Larrea Horner
Hannah Starbuck
Math 5
POW 3
Problem Statement:
For this POW we had to find two formulas that identified vital information needed for setting up the 4th of July Celebration right when its factors were decided.The two people Kevin and Camila are planning the even and Kevin wants baton twirlers on platforms. For the first formula you must find the height of the tallest platform. The height of the first baton twirler is found and then you can figure out how many there will be. For the second formula you have to plan on covering the platforms with ribbon and figure out the length of the total.
Here is my visual representation. I have n=number of baton twirlers, and d as the distance between each platform.
Process:
To solve this problem I started by drawing it out. This way I could see each step higher to the next platform and realized the change in d or the d. The number of platforms/performers were labeled as n. For the first equation I was finding the height of the tallest platform, starting with H= (for height)d1 because the first platform is as tall as the change in height between platforms. After adding this for possible outcomes or different numbers for n. The equation was H=d1+d2+d3+d4...n. This equation can be written as a summation using n as the variable: H= d. For the second equation, I did the same thing but the goal was to find a length of ribbon instead of the height of a platform. L=d1+(d1+d2)+(d1+d2+d3)….? The total length is going to be equal to the change in platform plus the change of all the platforms before it. Since d is a constant in this problem no matter which platform it is, it always represents the same number. Now I could rewrite the equation to be: L=d1+2d2+3d3. This is easier to see a pattern in. Finishing it with ...ndn. The equation for length represents L=n=1n nd, essentially the number of platforms times the height of each platform.
Solution:
Equation 1: Identifying the height of the tallest platform: H=n=1nd depends on the height of the first baton twirler while n is the number of baton twirlers.
Equation 2: Identifying the total length of materials needed: l=n=1nnd depends on the number of platforms and heights of each platforms. This is clear because once the number of baton twirlers are chosen and the starting height of the first platform is decided then the height of the tallest platform will be the change in distance from each platform times the number of platforms.
This equation represents that well.Since the second equation represents the height of each platform times the number of platforms. This is the total length of all of the platforms and is good to show the appropriate equations for the problem.
Evaluation:
I was very interested in this problem and once I found the first equation of the tallest platform. I could use the concepts I learned throughout the unit to solve the problem quicker and clearer. I understand how to find each equation and use those to make the problem better. Something that may be clearer is how much space they have, such as the limited space. It was difficult not knowing how many baton twirlers there would be. This problem was clear and a fun brain warm up.
Self-assessment:
I included all of the requirements needed and was able to show a high level of understanding to this POW in particular. It was a challenge but having help from Hannah made it clearer as well as seeing how all of my peers came up with their own unique equations.
Hannah Starbuck
Math 5
POW 3
Problem Statement:
For this POW we had to find two formulas that identified vital information needed for setting up the 4th of July Celebration right when its factors were decided.The two people Kevin and Camila are planning the even and Kevin wants baton twirlers on platforms. For the first formula you must find the height of the tallest platform. The height of the first baton twirler is found and then you can figure out how many there will be. For the second formula you have to plan on covering the platforms with ribbon and figure out the length of the total.
Here is my visual representation. I have n=number of baton twirlers, and d as the distance between each platform.
Process:
To solve this problem I started by drawing it out. This way I could see each step higher to the next platform and realized the change in d or the d. The number of platforms/performers were labeled as n. For the first equation I was finding the height of the tallest platform, starting with H= (for height)d1 because the first platform is as tall as the change in height between platforms. After adding this for possible outcomes or different numbers for n. The equation was H=d1+d2+d3+d4...n. This equation can be written as a summation using n as the variable: H= d. For the second equation, I did the same thing but the goal was to find a length of ribbon instead of the height of a platform. L=d1+(d1+d2)+(d1+d2+d3)….? The total length is going to be equal to the change in platform plus the change of all the platforms before it. Since d is a constant in this problem no matter which platform it is, it always represents the same number. Now I could rewrite the equation to be: L=d1+2d2+3d3. This is easier to see a pattern in. Finishing it with ...ndn. The equation for length represents L=n=1n nd, essentially the number of platforms times the height of each platform.
