Adam Cap

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Great Valley High School Archives

I attended Great Valley High School from 2002–2006.

schoolwork | School … see also: Saint Joseph’s University / Sugartown Elementary School / Great Valley Middle School

High School Diploma

↘︎ Jun 20, 2006 … 1′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

Me

circa 2017 (29 y/o)

about adam

Jump…

  • 06 Jun 20: High School Diploma #Great Valley High School
  • 06 May 30: AP Java Programming Project #12th Grade – AP Computer Science #Dr. Paul Burgmayer #Great Valley High School
  • 06 May 24: Slaughterhouse-Five Essay on Tralfamadorian Theories of Time #12th Grade – English #Great Valley High School #Mr. Michael Settanni
  • 06 May 23: The Plague Book Report #12th Grade – English #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Kelly DiPrinzio
  • 06 May 1: Le Québec #12th Grade – AP French #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Patricia Carlini
  • 06 Apr 30: EQ Test Results #12th Grade – Psychology #Great Valley High School #Mr. Bill McNamara
  • 06 Apr 25: Krapf's School Bus Scholarship Essay #Great Valley High School
  • 06 Apr 19: Personality Profile of N.K. #12th Grade – Psychology #Great Valley High School #Mr. Bill McNamara
  • 06 Mar 22: The Physics of Billiards #12th Grade – AP Physics #Great Valley High School #Mr. Bob Johnson
  • 06 Mar 16: The Stranger Book Report #12th Grade – English #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Kelly DiPrinzio

More from…
schoolwork (Post Type)

AP Java Programming Project: ATM Machine

↘︎ May 30, 2006 … 1′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

For my end of the year project, I chose to design and program a virtual ATM machine. The program uses the Account class from Chapter 4, the Lockable interface from Chapter 5, IStream, and the ATM_Machine class, which is the main part of the program. ATM_Machine first stores an array of Account objects. These objects are used to represent different peoples’ bank accounts. Each Account object is passed a person’s name, their account number, their current balance, and their password.

The program then asks for your account number. Because there is no way for me to implement an actual debit card and scanner, you have to type out your account number yourself. For example, type “55554” for the account number when prompted. Next the program checks to see if you inputted a valid account number with the method, boolean isValidAccountNumber(int accountNumber). It is passed in the account number you entered. It then checks through the array of accounts to see if the number you entered matches up with any of the accounts. If it does, the boolean will be true. If not, it will be false and ask you to try again. “55554” is not a valid account number, so now try “55555” so you can move on. The method saves a placeholder for the index of the Account object that you are accessing, so you can use it later in the program.

Next it will ask for your password. For example, type “5554”. The program then will check to see if the password is correct using the method isValidPassword(int password). This method checks to make sure the password entered matches up with the password passed in as the parameter of the Account object. If it is correct, the boolean becomes true and you can pass forward in the program, if incorrect, the boolean will be false and you will have to try again. Now type “5555”, which is the correct password.

Once the correct account number and password combination is entered, the methods in Account will now unlock. Lockable is in place to make sure there is no way you can bypass the code to access an account. You must enter the right account number and password for the methods to unlock so that they are accessible. This would be similar to the security in a real ATM machine, in that you can’t access someone’s account unless they are logged in.

Next you will be prompted to either select check your balance, withdraw, deposit, or quick cash (which is set to automatically withdraw $20). If you select “Check Balance”, it will simply show your current balance. If you select “Withdraw”, you will be prompted to enter how much money you would like to withdraw. If you select “Deposit”, the program will ask how much money you would like to deposit. Finally, if you select “Quick Cash”, it will automatically withdraw $20 from your account. Once you complete your selection, it will print a virtual receipt, then log you out by locking Account.

Me

circa 2008 (20 y/o)

