Saturday, August 24, 2024

New Story Online! "The Lonely Hollow"

My short story “The Lonely Hollow” won second place in the No Bad Books flash fiction writing contest. There were two categories, Fantasy and Superhero, each with a limit of 500 words. I entered both, and one of them won. Woo Hoo.

The story was read was read on this Semi-Sages of the Pages livestream. It’s the third story read, around the 18 minute mark.

If, for once, I had an advantage, it was that I had a fantasy story about 500 words long, which I've edited time and time again. Five hundred works is one of those key boundaries where one market might not want longer and another might not want less.

As it was, the story, when first written, was closer to 600 words. Moreover, if I didn't have to worry about limits, I have a 550-560 word version that I like the best. Cutting words forced some rewriting and refocusing. But in the end, it seems like too many words were cut and there were phrases or imagery that I would rather have included.

However, as another writer told me once, you gave the editor what the editor wanted, and next time you can restore it to how you wanted it for any reprints -- including in one of my own books. That might happen.

Similarly, I have another story which will be published in an anthology in the next week or two. It's exactly 1,000 words. While I was reading the final draft, I found three typos. I also found sentences and passages that I was questioning. Why did I say that? Why did I leave that in? Again, if I were to reprint this myself, no one will care if it's a few words over 1,000.

Finally, a reminder, September 1 is the official release date of A Bucket Full of Moonlight on Amazon, although it's already live on the eSpec Books site where there are a few signed hardcovers still available.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

You Tube Channel Updated

I know that I'm stretched too thin, but I've updated my You Tube channel for the first time in a year or so. It's one more thing that I've let fall behind. I don't go to many concerts (except during the summer on Friday mornings), but when I do, I take a few videos. Not too many because a) I want to enjoy the show, and b) sometimes I want to sing along and I do NOT want to record my voice when recording the professionals.


If you go to You Tube, you'll find videos by Chris Janson, Donny Osmond, Kameron Marlowe, Whiskey Myers, Shilelagh Law NYC, Celtic Cross and Kathleen Fee and more.

The address for my channel, which does NOT have any advertising, is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_Zhn-uAQ8Yn6FKrbLxB6A/. No ads unless the copyright holders put them there. I make no income on You Tube. I started doing it for fun, and I will continue to do so. And there's only so much I can do since basically everything I post contains music that is owned by someone else.

There's more to come, of course. I haven't even finished the past 2 months, and I have shows going back for a year to post.

More comics soon.

And my new book is available on Amazon on September 1!

Monday, August 19, 2024

June 2024 Algebra 2 Regents Part IV


This exam was adminstered in January 2024 .

June 2024 Algebra 2, Part IV

A correct answer is worth up to 6 credits. Partial credit can be given. Work must be shown or explained.

37. Megan is performing an experiment in a lab where the air temperature is a constant 73°F and the liquid is 237°F. One and a half hours later, the temperature of the liquid is 112°F. Newton’s law of cooling states T(t) = Ta + (T0 - Ta)e-kt where:


T(t): temperature, °F, of the liquid at t hours
Ta: air temperature
T0: initial temperature of the liquid
k: constant

Determine the value of k, to the nearest thousandth, for this liquid.

Determine the temperature of the liquid using your value for k, to the nearest degree, after two and a half hours.

Megan needs the temperature of the liquid to be 80°F to perform the next step in her experiment. Use your value for k to determine, to the nearest tenth of an hour, how much time she must wait since she first began the experiment.

Answer:


In the first part, to solve for k, you have to substitute all the other variables and then isolate k.
T(t) = Ta + (T0 - Ta)e-kt
112 = 73 + (237 - 73)e-1.5k
39 = 164e-1.5k
39/164 = e-1.5k
ln(39/164) = -1.5k
-1.4363 = -1.5k
0.9575 = k

k = 0.958 to the nearest one-thousandth of an hour.

For the second part, substitute t = 2.5 hours.

T(t) = Ta + (T0 - Ta)e-kt
T(2.5) = 73 + (237 - 73)e-2.5(.958)
T(2.5) = 87.9523 = 88 degrees.

For the final part, set T(t) = 80 and solve for t.

