Math
I felt that this year, my math education gave me clarity on many subjects that before, were complicated. But I feel that most of all, this year, I learned that math is simple and even fun. The concept of 'fun math' was very unfamiliar to me before, as I often struggled with catching up with my classmates in my previous school, leading to negative feelings involving the subject of math. This year, I have worked through my standard 6th-grade curriculum with my teacher, learning at my own pace, which I found benefitted me in many ways. Where I felt stressed and lost before, I now gained confidence. The main takeaway of my math education this year was realizing that any subject can be clear and understandable, even fun and exciting when taught at an individual pace.
Planetary Positions Project
The "Planetary Positions" project was a small experiment based on many factors in the night sky. Every few days, my teacher and I would chart the angles, time, and direction of the planets that we saw above the horizon. During this project, I used the Star Chart app, my homemade theodolite, and personal observation. A theodolite is a small item used to measure the angles of planets, stars, and just about anything visible in the night sky. I made one at home using some simple materials, and a website for instructions: https://www.instructables.com/Simple-Theodolite/
Coin Flip Trials
As an introduction to the Probability unit in my math curriculum, my teacher presented me with a little experiment. This experiment was based on flipping coins and calculating the amount of times each would land on heads or tails. First, I tested the trials on myself, and I noticed a clear pattern of heads winning. My teacher then suggested that I try five trials, flipping heads up first and five trials flipping tails up first. The product of these trials was a very organized pattern. (heads, heads, tails, heads, heads...) Above is a continuation of these trials with the rest of my family, not starting on specific sides of the coin.
Weather Data
"Weather Data" was a project on weather observations in Indonesia. Every day, three times a day, I would check my weather app and chart the data, including the temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure. I completed this project with the help of my tiny weather station cube.