Popularly…

  • 04 Mar 25: Creon as a Tragic Character in “Antigone” #10th Grade – English – Forms of Fiction #Great Valley High School #Mr. Thomas Esterly
  • 06 Sep 25: Determining the Density of an Unknown Substance (Lab Report) #CHM 1112 (General Chemistry Lab I) #Dr. Joseph N. Bartlett #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Sep 26: Recrystallization and Melting Point Determination Lab #CHM 2312 (Organic Chemistry Lab I) #Dr. Roger K. Murray #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Oct 17: Acid/Base Extraction of a Benzoic Acid, 4-Nitroaniline, and Naphthalene Mixture #CHM 2312 (Organic Chemistry Lab I) #Dr. Roger K. Murray #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 09 Oct 2: Verifying Newton’s Second Law #Dr. Paul J. Angiolillo #PHY 1032 (General Physics Lab I) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 05 Mar 28: The American Dream Essay #11th Grade – English – American Literature #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Michelle Leininger
  • 04 Nov 27: The Crucible Essay on the Theme of Having a Good Name #11th Grade – English – American Literature #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Michelle Leininger
  • 10 Mar 2: Electrical Resistance and Ohm’s Law #Dr. Paul J. Angiolillo #PHY 1042 (General Physics Lab II) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 08 Apr 6: The Portrayal of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in “As Good as It Gets” #PSY 1151 (Psychology of Abnormal Behavior) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Nov 7: Liquids #CHM 2312 (Organic Chemistry Lab I) #Dr. Roger K. Murray #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 06 Oct 2: Yeast Lab #BIO 1011 (Biology I: Cells) #Dr. Denise Marie Ratterman #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Nov 14: Thin-Layer Chromatography #CHM 2312 (Organic Chemistry Lab I) #Dr. Roger K. Murray #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Feb 21: Determining an Equilibrium Constant Using Spectrophotometry #CHM 1122 (General Chemistry Lab II) #Mr. John Longo #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 06 Nov 20: The Effect Light Intensity Has on the Photosynthesis of Spinach Chloroplasts #BIO 1011 (Biology I: Cells) #Dr. Denise Marie Ratterman #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 04 Oct 3: Catcher in the Rye Essay on the Immaturity of Holden Caufield #11th Grade – English – American Literature #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Michelle Leininger
  • 06 Nov 14: Enthalpy of Hydration Between MgSO4 and MgSO4 ∙ 7 H2O #CHM 1112 (General Chemistry Lab I) #Dr. Joseph N. Bartlett #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 10 Mar 22: Series and Parallel Circuits Lab #Dr. Paul J. Angiolillo #PHY 1042 (General Physics Lab II) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Feb 14: Determining the Rate Law for the Crystal Violet-Hydroxide Ion Reaction #CHM 1122 (General Chemistry Lab II) #Mr. John Longo #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 10 Feb 22: Hooke’s Law and Simple Harmonic Motion #Dr. Paul J. Angiolillo #PHY 1042 (General Physics Lab II) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Feb 7: The Reactivity of Magnesium Metal with Hydrochloric Acid #CHM 1122 (General Chemistry Lab II) #Mr. John Longo #Saint Joseph’s University

More from…
12th Grade – AP Computer Science (Class) / Dr. Paul Burgmayer (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

Slaughterhouse-Five Essay on Tralfamadorian Theories of Time

↘︎ May 24, 2006 … 2′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

During the novel Slaughterhouse-Five, Billy Pilgrim claims that he is kidnapped by an alien species called the Tralfamadorians. He insists that they take him to their home planet, Tralfamadore, talk to him about their theories on time, and then put him in a zoo with an attractive active, Montana Wildhack. Billy thinks that all of these events are true, and he even lives by the Tralfamadorian theories about time, but in reality, none of these events ever occur.

The first time Billy experiences time travel, which is something the Tralfamadorians believe in, is shortly after he returns from the war. We can assume that Billy suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after his horrible experiences during war. The night Billy first time travels is the night of his daughter’s weeding. “He said he had been kidnapped by the Tralfamadorians on the night of his daughter’s wedding. He hadn’t been missed, he said, because the Tralfamadorians had taken him through a time warp, so that he could be on Tralfamadore for years, and still be away from Earth for only a microsecond” (p. 26). In reality, Billy did miss he daughter’s wedding; he wasn’t gone for only a microsecond. This shows that his Tralfamadorian beliefs are fictitious and only in his head.

Another time that disproves the Tralfamadorians is when Billy is in New York City. He is walking around the city and sees a bookstore with one of Kilgore Trout’s novels in the window. He goes inside and sees a magazine with the cover: “What really became of Montana Wildhack?”. “He [Billy] knew where Montana Wildhack really was, of course. She was back on Tralfamadore, taking care of the baby, but the magazine, which was called Midnight Pussycats, promises that she was wearing a cement overcoat under thirty fathoms of saltwater in San Pedro Bay” (p. 204). This magazine clearly states that Montana is dead, yet Billy still believes that she is alive on Tralfamadore. He had just seen a movie of her playing in the store, so he is obviously thinking back to that. Billy thinks that since he just saw he alive at one time, she is still currently alive. The Tralfamadorian belief does not hold true.

