U

Many Worlds Hypothesis

Oh Those Toothbrushes!

“You may think that in life, a lot of things happen to you along the way. The truth is, in life, you happen to a lot of things along the way.”

 - Dr. Shad Helmstetter

          What would’ve happened if I hadn’t forgotten my lunch today? How would my day be different if I had told my best guy friend that I’ve been crushing on him since I met him?? Each of our days are filled with choices, even if some of them seem inconsequential. Think of all those movies where one of the characters stoop to pick up a penny and they put their head down just in time to save their life from the evil guys’ bullet. Now if that hadn’t happened then that would have been the end of him. But the latter experience comes in a separate spilt off universe. That is what the Many Worlds Hypothesis is explaining.

                Each decision making it’s own path since the beginning of time. Each choice creating a new “island universe”. One says island universe because out of the many number of options since the Big Bang, or whatever one considers to be the beginning of the universe, the one universe that lead up to you, the reader, viewing this particular piece of writing is just one of an infinite number (and I really mean infinite!) of universes created explained in the Many Worlds Hypothesis. It is also known as the Many-Worlds Interpretation.

                To some saying, “Oh this is due to chance; it’s just the cosmic lottery,” just doesn’t cut it for their curiosity and previous conception of the world. That’s how it was with Hugh Everett in 1957, although known as the relative state formulation. Later Bryce Seligman DeWitt made famous and renamed Many-Worlds in the 1960s and ’70s. This theory puts into question a previously conceived idea that our world and universe has been just a single unfolding line of events. Another who has accepted and expanded this idea is Alexander Vilenkin.

          Vilenkin has brought up and published this concept in depth with his book Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes. In which he comments that he is aware that this is too much for a lot of physicists to take in. He also admits to some imperfections within this hypothesis with the commonly brought up understanding of the word ‘nothing’ and the poor logic consisting in that.

          Fine-Tuning: anyone ever hear of it? On philosophyofreligion.info they say, “The argument from fine-tuning suggests that the fitness of the universe for life either involves a series of staggering coincidences, or is the result of intelligent design.”

          Although I’ve heard some physicists and scientist differ on their opinions of whether this particular hypothesis contradicts with or supports the Many Worlds Theory, there is no doubt that these two can easily go side by side when talking about a point. It’s been used to try and confirm the existence of a God. Some may argue the point of how likely it is that everything fell perfectly in line for a piece of rock to be able to contain and support life, and intelligent life at that (which I can argue that point of how we know we should be considered intelligent; just because we compare ourselves to what we have around and that they seem a lot more dim than us. It just seems wrong).

                The point they’re making is that something must have guided this planet and our life forms because it is so highly improbable that we would have made it here and into this situation without the guidance and help from a more superior being. While a bundle of scientists have pointed out that if the Many Worlds Hypothesis was actually true then it would increase the chances of one of the many universes would be capable of bearing and keeping up life we still see multitudes of religions all over the place.

                And honestly it’s quite near impossible to write three pages on this subject because if you’ve looked at any of the websites that I have searched through, you can see that they couldn’t even write a three page essay on this subject. So I call this unfair.

                The Many Worlds Hypothesis is there to point out that through our lives a lot of decisions must be made and from those choices comes multiple consequences. It might have been that if I had told that boy about my long-term crush today that I would have been sitting in my room writing all about that conversation with him in my journal instead of writing this essay on the “should’ve, would’ve, could’ve”s in life. Through all of our choices there is an exact formula that lead each and every one of us to this precise moment in time, life, and the universe.

Sources

Ÿ  http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/theistic-proofs/the-teleological-argument/the-argument-from-fine-tuning/the-many-worlds-hypothesis/

Ÿ  http://www.philosophyofreligion.info/theistic-proofs/the-teleological-argument/the-argument-from-fine-tuning/

Ÿ  http://www.allaboutscience.org/many-worlds-hypothesis.htm

Ÿ  http://lifelessons4u.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/26-quotes-on-choices/

Ÿ  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many_worlds_hypothesis

Relativistic Classical Field Theories

Relativistic Classical Field Theories                   

Sam: Let’s do our project on hobos!

