Giggityguitar's Weblog

How It Works: The Physics of Music

giggityguitar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:34:42 +0000

Mr. Miller wanted us to realize that everything in this world revolves around some sort of math. So, he had us research anything we wanted, cars, duct tape, anything we were interested in. We had to figure out how our thing worked. We also had to find an equation relating to our “thing.” In my case, I decided to research music and the physics of sound. We created posters in Photoshop (some in Adobe Illustrator) and presented them to the class. Here’s how mine turned out. Click on the poster below to see it in full view.

Brett Gurewitz: The Story of Epitaph

giggityguitar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:09:39 +0000

Mr. Miller had us research an entrepreneur and make a presentation on his/her life story and achievements. There was a plethora of different entrepreneurs chosen, however, I chose one that was not as well known as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. I chose Brett Gurewitz, the founder of Epitaph records. Here is my presentation. Click on the slides to view it in a better view.

Hydroelectric Power

giggityguitar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:56:45 +0000

Following up from the previous project about the world’s largest dam. We researched hydroelectric power and explained it in this entertaining video. Enjoy!

World’s Biggest Dams

giggityguitar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:52:56 +0000

Check out this video. Mr. Miller had us research the 10 largest dams in the world. We had to look up how much power each could generate. This is a little video put together on the whole subject.

Tutorial: How to Build a Coffin Case For Your Guitar

giggityguitar — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:52:27 +0000

This is a great tutorial for any guitarists out there. I will teach you how to build a guitar case. A normal coffin case costs about $110. I built this case for around $50-70. Along the way, there will be photos to help the process go by smoothly. (I haven’t uploaded them yet, but their coming soon) There are a few basic things you will need to gather. The following is a list of all the materials you need to complete this one of a kind case.

particle board (I used it because it was light and easy to carry, but plywood works too)
wood glue
carpet adhesive
carpet
fabric (I used polyester because it was on sale, but velvet or fake sheep skin would look awesome)
screws
drill
measuring tape/ruler
foam insert (if you can’t find it, replace it with the insulation contractors use for houses)
hacksaw
jigsaw/powersaw
clamp
bastard file
sandpaper
goggles (for safety)
spray paint
some sort of metal (get this at your local scrapyard)
cabinet handle from local hardware store
angle bars
spackling
spackling knife
hinges
clasps

Alright, now that the materials have been gathered, we will now construct the case.

The first step is to determine the dimensions of your case. I took my own coffin case and made the case I was building an inch bigger, so that the pre-made case could fit into the one I made. I made the case 5 inches thick so I wouldn’t have to cut the particle board any more than needed. When all the measurements are complete, take your jigsaw/powersaw and start to cut. (Be sure to keep some extra wood around to use for the inside of the case.)
Next, you will assemble the ‘shell’ of the case. Take the angle bars and drill them about 3 inches apart from each other, connecting the sides of the case to the bottom at right angles. Since I used particle board, I made sure that my screws were as small as possible. When your done screwing everything in, take the wood glue and go over spot were two pieces of wood touch. Also go over the angle bars for added strength.
Take the cabinet handle and put it on the side of the case that is longer than all the others. Drill it in as if it were a cabinet.
Next, cut your foam insert out so that it fits snugly into the bottom of your case. Coat the bottom with carpet adhesive and lay down the foam as tight as possible. Work fast, or the adhesive will dry and you’ll have to start over.
Take some of the extra wood lying around. This will help support your guitar so it won’t roll around inside the case. Create a box out of the wood. Measure the neck of your guitar and cut a rectangular insert into the top of that box so that your guitar fits nicely. Be sure to leave an extra inch and a half of space for the foam, carpet, and fabric. Insert the box into the case and secure with angle bars and wood glue.
Take the rest of the foam insert and line the rest of the case. Then, repeat this step with the carpet, and finally, the fabric. (If desired, you may use staples for the fabric, as carpet adhesive might ruin it)
Now to make the cover. Take your aluminum and cut it so that it can sit on top of your case. Be sure to leave a lip on the sides. This way, it fits like a cover. I had my dad’s friend cut the metal for me, but I’m pretty sure any metalworker/srapyard worker will do it for you. If not, make the cover out of thick plywood, and ensure that it is sturdy, so that no one can accidentally sit on it and fall through.
Take the hinges and attach one side to ONLY ONE SIDE of the cover and ONLY ONE SIDE of the case itself. (Make sure that the side the hinges are on is NOT the side the handle is on. That is an accident awaiting to happen.) Now that the case is attached to the cover, the rest is a breeze. Take the clasps and line them up on the side you didn’t put the hinges on. Attach these. Take your bastard file and file away any of the screws sticking out of the sides. Be sure not to file it down too much. Take your sand paper and sand all of the stray splinters and hard edges. Take your spackling, spackle these areas, let dry, and sand for a smooth touch. Lastly, take your spray paint and decorate the case however you want to. Presto! Your case is finished. Be careful when handling the case, for it will not support the same weight a normal case would. But most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

Stock Market Portfolio

giggityguitar — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:22:40 +0000

Mr. Miller had us create our own virtual stock portfolios on a site called vse.marketwatch.com. The whole point of this project was to see who could make the most accurate predictions of the stock market and manipulate those predictions to make some serious cash. In the end, we figured out that it is nearly impossible to make a 100% prediction of the stock market, and if you take a wrong guess, you could go from being filthy rich to dirt poor in a matter of seconds.

The following are some important terms to know when dealing with the stock market:

1) Market Open Order – A buy or sell order in which the broker is to execute the order at the market’s opening.