The biggest thing that proves that the Tralfamadorians aren’t real is when Billy finds one of Kilgore Trout’s books in the store that he had never read before. “He got a few paragraphs into it, and then he realized that he had read it before—years ago, in the veterans’ hospital. It was about an Earthling man and woman who were kidnapped by extra-terrestrials. They were put on display in a zoo on a planet called Zircon-212” (p. 201). This Kilgore Trout book is the whole basis for Billy’s belief in the Tralfamadorians. As I stated earlier, the first time Billy experienced time travel was shortly after the war. Billy read this book while he was in the veterans’ hospital right after the war. His post traumatic stress disorder must have made him think that the book was real, and that he was part of the book. He had no sense of reality after the war, and this book must have made him feel like he did have a sense of reality, though he really didn’t.

The effect of war caused Billy to believe he was kidnapped by aliens. War caused him to lose a sense of what was real and what wasn’t real. Through this facet of the book, I think Vonnegut is trying to show that war is not only horrible physically through death, but that it also can destroy you emotionally and mentally. Billy was scarred from the war and never recovered. His mind was altered and he began to believe in imaginary things as a way to cope. War is a horrible thing that can effect people long after it is over.

Me

circa 2013 (25 y/o)

Randomly…

  • 10 Apr 16: Synthesis, Determination, and Catalytic Measurement of Ruthenium Indenylidene Complexes used in Olefin Metathesis #CHM 2521 (Inorganic Chemistry Lab) #Dr. Peter M. Graham #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Oct 24: Personality Assessment Reflections #PSY 1001 (Introductory Psychology) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 05 Oct 17: On the Court #Great Valley High School
  • 09 Mar 4: The Christian Mission in Africa #Dr. Yvon Elenga #Saint Joseph’s University #THE 2821 (Special Topics in Theology and Religion)
  • 09 Dec 5: Ring-Opening Metathesis PowerPoint Presentation #CHM 2511 (Inorganic Chemistry) #Dr. Peter M. Graham #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 05 Sep 27: Memoir #1 #12th Grade – English #Great Valley High School #Mr. Michael Settanni
  • 04 Oct 17: Predator & Prey Descriptions #11th Grade – Science – Biology 2 #Great Valley High School #Ms. Nicole Jones
  • 09 Nov 21: Conservation of Angular Momentum #Dr. Paul J. Angiolillo #PHY 1032 (General Physics Lab I) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 97 Oct 28: Note From Mom and Dad #4th Grade #Ms. Ringle #Sugartown Elementary School
  • 09 Jan 30: Autobiography for Philosophy of Death #Fr. Albert Jenemann #PHL 2321 (Philosophy of Death) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 06 Oct 4: Why the SJU Shuttle Schedule Should Be Changed #ENG 1011 (Craft of Language) #Mrs. Marie H. Flocco #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 07 Sep 11: Left Brain Right Brain Test #PSY 1001 (Introductory Psychology) #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 06 May 1: Le Québec #12th Grade – AP French #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Patricia Carlini
  • 01 Jun 1: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words #7th Grade – English #Great Valley Middle School #Mrs. Joann Bedell
  • 05 Aug 29: My Math Autobiography #12th Grade – AP Computer Science #Dr. Paul Burgmayer #Great Valley High School
  • 07 Mar 31: A Study on Inheritance Mechanisms of Physical Traits Found in Drosophila Melanogaster #BIO 1021 (Biology II: Genetic and Evolutionary Biology) #Dr. Julia Lee #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 09 Oct 25: Determining the Relationship Between Work and Energy #Dr. Paul J. Angiolillo #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 06 Sep 14: Egg Lab Methods #BIO 1011 (Biology I: Cells) #Dr. Denise Marie Ratterman #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 09 Nov 4: Bredt’s Rule PowerPoint Presentation #CHM 2351 (Advanced Organic Chemistry) #Dr. Mark A. Forman #Saint Joseph’s University
  • 04 Sep 9: Book Report on Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut #11th Grade – English – American Literature #Great Valley High School #Mrs. Michelle Leininger

More from…
12th Grade – English (Class) / Mr. Michael Settanni (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

The Plague Book Report

↘︎ May 23, 2006 … 3′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

1. Title: The Plague

2. Author: Albert Camus

3. The novel is called “The Plague” because it’s about a town that suffers from an epidemic of the plague.

4. The story is in chronological order.

5. The setting takes place during the 1940’s in the town of Oran, which is a French port on the Algerian coast. It is a very dull and boring town. The narrator describes it as being “ugly”. It has no trees or real vegetation. The town is filled with people that only care about making money, they don’t really care about having fun or enjoying life. It’s a pretty dismal setting.

