Dora the X-Plorer

This week I experienced some frustrations concerning a worksheet. It involved position vs. time graphs. The slope was a main topic of discussion; at first the majority thought it was speed, then we decided it was velocity. I guess my main concern was how we got there, and how to solve for velocity. Some people kept saying, you can't divide position, and you have to consider instantaneous speed. To be honest, I was very confused with that. I tried to ask a couple questions, but I was not understanding and I just started getting increasingly frustrated- to the point where I excused myself to go to the restroom and calm myself down- I. Just. Didn't. Get it. I'm not used to that feeling- and to be fair, I was having a bit of an icky day, so I had a short temper. However, I did some research on my own, and found this site that really helped me! (I did this fancy shamncy pants thing where you click on those words and it takes you to the site I found! Wowzers!) Back to happiness! Basically, the slope is velocity- because it involves direction. It is very easy to find- it was getting over complicated in class. All you do is take the change the position and divide it by the change in time, using two distinct points. I felt much more at ease knowing how to solve it- and more importantly, the reason behind why I have to do it that way- it's simple. You just take the distance you traveled and the time it took and you're set. Now, if it is a negative slope, that means it is going in the opposite direction- in essence, you're traveling in "negative distance," because you're going in the opposite direction (towards the reference point). Easy peasy pumpkin squeezy.

We also started a lab this week that I will totally nerd out on and say I LOVEEE. We barely started, but I am already really excited! I think it's mainly because of the crazy awesome tools* we use- the main one being Dora the X-Plorer. She is much nicer and helpful-er (yes. I made that word up. Since this is my own blog I'm pretty sure there's a law that says I can do that. I estimate that's a thing. No, that's old now, right? Yeah. But I hereby declare I can make up words whenever I want to sheiebsklski.) than the real Dora. And Dora's evil stepsister Maraka who I love even though she has a slight 'tude. I will definitely update you on that when we get further! (Further in the lab I mean. Not Maraka.)

*Crazy awesome tools: We have Dora, obviously, who is a calculator- calculadora (omg, the word DORA is in there!!!)- shaped thing that acts like a totally ratchet computer- computadora. (There's DORA again. And yes. I just said ratchet in a science blog even though I have a very very vague idea of the real meaning. Isn't it nice? Or awesome? Or scallywag? Or lolly gagging? Or lacaidasical?**) But that's not all! We also have a motion detector, and this really cool software on the laptops that takes our data and turn it into a graph. We are really lucky to have all these awesome toys- er, tools. We just held a fundraiser where people bought cookies and other baked good products to support our science department to get more things like Dora. I bought Triple Chocolate Chunk cookies and Mini Brownies because I love science! And Dora! And cookies! Mainly the cookie thing.


Seriously! You can't resist 'em! Nom nom nom.

Enough said.

**So I looked up what ratchet means because I was taught never to use a word I didn't know the meaning of. (Which is good advice. Seriously. But then I'd never get to say scallywag! Or lolly gagging! Or lackadaisical!) By definition, ratchet means: a situation or process that is perceived to be deteriorating or changing steadily in a series of irreversible steps. I think us teens are using it wrong. I now change that word to cool. Yeah, cool is a safe word I think I know the meaning of. Cool.


EDIT: I know the cookie picture isn't really working :( That makes me sad. Because they looked GREAT. If you want to see them though, just Google "delicious cookies" and it's the third picture that comes up.