...Before the end of the European Renaissance, math was cleanly divided into the two separate subjects of geometry and algebra. You didn't use algebraic equations in geometry, and you didn't draw any pictures in algebra. Then, around 1637, a French guy named René Descartes (pronounced "ray-NAY day-CART") came up with a way to put these two subjects together. Rene Descartes was born on March 31, 1596, in Touraine, France. He was entered into Jesuit College at the age of eight, where he studied for about eight years. Although he studied the classics, logic and philosophy, Descartes only found mathematics to be satisfactory in reaching the truth of the science of nature. He then received a law degree in 1616. Thereafter, Descartes chose to join the army and served from 1617-1621. Descartes resigned from the army and traveled extensively for five years. During this period, he continued studying pure mathematics. Finally, in 1628, he devoted his life to seeking the truth about the science of nature. At that point, he moved to Holland and remained there for twenty years, dedicating his time to philosophy and mathematics. During this time, Descartes had his work "Meditations on First Philosophy" published. It was in this work that he introduced the famous phrase "I think, therefore I am." Descartes hoped to use this statement to find truth by the use of reason. He sought to take complex ideas and break them down into simpler ones that were clear. Descartes believed that mathematics...
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...CARTESIAN PLANES Some may say that life is up to fate, luck or simply to the lines on the palms of our hands. Some may say that life, it is a splendid masterpiece painted by the wide open universe. Some may say it is a tapestry that is already pre-woven by a higher being or a divine presence. But the truth is, it is up to you. You have your pen, I have mine and we have the power to draw our lines. The class started and before we took our seats, our teacher handed each of us a piece of paper. He told us to take control and do everything we want with it but remember not to waste it. I looked around me. There are some people, who are wise enough and started folding their papers to beautiful origami. Some made paper planes and let it flew to the air and maneuver it to their dreams. There are some who draw illustrations to express themselves and improve their gifts. Others splashed colors, so their papers will turn out fun and exciting. Some wrote love letters, so they could give and share it to the ones to whom their heart beats for. There are people who treasured their papers but there is a greater number of people who misused theirs. There are people who did nothing with their papers and left it blank, void and meaningless. There are lots of people who scribbled just anything they wanted, turning their papers into a chaotic mess. Some tore their own papers apart and some ruined their seatmate’s craft. Some tried to copy another one’s work. Some burned their papers with hatred...
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...Today wasn’t going to be like any other day in the family. Before we rushed out the door, we constructed a quick list of procedures to take care of the puppies: ¼ scoop of dog food in each bowl in the morning and at night, a quick walk if possible, and make sure they have water. As we scattered out the door, we jumped into the mazda and we were off. Arriving at the airport, our take off location, we checked in to our flights and raced to security. With only 15 minutes until our plane began boarding, we were crunched for time. The line swerving in and around the poles, moving slower than a turtle, we finally reached the front. Removing our shoes, jackets, belts, and all jewelry, we lifted our carry-on’s to the moving belt. One-by-one we stepped through into a large see-through metal detector. Standing completely still with our arms out, it carefully scanned every inch of us. Stepping out of the detector, we made our way to the belt to gather our items and quickly redress. At this point our plane was done boarding and we knew if we wanted to make it we were going to have to sprint to our terminal. With our luggage rolling behind us and our jewelry in hand, we dashed for our terminal. My father leading the way with the tickets in his hand, we all followed closely behind. Noticing the gate was still open as we approached,...
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...When I was in the fourth grade I was in the airport ready to fly to Florida and that’s when it all started, I got stopped at security, I got lost, my flight was delayed, and my entire beloved luggage was lost. It was fun, adventurous, and exciting, but it was also stress full, chaotic, and a good learning experience. It was 6:00 am when me, my mom, and my sister arrived to the airport, I was so excited I ran around bending over backwards trying to hurry and get on the plane. Everything was going great, We got our luggage weighed checked in, and sent off. I remember looking in one of the gift shops and seeing this “BIG MISTAKE” eraser and saying, “Mom can we please stop and get that” She said “Now we don’t have time” But I ran in grabbed a pink one bought it and left as I stuck it in one of my carry ons. Well we arrived at the station where you walk through the detectors, I set my bag down all worried my earrings would set it off , then I walked through it and sure enough beep ,beep ,beep, I set the alarms on it off, or I guess you could say my “BIG MISTAKE” eraser did. As soon as I set it off they pulled my mom off to the side and gave her a pat down, when they realized it was my eraser that set it off they just laughed. After we were stopped at security I was panicking because it was then 7 am and we were boarding at 7:45. I was trying to help my mom find our gate, but I think I just confused her, we were lost, It seemed like we were walking past the same desks...