6. The setting makes a pretty big impact on the novel. The town is struck with the plague, so the gates of the town are locked, and no one can get in or out. All the townspeople are stuck there and feel almost like prisoners. Because Oran is so bland, it certainly does not help to get peoples’ hopes up. The people feel trapped and some even try to escape. I think the setting caused the people to go a little crazy at times.

7. Dr. Rieux is the main character. He is a doctor that first recognizes that rats were dying exponentially each day and he wants something to be done about it. He wants to take action to make sure people don’t become affected by the disease, but the authorities are very relaxed about it and don’t want to jump to conclusions. He is a very caring person and puts the health of the town above his problems, such as his wife being separated from him.

The rest of the characters are not nearly as prevalent as Rieux, but some of the others include Cottard, Tarrou, and Rampert. They are all acquaintances of Rieux that basically symbolize the mood of the rest of the town. Each of them seems to represent a type of people and how they react to the plague. Cottard is a person who does not take any responsibility to help fight the plague. Tarrou is similar to Rieux in that he wants to help fight the plague. Rampert is someone who wants to escape and get out of the town. Each of the minor characters seem to represent how a bigger group of people react to the situation.

8. The story starts out with Dr. Rieux seeing a rat stumble, collapse, and cough blood out of its mouth. He at first thinks nothing of it, but then starts to see more rats and finds it peculiar. Rieux tries to talk to the authorities to get the bottom of the problem, but they think it’s a prank. Eventually there are more and more dead rats everyday. The authorities start to realize there is a problem and try to kill all the rats. Then one of the townspeople gets very sick and dies in a fashion similar to the rats. Rieux thinks that the plague is returning, but the authorities don’t want to believe him. More and more deaths start to occur and they realize that Rieux is right. The authorities are forced to close the town gate and lock everyone inside because they can’t let the disease spread. People begin to realize they are going to be stuck in the town for a long time. Some people are alone without loved ones because they were out of town when the gates were closed and they can’t get back in. Initially the townspeople panic and some people, such as Rampert, try to escape, but fail. Thousands of people are taken by the plague. Eventually the town starts to realize that they are in the situation together and begin to try to help one another get through it. They realize that everyone is dying, not just the poor or elderly, so they bond to help Rieux. At the end, the plague dies off and the gates of the town are reopened to begin normal life again.

9. I think one of the themes of the story is that we need to help each other, especially during difficult times. When the news of the plague first hit the town, everyone became selfish and only cared about themselves. Everyone only looked out for themselves. As the story progresses, the people realize that they are in it together, and that they need to help one another survive. I think by showing this, the author is saying that people naturally only care about themselves, but that by being selfish and isolated, we can’t survive. If we work together, we can get through tough times.

10. I thought an interesting when Rampert had his whole escape plan set up, but then he backs out because he feels bad about leaving while the plague is still going on. He had been trying to escape for much of the novel, but then suddenly has a change of heart. I guess he was moved by the way the town came together.

11. I read The Stranger by Albert Camus the first marking period and it was pretty good, so I thought I’d try another one of his books. I didn’t like this one nearly as much. The Stranger was written in a very different writing style. It was much more to the point than The Plague. It seemed to describe things less and the story moved a lot quicker. The Plague was very bland in my opinion. I know the stories were both originally written in French, so I think that different people translated each novel, which could have led to the differences in writing style. I would not recommend this book because it moves very slowly and the writing style is mundane. The ending is also very predictable, which makes the book even worse.

Me

circa 2009 (21 y/o)

More from…
12th Grade – English (Class) / Mrs. Kelly DiPrinzio (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

Le Québec: Au présent et à l’avenir

↘︎ May 1, 2006 … 1′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

This is a PowerPoint presentation I did on Quebec along with a quiz.

Me

circa 2017 (29 y/o)

More from…
12th Grade – AP French (Class) / Mrs. Patricia Carlini (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

EQ Test Results

↘︎ Apr 30, 2006 … 1′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

The first E.Q. test I took was geared towards someone in the workplace. It asked questions with hypothetical situations that could arise at work, then listed four choices you could make in response to the situation. I scored a 55%, which falls in the average range. The second E.Q. test I took was similar to the first one, only it was about everyday situations dealing with friends or loved ones. Again, this quiz listed the situation with four responses you could choose from. I scored a 50%, which is again average. The quizzes must have been fairly accurate, as I scored almost the same score on both. It was at times hard to be honest with my answers, as I knew what the best answer was, but I had to think what I would really do in the situation.

