Dr. Dragon
HSMSE’s Math, Science and Engineering Magazine
The Great Blue Hole of Belize White Tigers Tessellations and M.C. Escher Going Gluten Free With Celiac Disease And much more inside!
Interview General Lincoln D. Faurer and National Security
Dr. Dragon Congratulations to HSMSE on celebrating its tenth anniversary this year!
Dear Readers, Part of what is so great about Dr. Dragon is that writers have the opportunity to research information and publish articles on topics they choose. In our magazine, you’ll be able to read about math, science and engineering topics that are not necessarily covered in class at HSMSE. The information that you will encounter in the articles is not only from the internet, books, and the news, but also from experts in various fields. I hope more students join our club for the next issue since working on Dr. Dragon is such a great experience. All of our members are excited to see our third issue published! Also, special thanks to Jongmoon Yang and the HSMSE PTA. Now, just flip a page and enjoy. Sincerely, Hajin Yang, Editor-in-Chief
STAFF Editor-in-Chief Hajin Yang
Executive Editor Michaela Palmer
Financial Officer Emily Chen
Art Director Ethan Wint
Writers Emily Chen Jonathan Cheng Isaac Elysee Michaela Palmer Aviva Pastor Yael Saiger Ethan Wint Hajin Yang Joseph Yang Terry Ye
Editors Michaela Palmer Aviva Pastor Hajin Yang
Faculty Advisor Ronald Choi
Table of Contents
5 9 12 16 18
4
How do Search Engines Work?
6
Interview: General Lincoln D. Faurer
White Tigers: Inbred and Ill-treated
Making Money, Losing Money
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Plastic Waste
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Tessellations and M.C. Escher
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Processed Foods
The Great Blue Hole
Going Gluten Free With Celiac Disease
Introduction to JavaScript
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How do Search Engines Work? The Internet is filled with an excess of information - so much information that there are multiple websites, such as Google or Yahoo, dedicated to sorting through it. How do these search engines decide which websites are most relevant? The most basic algorithm is simply text based. If you search the “rivers in America” a text based algorithm will look for those words and give the website that uses them the most. There are numerous problems with this approach, one of which is spammers. As the creator of a website has complete control over its content, they can simply insert streams of common words at the end of their websites to make the website show up as a viable result. To help fix this problem, most search engines use the PageRank algorithm to “rank” websites based on how many websites have hyperlinks to that site. The assumption being that if a page has a hyperlink to another page, it considers that website to be relevant to the topic. Additionally, if a credible website has a hyperlink to another page, then the credibility is transferred. 4
Dr. Dragon • Spring 2013
Google Data Arts Team: Search Volume by Language
Google bomb Google’s page linking algorithms are not foolproof. The issue with the search method is that if many sites link to another site with erroneous keywords, it may cause the search engine to return the site being linked to at the top of search results for a particular keyword, even if the content is unrelated. This is known as Google Bombing. The first Google Bomb recorded was in 1999, when the phrase “more evil than Satan himself” returned Microsoft’s homepage. However, the practice was brought back into the news in 2007 after the notorious Google Bomb that linked the homepage of former president George Bush
to the keywords “miserable failure.” Sadly, many Google Bombs no longer work because Google has altered their search engine to filter out such search engine manipulation. Google claims that it did not target its algorithm specifically to stop Google Bombs that were practical jokes. Instead, they stopped working because of the updated algorithm. Most likely, the issue with Google Bombs was that it used the same process used by advertisers to bring up their sites to the top of search results for their own websites.
