‘At the round Earth’s imagin’d corners, blow your trumpets angels, and arise!’

The large stadium echoed and boomed as me and 299 other high school singers sang our opening song at the 2011 All-Eastern choir performance in Baltimore. The bright stage lights beamed down as we sang our hearts out, representing our own high schools across 13 states in America. When the song ended, I couldn’t help but remember the journey that led me to Maryland with the best of the best.

It starts my sophomore year. I auditioned for New Hampshire’s Classical All-State Choir, for which I prepared a classical Italian Aria, “Vittoria, Mio Core!” which translates to, “Victory my Heart!” I had been rejected by around .2 points the previous year, so I worked hard preparing for my sophomore audition. When I was finished performing, my poker-faced judged thanked me and sent me on my way. I was left guessing on if I correctly articulated every “T” or whether or not my tone was sufficiently beautiful. However, a few days later, I received by score: a fantastic 92 out of 100. It was high enough to separate me from the other bass singers who auditioned, and near the end of the year - well after the April classical All-State performance - I received the invitation to apply for All-Eastern. I had never heard of it before then, but my choral director ensured me it was quite a privilege to be invited to apply, let alone get accepted into the choir. I applied without second thought, and at the beginning of my Junior year, I was stunned to learn I, along with 7 others in New Hampshire, had been accepted.

The reason this accomplishment will always stick out in my mind as a crowning achievement in my life is because it was the first time something that I had worked especially hard for had paid  off how I wanted it to. In high school, I had always been placed on the Honor Roll, made my place on the Varsity soccer team twice, and been accepted to both Classical and Jazz All-State choirs for multiple years. However, many others accompanied me in these accomplishments, so that even though these achievements were impressive, I was never set apart from the other students at Merrimack High School. Being accepted into the All-Eastern choir as the only bass singer from New Hampshire, and the first in many years from Merrimack, was an accomplishment that I could finally proudly say that I was the only one. All the hard work put into practicing the small details for a near-perfect audition was rewarded with an accomplishment that I will remember not only for the experience in Baltimore, but for what that accomplishment meant to me.

“...as if thou had sealed thy pardons, with thy Blood!”

Zack Hickman

Sam Burhoe

Perry Franklin

Attached Masses

Purpose: Find how changing the net force affects the acceleration of a system whose mass is kept constant.

Variables:

        Mass of Block A

        Mass of Block B

        Acceleration

        Time

Safety: Make sure that Block A stops when it is supposed to. Keep hands clear of the moving masses, and keep feet clear of Block B.

Procedure:

1. Fasten a pulley over the edge of the table. The pulley changes the direction of the force from a downward pull on the hanging mass B to a sideways pull on the sliding block A.
2. Mark off a distance d on the tabletop slightly shorter than the distance the mass B can fall to the floor.
3. Attach one end of the string to block A, pass string over the pulley and tie a small mass (B) to the other end.
4. For the first trial, remove one of the masses from block A and hang it on the other end of the string. Release the block and measure the time it takes to cover distance d while accelerating toward the pulley.
5. Repeat measurements with more masses moved from block A to the hanging end of the string (Trials 2, 3).

Data:

Trial	mB (kg)	FwB (N)	mA (kg)	FfA (N)	t (sec)	aact (m/s2)	aexp (m/s2)
1	0.197	1.931	0.600	1.529	1.63	0.516	0.504
2	0.221	2.166	0.576	1.467	1.39	0.709	0.876
3	0.252	2.470	0.545	1.389	1.00	1.370	1.356

Constants

dtable = 0.685m                μ = 0.26        ma + mb = 0.797 kg

Calculations:

FwB (N)

        FwB = mbg

        1.931 = (0.197)(9.8)

        2.166 = (0.221)(9.8)

        2.470 = (0.252)(9.8)

FfA (N)

        FfA = μmAg

        1.529 = (0.26)(0.600)(9.8)

        1.467 = (0.26)(0.576)(9.8)

        1.389 = (0.26)(0.545)(9.8)

aact (m/s2)

        aact = d / (0.5t2)

        0.516 = 0.685 / (0.5)(1.63)2

        0.709 = 0.685 / (0.5)(1.39)2

        1.370 = 0.685 / (0.5)(1.00)2

aexp (m/s2)

        aexp = (FwB - FfA) / (mA + mB)

        0.504 = (1.931 - 1.529) / (0.600 + 0.197)

        0.879 = (2.166 - 1.467) / (0.576 + 0.221)

        1.356 = (2.470 - 1.389) / (0.545 + 0.252)

% Error

        % Error = |(aact - aexp)/(aact)|*100

        2.3%     = |(.516 - .504)/(.516)|*100

        24.0%   = |(.709 - .876)/(.709)|*100

        1.0%     = |(1.370 - 1.356)/(1.370)|*100

Graph:

Conclusion: Our purpose was to determine how changing the net force affects the acceleration of a system whose mass is kept constant. We hypothesized that the acceleration of the system would increase when net force increases (direct relationship).The results show a direct relationship between the acceleration and net force, as acceleration increased when net force increased. This lines up with our hypothesis.