I need to work most on my emotional honesty. I am not confident enough at times, so I don’t speak up or voice my opinion on things. I would like to become better at just saying what I think and not have second thoughts about it. I think most of my other areas are good. I can empathize well with other people and feel for them, but I think sometimes I may misread their emotions. Conflict handling is easy for me, as I know how to deal with problems and manage time well. I probably need to work on my resilience and change, too. When I’m put down or fail at something, I usually take it more personally than I should. I am too hard on myself at times. I also don’t like change very much, so I need to try and be more open to new things. My self-control is fine, I have no problems with that. Lastly, my emotional self-awareness is good as I can recognize where my weak spots are. I just need to keep working at them.

Me

circa 2009 (21 y/o)

More from…
12th Grade – Psychology (Class) / Mr. Bill McNamara (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

Krapf’s School Bus Scholarship Essay

↘︎ Apr 25, 2006 … 1′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

1. Long term goals

I would like to pursue a career in the field of biology at St. Joseph’s University. I am not sure what specific field of biology I would like to delve into, but hopefully through my education at St. Joseph’s, I will be able to decide. After my secondary schooling, I hope to find a job in the field that I decide to major in and eventually get married and start a family.

2. Please describe your academic achievements.

I have made distinguished honor roll every marking period throughout high school. This means that I had a grade average of A- or better in all of my classes. Also, I scored a 1390 on the SATs.

3. Please describe your most important personal achievements and explain their significance.

During my junior year, I took calculus for the first time. I had heard it was difficult to grasp, but I felt confident I would succeed. The year started and I already had trouble understanding some of the simplest concepts! I struggled most of the year, but towards the end of the year my grades started to improve. It was then time for the AP test in May. I was aiming for a three out of five; I thought the test would be very difficult. After all, it was on all the subjects we had covered (and I had struggled with) the whole year. I took the test and I wasn’t very confident coming out of it. I was unsure if I would get a three. During the summer, I received the results in the mail. I held my breath as I opened the letter, and to my astonishment I had earned a five! After the arduous year, I had actually excelled at the subject I struggled with. I knew then that I could succeed in any of my endeavors, no matter how difficult they seem.

4. Is there anything which uniquely qualifies you for this award?

I am qualified for this award because I have a strong work habit and I am very focused on my goals. I never give up and I try my best at everything I do. Even during difficult times, I persist and achieve whatever I set out to do. I know that I will succeed at the collegiate level and achieve all my life goals. For these reasons, I believe I would be an excellent recipient of the Krapf’s School Bus Scholarship.

Me

circa 2017 (29 y/o)

More from…
schoolwork (Post Type)

Personality Profile of N.K.

↘︎ Apr 19, 2006 … 2′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

Last Monday in psychology class I was paired with one of my classmates, N.K. We were to interview one another to learn about some of our interests and beliefs. We did not know each other very well, so each response would be like uncovering a piece of a puzzle to figure out who the other person is and what they stand for. I asked N.K. about twenty questions from a sheet that was to guide the interview, and she did the same to me, but with a few different questions. The interview ranged from basic questions such as “What is your name?” to deeper questions like “What is your biggest fear in life?”.

N.K. has been living in Malvern for fourteen years. She said the best thing about living here is her dog. Right away I could tell she had a real compassion for animals. She lives only with one other person, which is her mom. Her dad passed away when she was only seven years old and she has no brothers or sisters. N.K’s mom works as a quality insurance manager, which she thinks includes making software for insurance companies. She distinctly remembered that her dad was a lawyer. The fact that she knew exactly what her dad’s job was, but didn’t really know what her mom does, I think shows that she cared for him a lot.

When asked what hobbies she enjoys, N.K. laughed and couldn’t really think of any. She said tanning, working at Wawa, and shopping. Her favorite holiday is Christmas and her favorite TV show is America’s Next Top Model. When asked what her dream career would be, she said marketing. I think all of these facts about her aren’t just a coincidence. She obviously cares a lot about her appearance from the fact that one of her favorite hobbies is tanning and that her favorite TV show is America’s Next Top Model. The fact that one of her other favorite hobbies is shopping, that she has a job, and that her favorite holiday is Christmas shows that she likes to spend money and get new things. All of this adds up and makes perfect sense that her dream career would be marketing, where she would influence what people buy with different marketing tactics such as making the product have a good appearance.

When asked about her biggest fear in life, N.K. responded by saying she doesn’t want to be poor; she wants to be self sufficient. She doesn’t want to depend on other people. I think this shows that she has a lot of maturity by not wanting to rely on other people. She wants to be able to say that she got herself to where she is in life. I think this attitude may stem from the fact that her father passed away when she was young and she probably was probably forced to be independent at times when her mother was at work.