Solution:
Equation 1: Identifying the height of the tallest platform: H=n=1nd depends on the height of the first baton twirler while n is the number of baton twirlers.
Equation 2: Identifying the total length of materials needed: l=n=1nnd depends on the number of platforms and heights of each platforms. This is clear because once the number of baton twirlers are chosen and the starting height of the first platform is decided then the height of the tallest platform will be the change in distance from each platform times the number of platforms.
This equation represents that well.Since the second equation represents the height of each platform times the number of platforms. This is the total length of all of the platforms and is good to show the appropriate equations for the problem.
Evaluation:
I was very interested in this problem and once I found the first equation of the tallest platform. I could use the concepts I learned throughout the unit to solve the problem quicker and clearer. I understand how to find each equation and use those to make the problem better. Something that may be clearer is how much space they have, such as the limited space. It was difficult not knowing how many baton twirlers there would be. This problem was clear and a fun brain warm up.
Self-assessment:
I included all of the requirements needed and was able to show a high level of understanding to this POW in particular. It was a challenge but having help from Hannah made it clearer as well as seeing how all of my peers came up with their own unique equations.
Larrea Horner
12/6/17
POW 4
Problem Statement:
This POW was about growth rate of rats on an island in a year. To begin the process there are two rats, the female rat gives birth to six rats (3 male, 3 female). The female can have a new litter of rats 40 days after their first litter, this continues every 40 days. Each female rat born can have a litter of rats every 120 days. After one year how many rats are there, including the original pair, if none die?
Process:
To begin the process I looked for a pattern in the rat growth rate. Since every forty days there are newborns, 40 day old rats, 80 day old rats and the original breeders. I used variables for each type of rat; a - newborns, b - 40 day olds, c - 80 day olds, d - breeders.
,when observed every 40 days there are essentially 4 types of rats. The first problem begins with two breeders and the six newborn they’ve had, therefore I put 0-6, 0, 0, 20.Since the first row is in variables it would be: 0 a, b, c, d, and the next row of variables would look like 1:3d, a, b, c+d. Therefore there will be three more babies for every individual breeders. The variables a and b will move over one each 40 days. The total number of breeders will be number of 80 day olds plus the number of breeders already. When this whole process is done for 10 total rounds the table is complete and the answer is found by adding all of the numbers in the last row.
Visual Representation:
Breading Rounds:
Newborns:
a
40 day olds:
b
80 day olds:
c
Breeders:
d
0
6
0
0
2
1
6
6
0
2
2
6
6
6
2
3
24
6
6
8
4
42
24
6
14
5
60
42
24
20
6
132
60
42
44
7
258
132
60
86
8
438
258
132
146
9
843
438
258
278
Solution:
With the original pair of breeders, after one year there are 9+834+438+258+278= 1,808. The island is now infested with rodents that continue to multiply by thousands each year.
Evaluation:
I began this process by drawing a pair of rats and attaching more onto my pair to have a visual representation of how many they multiple. After a moment that began to get confusing and I spoke to one of my peers and they showed me another way to make a data table. It was a lot clearer when I could use variables assigned to a type of rat and then increase that way. I think that the population growth POW was one of my favorites because I seemed to understand it from the beginning and it was a cool way to think of population growth.
Self Assessment:
During this POW I had a really good grasp on what it was asking. In the beginning I was slightly lost but after collaborating I figured out a much easier way to create a table and present my data for growth rate. I was not distracted during this POW I finished it in a timely manner with no negative impacts to my health.
12/6/17
POW 4
Problem Statement:
This POW was about growth rate of rats on an island in a year. To begin the process there are two rats, the female rat gives birth to six rats (3 male, 3 female). The female can have a new litter of rats 40 days after their first litter, this continues every 40 days. Each female rat born can have a litter of rats every 120 days. After one year how many rats are there, including the original pair, if none die?
Process:
To begin the process I looked for a pattern in the rat growth rate. Since every forty days there are newborns, 40 day old rats, 80 day old rats and the original breeders. I used variables for each type of rat; a - newborns, b - 40 day olds, c - 80 day olds, d - breeders.