                Some sources of error include the timing, which was performed by a human during very short periods of time; the calculation of friction, which was performed using a basic spring scale and humans emulating constant speed; and friction in the pulley, which was existent even if it was very low. I would modify the experimental setup to include a computer to do the timings. I would also use a material whose coefficient of friction instead of calculating it out each time the experiment is reproduced.

 Zachary Hickman

2/13/12

Period 7

Criticism Notecards

Biography:

“She found a cottage in the country for the boys in Sarehole, Warwickshire, and the setting's effect on Ronald was deep” (“Author Biography”).

“In [1937], he began the sequel [to The Hobbit], The Lord of the Rings, which turned out to be for adults and wove in much of his mythology (published 1954-1955)” (“Author Biography”).

“When World War I broke out, he enlisted as a second lieutenant in a signaling corps, marrying Edith in 1916 before he left for France and the Battle of the Somme” (“Author Biography”).

“At King Edward's, Tolkien formed his first club, the TCBS (Tea Club and Barovian Society) with four close friends who all shared an interest in ancient languages and medieval studies. Tolkien even then was writing verse and inventing his first languages: (“Author Biography”).

“If modern audiences and critics alike hunger for a world where "Frodo lives," they do so because The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy draw on the satisfying, imaginative feast of moral subsistence” (“Author Biography”).

"The Lord of the Rings." Novels for Students. Ed. Ira Mark Milne. Vol. 26. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 112-136. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 6 Feb. 2012. http://go.galegroup.com

This article found on the database does not have numbered paragraphs or sections. Instead, it has section names. I put the section names in quotes in the parenthesis in place of the page numbers.

“The One Ring is the Ring of Power, and it destroys everyone who tries to possess it. Thus, Tolkien implies that since the Ring embodies the Dark Lord, it is the desire for power over others that corrupts.” (“Themes: Power Corrupts”) Symbolism

“The Ring of Power is shown to be untrustworthy and deceiving, a symbol of lust for domination that must be actively refused by every good soul.” (“Themes: Power Corrupts”) Symbolism

“The Ring cannot be used, for it is a power that corrupts everyone around it. “ (“Plot Summary: The Fellowship of the Ring: Book Two”) Conflict

C. S. Lewis, "The Dethronement of Power," in Tolkien and the Critics, edited by Neil D. Isaacs and Rose A. Zimbardo, University of Notre Dame Press, 1968, pp. 12-16.

“The evil Ring nearly drives [Frodo] mad, and he is unable to throw it into Mt. Doom at the last minute.” (“Characters: Frodo Baggins”) Characterization

“Gollum, the slimy and twisted creature, was once a hobbit called Smeagol. He killed his friend Deagol, who found the Ring in the river.” (“Characters: Gollum”) Characterization

“[Samwise’s] devotion to his master is so absolute that he never thinks of himself or of stealing the Ring.” (“Characters: Samwise Gamgee”) Characterization

Susan Andersen, Critical Essay on The Lord of the Rings, in Novels for Students, Thomson Gale, 2008.

“All his power has been poured into the One Ring, which was cut off his finger by Isildur, Aragorn's ancestor, in the Second Age.” (“Characters: Sauron”) Conflict

“Tolkien implies that since the Ring embodies the Dark Lord, it is the desire for power over

others that corrupts. “ (“Themes: Power Corrupts”) Symbolism

Obertino, James. "Tolkien's 'The Fellowship of the Ring'." Epics for Students. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://ic.galegroup.com

“His death also reveals the same strategy of renunciation Gandalf recommends Frodo take in bearing the Ring into the center of darkness that is Sauron's home and there throwing it into the cracks of Doom, because Sauron will not expect the Ring-bearer to willingly give it up and throw it away” (Paragraph 4). Characterization/Symbolism

"The Lord of the Rings (series)." Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://ic.galegroup.com

“Frodo and Sam are later joined by Gollum, the creature who once possessed the ring before losing it to Bilbo Baggins and who is attempting to steal it back from Frodo” (“Synopsis”) Characterization

“During the pursuit, Frodo discovers that the ring is too great a temptation and threatens to destroy the fellowship” (“Synopsis”) Symbolism

“When Gollum attempts one last time to steal the ring, he and the ring fall into the mountain's lava” (“Synopsis”) Characterization

“In the final episode, Gandalf and the others are preparing for the War of the Ring...” (“Synopsis”) Symbolism

“The ring becomes the central element in Tolkien's subsequent trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, which details the origins of the One Ring, or Ring of Power, and the malevolent powers it hold” (“Synopsis”) Symbolism/Conflict

“Along with Gandalf the wizard, Aragorn,heir to the throne of Gondor, Boromir, prince of Gondor, the Gimli the dwarf warrior, and Legolas the elf,they form the Fellowship of the Ring” (“Symbolism”) Characterization