•Ethan Wint
White Tigers Inbred and ill-treated
The white tiger, or Panthera Tigris, is a subspecies of Bengal tigers. However, they are different from most other tigers because, as their name states, they are white. They are often confused with snow tigers, which are naturally white Bengal tigers. White tigers were first documented in Rewa, India in the early 19th century. But they have been in Indian literature since the 15th century. For years, people believed that their abnormal color was a result of albinism, an inherited genetic disorder characterized by a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin, and eyes. However, many white tigers do have color in their eyes, and most have stripes. Rather, this disorder is due to a recessive gene passed on by mutated white tigers which evolved through inbreeding. Inbreeding is breeding between two animals who are very similar or closely related, such as father and daughter, or brother and sister. One of the most well-known white tigers is named Mohan. Mohan was a white tiger born in India in 1951. His parents were normally colored, which means a gene mutation must have occurred for him to be white. Later on in his life he was bred with an orange tiger. The female gave birth to orange tigers, but they had the recessive white gene from Mohan. Later, Mohan was bred with one of his daughters, and since one parent had a dominant white gene and the other had a recessive white gene, the trait was expressed in all four tiger cubs - all the offspring were white. This started a craze for white tigers; their unique beauty made them very valuable. Zoos began to acquire descendants of Mohan and breed them with orange tigers and then
Photo Credit : Naoki Miyashita
inbreed them with their children. However, inbreeding of white tigers is dangerous to the species. Because the parents are genetically similar, their gene pool, or the set of all genes the offspring can acquire, is very small. As a result, white tigers experience many genetic defects. One such defect is strabismus, or crossed eyes, which causes the tigers to bump into objects. Other problems white tigers can face due to inbreeding are cleft palates (split in the roofs of their mouths), scoliosis (curvature of their spine), club foot (feet that look twisted), twisted necks, and kidney and mental illnesses. Additionally, white tigers’ bodies do not respond normally to anesthesia, some have faces like
bulldogs, and they die earlier than orange tigers. Many zoologists are not aware of the damaging effects inbreeding can have on white tigers. Some of them are aware, but do not care because white tigers attract large crowds. Due to inbreeding, white tigers are weaker than their orange counterparts and are an endangered species. There are very few white tigers left in the wild and most of the tigers in captivity are inbred. Sometimes, when a white tiger has too many undesirable defects, they are euthanized at zoos. This is also a major part of the reason why they are endangered. •Isaac Elysee Dr. Dragon• Spring 2013
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Interview: General Lincoln D. Faurer 6
Dr. Dragon • Spring 2013
We
interviewed General Lincoln D. Faurer about his career in the U.S. Air Force, his time as Director of the National Security Agency, and the national security challenges our country faces
1 What aptitudes and
skills are important for people who want to work in national security? Several skills stand out when addressing national security, whether in government or in the commercial sector: communications and data handling technologies, analytical ability, and foreign language(s). A dominant consideration in all skill areas must be attitude. National security cannot be addressed on an eight to five basis. It demands commitment and integrity to a high degree, for the very safety of the country is at stake. That safety is a far more critical success measure than a dollar bottom line.
and insightful analysis. This hastened provision of intelligence to the decision makers requires a national security apparatus geared for prompt reaction. That, increasingly, is our greatest national security challenge. It is why the very great concern with the cyber threat.
3 How big of a threat is
cyber terrorism to our country? In what ways can 5 Could you please share we prevent it? with us a brief overview As has been said by such folks of your career? What were as [Secretary of Defense] Panetta your favorite parts and and my good friend, Director of National Intelligence, Jim Clapper, why? it is our greatest national security threat. It is best not to just associate cyber threat with “terrorism”, for while it certainly includes the terrorist threat, it has the potential to rival major kinetic (war fighting) attacks by nations. Our national security challenge is a dual one: protection and counter strike. Hopefully, our strength in both could be used in conjunction with diplomacy to forestall major attacks. Unfortunately, we are being far too slow in creating national policy pertinent to government and commercial sharing of information and authorized reaction.
2 How do you think na-
4 In school we learn math
Since I retired as Director in 1985 the change in national security pertinent technologies is awesome. With respect to both communications and imagery, the collection techniques and the substance collected are dramatically more productive and, hence, demanding of more timely
[I] suspect my old agency would tell you that math is the life blood of their efforts. Adjacent but outside the fence of NSA at Ft. Meade, MD is the National Cryptologic Museum. I happen to chair its Board of Directors, and we are
tional security technology has changed since you were director of the NSA?
engaged at the moment in raising a great deal of money for a new museum which will permit expansion of our displays commemorating and educating on the subjects of code breaking and communications protection. Cryptanalysis and Information Assurance, the two missions of NSA, whether spoken of in the time frames of antiquity or WW II or today, use math as their basis.
in a theoretical context. In what ways is math applied and useful in a workplace like the NSA?