When asked what makes her sad, N.K. said that passing by the puppy mills makes her very sad, almost sad enough to cry. She really cares about animals, as I noted early in the interview, and this shows she is a compassionate person. She cares for animals and doesn’t want to think about them being hurt or killed.

The interview went well, but now as I look back, I realize that I should have delved deeper into some of the questions, but I now know much more about her than I did before and have a new respect for N.K.’s ambition and compassion.

Me

circa 2013 (25 y/o)

More from…
12th Grade – Psychology (Class) / Mr. Bill McNamara (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

The Physics of Billiards

↘︎ Mar 22, 2006 … 6′⇠ | skip ⇢

One aspect of billiards that we researched was the 90 degree rule. This rule states that when the cue ball strikes an object ball with no topspin or bottom spin, the two balls seperate at a 90 degree angle. Tangent line perpendicular to the impact line. (write all the specifics from the book)

To test this rule, we aimed the cue ball from a fixed spot 50 cm from the object ball at different angles. We hit the cue ball with no spin and tested hitting the ball soft or hard. We printed a protractor out to put on the table under the object ball, so we could determine the angle at which the balls seperated. From these results, we could determine how exact the 90 degree rule is under normal conditions.

First we aimed from an angle of 15 degrees. We hit the cue ball with a soft stroke. We tested this three times, as we did with all the experiments, and the separation between the balls was 68, 79, and 90 degrees. The results were all about less than the 90 degrees which we expected. Then we hit the cue ball with a hard stroke. The separation between the balls was 92, 90, and 92 degrees. This time our results matched up a lot better with what we excepted. I think this was because when we hit the ball softer, it was able to develop spin more easily, but when we hit it harder, the cue ball wasn’t able to develop as much spin.

Next we aimed at an angle of 45 degrees. When we hit the cue ball with a soft stroke, the differences were 72, 75, and 79 degrees. Again, our results for slow shots were less than what we expected. For a harder stroke, our results were differences of 82, 84, and 77. These results seemed to vary slightly, but they were again closer to 90 degrees than the slow shots.

Last, we aimed at the object ball at an angle of 75 degrees. The differences in angles for the soft shots were 56, 70, and 78 degrees. From this data, we noticed a trend that as the angle we aimed at the cue ball great larger, the difference in angle of separation seemed to be getting smaller for soft shots. For the fast shots, our results were 81, 80, and 77. Just like the soft shots, the angle of separation seemed to be getting lower as we aimed at the object ball at a greater angle.

The 90 degree rule states that the cue ball is not supposed to have any spin for the rule to be appliable, but we wanted to test the effects of topspin and bottom spin on the paths of the balls. So we did all the preceding tests again with topspin and bottomspin added.

Again, we aimed at the object ball at a 15 degree angle. We hit the cue ball softly, but this time with topspin. The differences in angles were 78, 82, and 79 degrees. These results were slightly less than hitting the cue ball with no spin, which is what we expected. When we hit the cue ball harder, the results were 99, 87, and 87 degrees. Except for our first piece of data in this set, the results were slightly lower than before.

Next we aimed at the object ball at a 45 degree angle. Again, we hit the cue ball softly with topspin. The resulting angles were 71, 76, and 80 degrees. These results were very comparable to when we hit the cue ball with no spin at this angle. Then we hit the ball with topspin again, only with a harder stroke. The angles resulting were 91, 85, and 84 degrees. These results were greater than when we hit the ball with no spin, but as in the other set of data, the resulting angles were getting lower as the angle we aimed at the object ball increased.

Lastly, we aimed at the object ball with a 75 degree angle with topspin. For the slow stroke, our results were 43, 54, and 45 degrees. This was a very big jump from before. The resulting angles were about half of what they should have been without topspin. Then we hit the cue ball with a harder stroke. The resulting angles were 60, 58, and 60 degrees. These results followed the trends from before; the harder shot created a bigger angle than the softer shot, and the resulting angle became less as the angle we aimed grew.

Finally to conclude this experiment, we hit the cue ball with backspin. Again, we started out aiming at the object ball with a 15 degree angle. For the soft shot with bottomspin, the resulting angles were 96, 96, and 87 degrees. We expected the bottom spin to make the angle bigger, and this data followed that theory. Then we hit a harder shot and the resulting angles were 96, 90, and 86 degrees. These results did not really prove what we thought would happen. They were very comparable to the results of hitting the ball with no spin and topspin.

Next we hit the object ball at a 45 degree angle. For the soft shot with backspin, the resulting angles were 75, 81, and 78 degrees. These results were slightly larger than from the other sets of data. Then we hit the cue ball harder, and the results were 92, 83, and 85 degrees. These results were almost identical to the results from hitting the back with topspin, which shouldn’t have happened. They were however greater than the angles from hitting the cue ball with no spin, which is what we were looking for.