,when observed every 40 days there are essentially 4 types of rats. The first problem begins with two breeders and the six newborn they’ve had, therefore I put 0-6, 0, 0, 20.Since the first row is in variables it would be: 0 a, b, c, d, and the next row of variables would look like 1:3d, a, b, c+d. Therefore there will be three more babies for every individual breeders. The variables a and b will move over one each 40 days. The total number of breeders will be number of 80 day olds plus the number of breeders already. When this whole process is done for 10 total rounds the table is complete and the answer is found by adding all of the numbers in the last row.
Visual Representation:
Breading Rounds:
Newborns:
a
40 day olds:
b
80 day olds:
c
Breeders:
d
0
6
0
0
2
1
6
6
0
2
2
6
6
6
2
3
24
6
6
8
4
42
24
6
14
5
60
42
24
20
6
132
60
42
44
7
258
132
60
86
8
438
258
132
146
9
843
438
258
278
Solution:
With the original pair of breeders, after one year there are 9+834+438+258+278= 1,808. The island is now infested with rodents that continue to multiply by thousands each year.
Evaluation:
I began this process by drawing a pair of rats and attaching more onto my pair to have a visual representation of how many they multiple. After a moment that began to get confusing and I spoke to one of my peers and they showed me another way to make a data table. It was a lot clearer when I could use variables assigned to a type of rat and then increase that way. I think that the population growth POW was one of my favorites because I seemed to understand it from the beginning and it was a cool way to think of population growth.
Self Assessment:
During this POW I had a really good grasp on what it was asking. In the beginning I was slightly lost but after collaborating I figured out a much easier way to create a table and present my data for growth rate. I was not distracted during this POW I finished it in a timely manner with no negative impacts to my health.
These were my two favorite POWS this year. I really enjoyed them because I ended up collaborating a little more and being able to hear peoples opinions and strategies gets me thinking really hard. These were especially fun because both were similar in a growth sense. Although the rat POW had more of a final overall number answer and the platform one was a general formula to solve the problem. I tend to do better on questions like these where I can somewhat visually represent it. Im really proud of these POWS because I put a lot of time and effort into understanding and creating something nice. When I understand math it's rare, these made me feel much smarter.
Finn and Larrea
October 12, 2017
Cement Creek
Silverton Report
Problem Statement:
On October 12th from 1:30 to 2:30 the Junior class went to Silverton to test and analyze the three known creeks that eventually lead into the Animas River. The groups consisted of Finn Stowers, working with Carter McQuinn and Ethan Holst and Larrea Horner, working with Sammy Southworth, Ari Liberman, and Eli Parker. Testing the creeks throughout the day, included using scientific instruments such as the conductivity probe, streamflow propeller, pH probe, turbidity sensor, and temperature probe to help us notice trends in the creeks.
Introduction:
The investigation we performed was to find the turbidity, temperature, pH, streamflow, and conductivity for three different creeks in Silverton that all lead into the Animas River. Our grade drove to Silverton on October twelfth to perform the tests from 1:20pm to 2:30pm. The purpose for finding and analyzing the data we collected was to achieve a better understanding of how to monitor water quality and watershed changes. In Silverton there are three creeks that all run into the Animas River. The three creeks that were tested were Mineral Creek, Cement Creek, and the Upper Animas. By using water quality instruments we were able to find several different properties that help us understand the importance of water quality and watershed changes. The properties that we were investigating were, pH, conductivity, turbidity, streamflow, and temperature. Each of these terms plays a strong role in the analysis of water quality data. The pH probe helps indicate what level the creek is on a pH scale which is based on acidity and bases. Most forms of indicating pH are determined by color strips, but for this type of testing we used a probe that is placed in the water and indicates the data on a pH meter which immediately displays the data. Conductivity is used to find the electrical flow in the water which is commonly known to be produced by ions that are dissolved in salt and other inorganic materials. Conductivity is also measured using a probe similar to the pH probe. The probe is placed in the water and is then shown on the Vernier Labquest 2 meter which presents the data. Streamflow or discharge, is measured to find out how rapidly the water is moving and to indicate other factors such as the amount of toxins and the amount of dissolved oxygen present in the water. The way that we found the streamflow of the creeks was by placing a rod with a propeller on one end in different widths of the creek and recording the data through a Vernier Labquest 2 meter. The other instrument that we used was a turbidity sensor which allowed us to see how clear the water is. To use the turbidity sensor we took a sample of river water and put it into a sensor which tells you how clear the water is. The last instrument that we used to analyze the river was a temperature probe. We were able to use a similar method to the pH probe by using another type of probe and found the temperature of the water through the Vernier Labquest 2 meter.
