Qualities of a Mathematician

Throughout your story, please talk about the Qualities youve grown in (refer back
to your journal prompts):
Hypothesizing/Experimenting
Explaining/Justifying
Collaborating
Questioning
Growth Mindset
I can multiply binomials because...
Image

Narrative
My first attempt
In class we were first giving Intro to
Multiplying Binomials. I understood what
Mr.Carter meant but I didnt knew how to do
the work, so after working on it at home and
getting help from my dadh he told me how
you have to spread the numbers from the
first parathesis.
For example let's say the problem is (x+3)
(x-8). Next you just multiply x to x and 8
and same goes for 3 so you would have
2
something like x +3x-8x-24 after you just
connect the ones that can connect for this
problem thats 3x and -8x. Now you got the
2
answer which is x +5x-24.
After my dad explained this to me, I
understood it a little bit more.The next day I
shared my answer with my fellow classmate
and we all help each other correct our
mistakes. Such as how I had number 2
wrong so my classmates told me what I did
wrong and how to fix my mistakes.

Practice at home
In our classwork, I started noticing patterns
such as how x^2 +- yx -+z, zs factors can
equal y if there's no number to multiply x.
After learning this pattern I start
understanding it more.
In Factoring Practice B you can see that I
quickly learn how to do some work in my
mind and some question like number five I
still needed help. So I tried step by step to
solve it.

Learning how to graph it

After everyone in the class understood how
to turn factor forms to standard form and
reversed, we started learning how to write
in a graph and how to find show cuts to
graphing things.
We started with Factored Intercepts part 1
and 2 were we had to write down what y
equals in the equation and point it in the
graph. After that we started learning
different ways to find the dots in the graphs
with the Water-Balloon Contest.
The problem was very difficult to solve
because it was multiple questions at once
so I worked with my team. We divide the
problem into the four problem Levi had to
find the length for Jen Erus, Gaincarlo
solved for for Imp Pecable, Verinice and
Vanessa solve for Maggie Nanimas and
finally I solve for Al. We all notice the
patterns and the hints they gave in the
problem. Such as how some tell you the
length it went and how others tell the
formula for it. We then solved each graph
and found that Maggie Nanimas had the
farthest throw and Jen Eras had the highest
throw.
After solving the Water-Balloon Contest I
started understanding more and more about
how graphing works, I learned that in order
to solve the graph all you need to know is
how to find the x-intercept and the location
of the vertex. In order to find the x-intercept
you need to turn the equation into factored
form.
Factored form can be found by finding what
are the factors for c and if they add up to b.
2
Ex. a + 6 +9
9= 3*3
6=3+3
(a+3)(a+3)
Finding the vertex is a lot more complex to
find you need a formula that goes
2
something f(x)=a(x - h) +- k. Next you turn
it into standard form which helps you find

2
the answer, example y=(x+1) -16 you turn
it into factored form and get and get (x+1)
(x+1)-16 and the answer would be -1
because youll go is to leave the -16 alone.
The vertex would be (-1,-16).

As you can see in the picture in the next to

this, I didnt do much work because I
learned a method that can only works in
certain scenarios that being the half way
between both x-intercept is the x-axis for
the vertex and the number differences from
the x-intercept is where it's going to be.
Example: If the x-intercepts are (5,0) and
(0,0) then the vertex would be looked at 2.5
but you have to go up 2.5 so the answer
would be (2.5,2.5)

Quadratics Quiz
(To the left is my Quadratics Group Practice
Quiz)
After studying and learning more and more
about quadratics I felt confident and
prepared because I got prepare by studying
and doing extra work all just to do good for
the quiz. I felt I did good or almost perfect if
you will but after impatiently waiting for the
quiz to be returned I got it back and
realizing I made a lot of small mistakes.
For example in 1(c) although the answer
seems right to me, I forgot that it can be
completely factored because theyre
multiples of 3. The numbers being 3, 12, 36
witch divided by three will give you: 1,4,12.
These means that it had to be something
more like 3(v-+y)(v-+y)

Quiz Refinement
After I finish the quiz I realized that I made
minor mistakes such as continuing the
graphs. I learn that I should notice the little
parts of a question such as whether or not
the standard form can be truly factored.
The problem that I got incorrect was 3v^2
+12v-36. The mistake I did was that all
three numbers are multiples of three. My
answer was (3v-6)(v+6) but if it was fully
factored the answer would of been 3(v+6)
(v-2).
It turned out that I forgot that it could be
factored completely and should of been
3(v+6)(v-2) not (3v-6)(v+6). I learn to check
if it could be fully factor.
I also forgot to complete the graph. What I
mean by complete is I put all the points but
didnt put the arrows that continue the
graph so if someone would want to know
what an other point of the graph they can
continue the line.

Vertex Form Practice

After the test Mr.Carter showed us how to
find the vertex in a much easier way than
just estimating. The vertex form equation is

xh 2 k what you have to do is make

x equal to the opposite of h(zero product

property) and leave k as the answer.

I really didnt understand how it would give

the vertex and why it works. I also didnt
understood how you turn back into standard
form, luckily over time I started
understanding it and learning shortcuts.
Such as how to go from standard form to
vertex and vertex to standard.
For standard form to vertex you need to
divide b in half and then square it.(d)
Afterward you make a parenthesis but you
leave c outside of the parenthesis. Next you
subtract d from the parenthesis and
subtract it to c. Finally you divide the
numbers inside and put a square next to the
parenthesis.

x 2+ 8 x +16 8 divide by 2= 4
2
4 2=16 ( x + 8 x +16)+16 subtract 16
2
and subtract it by the outer 16 x+ 4

x+
4
2 will
To reverse it just add them up

equal x 2+ 8 x +16 in other occasions just

Ex:

add the outer number.

Quadratics Practice Test

Turns out we had another test on the way
but luckily we had a practice test to work on
and helps us remember all of work that we
did throughout the semester.
This practice test made me realize that I
was gonna do good on the test and that I
should remember the mistakes I did in the
last test. Although my team and I made
mistakes such as the yo-yo problem in
which none of our team really understood
the problem. We started by dissecting the
problem one and slowly doing the math and
helping each other out.

Parabolic Patterns Group Test

We had to do a group test with a new
group and table. We had to find the
equations for the multiple parabola in
the graph.
We started by solving each parabola
separately and once were sure that
that equation was correct. We then
checked if they were right.
Afterwards we put the equation on
desmos. We finished and gave back to
Mr.Carter, when he returned it we
noticed that we got all questions right
which made us all glad to hear.

Quadratics Test
Finally we wrapped up Quadratic I was
excited to finish this because I really
want to learn using card games in math.
During the test I felt like I did amazing
because it was everything I learned that
brought me to this moment. After
finishing I was doing a sudoku and a
crossword puzzle when I started
thinking if I made mistakes and what
they could be.
After getting the test back I suddenly
realized that I forgot to explain my
graph work on the actual sheet The
reason why Im saying this is because I
used an other sheet to explain my work.
Turns out I was to focused on the actual
test and getting the answer right then
to see if I showed my work. I learned
from this quiz is to show my work and to
double check because I didnt double
checked.
I realized from this that I have the
tendency to make small mistakes and
dont notice them. This caused me to
think of the possible solution I can do to
stop this from happening again, the
easiest and most useful is if I double
check. I know youre suppose to double
check but I personally think it wont
help me since I think my work is fine so
I wouldnt change it.