2) Market Close Order – A buy or sell order which is to be executed as a market order as close as possible to the end of the day.

3) Stop and Limit Order – an order to buy or sell a stock that combines the features of a stop order and alimit order.

4) Market Volume – The number of shares traded during a specific period of time

5) P/E Ratio – A valuation ratio of a company’s current share price compared to its per-share earnings.

6) Beta – A measure of the volatility, or systematic risk, of a security or a portfolio in comparison to the market as a whole.

7) Capital Gain – profit that results from the sale or exchange of a capital asset over its purchase price.

Blue Chip Stock – Stock of a well-established and financially sound company that has demonstrated its ability to pay dividends in both good and bad times

9) Bull Market – A financial market of a group of securities in which prices are rising or are expected to rise.

10) Bear Market – A market condition in which the prices of securities are falling or are expected to fall.

Along with the stock market, Mr. Miller had us compare the U.S. Dollar (USD) to a plethora of other currencies. We found that investing in the right currency can be a very smart move. For example, let’s say that 1 USD = 1.32 CAD (Canadian Dollar). If someone where to invest 100 USD into the CAD, and the exchange rate stayed the same, after 10 years, you would end up with 130 USD. That’s a capital gain of 30 USD. The following are a comparison of the USD to the Mexican Peso (MXP) and Canadian Dollar (CAD). Also, there are a few investments along with a few commodities that I tried out and calculated.

Currency 1: Mexican Peso

2004 1 USD = 11.20 MXP, 100 USD = 1120 MXP

2008 112 MXP = 106 USD

Capital Gain (w/out tax): 6 USD

4-year: 25.5%

APR: 6.375%

MPR: .53

Currency 2: Canadian Dollar

2004 1USD = 1.32 CAD, 100USD = 132 CAD

2008 132CAD = 130USD

Gain (w/out tax) = 30USD

4-year: 127.5%

APR: 31.87%

MPR: 2.65%

Stock 1: Wal-Mart

2004 1 share WMT = $52.30, 2008 = 54.45

Gain w/out tax: $2.15

4-year: 9.13%

APR: 2.28%

MPR: .19%

Stock 2: Elron Electronic Industries Ltd.

2004 1 share ELRN = $12.72, 2008 = $8.63

Gain w/out tax: -$4.09

4-year: -17.38%

APR: -4.34%

MPR: -.36%

Commodity 1: Gold

2004 1 oz. = 420USD

1000 USD = abt 2.5 oz.

2008 2.5 oz. = 1387.50 USD

Gain w/out tax: $967.5

4-year: 411%

APR: 102.75%

MPR: 8.56%

Commodity 2: Gas

2004 $2.02/gal

100 gal = $202

2008 100 gal = $334

Gain w/out tax = $132

4-year: 31%

The following is a description of how someone can justify a trade. Also included are the costs of a single share of a few companies I invested in.

Companies: Washington Mutual (WM), Chevron Oil (CVX), Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. (MER), Oil Service Holders (OIH), JP Morgan Chase & Co (JPM)

Costs/Share: WM – $11.85, CVX – $89.28, MER – $46.80, OIH – $187.90, JPM – $44.86

In order for a person to justify making a trade, that person must have a capital gain higher than the price of the share that he/she bought. For example, if someone were to buy one share of WM, they would invest $11.85. Including a $10 investing fee, in order to have any capital gain, that share must increase to at least $21.86 a share. This results in a $.01 capital gain.

APR: 7.75%

MPR: .645%

Oil Predictions

giggityguitar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:55:11 +0000

Oil has become a major part of everyone’s life. And with the rising gas prices, it is important that we reduce our dependency on oil. However, before we find an alternative fuel, oil is what we’ll be forced to run our cars on. Mr. Miller’s had us use regressions to figure out the price of oil in the near future. A regression means to go back to a precious state or place. In math, a regression is a prediction based on dependent and independent variables.

The equation that proved to be most accurate was the 3rd order polynomial (Column E), which was the equation y = 4E-09×3 – 1E-05×2 + 0.022x + 10.44. We can also use this equation to predict the price of gas a year from now.

End of Year Project

giggityguitar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:06:49 +0000

Mr. Miller had each of us attempt to build an End of Year Project. Basically, we built something related to anything we were interested in. I decided to make a coffin case with a built in amplifier for my guitar. I was just so tired of carrying both my case and my amp, so I decided, hey, combine the two. Since it is in the shape of a coffin, I decided to call it the Ditch Digger. Here are a few pics. Click on them to enlarge.

Sir Isaac Newton, We Salute Thee…

giggityguitar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:57:09 +0000

This is a little “music video” (and I use those terms loosely) my group put together to celebrate Sir Isaac Newton’s achievements. (for more info on him, click this) Keep in mind, we only had a week to work on this, our film was deleted halfway through, and, at the time, only one of us knew how to use iMovie. But it turned out OK.

A Day in the Life of an African…

giggityguitar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:45:46 +0000

We had a joint project in Humanities, Math/Physics, and Art concerning the continent of Africa. Basically, our Humanities teacher, Miss Pledger, separated us into groups of three or four. We had to research an African country and the problems our country was facing. My group focused on Uganda and the child soldier crisis happening there. These are just some charts I made comparing Uganda, Spain, and the United States. When comparing the statistics, it is easy to see that Uganda needs a lot of help. Some of the statistics are missing, and Excel won’t let us enter them in, but otherwise I think it turned out well. I don’t really know what’s happening, but just click on the picture to see a better view of the chart.