I loved my career. Would that everyone could look back on 35 years of earning a living as enjoyably as I look upon my Air Force career. I started out in 1950 with pilot training just as many of my West Point classmates (as you might imagine, 75% went into the Army) headed for Korea, as war broke out just as we were graduating. I subsequently flew B-29s out of Japan and hunted typhoons and then after qualifying as a navigator/bombardier to go along with my pilot status I flew a six jet engine B-47 for the Strategic Air Command. After eight years of flying duty I moved onto helping administer/train ICBM crews, After that it was back to school for a Masters in Engineering Management at RPI and a tour in the Pentagon in the Science & Technology element of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). After attending the National War College and a second Masters (International Relations) at Washington and a short while in the new AF Space Headquarters, I went to the Panama Canal Zone as a new one star Dr. Dragon• Spring 2013
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What is the NSA?
The NSA (National Security Agency) is an organization tasked with ensuring the security of the nation though the gathering of critical intelligence. The NSA was signed into existence in 1972 by President Harry Truman. The NSA has many projects that help to keep Americans safe, such as making advancements in the fields of cryptography, information security and signals intelligence. One example of the NSA’s work is a program codenamed VENONA. VENONA was aimed at braking KGB ciphers and helped to identify people responsible for leaking information about atomic weapons to the Soviets during World War II. Due to the utmost secrecy required in such an agency, most of us will never know just how much of an impact the NSA has on our nation’s security. This is best summed up in a quote by the NSA’s current director, General Keith B. Alexander: “More times than we can count, we’ve made history, without history even knowing we were there.” •Ethan Wint
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general and the [Deputy Director] of Intelligence for our Latin America Command. Following that were assignments back in the Pentagon as Deputy Chief, AF Intelligence and Vice Director of DIA before heading to Europe as J-2 (Dir of Intell) at U.S. European Command and subsequently to NATO as a three star general and Deputy Chairman of the Military Committee. Finally, the favorite job of my military career, Director of NSA. What I most appreciate in such a career is the diversity of jobs and the opportunities to visit and/or live in so much of the world.
NSA Headquarters
6 What advice would you
give a high school student interested in pursuing a career in national security?
7 What was a typical day for you at the NSA?
A semi-facetious answer would be that every day was different, but let me try. I set an objective of 24 hour turnaround for all actions coming to me. This meant a long work day which included an early start at the office, several hours at home (early morning and late evening) made possible by adequate arrangements for classified work at home. Most days included a trip into the District of Columbia (about 20 minutes each way) for meetings with other agency seniors, testimony before congressional committees, or attendance at evening social events, so reading in the car was a necessity. The daily office schedule started with an intelligence briefing with a dozen of my senior managers to review/analyze the state of the world and determine our immediate priorities, sessions with visitors who either wanted something from me or I wanted to influence action by them, or deliberate interaction with the workforce to get advice or just stay abreast of what was going on in the trenches. A few times a month we would entertain visiting dignitaries at my quarters. Whenever I was free at home in the evening I would do paperwork and get about five hours of sleep. My daily schedule was full and demanding, but the four years as Director went quickly, and were easily the most enjoyable and rewarding of my 35 years of service.
Reflect on what you believe would bring you satisfaction with life. If it includes service to country, intellectual challenge, willingness to subordinate location of work to the nature of work, acceptance that pride in job is more important than money, then national security (pick your skill choice) is a •Interview conducted by Michaela great field with much opportunity. Palmer
Making Cents: A look into the composition of a penny
Photo credit: Jon Zander
A very small amount of the penny is actually copper - 2.5 percent. It’s used in trace amounts in the core. The copper in todays pennies is mostly used for the surface coating.
