100th Blog Post

Happy 100 blog posts! In honor of this momentous occasion... I'm going to stop doing BEDA. Kthanxbai.

BEDA 16: Avatar

Blogginglateblogginglate. I am neglecting this project. Sorry, kittens.

Speaking of kittens...





Yeah, I got a new kitty. Her name is Avatar. And she is pretty much the most adorable mammal ever.

BEDA 15: I like cats.

I'm too lazy to make a decent blog post. I'm getting a cat tomorrow. Please suggest names. Kthanxbai.

BEDA 14: AP Cal BC Chapter 11 Test Review

DISCLAIMER: This post is more practical than humorous. It most likely does not apply to you. Sorry.

That said, here are, as dictated by Dr. Crotteau, the problems on tomorrow's test, for those who were not present and/or not paying attention today. Click links to videos on topics for clarification.

1. Does a given sequence converge or diverge?
2. Given an amount of money invested annually, and an equation for the interest rate, calculate the total money after 7 years.
3. Does a given series converge or diverge? If it is convergent, write the sum.
4. Write a decimal as a ratio of two integers.
5. Use a binomial series to expand as a power series, and find the radius of convergence.
6. Given the Marginal Propensity to Consume (MPC), find the multiplier.
7. Find the 7th partial sum of a series to 5 decimal places.
8. Use the sum of the first 9 terms to approximate the sum of the series.
9. Does the given series converge or diverge?
10. For what values does a series converge?
11. Test a series for convergence or divergence.
12. Find the ration of convergence of series (*use ratio test).
13. Find the Maclaurin series for f(x).
14. Find the Taylor series for function centered at a=1; polynomial function (limited number of terms)
15. Use binomial series to expand a function and find the radius of convergence.... (1+x)^k--->|x|=L < 1
16. Find Maclaurin series for a sin or cos function
17. Use multiplication or division of power series to find Maclaurin series for product of e^x and a trigonometric (sin or cos) function.
18. Use a binomial function to expand as a power series.
19. Given a table (evaluation of a Taylor polynomial), find degree of Taylor polynomial (write functions and evaluate for x)
20. Use alternating series estimation theorem to find the interval of convergence of a Taylor series (given error)

BEDA 13: It counts as a blog post, alright?

If you don't understand one or more, just comment, and I can explain.

BEDA 12: Pop Show Music

Annually, the choir program at my school, like most choir programs, has a pop show--a concert of show tunes, pop music, and generally good times. It's pretty swell.

To be honest, the past couple of years, the music selection has been kinda lame. But this year is the bomb. No. It is the atomic bomb. Like, this pop show music selection could blow up a small island.

Inappropriate joke. Sorry.

Songs to be sung include The Safety Dance, Vogue, Carry On My Wayward Son, Soul Man, The Theme from James Bond, and Thriller. So. Stinking. Excited. Can you even fathom the potential choreography and costumes for this thing. *choirgasm*

In case you don't recognize one or more of the songs, here are some videos of them:

SAFETY DANCE:

sanity.exe has encountered an error...

VOGUE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuJQSAiODqI


CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON:

The guy that looks like Hagrid is killing me.


SOUL MAN:

I mean... I could post the original... but I'm such a sucker for Drake and Josh.


JAMES BOND THEME: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj9P9S8dPZo&feature=fvst


THRILLER:

Due to personal conviction, I would like to say that I do not endorse the occult. But I do however, endorse this pop show.

BEDA 11: Practice AP Test

I had a practice AP test for AP Calculus BC today. Which means I started later on filming and editing my weekly video. Which means I stay up later and get less sleep. Boooooo.

My calculus teacher this year did quite a bit less AP reviewing than my teacher from last year, and after taking the practice test, I think I'll definitely have to do more independent reviewing. I definitely wasn't expecting nearly 1/3 of the test to be on series.

But I mean, at least they gave us free pizza.

BEDA 10: Choir Spring Trip

Okay, so I know I only have 7 minutes left of today. But I'm posting this before midnight, so it counts. Even if I'm just going to go back and edit in actual substance after I finish my physics homework (which will most definitely be after midnight).

BEDA 8-9: Tupperware

I'm not able to blog tomorrow, as I'll be in San Antonio on a choir trip. So much for BEDA, right?

One thing most people don't know about me is that I am not lucid whatsoever when I first wake up. I mean, I respond, but I usually don't remember what I say and can't be expected to make very profound statements. I'm sure other people can just wake up and be productive, but not so with me--I have to fight through this world of half-dream and half-reality before I gain total consciousness.

This morning, in my half-awake stupor, I threw away a tupperware container that I forgot to properly dispose of in my I-just-finished-my-homework-and-all-I-want-to-do-is-sleep stupor. Some people may find it funny that my first action upon waking up was to throw away a Tupperware container (I realized, after a harsh scolding, still not completely lucid, and a later regaining of total consciousness, that a trash bag does not equal a sink). My mother, however, was not amused.

BEDA 7: Teachers are Cool

Hey. I'm going to rant again. Just a warning.

If anything is of import to me, it's education. Education is the foundation of a society--through lack or existence of an adequate educational system, a government can manipulate the members of its society, or the citizens can form a productive system of the people. Every law passed, every court ruling, every class division, and every dollar contributing away from or towards the GDP derives from education.

And let's be frank. Texas, as a whole has an absolutely awful education system. And we're probably the state that needs it the most--what with our massive amount of illegal immigrants and general population, in addition to the amount of stock we hold in the House. Our drop-out rate, literacy rate, and SAT scores are shameful. Seriously, everything is bigger in Texas... except the proportion of the budget dedicated towards education.

The most frustrating aspect of our education system is that it isn't good enough to teach the students that education is important. Most people don't understand the role of education beyond some governmental requirement. I was in the bathroom after fourth period today, and a girl said that she had nine makeup hours. Nine. How does one even acquire nine makeup hours? And the sad part is that she's probably not educated enough to realize the detrimental effects of stinted education.

This year has been particularly enlightening with respect to teachers. In the past, I, along with nearly everyone else, definitely took teachers for granted. It's probably one of the most honorable professions in existence. I could never be a teacher. And this year, I've come to realize how fleeting life is. How easily it changes. How life takes things and people away and gives some things back.

I never want to take my education for granted, because I have been better off then most people. And this year, I've had some of the best teachers of my educational career. They deserve so much more than they have received.