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...Lovely America Doing an exchange was like a dream to me. Since I started university, I’ve been planning this trip. I couldn’t believe when I received an email from my home university, telling me that I had a vacant in the University of Richmond. Everything was really fast, I when I realized I was I the plane, alone, flying to the United States. Thousand of thoughts came to my mind… “Did I take the right decision?”, “Do I have to stay at home and start to work, as all my friends are doing?”. However, I was already in the plane, I couldn’t go back! My first stop was in Washington, where I stayed in the house of a friend of my mom. One night I went out with his son, who invited me to a bar where his friends were. When we arrived, I tried to greet their friends with a kiss in the cheek… terrible mistake! Why anybody told me that in this country, it is not use to give kisses?!?! The girl seemed to be shocked, or scared, and the rest looked at me like thinking that I was crazy! And that’s how I learnt my first lesson… you don’t have to distribute kisses all around the world! A few days later, I arrived to Richmond. I couldn’t believe when I saw this place, I felt like in a movie. The campus, with its antique buildings, full of trees and a beautiful lake, it is really different from my home University. Moreover, I knew that my whole lifestyle was going to change. In Argentina, I live with my family, and I go to the University when I have classes, and then I go back home. Living in...
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...American customs. As an Arab, traveling nowadays can be very nerve wrecking. I knew that I would encounter some difficulties going through customs; so in a way I was expecting it, but it still was my first time traveling since September 11. Furthermore, as if to make it a little worse, it states on my Canadian passport that I was born in Saudi Arabia. This made me feel very vulnerable in an airport; I would be an obvious target for questioning. On my flight, there were also three Muslim women traveling together. I knew they were Muslim because they were all veiled;I remember assuming that they would be singled out along with myself by the airport authority. The plane landed and all the passengers, including myself, got off the plane and made our way into the airport. We then proceeded to the baggage claim area for our flight, and when I had all my belongings I got in line to go through U.S. customs. Anticipating the almost inevitable, I was anxious to see what would actually happen. When it came time for me to submit my passport and have it stamped it took less than a minute before I found myself in...
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...management. In companies or in private life, there are instances of procedures which generates waiting lines or queues. The reason why these waiting lines occur is for the present services facility is inadequate to provide service at that instance. As an examples when people travel by airplanes, I have personal involvements with numerous types of waiting lines or queues. To buy tickets for a movie, I normally have to stand in line at movie theater ticket office. When I arrive at an airport most of the time I stand in line to check baggage, then I stand in line again to get a seat assignment. After that I line up again for the TSA security checkpoint and the again for the last time when waiting to board the plane to scan the boarding passes. I also wait when I am inside the plane, I wait for those ahead of me to take their seats. And finally, we may wait for baggage to arrive and then for ground transportation. I think this quote is very important and says a lot about waiting lines. “Perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about lines, though, has to do with our perception of fairness. When it comes to lines, the universally acknowledged standard is first come first served: any deviation is, to most, a mark of iniquity and can lead to violent queue rage. Last month a man was stabbed at a Maryland post office by a fellow customer who mistakenly thought he’d cut in line. Professor Larson calls these unwelcome intrusions “slips” and “skips.” (Stone). The main objective of lines...
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...Started making trouble in my neighborhood I got in one little fight and my mom got scared She said 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air' I begged and pleaded with her day after day But she packed my suit case and sent me on my way She gave me a kiss and then she gave me my ticket. I put my Walkman on and said, 'I might as well kick it'. First class, yo this is bad Drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass. Is this what the people of Bel-Air living like? Hmmmmm this might be alright. But wait I hear they're prissy, bourgeois, all that Is this the type of place that they just send this cool cat? I don't think so I'll see when I get there I hope they're prepared for the prince of Bel-Air Well, the plane landed and when I came out There was a dude who looked like a cop standing there with my name out I ain't trying to get arrested yet I just got here I sprang with the quickness like lightning, disappeared I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror If anything I could say that this cab was rare But I thought 'Nah, forget it' - 'Yo, homes to Bel Air' I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 And I yelled to the cabbie 'Yo homes smell ya later' I looked at my kingdom I was finally there To sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel...