97.5 percent of the coin is zinc. Zinc is used in the core of the penny.
Making Money Losing Money
bor and shipping – it was estimated that it would cost 1.23 cents to produce a penny and 5.73 cents to Many people find coins – espeproduce a nickel. cially pennies and nickels – to be Despite this, instead of trying a waste of money and time. Some to stop or prevent this loss, they even say that prices should just left it alone to rise and rise into an be to the nearest tenth of a dolunbelievably unreasonable cost to lar. Not only is it time consuming produce these coins. In 2007, the to look for these coins, but they cost to produce a nickel immenseare also money-consuming. This contributes to pennies’ and nickels’ ly rose to 9.5 cents. Currently, it takes about 2.4 cents to make a inefficiency. single penny, and 11.2 to make a In 2006, the US Mint notified single nickel. Congress that for the first time The number of pennies made a in history it cost more than one year depends on the demand and cent to produce a penny and more than five cents to produce a nickel. production can range from 1-2 When all the expenses were taken billion to as many as 14 billion. into account – including materials Now think about how much mon(copper and nickel), machinery, la- ey we lose because of this. If we
do make 14 billion pennies we lose just that much cents which is 140 million USD (United States Dollars). Even if we do make only about 1 billion we still lose a good 10 million USD. As for nickels, we produce from an enormously vast range of 14 million to 1.2 billion. We also lose a good amount of money just not as much – can lose up to 12 million dollars. •Joseph Yang http://mikesbikes.com/about/pennies-dontmake-cents-pg952.htm http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/ indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=d050707 http://www.dailypaul.com/264525/us-mintintends-to-remove-the-pennies-and-nickelsfrom-circulation-beginning-january-2013 Dr. Dragon• Spring 2013
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ucts that contain plastic are water bottles. Made out of high-density polyethylene, the plastic in the bottles releases chemicals when kept in warm temperatures. Plastic water bottles can be contaminated by bisphenol A. These chemicals affect human health, and can cause conditions such as ulcers, birth defects, cancer, and more. As this problem worsens and gains more attention from society and scientists, people are trying to find alternative uses for plastic and new ways to reuse old plastic. The better known solutions available today include biodegradable plastics and using plastic as a fuel source.
VOCAB •Plastic: synthetic or organic material that may be shaped when soft and then hardened •Pyrolysis: process that decomposes plastics into a usable fuel •Biodegradable: a type of plastic made out of vegetable oils and can be broken down by nature •Bisphenol-A: the chemical released by water bottles that can cause various health conditions
Plastic Waste Around the globe, one of the most wasted resources is plastic. Plastic is a synthetic or organic material that may be shaped when soft and is then hardened. It is used in many products and in packaging. The problem is that consumers are not recycling the plastic, and it fills up landfills or even oceans. It takes a very long time for plastic to decompose on its own and plastic is added to landfills faster than it can decompose. Part of the reason for the accumulation of plastic is that there are many different types, which can complicate recycling. All this plastic is going to landfills that waste much of the limited space on Earth. The plastic can take over a thousand years to decompose. Plastics are chemically inert, so they will not react with other substances, and will not dissolve. Not only do they waste space, but plastics also leak 10
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People walk through the debris on a plastic waste covered beach. Sadly, this level of pollution is not uncommon. pollutants into the soil and water. When space on land began to run out, around 100 million tons of plastic were deposited in large piles in the ocean. For example, The Great Pacific Patch in the Pacific Ocean is a giant pile of plastic waste. The plastics in the ocean chemically and physically harm marine life. Not only do plastics harm the environment and animals, but they also harm humans. Some of the most commonly used prod-
Biodegradable plastics can be used as replacements for traditional plastic in products. One of the most common products with biodegradable plastic is eating utensils. Because many people use utensils once and then throw them out, using biodegradable plastic is a great idea. Biodegradable plastic will compost much faster than traditional plastic material. The use of this technology will benefit society since the plastic will be able to be composted and will not take
Light it Up
