Entry for New Look Laser Tattoo Removal Semiannual Scholarship

My entry for the New Look Laser Tattoo Removal Semiannual Scholarship (http://www.newlookhouston.com/TattooRemoval.html):

Many people reconsider their tattoo choice later in life. The rate of laser tattoo removal is higher than the rate for people receiving new tattoos. A well-chosen tattoo is important, especially because removing a tattoo is much more expensive and time consuming than getting one. There are plenty of videos on YouTube where a patient in a laser tattoo removal clinic tells the audience that they received their tattoo when they were younger, but have now decided that they've outgrown the design. Many of the YouTube videos are captivating to watch (after a brief, loud snap from the laser a little patch of whiteness appears on the skin where ink has been deposited), but they also illuminate the importance of a wisely chosen design. Size, pigment type and placement should be considered before committing to a design depending on future plans, lifestyle and personal preference. Deciding on a tattoo is an excellent example of how the decisions we make in the present may affect our lives in the future. As a general rule, it is always good to think about the long-term consequences of our immediate actions, and it is no different when considering tattoo designs.

Impermeable Brain

Rough draft for my physics write-up. I need to make one of these every week. They take hours to write. This is probably 2-3 hours worth of work and it's not finished!

THEORY
Capacitors store electrical energy. When a voltage is applied to a capacitor, it begins to charge (store) electrical energy. The maximum energy that the capacitor will store is equal to the maximum voltage applied to it. Upon removal of voltage, the capacitor discharges (releases) electrical energy. If left alone, a capacitor will release all of its energy. A capacitor will never fully charge, but in order to get as close as possible, a certain amount of time is necessary. The amount of time it takes for the capacitor to charge or discharge fully can be expressed as the RC time constant.
Two equations can be used in relation to the RC time constant; T = RC (T = time, R = resistance, C = capacitance) can be used with data collected from charging a capacitor, and ln(Vc/Vm) = [-1 / (RC)] * t (Vc = voltage of the capacitor at any given time, Vm = voltage of C at time t = 0, R = resistance, C = capacitance, t = time) can be used with data collected from discharging a capacitor.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
The circuit was set up as follows:

The capacitor was charged over a period of 300 seconds, and the voltage on the capacitor was monitored and recorded using Data Studio. The capacitor was subsequently discharged, and the voltage was again monitored and recorded using Data Studio. Resistance and capacitance were found using experimental data acquired from charging and discharging the capacitor.

CALCULATIONS
Charging the capacitor
Calculation of resistance:
T = RC
44 s = R * 1 F
R = 44 ohms

Calculation of percent error:
Accepted value: 82 ohms
Experimental value: 44 ohms
(44 ohms – 82 ohms) / 82 ohms * 100% = -46.34%

Calculation of capacitance:
T = RC
44 s = 82 ohms * C
C = 0.54 F

Calculation of percent error:
Accepted value: 1 F
Experimental value: 0.54 F
(0.54 F – 1 F) / 1 F * 100% = -46%

Discharging the capacitor
Calculation of resistance:
Slope of the graph = (-1/RC)
-0.01078 = (-1/R*1 F)
R = 92.76 ohms

Calculation of percent error:
Accepted value: 82 ohms
Experimental value: 92.76 ohms
(92.76 ohms – 82 ohms) / 82 ohms x 100% = 13.12%

Calculation of capacitance:
Slope of the graph = (-1/RC)
-0.01078 = (-1 / 82 ohms * C)
C = 1.13 F

Calculation of percent error:
Accepted value: 1 F
Experimental value: 1.13 F
(1.13 F – 1 F) / 1 F x 100% = 13%

Percent difference between calculated capacitance:
Charging capacitance: 0.54 F
Discharging capacitance: 1.13 F
(1.13 – 0.54) / ((1.13 + 0.54) / 2) * 100% = 73%

Percent difference between calculated resistance:
Charging resistance: 44 ohms
Discharging resistance: 92.76 ohms
(92.76 – 44) / ((92.76 + 44)/2) * 100% = 71.31%

Messin' with the Grade Curve

I got a 102/100 on the bone test in A&P lab! I was so proud of myself. Now I just need to keep that up and maybe I'll get that A at the end of the semester...

Stinky Phallus

People Think I'm Awesome

Yesterday one of my fellow classmates asked me if I could tutor him for organic chem. I had to turn him down because I don't think I have enough time to fit it in my schedule.

My lab partner kept saying I was the best lab partner he had ever had - partially because I knew about 4chan and partially because I got a 100 on my org chem test and I was kicking ass on the lab questions.

Frogs

Conclusion: Frogs are erratic and stupid. Not all of them followed the same behavior and one of them actually sustained its position for FIVE DAYS in a clump of rushes in an open grassland. Idiot.


THE REAL CONCLUSION:
Large scale movements were generally reserved for replacing a dry habitat, or for breeding purposes. This behavior may indicate that the frogs will usually remain in their current location unless there is a dire situation which requires them to leave. From this information, it is also possible to conclude that the frogs were safer if they remained in one location.

The majority of the radiotagged frogs did not make large scale movements. Of 91 frogs studied in the greater Olema Valley, only 36 made large scale movements (≥30 m). (13) The frogs usually did not make long-distance moves unless their habitat was close to drying out, or unless their destination was a breeding site. (12) Many of the movements appear to be related to rainfall. With more rain, a larger number of frogs moved farther than 30 meters. Many of the frogs moved to breeding ponds during this time of the year. The onset of higher rainfall may be a cue to the frogs that the breeding season has begun.

More females made large scale movements than did males. Males were more sedentary, making it a necessity for the females to move. More females left the breeding sites, meaning that more females needed to return to the breeding sites the following year. It is unclear why this behavior is exhibited mostly by females as opposed to males. This could be a point of further study.

Behavior during the wet season appears to be more reckless as compared to the dry season. Some of the frogs were required to cross open pastures to gain access to a breeding site. One of the frogs was found crushed by a large, hoofed animal in such a pasture. Frogs were also observed basking in sunlight at breeding sites. Basking behavior most likely occurs in areas where there is less plant cover, meaning that the frogs are less protected. The reckless behavior may be in order to breed successfully. It may be necessary for the frogs to arrive at breeding ponds where they will have a higher chance of finding a partner. Basking behavior may allow the frogs to better locate a partner.

It seems generally safer for the frogs to remain at one location. Frogs were usually found under some type of protective plant covering or in water. The small scale movements may have been made in order to procure a safer or more protected settlement within their proximity.

cats and bones

Bone identification and cat dissection. Good morning!

To be fair we only skinned the cat... And yes, connective tissue is a butt.