Carly: What do hobos have to do with science?

Sam: Aren’t they affected by gravity or something? (iCarly)

                One of the most generic science subjects is gravity. And it’s not just a song from the musical ‘Wicked’ or a song by Sara Bareilles. It relates to everything we do on Earth so it’s no wonder it’s talked about commonly in the scientific world. It’s responsible for the formation of the tides and keeping the planets to remain intact. Gravity is one of the four fundamental interactions, meaning the ways that particles interact with one another, along with electromagnetism, strong interaction and weak interaction.

                When most people hear the name Newton they imagine a boy sitting under an apple tree while an apple falls to the ground giving the boy a sudden “light bulb” thought and thus gravity came into the minds of humans. But in all actuality, the theory of gravity began with Galileo Galilei’s work in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s with his experiment in having balls fall from the Tower of Pisa until it hit the ground and measured how far they rolled down slopes. His experiment showed things that were very contrary to what Aristotle believed that objects with more weight accelerate faster. Then later, a short while after Galileo died, Isaac Newton expanded on his research using his own thoughts about the universe and his knowledge of mathematics. His theory consisted of the thought that an object with more mass exerted a greater force and pulled smaller objects, with less mass, toward it. From there Newton’s mind just kept going forward with the ideas. What if gravity reached out into space? What held up the orbits of the planets? With calculations and thought Sir Isaac Newton came up with ideas that changed the way people looked at the universe and understood it.

                So how gravity works is entirely different than just the history of it. It is common knowledge now that Newton defined gravity as a force and Albert Einstein concluding that gravity is due to the curvature of space-time (space-time being a single continuum that combines space and time). The more mass in an object, the more space around the object is warped. That’s why planets and the Earth can have things “fall into their orbit”. They go into a little dimple made by their massive matter and that’s why all of them stay in their proper place in orbit. This is all a part of Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

                Believe it or not, there are alternatives to the general relativity theory. From the candid theories that just throw it out the opposing, such as Brans-Dicke theory, to the other theories that try to unite gravity with other forces, like the Kaluza-Klein theory, there are many that don’t believe simply in what Einstein had configured. Their rival ideas consist of adding to the general relativistic classical field theory and adding a scalar field. Although most people now only know of the most famous theory by Einstein, the other propositions for how the universe works are starting to get more and more credit.

                Gravity is entwined into our everyday lives. From the moon at night, to running laps during the day, gravity plays a big part in all of lives. And no matter what theory we put our beliefs in, the truth that some sort of force, pull, or field keeps everything in line has been there and will be there for as long as we all can guess.

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitation

·         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brans%E2%80%93Dicke_theory

·         http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/question232.htm

·         http://icarly-transcript.seesaa.net/article/156837581.html

·         http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blnewton.htm

Space Launch System

Space Launch System

Ever since 1958 when National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) replaced the foregoer National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) there has been great programs and missions coming from it. From Project Mercury to Project Gemini to the famous Apollo moon-landing mission one may start to wonder what will be coming next. Well on September 14, 2011 NASA made public that a new design for the Space Launch System had been chosen.

The Space Launch System, also known as the SLS, is a design that, when completed, will be used to take NASA’s astronauts deeper into space than America has ever gone before. Reason for doing this is, more or less, to start a new era for future space investigation. Also, as stated on the NASA website, they explain, “We will learn more about how the solar system formed, where Earth's water and organics originated and how life might be sustained in places far from our Earth's atmosphere and expand the boundaries of human exploration. These discoveries will change the way we understand ourselves, our planet, and its place in the universe.” (NASA website)
           
            The blueprint for this new program has been elaborately drawn and measured to scale. The actual objects that make up the SLS are an initial crew shuttle and an evolved cargo shuttle. Each of these has been created to suit its own special needs. While they both have a core stage and space shuttle main engines, the crew shuttle includes a multi-purpose crew vehicle, solid rocket boosters, and a launch abort system. The cargo shuttle consists of solid (or liquid) rocket boosters, an upper stage with a different J-2X engine, and a cargo fairing that helps the craft reduce drag.