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...check in our bags. The employee was new and kept on making mistakes which made me mad. The employee eventually got the manager because, there was an error in the system. The manager took care of the problem and managed to check in our bags successfully. After that mess, we rushed to customs and thankfully, we got through it fast. Then, we boarded the plane five minutes before they closed the gate. The flight attendant showed us the way to our red business class seats. After I sat down, I noticed that the plane was crammed with people, which made me uncomfortable. I decided to sleep, until we reached our destination. I constantly woke up to crying children, and painful kicks to my seat. I just ignored them and went back to sleep. When we reached Kenya, my father woke me up and told me that it was time to leave the plane and go to the hotel. We claimed our bags and got a taxi to take us to the hotel. The hotel was nice, it was a four star hotel with nice rooms. My mom told me that we should get some rest because tomorrow, we will get up early and we will go on the safari. Naturally, I slept quickly because I barely got any sleep on the plane. After sleeping for nine hours, it was time to wake up. I got ready as my father woke everyone up. He said “I will meet all of you in the lobby in twenty minutes.”. After everyone was ready, we went to the safari meeting point. We got into a minivan and headed out into the vast grasslands of Africa. As we were driving, I opened the windows and stuck...
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...I came from a Caribbean Island called Trinidad and Tobago was very challenging to adapt to the American lifestyle. On April 20th, 2004, I boarded a flight to the United States of America to visit my mom and sister. As I look out the window as the plane prepared for take-off, I felt a rush of anticipation to see what was so exciting about the United States of America that everyone had spoken so highly about but sadden that I had to leave my friends and some of my family behind in a place I once called home. Upon my flight after spending about 5hrs airborne, the pilot came on the speaker giving announcements about our approach to the “big apple” New York as they say. As the plane landed, I was escorted off the plane by one of the flight crew. While walking, my eyes started to glance the beauty of this huge airport, fascinated by the things I saw,...
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...Science Report Catherine Fotiou Yr 8 Mrs Harte Assessment Task 3 Which Paper Plane model will fly the Furthest Experiment. AIM : To examine and experiment which paper plane model (five different models) will fly the furthest. INTRODUCTION : All you need is just a sheet of A4 paper to have a bit of fun! The paper plane is a toy craft, which more than 90% of kids in Australia learn to make different models of paper planes during their childhood.This experiment determines which paper plane flies the furthest out of 5 different models. It’s, that simple just fold a piece of paper into a simple plane and let it glide through the sky.The same aerodynamic forces of a paper plane apply to a real aeroplane. This experiment is worthy of conducting...
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...T is for Trip to Chicago So it all began, one afternoon when my dad gathered everyone into the van. We drove to aurora to a train station so we got our tickets and waited for the trian. My brother and i were really excited to go to chicago so we we heard the train coming down the tracks so when the train stopped we got onto the train then once everyone got on to the train we began to go we were sitting on the upper level of the train we had to stop every other town and drop people off and pick some more up then once we got to chicago it was so crowded it was like everyone was attached to each other once we got outside you could breath again it was kinda cool walking from under the train station then outside and seeing all these tall...
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...The songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb continues to be an extremely exciting book to read. In chapters 7-9 the book picks up right where it left off. In these chapters the author really capitalizes on the suspense she left the reader in. With Lark still stuck in the plane and Joe LeDonne is stuck under the plane he found. Reading this was extremely difficult for me because I don’t handle suspense well. I found myself hanging on every word the author wrote trying to figure out how the story would play. In the new chapters my favorite story came to an end as Malcolm McCourry died. I found it touching that his son would come all the way to see his father one last time. I could not imagine how hard that would be for Benjamin after Malcolm abandoned...
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...A few years ago, I had a ticket that would let me go anywhere I want. There were so many places I wanted to visit, but I decided to go to Neverland. I have always dreamed of going to Neverland because everything there is perfect and so satisfying. The main reason why is because if you live there, you get to be a kid forever. I was very excited because I was going to be able to meet the lost boys and Peter Pan. On the way to Neverland, I was able to see almost everything from the sky. Since the plane took off during the night, the sky looked really beautiful with its shining stars and its full moon. When I got there, I saw a lot fairies flying everywhere enjoying their day. As a walked around enjoying the view, a few lost boys bumped...
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...Canada Fishing Trip The sound of waves smashing up against the side of the plane. “Do you want to ride up in the front?” the pilot asks me as we get on the plane. I responded with an exiting “yes” and jumped in the front. I put on a headset and talked to the pilot. About thirty minutes later we landed on the lake we were going to fish at. The plane landed on the water creating huge waves that crashed against the dock like a fish slamming its body against the side of a boat. I jumped out of the plane and notice the cabin, it was way bigger than it looked in the pictures. We brought our luggage inside and dropped it off in a room. We separated our fishing equipment from everything else because we were about to go fishing. The first day I decided to go fishing with my grandpa, we put everything in the boat and jumped in. About ten minutes later we got to our first spot, we dropped our lines in the water and right when my jig hit the bottom of the lake I got a hit. It was tugging on my line so I reeled it in. I brought it up to the top of the lake and picked it up. “That looks like a good fish for eating,” said my grandpa. Two hours of nonstop hits later we went in for lunch. When we got back my grandpa was in the front filleting fish, when he was done he asked me to throw all of...
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