B.B.T.T. (blog before the test) or BOB

Hmm.. circular functions.

First I thought it was gonna be quite a struggle for me since I hadn't taken math for a year and that I forgot most of the things I've done last year. It was definitely a struggle for me the first few days because my brain was still in idle mode and I was trying to make my brain get back in rhythm. Fortunately, after a few days of doing math exercises, I was able to finally understand the unit. At first I didn't understand how to convert degrees to radians and vice versa, but after Mr. K gave us the first set of Math Dictionary notes, I finally understood it. The Unit Circle was not that hard to memorize after you work with it after a couple of exercises. Also another area where I was struggling is at graphing trigonometric equations and creating an equation from a graph. From the pre-test last Thursday I finally understood how to scale the graph and from today's class I was finally able to understand the concept of making an equation from a given graph. I'm still not very confident about it, but probably after a few review exercises I should be good.

So, good luck on the test on Wednesday guys and gals!

BOB

Circular Functions, our first unit in 40s. There was a lot to remember and Mr. K was right, we really do dance in grade 12 mathematics. There was the clock dance. There was also a mnemonic to remember the coordinates for a circle, which was 1, 2, 3. The math dictionary comes in handy when I'm stuck on a problem.
This unit wasn't easy. I had a lot of difficulty grasping it. I still have trouble, but i find that i have more trouble with things dealing with the period, graphing the equation without the aid of a calculator, and generating an equation from the graph. I often get mixed up with what to graph first and how the equation would work with the graph that was given. If I accidentally missed something on the graph, its completely wrong and if i add something that wasn't supposed to be there in the equation, that also makes everything else completely wrong.
I am very comfortable with converting radians to degrees or degrees to radians. I like to deal with circular function problems that are similar to algebra. I am comfortable with finding the area of a sector or finding a missing arc length.
I hope everyone studies hard for the test that's on this Wednesday. Good luck!

-SAMUS

The Competition

Hello everyone, I am the scribe for today. This morning's math class was a spare period, due to the fact that Mr. K was in the library with the junior high kids. So, students were either in the library or in the cafeteria, and not in the hallways. The afternoon class started out with Mr. K explaining to us that Tuesday's class will also be a spare, because Mr. K will still be working with the junior high kids in the library. Mr. K then explained that the circular functions test will be moved to Wednesday, because Tuesday's class is cancelled, which was the circular functions test day. After Mr. K finished speaking to the class about the outlook for the next few days, he began the last of the math dictionary notes. Although the math dictionary notes were not to be copied in class, instead it was discussed in class that the math dictionary notes were going to be displayed on the blog, which is posted just below this scribe blog, to copy. So instead of using time up for math dictionary notes, Mr. K had assigned a group review, although it was more like a competition, and the winning group was going to be able to use the smart board, or more like be able to "play on the smart board". The review, made up of graphing questions, had two types of questions, one type gave the graph and you were to come up with the equation in sine and cosine, and the second type of answers were the type in which the equation was given and you were supposed to make the graph. The review questions and answers are in Mr. K's blog post just below this scribe blog. All in all the class went very well and the review, I suspect was very helpful. Before I forget, Mr. K explained that on a graph you should know... The Domain, Range, Roots, Amplitude, Period, and the Y-intercept. Do not forget that Mr. K added links on his blog post two blog posts down from this scribe post, to help review for the circular function test. Remember to review your notes and study for Wednesday's test on circular functions, and fill out the rest of your math dictionary with the math dictionary slides Mr. K posted.

Tomorrow's scribe will be.......Craig

BOB

Hi guys! We're done the first unit and we're getting ready for the test. I really found this unit straight forward. For me, Mr. K is doing a wicked awesome cool job when it comes to teaching. I learned a lot from this unit. I really like the mnemonic "DABC" because its a good way to know how to graph trig functions. The Unit Circle took a while to be memorized. Mr. K taught us a lot of ways to memorize the unit circle. For example, the scales of the x and y axis have the roots of 1,2,3 all over 2. This unit has been really interesting. I hope everyone will do well on the test. XD

Today's Slides: February 19

Here they are ...





To see a larger image of the slides go here. When you get there you'll see a button in the bottom right-hand corner that says [full]. Click it and the slides will display in full screen mode.

Blogging On Blogging (BOB)

I thought this was a great class today. There was a lot of energy in the room and I was happy to see people step up to the SmartBoard to share their solutions to problems. It takes courage to share your thinking with a large group and I admire people with courage. If all our classes go this way we're in for a great ride this semester. Keep up the great work folks! ;-)

We were talking about exactly what sort of post you're supposed to make to get that mark on your test. The kind of post I'd like you to make should have one or more of these characteristics:

• A reflection on a particular class (like the first paragraph above).


• A reflective comment on your progress in the course.


• A comment on something that you've learned that you thought was "cool".


• A comment about something that you found very hard to understand but now you get it! Describe what sparked that "moment of clarity" and what it felt like.


• Have you come across something we discussed in class out there in the "real world" or another class? Describe the connection you made.


• Respond to a Blogging Prompt I posted. (see below)

Your posts do not have to be long. I'm far more interested in the quality of what you write rather than the quantity.

Blogging Prompt
To help us along our blogging journey I've decided that I will also occasionally post a Blogging Prompt. It will be easy to find because I'll always put it under a heading like the one above this paragraph. Feel free to create your own Blogging Prompt for the rest of us if you like. If it's a really good one (i.e. has rich possibilities for blogging) we'll count it as your post. ;-) Here's my first one:

We've learned how to measure angles using both radians and degrees. Blog a brief paragraph identifing ways in which these two types of measurement are similar. Blog a second paragraph outlining the ways in which they are different.

This sort of compare and contrast exercise can be made easier to do using Venn Diagrams. Draw two large overlapping circles. List the similarities in the overlapping section and the differences in the appropriate non-overlapping sections. If you like, you can use this web tool to do it online. If you do blog about this prompt and want to post your diagram we'll talk about how to post pictures sometime in class. ;-)

Happy Blogging!

Getting Ready For The Test ...

Assume this clock is mathematically correct, i.e. 0 is at the right and the hands move around counterclockwise ... What time is it in radian hours and minutes? ;-)

Some Reviews
What's the connection between circles and triangles? That's what we've been talking about in class.

Trigonometry has something to do with it. I found an excellent site that allows you to play and learn all about it.

I found a really neat site that illustrates the geometric interpretation of sine, cosine, tangent and cotangent that we've talked about in class. Check it out! You can change the lengths of the lines in the figure by clicking on the point on the circle where the "sin x" and "cos x" lengths intersect.

You can do a little review here about how to graph the sine, cosine and tangent functions.

Here is where you can find some excellent interactive review exercises. Try Topics #30, 31, 32 and 34. Omit Topic #33; we'll be covering that material in our next unit.

And finally here are some review questions (and their answers) to help you prepare for the test.





Learn Hard!! ;-)