Last, we hit the object ball at a 75 degree angle. We hit a soft shot with backspin again, and the differences in angles were 50, 52, and 68 degrees. These angles were less than from when we hit the cue ball with no spin, which is not what we were expecting. These angles we larger than from hitting the cueball with topspin, however. Finally, we hit the cue ball with a hard stroke and backspin, and the results were 95, 86, and 85 degrees. These angles were greater than when we hit the cue ball with no spin, which is what we were hoping for.

From these experiments, we noticed a few trends. We noticed that as the angle we aimed at the object ball grew, the resulting angles became smaller. We also noticed that as we hit the cue ball faster, the resulting angles were bigger. Lastly, from the information we noticed that when the ball was hit with topspin, the resulting angles were smaller than when we hit the cue ball with no spin, and that when we hit the cue ball with bottomspin, the resulting angles were greater than when we hit the cue ball with no spin. There were some exceptions to these trend, but for the most part that data followed these observations.

There is also a proof to the 90 degree rule which we can explain. The proof takes into consideration that there is no spin on the cue ball and that the collision is perfectly elastic Due to our conditions not being able to be perfect, we couldn’t get the results to be exactly 90 degrees every time, but with this proof, we can show why the results should be 90 degrees every time.

Another aspect of billiards that we tested was the 30 degree rule. The 30 degree rule states that when the cue ball hits an object ball with normal roll close to a half-ball hit, the cue ball deflects 30 degrees from the aiming line. (put more detail from the book)

To test this rule, we hit the object ball with a half hit, one quarter hit, and three quarter hit, then determined the angle at which the cue ball deflected from its aiming line. We aimed the cue ball 50 cm away from the object ball and hit it to produce normal roll. To figure out the angle at which the cue ball deflected, we placed the object ball on top of a printed protractor and measured the angle after the balls hit.

First we did a half ball hit with a slow stroke. The resulting angles were 27, 33, and 28 degrees. These results were right on with what we hoped for. Then we hit the cue ball with a harder stroke, and our results were not nearly as good. The resulting angles for the harder stroke were 62, 62, and 53 degree. These angles were a lot bigger than what they should have been. Looking back, I think that may have been because we didn’t hit the cue ball with the right roll.

Next we did a three quarter ball hit with a slow stroke. The resulting angles were 49, 52, and 50 degrees. Again, our results were much bigger than what the should have been. Then we did a faster stroke and the resulting angles were 65, 70, and 64 degrees. We had a lot of error again.

Lastly, we did a quarter ball hits. For the soft stroke, the resulting angles were 37, 36, and 37 degrees. These results were better and closer matched what we were looking for. For the fast stroke, the results were 46, 40, and 48 degrees. Again the results were big, but these weren’t as big as before.

From these results, I think its safe to say the 30 degree rule is a lot more prone to error than the 90 degree rule. It needs a lot more perfect conditions in order to be relevant to playing a normal game of billiards. There is also a proof for this rule which explains why this rule works under favorable conditions. It shows what the maximum and minumum cut angles should be for the half, quarter, and three quarter hits.

Data

Distance from cue ball to object ball: 50 cm

No Spin:

Aiming Angles 15 Degrees 45 Degrees 75 Degrees
Resulting Angles (Soft hit) 68, 79, 90 72, 75, 79 56, 70, 78
Resulting Angles (Hard hit) 92, 90, 92 82, 84, 77 81, 80, 77

Top Spin:

Aiming Angles 15 Degrees 45 Degrees 75 Degrees
Resulting Angles (Soft hit) 78, 82, 79 71, 76, 80 43, 54, 45
Resulting Angles (Hard hit) 99, 87, 87 91, 85, 84 60, 58, 60

Back Spin:

Aiming Angles 15 Degrees 45 Degrees 75 Degrees
Resulting Angles (Soft hit) 96, 96, 87 75, 81, 78 50, 52, 68
Resulting Angles (Hard hit) 96, 90, 86 92, 83, 85 95, 86, 85

Distance from cue ball to object ball: 50 cm

(All shots hit with normal roll)

Type of Hit Quarter Half Three Quarter
Resulting Angles (Soft hit) 37, 36, 37 27, 33, 28 49, 52, 50
Resulting Angles (Hard hit) 46, 40, 48 62, 62, 53 65, 70, 64

Me

circa 2010 (22 y/o)

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12th Grade – AP Physics (Class) / Mr. Bob Johnson (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

The Stranger Book Report

↘︎ Mar 16, 2006 … 3′ … download⇠ | skip ⇢

1. Title: The Stranger

2. Author: Albert Camus

3. The title, The Stranger, in my opinion refers to the main character, Monsieur Meursault, and his perception of life. He seems to have no feeling at all, while the people around him show emotion, so I think that’s why it’s called The Stranger. He doesn’t know how to really relate to other people. He doesn’t even seem to know exactly what he believes in. He is a stranger to life.