After we spent some time in the field testing out the water with different instruments, we had to analyze the data by using mathematical equations to help us understand the data. We first started by finding the weighted average which is finding the mean of a data set in which some numbers in the set may have more importance over the others. This helped us determine some of the outliers of the data set and organize it. We were then able to apply the numbers to mean, median, and mode. These three properties are really important when it comes to organizing your data. The mean is used to find the average of the data set, the median is the number that lies in the middle of the entire data set that is typically organized from the smallest to the biggest, and the mode is the number that occurs the most in the set. By using these properties, we were able to place the data into our pivot tables as a place to start. The other method that we used to help us organize our data into the pivot tables was finding the minimum and maximum values of the data set. This simply meant looking at the data set and finding the smallest and biggest numbers. Knowing the minimum and maximum values is beneficial because it is a good indicator as to what values could exist between them. The last step that we had to complete was finding the standard deviation, which is a way to know how far apart the numbers are from each other. We found the standard deviation by taking each number in the data set, subtracting it from the mean, and then squaring it. After solving the equation for each of the variables we added them together and took the square root of the total to get us an answer. Each of these methods played a role in the way we analyzed our data and got us through steps that were needed in order to organize our data.
Visual Representation:
Average Temperature Average pH
Average Turbidity Average Conductivity
Average Streamflow
Each of the the graphs shown above represent the different data collected from each of the different instruments used in Silverton. We were able to organize all of the data into tables which allowed us to find the averages for each of testes made. The data was placed into individual pivot tables where each table indicated the average, median, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation for each of the results made by the instruments. The pivot tables made it really easy for us to analyze the data and be able to find the overall average and grand totals from each of the data sets. After placing all of the data into pivot tables we could then find the average of each of data set and we were also able to find the percent from which each creek flows into the Animas River. After organizing the data we then made bar graphs of each of the averages taken from the pivot tables. This was really beneficial for us because it allowed us to notice some of the trends in the data and to see it visually represented through bar graphs.
Methods/Process
To find the measurements of the creeks we used the Vernier LabQuest 2, pH probe, turbidity sensor, bobber, measuring tape, conductivity probe, streamflow propeller, and thermometer probe. To begin, we tested our pH by calibrating the LabQuest with buffer solution blue pH 10. Next we placed the probe into the creeks. We were able to calibrate the turbidity sensor by placing different vials of each creek into the sensor. To measure the cfs (cubic feet per second) of the water there were two options. We measured out different distances using a measuring tape and placing a bobber in each of the marked spots. Afterwards we timed how long it took the bobber to get to the bottom of the measuring tape. This allowed us to do the process multiple times and find the average. The other option was to measure the cubic feet per second, was to place a streamflow propeller into the water. The propeller calculates the flow through the labquest. To measure the temperature we placed the probe into the water and the Labquest 2 will calculate that as well. You must calibrate the LabQuest for conductivity by placing the probe into two different liquids, one with a low conductivity (potassium chloride 150 us/cm) and a liquid with a medium conductivity (potassium chloride 1413 us/cm). After it was calibrated we placed the probe into the creek and the LabQuest analyzed the data.
Solutions/Predictions:
Using eliminating outliers and finding the average for all but the discharge where we added max then calculated the average, we decided the following: temperature = -7,degrees celsius, pH = 5.55, conductivity = 1,999.4, discharge = 45.80 ft/s. Next we looked at the USGS calculations, compared our results, and realized that every calculation but the pH was off. USGS had the calculations: temperature = -4 degrees celsius on the twelfth of October, pH = 6.9 on the tenth, conductivity = 530 on the eighteenth and 514 on the tenth, discharge = 103 on the twelfth. We determined that our results were off because we used the average streamflow of each stream, therefore we didn't know exactly how many cubic feet of water each stream was distributing into the Animas River. This meant each creek would contribute an unequal amount of water that wouldn’t correspond to our results. If we could determine how much each stream contributes into the Animas we would have been able to calculate the weighted average of conductivity, discharge, and temperature. Then we would have a more accurate set of results. We predicted that our results would be almost as accurate as the ones provided on the USGS website due to the fact that most of our peers had similar data. Although there were a few miscalculations, they could have been due to changes in the creeks throughout the month which could commonly be miscalculated.
