meeyauw

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Curve-Stitching a Shamrock Update

Back in 2008 I posted my lesson plan for curve-stitching lesson for St. Patrick's Day. Hundreds of teachers have read that post. I am reposting it today so that I could update it. I'm flattered and proud that so many teachers have enjoyed the lesson. I have posted all the materials needed for this lesson at my static site meeyauw's hideout. You can click that link and then click the St. Patrick's Day Activities link or you can click the image above or here. I found that there was one broken link but I have left you search terms to look for new activities online. Thank you again!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A three-leafed clover, the shamrock is the national emblem of Ireland. Although it is widely believed that St. Patrick used the shamrock to illustrate the Christian doctrine of the trinity, this idea cannot be proven. In fact the first written mention of this story did not appear until nearly a thousand years after Patrick's death.

The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.

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Cats on Tuesday: Feral Cats in City Point, New Haven

One of my daughters lives in the City Point neighborhood of New Haven, Connecticut, which is in southern New England on the shore of Long Island Sound. There is a very large population of feral cats there. Winter and summer, they live outside and avoid all types of city traffic in this oasis of quiet and calm. The City Point residents all help the cats with food and shelter. Since they are feral, the cats won't move in with families. But other shelter is provided. A neighbor has built a dog house type structure on his front porch. It has bunk beds, heat and a sky light. Food is provided. During the winter nights, this feral cat shelter is always full. And the cats even share the shelter with possums! My daughter told me I couldn't photograph it because it was on private property. In my photo above are two cats that wait for Anna to feed them on her front porch.

To view more of City Point's feral cats, go to my post from 2007.

Thank you for stopping by!

To visit other participants, visit Gattina

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Sunday, March 14, 2010

Happy ∏ Day!

click on the graphic to view it full size in a new window

It's been a rough day in New Hampshire. We lost power most of the day on Saturday because of this big Nor'easter that is going on to the south of us. And today's rain/sleet/ice/snow/wind storm has been wreaking havoc on the Internet connection. Weather like this chills your bones. So I'm making pot roast, watching movies and doing laundry to pass the time while I upload and post material.

I forgot about ∏ Day until this morning (as I also missed church because I never fixed the clocks last night). On this ∏ Day I am presenting an Excel graphing activity I use with older middle school students. All students seem to have a problem grasping the concept that ∏ is a non-repeating, non-terminating decimal. They have an even more difficult time understanding that all of the digits 0-9 occur with the same frequency. Before we do this activity, my students already have a lot of experience with counting occurrences of heads and tails and counting the outcomes of rolling a die. They also have learned how to record their results in a spreadsheet.

I then demonstrate how they can use an Excel spreadsheet to simulate the roll of a die or the toss of a coin and how to count the outcomes using the COUNT function and other formulas. They also learn how to import raw data of a comma- or space-delineated file into Excel.

With all of these new skills, my students are then able to use Excel to count the occurrences of each digit in the decimal portion of ∏, whether it is 1,000 digits or 1 million digits. I encourage them to import different amounts of data. Then they compute the probability of each digit occurring in ∏ and find that the more digits of ∏ that they use, the closer the probabilities of each digit appearing approach 10%. This result is similar to their coin toss experiments.

It took several hours, but I have uploaded the files to my static web pages at meeyauw's hideout. I even included a file that contains the first million digits of ∏. You can study the formulas used in the spreadsheets and see the graphs we created. The graphic above used 10,000 digits of ∏ to find that the probabilities of a digit appearing in the decimal portion of ∏ approach or are at 10%.

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Below is my playlist of ∏ Day videos from YouTube. I haven't seen most of them because of the Internet problems.

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My last Pi Day contribution today is the ever so much fun site, the Pi Search Page. When students have done their spreadsheets and charts, they are encouraged to play with this site. Hopefully this site reinforces the concepts that I want them to understand. Today I entered the Apple Computer Store telephone number (1-800-MY-APPLE or 1-800-692-7753). There was no result when I entered the entire phone number. But when I entered 6927753, the results were:

The string 6927753 occurs at position 24,791,273 counting from the first digit after the decimal point. The 3. is not counted.