T(t) = Ta + (T0 - Ta)e-kt
80 = 73 + (237 - 73)e-.958t
7 = 164e-.958t
7/164 = e-.958t
ln(7/164) = -.958t
-3.1539 = -.958t
3.2922 = t

It would take about 3.3 hours.



End of Exam

How did you do?

Questions, comments and corrections welcome.



I also write Fiction!


You can now order my newest book Burke's Lore, Briefs: I See What You'll Do There, written by Christopher J. Burke, which contains two humorous fantasy stories
Order the softcover or ebook at Amazon.

And don't forget that Burke's Lore, Briefs: A Heavenly Date / My Damned Best Friend and Portrait of a Lady Vampire are still available!


Also, check out Devilish & Divine, an anthology filled with stories of angels and devils by 13 different authors, and In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides.
Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon.

If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.



Thursday, August 08, 2024

June 2024 Algebra 2 Regents Part III


This exam was adminstered in January 2024 .

June 2024 Algebra 2, Part III

Each correct answer is worth up to 4 credits. Partial credit can be given. Work must be shown or explained.

33. Solve the following system of equations algebraically for all values of x, y, and z:


3x - 8y + 2z = -60
2x - 7y - 5z = -31
-6x + 2y - 4z = 36

Answer:


You can solve a system of three equations with three variables by eliminating one or more variables through multiplication and elimination.

In this example, if you look at the first and third equations, you will see that -6x is 3x * -2 and -4z is 2x * -2, so if you multiply the first equation by 2, you can eliminate two variables at once.


3x - 8y + 2z = -60
-6x + 2y - 4z = 36

6x - 16y + 4z = -120
-6x + 2y - 4z = 36

-14y = -84
y = 6

Once you know that y = 6, you can substitute into the original equations and solve for the other two variables.


3x - 8(6) + 2z = -60 --> 3x + 2z = -12
2x - 7(6) - 5z = -31 --> 2x - 5z = 11
-6x + 2(6) - 4z = 36 --> -6x - 4z = 24

3x + 2z = -12
2x - 5z = 11
6x + 4z = -24
-6x + 15z = -33

19z = -57
z = -3

3x - 8(6) + 2(-3) = -60
3x - 48 - 6 = -60
3x = -6
x = -2

You can check your answers by substituting your solutions into the other equations and getting true statements.



34. In the town of Skaneateles, New York, house prices since 2008 have changed based on the function H(t) = 200,000(1.045)t, where t is the number of years since 2008 and H(t) is the median house price. Determine the average rate of change for the median house price in Skaneateles from 2010 to 2018 to the nearest dollar per year.

Explain what this rate of change means as it relates to median house prices.

Answer:


THe average rate of change is the difference between H(10) and H(2) divided by 8 years (2018 - 2010).

(200000(1.045)10 - 200000(1.045)2) / 8 = 11523.610...

To the nearest dollar, the average rate of change is $11524. (Make sure you round UP.)

This means that the median home price rose about $11524 every year from 2010 to 2018.

35. IA sporting goods manufacturer is trying to determine if they should continue to produce multiple types of hockey pucks. The company surveyed 50 randomly chosen customers and asked them if they purchased both game regulation pucks and lighter training pucks. Of those surveyed, 40 of them said that they purchase both types of pucks. A simulation that was run 100 times based on the survey results produced the approximately normal results below



a) Determine an interval containing the middle 95% of plausible values that estimates the proportion of all customers who would purchase both types of pucks from the company.

b) The company will continue to manufacture both types of hockey pucks if it is reasonable to assume that the true proportion of customers who buy both types of hockey pucks is above 0.60. Using the interval from part a, explain whether or not the company should continue to produce both types of hockey pucks.

Answer:


The middle 95% of the data will fall within two Standard Deviations (SD) from the mean. This will leave 2.5% of the data on the low end and 2.5% of the data on the high end. The Mean is 0.795 and the SD is 0.085.

This means that 95% of the data falls within the range:

0.795 - 2(0.085) = 0.625
0.795 + 2(0.085) = 0.965

The range is 0.625 - 0.965

The company should continue to make both types because 0.625, which is the bottom of the confidence interval, is greater than .60.



36. Graph y = f(x), where f(x) = log2(x - 1) + 3 on the set of axes below.

State the equation of the asymptote of f(x).