Evaluation:
Our overall impression from this lab was that although the experiment was beneficial and worth investigating, there wasn’t enough time in the day to fully understand the content. If we had been given more time to do the experiment in the three creeks, more students would have been able to learn the content easier. One of the parts of the field trips that I don’t think was very beneficial for us was the walk to the old mining mill and seeing the preservation of the area around it. It was a really cool to see the mill but if we hadn’t done it we could have spent a longer time at the creeks using different instruments and collecting data. While we were at the river doing tests, our groups were able to use instruments that most people had never used before. The overall level of difficulty of the lab was appropriate because we all had knowledge about how to use each of the different instruments and what results to expect from them. It was really interesting to get in the field and use instruments to determine things such as conductivity, pH, turbidity, and streamflow. The Silverton water analysis field trip had really beneficial learning aspects such as being in the field testing the water and using scientific instruments, but if we could have spent more time testing, students may have learned the content on a deeper level.
The Importance:
Along with all of the field work and analyzations that our group did on the three creeks, there are important reasons as to why we collected the data. By using the instruments to determine the streamflow, conductivity, pH, turbidity, and temperature, we are able to watch for changes that may occur in the creeks throughout the year. Certain problems that may occur within the water could include things such as, high rates of streamflow leading to flooding, harmfulness towards aquatic life, or any other problems that may exist with water quality. By being enabled to work in the field and use instruments to analyze the water, we can prevent issues that may occur in the creeks that go through towns. This also allows us to gather data regularly to stay updated on the status of the creeks and rivers. Although it could be considered a tedious task, it has a very important aspect to it that has an effect on wildlife and human habitat.
Self Assessment:
We think that our group should receive an A on this report due to a couple of reasons. One of the reasons is because we were able to evenly distribute the work between us and not having either of us be stressed about completing tasks. We were also able to coordinate with each other about how to break up the workload really well and didn’t have any problems. While we were writing the report and analyzing the data collected from Silverton, we both felt very comfortable with the content and understood the content and directions of the assignment really well. We also felt that we could ask other peers for help when we had questions about the data or how something needed to be changed. Overall we both worked really well together and didn’t feel the need to hesitate when it came to asking each other for help or a question. We were also very careful in our measurements and showed attention to detail. We were thorough in our thought process about our analysis of the data and we were confident that the majority of our results were accurate.
October 12, 2017
Cement Creek
Silverton Report
Problem Statement:
On October 12th from 1:30 to 2:30 the Junior class went to Silverton to test and analyze the three known creeks that eventually lead into the Animas River. The groups consisted of Finn Stowers, working with Carter McQuinn and Ethan Holst and Larrea Horner, working with Sammy Southworth, Ari Liberman, and Eli Parker. Testing the creeks throughout the day, included using scientific instruments such as the conductivity probe, streamflow propeller, pH probe, turbidity sensor, and temperature probe to help us notice trends in the creeks.