The string and surrounding digits:
51437113655565872488 6927753 92233691772360083137
this query took 0.007674 seconds

HAPPY PI DAY!

moar funny pictures

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Saturday, March 13, 2010

Scenes from New Haven

Last weekend when John and I were in New Haven.

Above: I-95 North seen from above. Whenever we go to New Haven, John and I immediately go for a walk in the neighborhood and on the beach, pier and marina. The interstate cuts off the shoreline from the city of New Haven. Anna lives on Long Island Sound in the City Point neighborhood. The area is full of old homes from the oystering era a couple of hundred years ago. Anna and Aaron have done a lot of renovations to their house and John is helping them with the next phase.

As dusk fell, Anna drove us to meet Aaron at his new studio. I sat in the back and played urban photographer. It's not as satisfying as photographing nature in northern New England, but I got some interesting shots in.

Aaron's new studio is not even finished being built yet. It is in an old factory building that is being rennovated. This was the scene as we entered. This is just one area of the huge, huge building.

Aaron at his envy inspiring Mac Pro, trying to decide which restaurant we will all eat in that night. His little sister, Toni, and her family were also there. Be sure to look at Aaron's work at:

aaronkotowski.com

Aaron has barely begun to move into the studio. There is an interesting light above the door.

All of us here are gabbing before we leave for supper. The little girl is Arianna, Toni's daughter. She is the cutest thing on earth. Arianna's dad, David, is waggling his finger at her. Behind David is my daughter Anna on the left and behind David is Toni, Arianna's mom and Aaron's little sister. On the far right you can see Aaron's hands and John's shoulder.

Aaron has some of his lighting in the studio.

John and Aaron leaving the studio and walking to the car. The floor has been tiled but not grouted yet.

More urban photography: a sign near the restaurant that we ate at.

Delaney's Tap Room & Restaurant (where we ate)
Click the link for more info.

Arianna and Aaron enjoyed themselves all night.

Anna had to stop at the store on the way home and I tried one more sign photograph for the photochallenge.org March challenge.

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LOL Cat Bible: Lectionary Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 14, 2010

March 14, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Lent

Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Joshua 5:9-12

9 Den teh Lawrd Ceiling Cat seded to Joshua, "Todai I has rofld awai da reproch uv Eegipt frm u, by makin u cutz yur selves. Yur welcum." So dat why place cald Gilgal even noa. (LOL, wut?)
10 On teh evning ov teh forteenz dai ov teh monf, wawl campd at Gilgal on teh playnz ov Jericho, the Izrayelietz hadz teh Passovrz.
11 Teh dai aftr teh Passovrz dey ayt sum stuf frum teh landz.
12 Teh mana no did cumz no moar; teh invisible can opnerz went awai, so den dey ayted Canaanian foodz.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Psalm 32

1 Cheezburgerz iz for him who iz badnesh are forgeevenz, whoes invizible error hav hided.

2 Cheezberger for da cat whoes invizible erros teh Ceiling Cat doeshunt haz ues againsht him and in whoes speerits iz noes trickory.

3 When ai iz be quiet, mai bonse waisted awai cuz ai iz meowing all de dai lawng.

4 Foh dai and nite Yor big paw wuz on meh; and ai wuz week and fraid of getting crushord az in de heet of shummer. Srsly

5 Den ai told yu, Ceiling Cat, dat ai invizible errored and did nawt coverz up nuthin. ai sayz, "ai haz confesh meh transhazgreshonz to de Ceiling Cat"— and yu forgivend da gilt of meh invizible error. Srsly

6 Derfore let allz whoes iz luv Ceiling Cat prai to yuz Whaile yu may bez lickd; shurly when da mitey watahs risez, Dey will nots get him wets.

7 Yu are my shafe place; yu will hidez me from bad gaiz k? and seengz lotsh of songs plz. Srsly

8 ai will haz teachre yu de wai to goz; ai will haz watch yu az yu go, and shometiem whiel yu lick yurshelf.