4. The story is organized in chronological order, and it’s separated into two parts; events leading up to the shooting of the Arab and everything that happens after the shooting (his time in jail, the trial, etc…).

5. The setting takes place in France during the 1930s or 1940s. At the beginning of the novel, everything takes place in small town or village that is within a bus ride of the beach. Halfway throughout the book the setting changes strictly to prison and the courtroom.

6. The setting simply makes the story seem real. Though there isn’t much description about the surroundings, they are talked about enough to make it seems like a real place. The physical structures aren’t described nearly as much as the weather and elements, which makes you feel like you are in the characters’ shoes.

7. The main character is Monsieur Meursault. He is a man in his twenties or thirties, and that’s all that you can infer about his physical nature. You do learn a lot about his personality, though. Meursault is a very odd character. He seems almost like a robot; he lacks almost any emotion or feeling. He has no opinion on almost all matters, so whenever someone asks him a question, he either simply agrees or says no. If he can’t respond with yes or no, he usually will not answer the question. He is very awkward, but people seem to like him even though he doesn’t talk at all. He lacks motivation, and just lets life pass by him.

8. The story starts out with Meursault saying that his mother died. He can’t remember if it happened today or yesterday, which shows his lack of emotion from the beginning. He goes to her funeral and shows no emotion at all; he doesn’t cry or even seem upset, and he doesn’t want to see his mother one last time before she is buried. After the funeral is over, he goes back home for the weekend. Meursault spends time with his girlfriend Marie going to the movies and to the beach. He also spends some time with his neighbor Raymond who has trouble with his girlfriend. Raymond thinks that she is cheating on him, so he wants to beat her. Raymond asks Meursault for his opinion on the matter, but he just agrees with Raymond in that he should get back at her.

Raymond follows through in hurting his girlfriend, which leads to him becoming a target of her brother. Her brother and his crew watch Raymond and Meursault as they get on a bus to go to the beach and visit a friend of Raymond. Raymond thinks that they will be safe, but when they are on the beach, the brother and his crew are there and attack Raymond. Raymond is cut on the arm and the mouth, but the injuries aren’t serious. Shortly after that, Meursault takes Raymond’s gun and goes out to the beach to find the brother, then shoots him five times, killing him for no apparent reason.

Meursault is then taken into custody and stays in prison for about a year. He doesn’t seemed phased at all by the fact that he killed somebody and that he is stuck in prison. During the trial, his insensitivity is brought up and used against him. He is found guilty and is sentenced to be beheaded in front of a crowd. No one can ever get through to him, not even the chaplain that tries to awaken him to his life.

9. I think the theme is basically about how people can be strangers to life, as is the case of Meursault. He shows no remorse for killing someone, he is not saddened by the death of his own mother, and always answers questions with a yes or no. He has no motivation for anything, like the idea of marrying Marie. She asks him to marry her, but he says that it doesn’t make any difference. I think the author is just trying to point out how it’s wrong to live like that, and that it’s necessary to have emotion and feeling to live a full life.

10. The most interesting scene in the book is the scene where Meursault shoots the Arab brother. The description of how the sun pushed Meursault toward him portrayed the scene very well. It was weird how Meursault was overtaken by this urge to kill a man, when normally Meursault was very calm and collected during the story. The scene seemed to stand out from the rest of the book, so that’s why I think it’s the most interesting.

11. I thought it was a pretty good novel. It was on the short side, but the author’s writing style allowed him to put all the necessary information he needed and portray the story the way he wanted to. I thought there might be a twist at the end and that Meursault wouldn’t be guillotined, but I was wrong. I also thought there would be a stranger introduced in the story that would help Meursault at some point, but at the end I realized that he was the stranger. The story is easy to read and it’s fairly eventful, so it was actually pretty enjoyable to read.

Me

circa 2018 (30 y/o)

More from…
12th Grade – English (Class) / Mrs. Kelly DiPrinzio (Teacher) / schoolwork (Post Type)

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ADAM CAP is an elastic waistband enthusiast, hammock admirer, and rare dingus collector hailing from Berwyn, Pennsylvania.

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