Introduction:
The investigation we performed was to find the turbidity, temperature, pH, streamflow, and conductivity for three different creeks in Silverton that all lead into the Animas River. Our grade drove to Silverton on October twelfth to perform the tests from 1:20pm to 2:30pm. The purpose for finding and analyzing the data we collected was to achieve a better understanding of how to monitor water quality and watershed changes. In Silverton there are three creeks that all run into the Animas River. The three creeks that were tested were Mineral Creek, Cement Creek, and the Upper Animas. By using water quality instruments we were able to find several different properties that help us understand the importance of water quality and watershed changes. The properties that we were investigating were, pH, conductivity, turbidity, streamflow, and temperature. Each of these terms plays a strong role in the analysis of water quality data. The pH probe helps indicate what level the creek is on a pH scale which is based on acidity and bases. Most forms of indicating pH are determined by color strips, but for this type of testing we used a probe that is placed in the water and indicates the data on a pH meter which immediately displays the data. Conductivity is used to find the electrical flow in the water which is commonly known to be produced by ions that are dissolved in salt and other inorganic materials. Conductivity is also measured using a probe similar to the pH probe. The probe is placed in the water and is then shown on the Vernier Labquest 2 meter which presents the data. Streamflow or discharge, is measured to find out how rapidly the water is moving and to indicate other factors such as the amount of toxins and the amount of dissolved oxygen present in the water. The way that we found the streamflow of the creeks was by placing a rod with a propeller on one end in different widths of the creek and recording the data through a Vernier Labquest 2 meter. The other instrument that we used was a turbidity sensor which allowed us to see how clear the water is. To use the turbidity sensor we took a sample of river water and put it into a sensor which tells you how clear the water is. The last instrument that we used to analyze the river was a temperature probe. We were able to use a similar method to the pH probe by using another type of probe and found the temperature of the water through the Vernier Labquest 2 meter.
After we spent some time in the field testing out the water with different instruments, we had to analyze the data by using mathematical equations to help us understand the data. We first started by finding the weighted average which is finding the mean of a data set in which some numbers in the set may have more importance over the others. This helped us determine some of the outliers of the data set and organize it. We were then able to apply the numbers to mean, median, and mode. These three properties are really important when it comes to organizing your data. The mean is used to find the average of the data set, the median is the number that lies in the middle of the entire data set that is typically organized from the smallest to the biggest, and the mode is the number that occurs the most in the set. By using these properties, we were able to place the data into our pivot tables as a place to start. The other method that we used to help us organize our data into the pivot tables was finding the minimum and maximum values of the data set. This simply meant looking at the data set and finding the smallest and biggest numbers. Knowing the minimum and maximum values is beneficial because it is a good indicator as to what values could exist between them. The last step that we had to complete was finding the standard deviation, which is a way to know how far apart the numbers are from each other. We found the standard deviation by taking each number in the data set, subtracting it from the mean, and then squaring it. After solving the equation for each of the variables we added them together and took the square root of the total to get us an answer. Each of these methods played a role in the way we analyzed our data and got us through steps that were needed in order to organize our data.
Visual Representation:
Average Temperature Average pH
Average Turbidity Average Conductivity
Average Streamflow
Each of the the graphs shown above represent the different data collected from each of the different instruments used in Silverton. We were able to organize all of the data into tables which allowed us to find the averages for each of testes made. The data was placed into individual pivot tables where each table indicated the average, median, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation for each of the results made by the instruments. The pivot tables made it really easy for us to analyze the data and be able to find the overall average and grand totals from each of the data sets. After placing all of the data into pivot tables we could then find the average of each of data set and we were also able to find the percent from which each creek flows into the Animas River. After organizing the data we then made bar graphs of each of the averages taken from the pivot tables. This was really beneficial for us because it allowed us to notice some of the trends in the data and to see it visually represented through bar graphs.
Methods/Process
To find the measurements of the creeks we used the Vernier LabQuest 2, pH probe, turbidity sensor, bobber, measuring tape, conductivity probe, streamflow propeller, and thermometer probe. To begin, we tested our pH by calibrating the LabQuest with buffer solution blue pH 10. Next we placed the probe into the creeks. We were able to calibrate the turbidity sensor by placing different vials of each creek into the sensor. To measure the cfs (cubic feet per second) of the water there were two options. We measured out different distances using a measuring tape and placing a bobber in each of the marked spots. Afterwards we timed how long it took the bobber to get to the bottom of the measuring tape. This allowed us to do the process multiple times and find the average. The other option was to measure the cubic feet per second, was to place a streamflow propeller into the water. The propeller calculates the flow through the labquest. To measure the temperature we placed the probe into the water and the Labquest 2 will calculate that as well. You must calibrate the LabQuest for conductivity by placing the probe into two different liquids, one with a low conductivity (potassium chloride 150 us/cm) and a liquid with a medium conductivity (potassium chloride 1413 us/cm). After it was calibrated we placed the probe into the creek and the LabQuest analyzed the data.