9 Dunt be like de horsie or mulez, k? dey got no undershtanding and musht be ridden on bai kittiez wit bitz and bridles or dey wunt come to yu.

10 Many sadness iz for de bad kittie, but de Ceiling Cat luvs de kittie who haz trust him. kthx!

11 Be extatik wif da Ceiling Cat and be goowd kittie; seeng, allz yu hoo are uprites in de hart! kthxbai!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

16 So we don't think laik u other lolcats do. We did thinked laik that, tho, but not anymoar.
17 If u is one wit teh Ceiling Cat then u old self is gone and a nu one tooked its place.
18 I gotted all dis from Ceiling Cat who dieded so our bad stuff wasn't so bad no moar and we could make up for it and stuff.
19 Cuz Ceiling Cat killed his self in hooman form so all the bad stuff we do not so bad no moar.
20 So now we ambasadoors of Ceiling Cat and we talk for him and stuff. Don't keep doin bad stuff and say youz sry if u does plzkthnx.
21 Ceiling Cat maded his self into a hooman and didunt do nuthin wrong so he could take care of all teh bad stuff for us and we cud be one wit Ceiling Cat.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Luke 15
Teh Storey Bowt Losted Sheeps

1 Den all IRS d00dz an bad kittehs coem to hear Jebus.
2 An Fariseez sez "LOL Jebus etz wit bad kittehs! Him sux!'
3 Jebus sez, "WTF?
4 If lolcat had hundrd sheeps an won gits losted, doan him leev naintee nain sheeps an go luk fr losted won?
5 Den him find it an iz liek 'w00t!'
6 An dem him coem hoem, trow partee cuz him finded losted sheep. Srsly!
7 Ceiling Cat moar happi wen a bad kitteh being maed lolcat den bowt naintee nain gud kittehs."

Teh Storey Bowt Losted Muneez
8 "Or if lolcat haz ten muneez an losted won, doan her luk all ovr an up on hai shalf an undr sofa and evrywher til her finded it?
9 Den she trow partee wit all her frndz and sez 'w00t! I finded mai losted muneez!'
10 Ceiling Cat liek dat wen won bad kitteh being maed lolcat."

Teh Storey Bowt Projijal Kitteh
11 Jebus telled them: "Dis naiz hooman had two kittehs, big kitteh and little kitteh.
12 Little kitteh says "i can haz cheezeburger?". So da hooman gives little kitteh cheezburgr.
13 Little kitteh goes out and lookz for gal kittehs and does lots of buttsecks.
14 But den therez no foodz anywheres and little kitteh want foodz.
15 So little kitteh goed to fish shop and sayed "i can haz fishes?"
16 But no hooman luvd little kitteh.
17 But little kitteh thinked "mai hooman haz foodz and luvs kittehs.
18 I goes home and getz foodz and warm bed.
19 I can getz cheezburgr."
20 So little kitteh goed home and his hooman hugged little kitteh.
21 Little kitteh sayed "can i haz cheezburger nao?"
22 His hooman sayed to his Mexican maidz "get naiz warm bed redi for little kitteh nao.
23 Get cheezburgr too.
24 My kitteh goed away and needz foodz and bedz.
25 Big kitteh was playing outside and smells cheezbugr.
26 Big kitteh askd maidz why smell cheezbugr nao.
27 Maidz sayd little kitteh comes home nao and eatz foodz.
28 Big kitteh sitted looking away from hooman and wagged tail. Kitteh don't want talk to hooman nao.
29 But Big kitteh sayd "i cant haz cheezburgr and i cant haz buttsecks, i hatez yu.
30 But you luv little kitteh and he can haz cheezburgr."
31 "Big kitteh", the hooman said, "yu iz old.32 but little kitteh is cute."

Weekend Cat Events

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Ree-purrted by KC

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Technorati Tags: LOL Cat Church, LOL Cat Bible, Lectionary Readings, Prayer & Praise Blog, Weekend Cat Blogging

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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Have Bamboo. Now Need Panda.