When f(x) is reflected over the line y = x, a new function is formed: g(x) = 2(x - 3) + 1. State the equation of the asymptote of g(x).

Answer:


Put the equation intop your graphing calculator and check the table of values. You will get the points (2,3), (3,4), (5,5), (9,6). You will see that there is a vertical asymptote at x = 1. You will see that the graph crosses the x-axis at a number a little more than x = 1 (at x = 1.125).

The asymptote is x = 1.

If the function is reflection over the line y = x, then the asymptote of g(x) will be y = 1 because g(x) is an exponential function, which would have an asymptote of y = 0 but there is a constant of +1 which raises it up to y = 1.



End of Part III

How did you do?

Questions, comments and corrections welcome.



I also write Fiction!


You can now order my newest book Burke's Lore, Briefs: I See What You'll Do There, written by Christopher J. Burke, which contains two humorous fantasy stories
Order the softcover or ebook at Amazon.

And don't forget that Burke's Lore, Briefs: A Heavenly Date / My Damned Best Friend and Portrait of a Lady Vampire are still available!


Also, check out Devilish & Divine, an anthology filled with stories of angels and devils by 13 different authors, and In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides.
Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon.

If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.



Wednesday, August 07, 2024

June 2024 Algebra 2 Regents Part II


This exam was adminstered in June 2024 .

June 2024 Algebra 2, Part II

Each correct answer is worth up to 2 credits. Partial credit can be given. Work must be shown or explained.

25. Given x is a real number, write the expression in simplest a + bi form:

(x + 2i)(3 - 2xi) + 2x2i

Answer:


Multiply the binomials using FOIL or the Box Method, keeping in mind that i2 = -1. Then combine like terms.

(x + 2i)(3 - 2xi) + 2x2i
3x - 2x2i + 6i - 4xi2 + 2x2i
3x - 2x2i + 6i + 4x + 2x2i
3x + 6i + 4x
7x + 6i



26. Solve 3.8e1.5t = 16 algebraically for t to the nearest hundredth.

Answer:


Inverse operations. Have a calculator handy.

3.8e1.5t = 16
e1.5t = 16/3.8
ln (e1.5t) = ln(16/3.8)
1.5t = 1.43758765551
t = 0.95839177033

t = 0.96 to the nearest hundredth.



27. In an attempt to get the student body’s opinion of a new dress code, members of the statistics class surveyed the students of the first period computer science class. Explain a statistical bias in the method of data collection.

Answer:


There are several possible answers that would show bias.

The computer science class is not representative of how the entire student body dresses.

Only surveying first period students excludes students who have schedules that start later.

Other answers are possible, but basically, point out that this is not a random sample of students in the school.



28. Sketch a graph of polynomial P(x), given the criteria below:


• P(x) has zeros only at -5, 1, and 4
• As x → ∞, P(x) → -∞
• As x → -∞, P(x) → -∞

Answer:


The graph must start at the bottom and end at the bottom because it comes up from negative infinity and goes off to negative infinity. In between it has to cross or touch the x-axis at -5, 1, and 4. One of those must be a double root. That is, the curve will touch the x-axis and turn back instead of crossing the axis.

A possible solution looks like this:

It's just a sketch, so it doesn't have to be perfectly measured out. However, if you draw tick marks on the x-axis, then the zeros better be at -5, 1, and 4. You should have arrows on the ends of the lines to indicate that the graph continues in the direction shown. (Seriously, you'll lose a point without them because that would suggest endpoints to the graph.)

The turnaround point could happen at any of the three points but it has to be at one of them. It could also be at all three of them if it was a sixth-degree polynomial, P(x) = (x+5)2(x-1)2(x-4)2.



29. The height, above ground, of a Ferris wheel car can be modeled by the function h(t) = - 103.5cos(2πt/5) + 108.5 where h is measured in feet and t is measured in minutes.
State the period of the function and describe what the period represents in this context.

Answer:
The period of cos(t) is 2π. The period of cos (2πt/5) is 2π / (2π/5), which is 5. The period is 5.

In this context, the period is how long it takes the Ferris wheel to complete one full revolution, which in this case is 5 minutes.

That sounds like a lot but it's a really big Ferris wheel with a radius of 103.5 feet. The center is 108.5 feet above the ground.



