Today is the very last day of Digital Currents... : ( It's sad to leave but I'm glad to have had the experience. I met alot of really cool people, including the instructors and teaching assistants, and learned alot of really cool things. I can't wait to get Adobe on my own computer, which my dad agreed to buy if I kick in some money.
We did our presentations today and I was amazed at how good some of the apps were. I was also really proud of the work I did with my own. My parents and baby sister came to see the presentation and I think they enjoyed it as well.
I guess this is the last post, so over and out.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Day Fourteen
Today was the forth work day at google, and I finished my final projects. I didn't have time for sound, but other than that I was really pleased with how it turned out. The story goes that Piggy's dream is to buy a boat, but he's a little short on money, so he gets a loan and buys his boat. But then he has to make payments so he's sad. Or Piggy can get a savings account and he saves up for a long, long, long, long time to get his boat. Both have their upsides and downsides, but both ways Piggy gets his boat.
We made an HTML in dreamweaver to publish our projects to the Math Arcade online. Tomorrow we'll present and then Digital Currents is over. I'm kinda bummed, but it was way fun for the time.
We made an HTML in dreamweaver to publish our projects to the Math Arcade online. Tomorrow we'll present and then Digital Currents is over. I'm kinda bummed, but it was way fun for the time.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Day Thirteen
Once again it was another work day at google. I'm completely finished with my animating portion of my project and tomorrow morning I want to add sounds to my project. I'm way excited to finish my project and have something really cool that I worked long and hard on.
Lunch was good, once again, and Elizabeth and I played ping pong afterward. I think I'm getting better, not good, but better than I was.
Umm... that's all.
Lunch was good, once again, and Elizabeth and I played ping pong afterward. I think I'm getting better, not good, but better than I was.
Umm... that's all.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Day Twelve
Day two at google, I got some more work on my project done. I'm excited because it's turning out similar to what I imagined.
We had a speaker today who talked about his job and google in general. That was pretty cool.
That's all.
We had a speaker today who talked about his job and google in general. That was pretty cool.
That's all.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Day Eleven
Today was day one at Google, which was way cool. They have really great food in their cafeteria and lots of fun stuff in the lounge area.
I finished my knol, which is at http://knol.google.com/k/amanda/calclating-interest-with-math/t381cdtbg6m8/2#
I also worked on my final project, which is looking okay at this point. I animated a piggy bank going through a sliding glass door and did some of the prep work for the coding to make all of the different buttons do different things. Ummm... I guess that's all for today.
I finished my knol, which is at http://knol.google.com/k/amanda/calclating-interest-with-math/t381cdtbg6m8/2#
I also worked on my final project, which is looking okay at this point. I animated a piggy bank going through a sliding glass door and did some of the prep work for the coding to make all of the different buttons do different things. Ummm... I guess that's all for today.
Specification for the Final Project
Manifesto:
My project is going to be an amplified version of the interest application, based on a story of a piggy bank getting a loan and starting a savings account. I think my application will help people learn the value of saving money and the power of a seemingly insignificant 5% interest on a loan. The original application was just a calculator with a simple graphic of money s[inning around a wheel. I plan to add a graphic of a piggy bank walking towards the bank on the calculator page. When you hit the calculate button on the savings account page I would like a small animation of a piggy bank getting a savings account, making deposits and having money in the bank to play. When you hit the calculate button on the loan page I want an animation of a piggy bank getting a loan buying a boat, then having to make payments on the loan to play. The actual calculator and basic programming of my application will be the same as the original application.
Art:
The art and graphics portion of my project is mainly an animation of a piggy bank going to a bank and getting a loan and savings account. I am making the piggy bank graphics on Photoshop by taking a picture of a piggy bank off the internet and tracing over and adding a watercolor filter to it. The effect is rather cartoony, rather than using an actual picture. I will be animating my graphics on flash by using armatures and motion tweens in nested animations. The upside of the nested animations is that the timeline won’t be as cluttered and therefore won’t interfere with the code. I have a feeling that the actual animating of the piggy bank will be the hardest part of the project, as I want to draw the piggy bank walking, dancing and receiving/giving money. It will be majorly time-consuming, but I think the end result will be really great.