John and I went to New Haven, Connecticut for the weekend to visit my oldest daughter Anna and her love, Aaron. (There will many photographs as time goes on.) Anna has bamboo and I've been wanting some. She was going to give me some of hers but we forgot. And then yesterday, I found the perfect bamboo at the grocery store (above)!

I managed to get one nice portrait of Anna and Aaron at Aaron's new studio. There was another portrait that I loved but Anna told me to delete it. So I did. This portrait is Anna-approved.

So now that I have panda bear food, I'm looking for a panda bear. Because the fat, lazy cats are just too boring now.

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Good. Bad. Worse.

Good News! I have finally, finally finished unpacking! It only took about a year but I did it. I had another allergy attack from the mice detritus that John had to clean up because the fat, lazy cats couldn't be bothered to do their duty this autumn. But the allergies weren't as severe as the week long asthma problems I suffered from in the winter.

Bad News (But not for me.) There was a tiny snow squall this afternoon. It made me very happy and took my heart back to northern Vermont where snow squalls can happen any month of the year (that is not exaggerating) (the link is to my favorite Barton, Vermont snow photos). John began growling at it. Seriously growling. And I began singing. Quietly. No need to rub snow happiness in! You can't see the snow too well in the photo, but it was a pretty decent squall.

The Worst News. I may be a great baker and bread maker. But I'm still learning some of the rest. Like (above) frying pork chops. John ate the mess graciously and even told me it was great stuff. It looks disgusting, doesn't it? (And yes, I actually pick up a camera to photograph my disasters. It's better than crying, right?) So for those of you who cook and bake and your loves won't eat it (thank you for the recipe in the mail today, Marcia!), just be grateful that you are not feeding them this fried cholesterol.

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Friday Fractal: Spirals Part 2

A collage of fractal spirals

In my first spiral (Spirograph) post, I mentioned how much I enjoy spirals. I made this collage of spirals today for my Friday Fractal. Fractal spirals are usually logarithmic spirals. They look like dragon or possum tails. Logarithmic spirals are also called spira mirabilis (miraculous spiral) because the shape of the spiral is unaltered no matter what its size. These spirals appear frequently in nature: in sunflower heads, nautilus shells, the rotation of a low pressure area in the atmosphere and other places.

There are other types of spirals. On the left you see an Archimedean spiral. The "turnings" of the spiral are always the same distance from other turnings. In logarithmic spirals, the turnings are a different distance away from each other and the changes in the distance form a geometric progression. "Many dynamic spirals (such as the Parker spiral of the solar wind, or the pattern made by a Catherine's wheel) are Archimedean." (source: http://en.wikipedia.o. . . ) Old phonograph records also used Archimedean spirals.

Another spiral is one of my favorites. I drew the spiral on the left a few years ago using the Pythagorean Theorem (the paper has suffered abuse). This square root spiral is also called the Spiral of Theodorus. If you click on the spiral, a new window will open with the full size image that you can read. This spiral is constructed with a series of right triangles. The leg on the "bottom" is always of length 1. The other leg is the same length as the hypotenuse of the previous triangle. And the new hypotenuse is determined by using the Pythagorean Theorem. What is ironic is that you can use this spiral to prove that irrational numbers exist. The ancient Pythagoreans claimed that all numbers were rational. Pythagoras himself believed this. But when one of the members of Pythagoras' secret society, Hippasus of Metapontum, claimed that he had discovered the existence of irrational numbers, he was drowned in the ocean by his fellow mathematicians because of his heresy.

We have already seen one use of spirals: old phonographic records were constructed with Archimedean spirals. When John and I were in New Haven, Connecticut on a photography walk this past weekend, we found more spirals in pipes, bolts, pine trees and cable. Spirals give ropes and cables extra strength. Spirals enable bolts and screws to screw down into wood and metal. And spiral pipes have added strength to prevent them from being severed accidentally if they are buried underground.