A time lapse photo of a Biodegradable Plastic Bottle. up space in a landfill. Also, biodegradable plastic will not end up in the ocean and build an island of waste, which could harm marine animals. However, biodegradable plastic is not a perfect solution. It has to be broken down by natural factors such as bacteria or fungi, and still be left in an industrial composting plant, which can be very expensive. Because the world has given more attention to the earth and pollution and is working towards becoming “eco-friendly”, people have picked up biodegradable plastics and are trying to implement them in everyday products. With the help of modern technology, people can also turn plastic waste into fuel. This fixes two problems: the lack of fuel to provide energy and gas, as well as the major problem of finding space for plastic waste. Instead of just being left in a landfill, the plastic can be turned into a fuel. One method invented by Jayme Navarro, founder of Poly Green Technology and Resources, is known as pyrolysis. Plastic waste is readied for processing and then shredded into small pieces. Then the shredded plastic is placed in a thermal heater until it boils and produces vapor. The vapor produced then passes cooling pipes
and condenses into a distilled liquid fuel. This is a brilliant method because plastic burns cleaner than normal fuel. In addition, it is about 10 to 20 percent cheaper because of the large amount available of in landfills. The simplest way to reduce plastic waste exists within an average home. Instead of using plastic and discarding it, people can recycle and reuse plastic, or use substitutes such as reusable water bottles. There are ways to help eliminate plastic waste but people are often too accustomed to their old ways to make a major change. •Jonathan Cheng http://www.pri.org/stories/science/environment/plastic-mass-pacific-threaten-marine-life1555.html http://www.chsglobe.com/community/2010/03/plastic-water-bottles-may-harmboth-environment-and-drinkers/ http://www.wallstreetdaily.com/2012/07/16/ video-pyrolysis-turning-landfills-into-goldmines/
Smoking cigarettes is still one of the largest contributors to death and illness among Americans. Many smokers begin to smoke at a young age and do not consider the health risks of smoking and how addictive it could be. Cigarettes contain nicotine, a psychoactive chemical in tobacco, which makes cigarettes addictive. Smoking can lead to many types of cancer, such as oral, esophageal and pancreatic. Smokers can also harm many people around them without realizing it. Second hand smoking, or passive smoking, is where a non-smoker inhales the smoke of a smoker. Today there are substitutes to conventional cigarettes like electronic cigarettes; these substitutes are better for the environment and also for the individual. Electronic cigarettes use an electronic inhaler to convert a liquid solution into a mist, and the amount of nicotine released can be selected by the user. Although quitting smoking is very difficult, many smokers manage to do so by using products that replace nicotine such as nicotine gum or nicotine patches. These are one of the first steps people can take to quit smoking. •Terry Ye
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections/ecocenter/How_to_Tuesday_Cut_Your_ Use_of_Plastic_Plastic_Plastic.html http://environment.about.com/od/earthtalkcolumns/a/recycleplastics.htm http://www.ted.com/talks/mike_biddle.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_ plastic
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The Great Blue Hole Have you ever heard of a blue hole? A blue hole is a vertical cave or an underwater sinkhole. Some blue holes were formed as limestone cave systems during the last Ice Age when sea levels were much lower. As the oceans began to rise again, the caves flooded, and the roofs collapsed. There are many different blue holes located around the world, typically in low-lying coastal regions. One of the best known blue holes, named the “Great Blue Hole” by scientists, is in Belize. The Great Blue Hole is an underwater sinkhole that measures almost 1,000 feet across and over 450 feet deep. It is surrounded by the shallow waters of Lighthouse Reef Atoll, a nearly perfect circle in the middle of a shallow reef. The Atoll is located 60 miles from Belize City. It is not an easy place to reach. It was first discovered by Jacques Cousteau in 1970. He was one of the world’s most famous divers and marine conservationists. He declared the Great Blue Hole one of the top ten scuba diving sites in the world. However, diving in blue holes is definitely not recommended for beginners, as the marvelous wonder of this underwater cave are hundreds of feet into the hole. The deeper 12
Dr. Dragon • Spring 2013
divers go, the Great Blue Hole one goes, the clearer the water The Great Blue Hole of Belize is located in Central America becomes. The Great Blue Hole is sometimes called, “Divers’ Despite this danger, more than Tomb” or “The Black Hole of the 60% of the tourists who visit Sea,” because over 1,000 divers Belize consider scuba diving one who attempted to explore it have of the most important things to lost their lives underwater. One of do in Belize. Each year, more than the famous deaths that occurred in 200,000 people come from all the Great Blue Hole was the death over the world, and head out to of Yuri Lipski, an Israeli-Russian explore and experience the Great diver who died at approximately Blue Hole. As one dives deeper 300 feet below the surface. Nobody into the Great Blue Hole, caves and knows the exact cause of his death, limestone stalactites and stalagbut it seems that he was a victim mites appear. There are over 500 of inexperience and lack of proper rare forms of animal and plant life equipment. Before diving into blue that can only be seen in the Great holes, experts recommend having Blue Hole. The Great Blue Hole is a years of scuba diving experience fascinating natural creation. and reviewing all underwater hand gestures and safety instructions •Hajin Yang with specialists.
