Math Extra Credit #3

Did you know that the influence of what course children take in high school may come from what success their friends have? Lately, universities have been studying the topic of friendship and how it relates to academics. One friends success can actually motivate the child to do as good or even better than their peer. Studies have also shown that even though girls have to take the same amount of mathematics courses as boys do, they are more prone to trying to do what their friends do. Friends can challenge their peers without even realizing they're doing it.

For more information on this topic, go to:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207085618.htm

Math Extra Credit #2

Has anyone wondered why male children are particularly more interested in math than the female child? Recent studies have shown that children's fathers have been playing a big role in their kids interests in education. When the father has a son, he typically stereotypes between the son and daughter, and pays more attention to the son. Parents will more often buy more math related toys for male children then they would for female children, which influences their learning habits. This has shown a dramatic change in the way females and males learn today. The University of Michigan has been doing studies on this topic finding that more math products have been bought for the male gender.

For more information on this topic go to:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070624143002.htm

Math Extra Credit #1

Recently, a group of people have been studying lines for climbing trails. These people from the University of Washington have discovered when climbing a mountain, zig-zagged trails are more efficient than straight trails. Their reasoning was that if you "traverse" the mountain, you become less tired, and you have a better shot at making it up the full way, even though it's longer. They also say that if you attack the mountain with a straight trail, for it to be easy you'd have to find the exact angle to make it easier on you, and that could take a really long time.

For more information go to:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220130507.htm

Popping Lab

Lately in school we've been doing a lot of experiments in science. The most creative experiment we've done is our most current one, the Popping Fun Lab. In this lab, you had to shoot a cork at a window from the opposite side of the classroom. In order to do this, you had to combine two substances [baking soda and vinegar] to make carbon dioxide. The who chemicals reacted pretty quickly, so you had to put the cork on pretty quick.
After many times of trying to hit the window, we successfully hit the window three times consecutively. Not every group accomplished this task, but we were one of the lucky few who did.
Doing this lab made me realize, science isn't easy. You have to retry things to make them turn out the way you want them to. This also relates to how life in general works. If you don't accomplish a goal in life, try again until you acclmplish that goal. Like the experiment, if you dont persevere, you'll never get to where you want to go in life.