            Sizing is important in this program. 320 feet will be the size of the crew’s craft. And will way roughly 5.5 million pounds. But that’s a mere nothing compared with the cargo craft; it will be measuring in at 400 feet and 6.5 million pounds! How much weight they will be taking is pretty impressive too. Crew shuttle will be taking 70 metric tons into orbit. The cargo spacecraft will be carrying almost two times that at 130 metric tons.

            Although on the U.S. Space Launch System Fun Facts sheet it says that this program is a “safe, affordable, and sustainable to advance America’s exploration of space” (NASA website), one might get a different feel for the price while looking at the estimated expenses for this trip into space. When NASA first announced their exciting new program they said that the estimated development cost would be $18 billion with SLS being completed with building in 2017. The amount has been split into three sections. With $10 billion heading towards the SLS rocket itself, $6 billion being spent for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) which will be a back-up for the commercial cargo and crew and the other $2 billion for the launch pad upgrades and other places being used at the Kennedy Space Center (Wikipedia). Just to throw this out there, I don’t know many people who just have that sort of money sitting in their wallets ready to jump out and go to space. Nonetheless, Lori Garver, the NASA Deputy Administrator, conveyed that NASA been “driving down the costs […] by adopting new ways of doing business and project hundreds of millions of dollars of savings each year” (NASA website).

            As for the total schedule this SLS project is going to be on, it’s pretty darn exciting. Even though it’s very fundamental and unofficial, since the project is still in its first stages, this is a worst case scenario budget outline. As stated above, the deadline for the actual completion of the spacecraft and launch pad is in six years in 2017. Then the same year in December NASA would send the MPCV on its very first unmanned trip around the Moon. Again in August 2019 it would be sent on another one. In more than a decades time (August 2024) SLS Cargo configuration will be having its first launch. A year later there will be a manned “exploration” mission. In August of the consecutive years after that there will be a cargo launch, a manned launch, another cargo launch, yet another manned launch, new configuration with a cargo launch, a manned mission, and finally ending up in August of 2032 they’d have an additional new configuration with a cargo launch (Wikipedia). Another thought is that if NASA’s budget doesn’t get tied down as much we could be moving a lot faster than this. Instead of this whole schedule taking up 21 years since now it could be moving a lot quicker. Maybe even cut off almost a decade.

            After all of this, who knows? We could be on our way to collect rocks off of Saturn. So many things can happen because of this project, so many doors can be opened unto us if we just let it. What NASA’s doing with the resources it’s given and the challenge from President Barak Obama to be bold and dream big about space exploration is amazing. It is completely obvious that now we have the next huge mark in the outer space realm in America’s hands because of the Space Launch System from NASA.

Personal Narrative

Easter Time

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

-King James Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:11

            The innocent, carefree days were always the best. Enjoying the company of my family, being able to joke around. Although, through ages six to eleven I didn’t really get to see many of those moments. Those were the years when my brother, who is two years older than me, and I would be in a constant state of rage and hatred against each other. Hair would be pulled and faces punched. It was a miracle if my mum could make it through a day without having to break apart a fight. But even though I’m completely aware that 98% of the time was spent like that, it’s the other 2% times that are fresh in my mind.

            Picture perfect Easter Sunday is as welcome as a present when I wake up in my room, decorated so exact for a six year old who didn’t notice. Chocolate is on my mind, although I know church comes first. I pull on my pink Easter dress, oh so proud that I could do it by myself, and I stalk out of my room like I own the place. Everyone is relatively ready to leave for church and I find it a startling surprise when there has not been a single argument in the car between my brother and I. And that is it. That sets me in an excellent mood.

            By the time we get in our car after church, my three older brothers and even my 18 month old baby brother have caught the giggles, and we are joking around like best friends. My mother can hardly believe it. When we arrive home, my mother makes us stand outside as she runs in. She comes out, camera in hand, and lines us up. We are out there for at least 45 minutes with my mother telling us where to stand and how to tilt our heads, but we barely notice. Jokes and funny stories are being told by my oldest brother and even my mother adds in a few of her own. “Knock-knock!”