30. Solve algebraically for all values of x:

8 / (x + 5) - 3 / x = 5

Answer:
Multiply each term by (x) and (x + 5) to eliminate the denominators. This will result in a quadratic equation that needs to be solved.

8 / (x + 5) - 3 / x = 5

8(x)(x + 5) / (x + 5) - (3 (x)(x + 5)) / x = 5(x)(x + 5)

8x - 3x - 15 = 5x2 + 25x

8x - 3x - 15 = 5x2 + 25x

0 = 5x2 + 20x + 15

0 = x2 + 4x + 3

0 = (x + 3)(x + 1)

x + 3 = 0 or x + 1 = 0

x = -3 or x = -1

Neither solution causes a zero denominator, so both are accepted and neither is discarded.



31. The transportation methods used by the upperclassmen at Calhoun High School are summarized in the table below.

Are the events “being a junior” and “driving to school” independent? Using statistical evidence, justify your answer.

Answer:
If "being a junior" and "driving to school" are independent then the probability of being a junior who drives would equalt the probability of being a junior times the probability of driving.

If you add up the subtotals, you will see that there are 145 juniors and 139 upperclassmen who drive. There are a total of 277 upperclassmen.

P(J and D) = 58/277 = .209

P(J) * P(D) = 145/277 * 139/277 = .263

The probabilites are not the same. Therefore "being a junior" and "driving to school" are NOT independent events.

You must have a concluding statement. You can just write the two decimals without explainging what they mean.



32. Can f(x) = x3 + 7 be classified as an odd function? Justify your answer

Answer:
No, f(x) is neither an odd or an even function.

An odd function will only have odd exponents on the variables. However, the constant term (x0 term) has an exponent of zero, which is even.

Odd functions have rotational symmetry. That means that odd functions must go through the origin. However, f(0) = 7, not zero, so it can't be an odd function.

Finally, for a function to be odd f(-x) must equal -f(x). So f(-1) must equal -f(1) and f(0) must equal -f(0).

F(-1) = 6, but -f(1) = -8, and f(-0) = 7, but -f(0) = -7. So f(x) is not odd.

In general, f(-x) = (-x)3 + 7, but -f(x) = -(x3 + 7) = -(x3) - 7. so f(-x) =/= -f(x).

Either of the two explanations or the examples above are sufficient for full credit.



End of Part II

How did you do?

Questions, comments and corrections welcome.



I also write Fiction!


You can now order my newest book Burke's Lore, Briefs: I See What You'll Do There, written by Christopher J. Burke, which contains two humorous fantasy stories
Order the softcover or ebook at Amazon.

And don't forget that Burke's Lore, Briefs: A Heavenly Date / My Damned Best Friend and Portrait of a Lady Vampire are still available!


Also, check out Devilish & Divine, an anthology filled with stories of angels and devils by 13 different authors, and In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides.
Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon.

If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.



Connecting the Dots

(Click on the comic if you can't see the full image.)
(C)Copyright 2024, C. Burke. "AnthroNumerics" is a trademark of Christopher J. Burke and (x, why?).

Looks like they won't be forming any connections.

Welcome back to the comics. This is number 1982 (unless I missed a strip when I was counting recently), and I hope to make it to 2000.

If nothing else, I want to finish story lines that I started in May when my real-life class was so far behind with the new curriculum thrust upon us (and which I was rated "Developing" on curriculum design for a lesson I didn't design) that I had no time to work on anything more complex than the comic above. And as these things work out, the longer you go without getting back to you, the harder it is to get back to it.

By the end of June, I started thinking I should put out a book about Everything You Need to Know About Geometry ... but I remember how badly my last math book turned out. Granted, I'm getting better at it.

Any way ... let's see if I can get two comics out this week.



I also write Fiction!


You can now order my newest book Burke's Lore, Briefs: I See What You'll Do There, written by Christopher J. Burke, which contains two humorous fantasy stories
Order the softcover or ebook at Amazon.

And don't forget that Burke's Lore, Briefs: A Heavenly Date / My Damned Best Friend and Portrait of a Lady Vampire are still available!


Also, check out Devilish & Divine, an anthology filled with stories of angels and devils by 13 different authors, and In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides.
Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon.

If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.





Come back often for more funny math and geeky comics.