Tessellations and M.C. Escher
Reptiles was created by MC. Escher in 1943. Like many of his other prints, it is a lithograph.
“
„
much more complex shapes. The simplest tessellations are called regular tessellations. Regular tessellations are created by the infinite repetition of a single regular polygon. But only some regular polygons tessellate. In order for a tessellation to cover a plane, the angles of its unit pieces must meet at a common vertex to form a 360˚ angle. If they do not, they will leave gaps. To form a regular tessellation, we must be able to arrange the unit polygon so that its angles perfectly
We adore chaos because we love to produce order
- MC Escher
A tessellation is made up of one or more repeating units that cover a plane with no gaps or overlaps. In other words, the shapes interlock and the puzzle they create can extend infinitely in either direction. Tessellations can be created from regular and irregular polygons, but Escher showed that this was not the limit, and that tessellations could in fact be formed from
fill a 360˚ angle when they are repeated. This means that the interior angle of the polygon must be a factor of 360. Because you can only have a whole number of polygons around the point, and not a fraction, the quotient of 360 and the interior angle of the polygon must be an integer. The smallest possible angle for a regular polygon is 60˚ and the angle of a polygon must be smaller than a 180˚ angle. To find the regular polygons that tessellate, we must therefore find the factors of 360˚ that lie between the two: 60 ≤ x < 180, Dr. Dragon• Spring 2013
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where x is a factor of 360. Three regular polygons have factors that satisfy these conditions: triangles (angle of 60˚), squares (angle of 90˚) and hexagons (angle of 120˚). These shapes therefore tessellate.
Another kind of tessellation is semi-regular tessellation. This is a tessellation composed of two or more regular polygons. The polygons must be arranged around a common vertex and each vertex must have an identical arrangement. Again, the interior angles must add up to 360˚. For example triangle and squares tessellate when 3 triangles and 2 squares are arranged around a vertex, because 3(60)+2(90)=360. There are eight semi-regular tessellations.