Applied Math:
My math uses the math of interest with both savings accounts and loans. Interest is the fee that either the bank pays you to keep your money there or the fee that you pay the bank to get a loan. With a savings account you put a set amount of money into a bank account at an interval, such as every month. The equation for calculating how much money you will have in your savings account after a set amount of time is: A=PMT*((1+APR/n)^(n*y)-1/ (APR/n) ), where PMT is the amount of money you deposit at each interval, APR is the interest rate (in decimals), n is the number of deposits you make per year, and y is the number of years your savings account is for. So when you plug all of those variables into the equation you can find A, the total amount of money that you will have in your savings account after n years. For a loan the equation is different because you’re calculating how much you pay per month, and you already know how much you took out. PMT= (P(APR/n)/1-(1+APR/n)^(-n*y)), where PMT is your monthly payment, APR is the interest rate, n is the number of payments you make per year, and y is the number of years you want to pay off your loan in. Both equations are simple enough once you know them and the application will allow you to plug in the variables and it will calculate the answers for you.
Programming:
The programming for my application includes the original work and some additions that I wil be adding in. The original coding for the math portion, in which the application calculates interest will be kept the same. I’ll add some gotoandplay functions so I can have a title page with buttons for each calculator and the calculate buttons will cue the animation to play. I’m not exactly sure how to do this as of this point, but I think it sounds possible. The original programming that makes the calculator work is var A:Number= PMT*((Math.pow(1+APR/n,n*Y)-1)/(APR/n)); This is programming language for PMT times the 1+APR/n to (n*y) -1, all of that over APR/n. So the original equation for a savings account is then understood by the application so that it can do the math for you.
My project is going to be an amplified version of the interest application, based on a story of a piggy bank getting a loan and starting a savings account. I think my application will help people learn the value of saving money and the power of a seemingly insignificant 5% interest on a loan. The original application was just a calculator with a simple graphic of money s[inning around a wheel. I plan to add a graphic of a piggy bank walking towards the bank on the calculator page. When you hit the calculate button on the savings account page I would like a small animation of a piggy bank getting a savings account, making deposits and having money in the bank to play. When you hit the calculate button on the loan page I want an animation of a piggy bank getting a loan buying a boat, then having to make payments on the loan to play. The actual calculator and basic programming of my application will be the same as the original application.
Art:
The art and graphics portion of my project is mainly an animation of a piggy bank going to a bank and getting a loan and savings account. I am making the piggy bank graphics on Photoshop by taking a picture of a piggy bank off the internet and tracing over and adding a watercolor filter to it. The effect is rather cartoony, rather than using an actual picture. I will be animating my graphics on flash by using armatures and motion tweens in nested animations. The upside of the nested animations is that the timeline won’t be as cluttered and therefore won’t interfere with the code. I have a feeling that the actual animating of the piggy bank will be the hardest part of the project, as I want to draw the piggy bank walking, dancing and receiving/giving money. It will be majorly time-consuming, but I think the end result will be really great.
Applied Math:
My math uses the math of interest with both savings accounts and loans. Interest is the fee that either the bank pays you to keep your money there or the fee that you pay the bank to get a loan. With a savings account you put a set amount of money into a bank account at an interval, such as every month. The equation for calculating how much money you will have in your savings account after a set amount of time is: A=PMT*((1+APR/n)^(n*y)-1/ (APR/n) ), where PMT is the amount of money you deposit at each interval, APR is the interest rate (in decimals), n is the number of deposits you make per year, and y is the number of years your savings account is for. So when you plug all of those variables into the equation you can find A, the total amount of money that you will have in your savings account after n years. For a loan the equation is different because you’re calculating how much you pay per month, and you already know how much you took out. PMT= (P(APR/n)/1-(1+APR/n)^(-n*y)), where PMT is your monthly payment, APR is the interest rate, n is the number of payments you make per year, and y is the number of years you want to pay off your loan in. Both equations are simple enough once you know them and the application will allow you to plug in the variables and it will calculate the answers for you.
Programming:
The programming for my application includes the original work and some additions that I wil be adding in. The original coding for the math portion, in which the application calculates interest will be kept the same. I’ll add some gotoandplay functions so I can have a title page with buttons for each calculator and the calculate buttons will cue the animation to play. I’m not exactly sure how to do this as of this point, but I think it sounds possible. The original programming that makes the calculator work is var A:Number= PMT*((Math.pow(1+APR/n,n*Y)-1)/(APR/n)); This is programming language for PMT times the 1+APR/n to (n*y) -1, all of that over APR/n. So the original equation for a savings account is then understood by the application so that it can do the math for you.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Day Ten
Today, being a Friday, was a workday. It was our last day at CU, so we had lunch at the Sink, a pizza place. It was really cool because of all the murals on the wall and the low ceilings.
