Tennis Reflection

Three things that I think I am doing well with my forehand swing are I am always in ready position to receive that ball, I move my racquet foot back when the ball comes, and my wrist stays firm.

Two things that I'd like to work on with my forehand swing are to have more rotation to gain more power when hitting the ball, and moving to the ball instead of reaching for it so I can have the proper form when hitting the ball.

Demography: So What?

In this Demography Unit, we learned...

• How to accurately graph numerical data
• Types of population pyramids (slow, rapid, negative, no)
• How to read/interpret graphs such as population pyramids
• How to use statistics to explain the past (disease, war)
• How to use statistics to predict the future (become a slow growth pyramid from a rapid growth pyramid)
• What makes up the population (males or females, young or elderly)

What is the relevance of demographics to your life? 
Demography is relevant to my life because it affects the way I live and my lifestyle. I live in a developed country, Singapore, because of my dad's job. Due to the fact that Singapore's population is declining, the Singapore government is welcoming foreigners, like me, to stay here. If Singapore was a slow growth country, they government probably would not welcomed foreigners to live here.

Demographics also affect other people who live here too. For example, the locals. Due to the fact that Singapore allowed many foreigners to live here, many people who earn millionares could come here which would raise the average salary by a lot. So, the locals have to stay in dense HDBs where 5-7 people lived per flat. That's a big thing that will change their life and lifestyle. But Singapore hides it and covers it with things such as trees.


How will demography affect me in the future?
Demography will effect me in the future because our generation is facing a big issue, the consumption of Earth's resources. With the planet's huge population of 7 billion that will become 8 billion in 2025, the amount of resources we need to survive has to increase and the food production will need to double. The planet's population is rising quick but according to Hans, when the population reaches 11 billion by the end of the century, it'll slow down.

The more fortunate and wealthy people like us are consuming a lot of the Earth's resources which makes a domino effect on us. When we purchase things such as plastic water bottles, and we don't throw it away properly and it goes into the ocean, we get effected because of the fish that ate our plastic waste. Another example of the domino effect is when we buy things that need palm oil to be created. Sumatra is burning down trees to make space for palm oil production, which is creating a haze in Singapore that we were breathing for the past three weeks.

Due to the fact that the population is rising really fast, we have to consume more of Earth's resources and make more space for the rising population which is affecting the people of Earth a lot. This is why I believe that demographics have affected my life and this planet in a huge way.

Johan Plate Boundary Exercise

When India crashed into Asia, the Himalayas, where Mount Everest is, were formed. Before, India was it's own island, but now, it's part of Asia. Right now, India is still moving into Asia so the Himalayas is getting taller and taller. This is an example of a convergent plate boundary and it is continental vs. continent.

Johan, Catalyst 10, September 16

The order of the sublayers:

1. Inner Core
2. Outer Core
3. Mesosphere
4. Asthenosphere
5. Lithosphere

Hunters' Chorus

Age Of The Ocean Floor Pre-Test

1. Where are the oldest parts of the oceans?
The oldest parts of the ocean are located at the bottom of the ocean.

2. Do the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic ocean basins have the same age and patterns.
I think that the ocean basins don't the same age and have different patterns because the basins can be different.

3. How does the age of the ocean floor compare with the age of rocks on the continents?
I think that the ocean floor is older than the continents because the rocks could've been created when the ocean was already there.

Mathematical Reflections on Polygons

1. The common properties of polygons are... 
Polygons are multisided, meaning that they have more than one side. The sides must be straight and there can be no curves. Polygons also are closed, meaning that there are no gaps on the edges. There cannot be intersections, which means that there can't be anything inside the polygon. Also, the number of lines should be equal to the number of vertices. Finally, polygons are 2D/planar and the vertices must be on the same plane as the shape.



2. The measure in degrees in an angle tells me that the angle... Some of the common angles are... 
Some common angles are 90°, 180° , 270°, 360°.

3. Some strategies to estimate angle measures are... To find accurate measurements with tools, I should...
A strategy is to look at benchmark angles like 45° and 90° and see how close the angle is to the benchmark angle. Then you can change the angle by 5 or 10 to get a good estimation. To find accurate measurements, you should use a protractor. A protractor measures angles.

Week 2

1. What is the difference between an Observations and an Inference?

An observation is something that you observe, like things that you smell, see, hear, taste, and touch. An inference is an educated guess like a conclusion which you can find with your observations.

2. How can inferences and observations be related?

They both can help you find out the answers to questions. They are both pieces of information. 

3. Why are both observations and inferences important in science?

They can help you determine questions or things that aren't clear.