            “Who’s there?” us kids scream in chorus.

            The sun is in the sky and the air warm when we go back into my house, laughter still ringing through my head like a choir. ‘I wish everyday could be like this,’ I thought as we sat down to dinner. But I know it’s impossible.

            Harmony in my home is practically never ending now, with only the occasional fight breaking out like bad acne. My brother, who I had thought to be my worst enemy is now one of my best friends. Laughter is used commonly for inside jokes and new stories. And though I would never fathom this before, love is a strong spirit within my family. And on those special “2%” days I have learned what really had taken place; we all forgave each other for the things the other days we would’ve considered inexcusable. We trusted each other and we were honest. That is the basis for the relationship I have with them now. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

"The Masque of the Red Death"

“Masking the Signs”

            Symbolism is a tricky literary device used by many famous authors. Such authors like W. W. Jacobs, Robert Frost, and Edger Allan Poe. While a common literary device used in the world of short stories, books, and poems, there is a certain technique to hiding a deeper meaning in a piece of writing. In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe has symbolism to portray a more profound religious meaning.

            In this short story there are seven completely separate rooms, each expressing its own feeling by use of color. The first six rooms in this story are relevant to the time humans will spend on Earth as mortals. The reader can see that trace of symbolism using the knowledge that in the Christian world, people believe that God created this world in six days and the seventh day he rested; a day in Gods eyes is equal to about 1,000 years here on Earth. After that, most believe that God has given His children another six days to live on Earth and enjoy all it has to offer and on the seventh day His Son will come again. As the guests of the masque go about from one solidly colored room to the next one can get the feeling that the time on Earth is going by, getting closer and closer to the day when Jesus Christ will come again and the wicked shall be burned.
            In addition to that, Poe has put in some scriptural references. Near the end of the story at the scene when the ebony clock has just struck twelve and the presence of a mysterious masked figure has just been noticed and disapprobation spread throughout the party, the author wrote, “But the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod.”  Herod was a king during the era that Jesus was born and acted intensely when he ordered all the babies two years old and under to be killed. When Poe says “out Heroded Herod,” he is explaining the thing that the masquerade guests were murmuring of: that what this stranger did by dressing up like the Red Death was unnecessary and extreme considering their situation. 
            Simultaneously, the renowned writer makes the characters another example of this literary device. In the story, the Prince Prospero was happy and joyful, thinking he could escape this plague because of the position he was in and the power he had to construct a large barrier between him and the outside world that was full of disease. There are people in this world who don’t agree with Christians in the idea that God may come again to this Earth and they try and block out everything dealing with that. They may even go as far as to belittle those that do. Much like the Prince in the end when he confronts the Red Death by going up to him and demanding, “Who dares? […] Who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery?” The guests who fear this stranger and shy away represent those that fear God and his power. Guests who jump after him and attempt to hurt him and reveal the underlying personage can show the reader that they more like the Prince Prospero.

            Reading writings by more advanced authors, a reader can become more familiar with the presence of symbolism. Edger Allan Poe gracefully wrote “The Masque of the Red Death” and inserted symbolism that depicted a modern Christian world that one can pick-up while reading it. 

Footsteps We Take

Footsteps We Take

            Since the day we’re born all we hear is comparisons between us and our parents. “Oh, you have your mother’s eyes!” “You are defiantly your father’s son!” “You’re just as beautiful as your mother when she was your age!” Some may think we’re pre-destined to be the same as them, make the same mistakes, and choose the same career plan. The last one especially. I have heard countless times, “So you’re going to be a teacher like your father, aren’t you?” My answer is always answering to the effect that I don’t know yet. My father’s mother was a teacher and that’s why he became one. Unlike my mother who wanted nothing to do with her father’s job as a Chiquita Banana salesman (and I don’t blame her). There’s three ways a child could turn out. Yes, they are like their parents. No, they aren’t like their parents. And also, that nobody’s quite sure yet.