Then we played frisbee and that was also way cool, but it was HOT out.
I'm super excited for the final project, because I actually have an idea about what I'm gonna do. I plan on amping up the interest app by adding a mini cartoon about a piggy bank.
That's all.
Then we played frisbee and that was also way cool, but it was HOT out.
I'm super excited for the final project, because I actually have an idea about what I'm gonna do. I plan on amping up the interest app by adding a mini cartoon about a piggy bank.
That's all.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Day Nine
Today's general theme was networks and circuts, but in this case we used the math to connect places and decide what was the quickest way to get somewhere, and the traveling salesman problem. The salesmen had to go to a whole bunch of cities and eventually end up back home. That was harder because there is no algorithm to find the answer, you just have to do trial and error.
We made an app that would calculate the distance between different places and how much gas had been used.
We also looked at fractals, which I had seen before but very briefly. Ian Malcolm, from Jurassic Park (the book), talked alot about his chaos theory, which was based on fractals. He believed that all situations look very similar to a bigger situation, like how fractals look similar when you zoom in. I think it's way cool that the book's math was actually based on real math.
That was all.
We made an app that would calculate the distance between different places and how much gas had been used.
We also looked at fractals, which I had seen before but very briefly. Ian Malcolm, from Jurassic Park (the book), talked alot about his chaos theory, which was based on fractals. He believed that all situations look very similar to a bigger situation, like how fractals look similar when you zoom in. I think it's way cool that the book's math was actually based on real math.
That was all.
Day Eight
Today we did rotoscopes(?) in the art portion. I used the video of a flower and I really like how it's turning out, but now I have to finish it and it is very time intensive.
We went to the ITL lab and I distinctly remember being there before, but I can't figure out when I would have gone. Anyway it was really neat and had a whole bunch of computers and workshops, as well as tiny exhibits that displayed things like pendulums and air flow and steam engines.
In programing we made a game that shot a tiny car off a ramp. This is two days in a row that my code has worked, so I'm happy.
That's all.
We went to the ITL lab and I distinctly remember being there before, but I can't figure out when I would have gone. Anyway it was really neat and had a whole bunch of computers and workshops, as well as tiny exhibits that displayed things like pendulums and air flow and steam engines.
In programing we made a game that shot a tiny car off a ramp. This is two days in a row that my code has worked, so I'm happy.
That's all.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Day Seven
Today's themes were nested animations and population growth.
We made a small scene of clouds, creepy mountains and some stars in the art portion, and it was the first project we made that looked really professional like. Even though it didn't do a whole bunch, the animation looked like something you'd find on a legit website.
I've done population growth in school, so the math part was pretty easy. The idea that our planet will be full up in a hundred years is scary, but at least by then they'll realize it's a problem.
We made two programs from scratch, a cupcake visual and a population calculator, both of which actually worked for me. woot!
That's it.
We made a small scene of clouds, creepy mountains and some stars in the art portion, and it was the first project we made that looked really professional like. Even though it didn't do a whole bunch, the animation looked like something you'd find on a legit website.
I've done population growth in school, so the math part was pretty easy. The idea that our planet will be full up in a hundred years is scary, but at least by then they'll realize it's a problem.
We made two programs from scratch, a cupcake visual and a population calculator, both of which actually worked for me. woot!
That's it.
Day Six
I got my knol finished. It's about how to do a motion tween, and the address is http://knol.google.com/k/amanda/beginning-flash/t381cdtbg6m8/1#
So today we looked at the Monty Hall principal, or theorem, or something, and it was really interesting, because you don't expect the answer to be what it is. Monty Hall was the host on teh show "Let's Make a Deal" and it's kinda funny, because I've actually seen that show. It airs on GSN all the time.
Basically if you pick a door, and then are showed that one of the other doors doesn't have the prize, you should switch to the last door rather than stay with your own because you'll have a higher chance of winning the prize. Woo-hoo math!
We also made a program that would do an experiment like this. I'm currently trying to make my graphics look like a castle, but it's slow going.
Anyway that's it
So today we looked at the Monty Hall principal, or theorem, or something, and it was really interesting, because you don't expect the answer to be what it is. Monty Hall was the host on teh show "Let's Make a Deal" and it's kinda funny, because I've actually seen that show. It airs on GSN all the time.
Basically if you pick a door, and then are showed that one of the other doors doesn't have the prize, you should switch to the last door rather than stay with your own because you'll have a higher chance of winning the prize. Woo-hoo math!