Solutions/Predictions:
Using eliminating outliers and finding the average for all but the discharge where we added max then calculated the average, we decided the following: temperature = -7,degrees celsius, pH = 5.55, conductivity = 1,999.4, discharge = 45.80 ft/s. Next we looked at the USGS calculations, compared our results, and realized that every calculation but the pH was off. USGS had the calculations: temperature = -4 degrees celsius on the twelfth of October, pH = 6.9 on the tenth, conductivity = 530 on the eighteenth and 514 on the tenth, discharge = 103 on the twelfth. We determined that our results were off because we used the average streamflow of each stream, therefore we didn't know exactly how many cubic feet of water each stream was distributing into the Animas River. This meant each creek would contribute an unequal amount of water that wouldn’t correspond to our results. If we could determine how much each stream contributes into the Animas we would have been able to calculate the weighted average of conductivity, discharge, and temperature. Then we would have a more accurate set of results. We predicted that our results would be almost as accurate as the ones provided on the USGS website due to the fact that most of our peers had similar data. Although there were a few miscalculations, they could have been due to changes in the creeks throughout the month which could commonly be miscalculated.
Evaluation:
Our overall impression from this lab was that although the experiment was beneficial and worth investigating, there wasn’t enough time in the day to fully understand the content. If we had been given more time to do the experiment in the three creeks, more students would have been able to learn the content easier. One of the parts of the field trips that I don’t think was very beneficial for us was the walk to the old mining mill and seeing the preservation of the area around it. It was a really cool to see the mill but if we hadn’t done it we could have spent a longer time at the creeks using different instruments and collecting data. While we were at the river doing tests, our groups were able to use instruments that most people had never used before. The overall level of difficulty of the lab was appropriate because we all had knowledge about how to use each of the different instruments and what results to expect from them. It was really interesting to get in the field and use instruments to determine things such as conductivity, pH, turbidity, and streamflow. The Silverton water analysis field trip had really beneficial learning aspects such as being in the field testing the water and using scientific instruments, but if we could have spent more time testing, students may have learned the content on a deeper level.
The Importance:
Along with all of the field work and analyzations that our group did on the three creeks, there are important reasons as to why we collected the data. By using the instruments to determine the streamflow, conductivity, pH, turbidity, and temperature, we are able to watch for changes that may occur in the creeks throughout the year. Certain problems that may occur within the water could include things such as, high rates of streamflow leading to flooding, harmfulness towards aquatic life, or any other problems that may exist with water quality. By being enabled to work in the field and use instruments to analyze the water, we can prevent issues that may occur in the creeks that go through towns. This also allows us to gather data regularly to stay updated on the status of the creeks and rivers. Although it could be considered a tedious task, it has a very important aspect to it that has an effect on wildlife and human habitat.
Self Assessment:
We think that our group should receive an A on this report due to a couple of reasons. One of the reasons is because we were able to evenly distribute the work between us and not having either of us be stressed about completing tasks. We were also able to coordinate with each other about how to break up the workload really well and didn’t have any problems. While we were writing the report and analyzing the data collected from Silverton, we both felt very comfortable with the content and understood the content and directions of the assignment really well. We also felt that we could ask other peers for help when we had questions about the data or how something needed to be changed. Overall we both worked really well together and didn’t feel the need to hesitate when it came to asking each other for help or a question. We were also very careful in our measurements and showed attention to detail. We were thorough in our thought process about our analysis of the data and we were confident that the majority of our results were accurate.
This semester I feel like I really overcame a lot. Going into the math class, I was engaged and ready to learn. As the weeks progressed my interest began to fade and my grade began to drop. Towards the end of the semester I began to get hooked and decided to change my ways. From then since I have been completing all assignments as well as participating and learning the concepts. I feel like I was strong when it came to POWS (at least towards the end POWS) and this made me work harder to complete other tasks with as much care and effort. This really has been changing my perspective on school and the ways it can be enjoyed. This class has been fun for me. I enjoy working with my friends as well as being able to have an interactive, intelligent teacher who tries very hard to help everyone learn in a way they can understand.