            Political parents produce political children. Adults who make up their own business leave it to their children to keep it going. Military equals military. Farmers equal more farmers. It’s just something people have observed over their lives. My father told me once that when he was figuring out what to do with his life he figured he might as well either be a farmer (what his father and both brothers were doing) or a teacher (what his mother did). Tons of studies have shown that kids often end up imitating their parents and their actions. This includes with their jobs, relationships, and just their plain out attitudes. So it would make sense that people would think we’re ‘pre-determined’.

            In disagreement with that, some people have found all the negative effects of the occupation from watching their parents go through it. Some may think that the job is to time consuming. That it doesn’t make enough money. Maybe the job just doesn’t appeal to them (like, for example, selling bananas). Each of us has our own lives, our own personalities, and our own decisions to make. So it’s impossible for some to think that our parents’ choices influence ours to that great of an extent.

            Otherwise, nobody’s ruling out anything. Anything, in this case, is game. Just because our parents chose that job doesn’t mean we have to (or can’t) choose the same job. It’s crazy to think that. People want to do what they feel comfortable with, what they enjoy doing. Is it wrong to think that their parents might have just shown them the pros or cons to a career choice? Not really, parents share their knowledge with their children. It’s what happens. So whatever goes is good. There’s no superstition. Not a pre-determined fate that will defiantly happen.

            It’s pretty much a universal thing when you’re compared to your parents. In one way, shape, or form I bet it’s at least happened once to all of us. But do we really follow in our parents’ footsteps? Some may think so, others may not. Some can’t be sure yet because they don’t feel like they’re sure about their future plans. Which ever they choose, they have to fit in one of those three things. Eventually one thing will be chosen. The footprints will be their own. Even if it is behind their parents footprints, it will be it’s own separate pair of footprints. “To each his own.”

The Freshmen Years

The Freshmen Years

            My mum was a freshman in the years 1975 and 1976. Throughout this time there were many things going on. From kidnappings gone wrong to just the little town events, my mother lived through them all. Of course, not all of them were good things or even exciting. But they are the things that made up my mum’s life as a freshman.

            My mother lived in Louisiana for her high school years. And as most people think of it, Louisiana equals Mardi Gras! With parades, parties, and no school one may ask, “What’s not to love about Mardi Gras?” Well for my mother, it was everything. She hated the parades where everyone pushed for beaded necklaces and to get near the front they practically crawled over each other. “I don’t like it,” Perazzo said frankly, “People get drunk; they are stepping all over your hands.” So instead of attending the parades with her friends, she spent her off days from school babysitting for her neighbors. And since everyone was off partying and the demand for babysitting was so high, she got paid pretty well. Still, to this day her feelings remain the same. “It’s just a reason for people to sin and I don’t like it” (Perazzo).

            What’s one thing that brings people together from all over no matter what the season, weather, time, or day? The answer is simple: sports. My mother followed one team constantly. The New Orleans Jazz basketball team that later moved on to become the Utah Jazz. They played in New Orleans 1974/75 to 1978/79. In their second year of playing as a team, they moved into the Louisiana Superdome (Sports). My mother made sure to note that they weren’t the best players but always had a strong group of fans to support them through anything (Perazzo).

            Due to old age, my mother can’t remember much about anything these days, but something she does remember is the Patty Hearst kidnapping. Patty Hearst was a granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst; he was a legendary newspaper publisher. She was kidnapped by the self-proclaimed members of the Symbionese Liberation Army on February 4^th 1974. But what really shocked America was when she proceeded by helping her kidnappers rob a bank only two months later on April 15^th and wanted to be known as her pseudonym ‘Tania’. She later returned to her family and pleaded that the Symbionese Liberation Army had brainwashed her (TruTV). The Patty Hearst case was a big deal when my mum was in high school. But the only thing she says now about it is “You're a rich girl and you're goin' too far; ‘Cause you know it don't matter any way; you can rely on the old man's money--And you can quote me on that one” (Perazzo).