We also made a program that would do an experiment like this. I'm currently trying to make my graphics look like a castle, but it's slow going.
Anyway that's it
Friday, June 5, 2009
Day Five
Well, since today was a Friday, we didn't start anything completely crazy hard. We made a knol, which is a Google application, but mine wouldn't let me get on because I had "exceeded CAPTCHA amount" or something like that. It was pretty cool, making a tutorial.
We ate at this huge food court thing and the food was really good but they gave me enough chicken tenders to start a small country. (That's code for 4, but i could only eat 2, so it seemed like a whole bunch.)
As for programming we did catch-up, which was nice. I'm trying to amp up the CPI application, but I haven't got very far...
Well that's it.
We ate at this huge food court thing and the food was really good but they gave me enough chicken tenders to start a small country. (That's code for 4, but i could only eat 2, so it seemed like a whole bunch.)
As for programming we did catch-up, which was nice. I'm trying to amp up the CPI application, but I haven't got very far...
Well that's it.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Day Four
We took a mini field trip to the planetarium, which was way cool. It seemed vaguely familiar and I think we took a MESA trip there in middle school, but I can't be sure. There was a super-cool globe with the planet projected onto it. There were all sorts of programs, weather, ocean currents, ice cap melting, ect... I thought it was way neat.
Then we went to the engineering building, which had revolving doors. It's kind of funny that a whole bunch of smart kids can be outwitted by a door. The lunch was yummy.
We made a program that shows how much of the Empire State Building would be underwater, and that was pretty fun...
Well that's it.
Then we went to the engineering building, which had revolving doors. It's kind of funny that a whole bunch of smart kids can be outwitted by a door. The lunch was yummy.
We made a program that shows how much of the Empire State Building would be underwater, and that was pretty fun...
Well that's it.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Day Three
The theme of the day was interest. I had already done compounding interest in Alg. II, but I had never done savings accounts or loans, but they were simple enough.
Programming did get easier today and I am very excited that I'm starting to see similarities between the action script codes. I know how to make it stop! stop(); woot!
Anyways thats it.
ps - the bread on my sandwich today was purple... way weird.
Programming did get easier today and I am very excited that I'm starting to see similarities between the action script codes. I know how to make it stop! stop(); woot!
Anyways thats it.
ps - the bread on my sandwich today was purple... way weird.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Day Two
Same old, same old.
We did inflation indexes and such and that made sense.
The programming code today was much more in depth and way harder... if this is what the second day is like I can't imagine what will come next.
umm... we ate at Libby Hall, but personally I liked the sandwiches yesterday better.
It rained and the sky just looked all around gloomy.
That's it.
We did inflation indexes and such and that made sense.
The programming code today was much more in depth and way harder... if this is what the second day is like I can't imagine what will come next.
umm... we ate at Libby Hall, but personally I liked the sandwiches yesterday better.
It rained and the sky just looked all around gloomy.
That's it.
Monday, June 1, 2009
First Day
I didn't know what to expect for the program, but it excedded anything I could have expected. It had a classroom feel, in that we did a math, art, then programming section.
Math:
We did Venn Diagrams, which I had done in English before but never in a math setting. The concept was the same though so it was easy enough.
Art:
I had done Photoshop before but I had never opened flash before. Once again the basic knowledge was the same. Websites we looked at: homestarrunner.com, ecodazoo.com, ... I'll try and remember later.
Programming:
We just copied and pasted but that alone was hard enough. I looked at the programming and tried to find similarities and such in the coding, but it was hard. Definitely the hardest part of the day, but I think it will be the most exciting because I don't know anything about it.
The campus itself was really pretty. Me and the other kids from Lyons went for a walk and it surprised me how busy the campus is for the summer. The "box lunch" for lunch was pretty good too.
That was it for the first day, I can't wait for tomorrow.
Math:
We did Venn Diagrams, which I had done in English before but never in a math setting. The concept was the same though so it was easy enough.
Art:
I had done Photoshop before but I had never opened flash before. Once again the basic knowledge was the same. Websites we looked at: homestarrunner.com, ecodazoo.com, ... I'll try and remember later.
Programming:
We just copied and pasted but that alone was hard enough. I looked at the programming and tried to find similarities and such in the coding, but it was hard. Definitely the hardest part of the day, but I think it will be the most exciting because I don't know anything about it.
The campus itself was really pretty. Me and the other kids from Lyons went for a walk and it surprised me how busy the campus is for the summer. The "box lunch" for lunch was pretty good too.
That was it for the first day, I can't wait for tomorrow.
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