            The Iranian Revolution was also going on throughout all my mother’s high school years. Around this time, the Shah, what they call their king, was just barely allowed access into the United States for medical care. There were tons of people in Iran who were infuriated with him. Militant Iranians were upset because they thought he was stealing billions of dollars for his own personal use. This anger caused them to storm the U.S. Embassy in Teheran and take 66 Americans hostage. The Iranians demanded that the Shah be turned over to them so they could put him on trial. Thirteen Americas were released but they couldn’t find a way to bring back the other 53. President Carter sent out a military rescue but it failed. The other hostages were finally released in a negotiation on January 20, 1981 (NovaOnline).

            1975 and 1976 were years filled with plenty of exciting events. Those were my mum’s freshmen years. She listened about Patty Hearst on the radio and even got school off occasionally for holidays that we don’t get off here in (our town). All in all, those years were defiantly a big part of my mum’s life. The years she has come to call The Freshmen Years.

Notes

Evans, C.T. NovaOnline. Virginia Community College System, 2000. Web. 3 March 2011.

Fleming, Frank. Sports Encyclopedia. Tank Productions. Web. 9 March 2011.

Perazzo, Elizabeth. Personal Interview. 2 February 2011.

Ramsland, Katherine. TruTV. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Web. 1 March 2011.

Paper Chromatography of Plant Pigments

Paper Chromatography of Plant Pigments….

Exciting, isn’t it?

            Paper chromatography, in a nutshell, is separating the mixture of a plant so you can easily identify the components. It is a form of partition chromatography. And since I am merely a freshman and my mum did this stuff back when she was a junior or senior, I had to look it up. I read that it had something to do with the division of the solutes that I used between two liquid phases. Still kind of confusing and that is why I decided to try out the experiment. I got an outline of the experiment from Source #3 and I just got to work on it.

            So what this experiment was showing me was extracting the pigments in a plant’s leaves by the process of paper chromatography. I started with chopped up pine tree needles (since it’s winter I couldn’t find any nice green coniferous leaves). Now I regret to say I didn’t measure anything in this process because frankly, I’m just too darn lazy. I put the itsy-bitsy pieces of the needles, put them in a jar, and just barely covered it with some 91% Isopropyl Alcohol. Then I put a lid on the jar and stuck it in some hot water for half an hour. Yep! And since nobody would answer quick enough on Yahoo & I couldn’t find it on Google, I asked my mum. She assumed that the heat of the water was helping to extract the chlorophyll from the tree’s needle and put it in the alcohol. Then afterward I took my great uncle’s coffee filters and cut some strips and put one end in the alcohol + pine needles and the other end outside the jar. Honestly though, I’m pretty darn sure I did something wrong. But I don’t know what it’s originally supposed to look like so I can’t tell.

            So finally after letting some of the alcohol evaporate I took out the oh-so-lovely coffee filter strips and there were mysterious lines (which was the whole point of this in the first place) but the problem was that I had no idea what they were. So when in doubt…. Google. Thousands of websites but Source #1 gave me “In this process, various pigments will separate along the chromatography paper depending on polarity of the pigments.  The most polar will be in the lowest band on the paper, while the least polar will be in the uppermost band.” Well yeah, thanks for the help! Because I totally understand that… well I go back to Google. I learned…. Nothing actually. I searched for an hour and I couldn’t learn a single thing. But I have a feeling that I will learn about it in class so no worries there.

            Paper chromatography is pretty darn cool. It’s amazing how some of the lines will form depending of polarity (which I still don’t know what that is). All in all, I think my experiment showed to be a success. It taught me something and the most amazing thing is that I think I actually preformed it correctly! Yes, I do kind of feel on top of the world right now.

Sources:

1) http://faculty.southwest.tn.edu/jiwilliams/Paper%20Chromatography.htm

2) http://www.answers.com/topic/paper-chromatography\

3) http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/paperchroma.htm

4) http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/paper+chromatography

5) http://www.google.com