Irregular polygons also tessellate. Any triangle at all, repeated over and over will tessellate. The interior angles of a triangle must always sum to 180˚. 360 is twice 180, so twice the sum of the angles of a triangle is 360. To tessellate any triangle, arrange its vertices around a common vertex so that each one repeats once. The same argument can be applied to quadrilaterals, whose angles always sum to 360˚. All of these tessellations are created with four basic geometric transformations. One is the slide, or translation, which just moves the shape around a plane without changing orientation. Another is reflection, where the shape is reflected across an axis. The combination of these two is a slide reflection, where the shape is reflected and then translated. The fourth is a rotation, where the shape is rotated around a fixed point. M.C. Escher took these techniques and used them to create far more complex tessellations than the ones described above. The main strategy that Escher used to create his tessellations
involves applying rotations and translations on an entirely new level. Escher would begin with a simple shape that tessellates, like a triangle, hexagon or square. He would then distort the sides of those shapes to create a new shape. (see digram at bottom of page)
Replace one side of the shape with a curve or a distorted line. Then, translate that distortion to the opposite side of the square. It now lies on the side of a new square. Translate it to the opposite side of that side and repeat the process. The perpendicular side can also be replaced and translated horizontally. Escher described a similar technique, which he used to create his famous Reptiles lithograph. The secret to understanding how this tessellation works lies in analyzing vertices and segments. Vertices are here defined as any point where three different shapes (in this case lizards) meet. Six vertices lie on every lizard, and so the vertices are connected two each other with segments of the outline of the lizard. Each segment is a rotated version of another segment. Escher’s lizard is therefore made up of three segments, rotated and rearranged. This rotational symmetry is the reason that Escher’s lizards tessellate. If we replicate a lizard that has adjacent segments A and B,
“Translation Technique”—from: Totally Tessellated. Oracle Think Quest; Education Foundation. Visited April 7, 2013. Web.America 14
Dr. Dragon • Spring 2013
the replication of A can lie perfectly on top of the original B. The mystery then becomes the creation of such tessellations: How did Escher decide where to place these congruent segments and how did he create a seemingly asymmetrical and complex shape that would tessellate? Look again
as a protrusion. This means that if you rotate the hexagon so that the previously adjacent sides line up, the two shape fit. The protrusions fit back in to the spot they were originally cut out from. Through experimentation with this method and others, Escher completely transformed tessella-
rather Escher’s ability to create shapes that represented life. Escher could take a hexagon and transform it into a lizard, or take a triangle and transform it into a bird in flight. His tessellated fish, lizards and birds look not like tessellations made to resemble animals, but like birds, lizards and fish that fit effortlessly together. Escher said “We adore chaos because we love to produce order” and his tessellations capture both. Escher takes natural, almost chaotic shapes and transforms them into ordered tessellations that stretch infinitely in either direction. •Yael Saiger
Escher’s lizards. The lizard on the right has its shape outlined. at the six vertices drawn on the tessellation. If each pair of vertices is connected by a single line segment, a regular hexagon is formed.
tions, fitting together pieces that might otherwise seem as though they never could. He made many tessellations like the lizards in
Harris, Andrew. The Mathematics of Tessellation. St. Martin’s College: 2000. ictedusrv.cumbria.ac.uk. Web MC Escher Interlocking Tiling. Eschertile.com April 7, 2012. Web. Metropolitan Mathematicians Journal. MC Escher. First published 1948. Visited April 7, 2013. Web. Totally Tessellated: An Introduction to Tessellations. Oracle Thinkquest: Education Foundation. April 7, 2013. Web.
Sources for The Great Blue Hole:
http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/greatbluehole.html http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2001/06/ http://sevennaturalwonders.org/north-america/ great-blue-hole/
A diagram drawn by M.C. Escher to illustrate his process. A hexagon is one of the three regular polygons that tessellates, and this simple shape was the basis for Escher’s more complex one. Escher cut out pieces of the hexagon, and placed them on the opposite part of the adjacent side
“Reptiles” and he even experimented with tessellations that slowly morph into other tessellations, as in another famous piece called “The Metamorphosis.” The real genius in Escher, however, is not the method of creation, but Dr. Dragon• Spring 2013
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Going Gluten-Free with Celiac Disease
glutenin and gliadin. Gliadin has repeating patterns of amino acids that the human digestive system cannot digest. People with celiac Much attention is currently have genetic mutations that cause being paid to the gluten-free diet, the immune system to attack the which many believe solves a range intestine when it detects gliadin. of health issues. A gluten-free This severely damages the diet is a diet that excludes intestinal walls and inhibthe protein gluten, which is its the intestine’s ability to found in many grains, most absorb nutrients. notably wheat, barley and It’s interesting the way rye. Some of the results that the gluten-free diet attributed to a “GF” diet are has morphed from a medhard to believe – like extra ical necessity to a diet fad. pounds will melt away, or Many celebrities praise all your medical problems gluten-free diets and claim will disappear. In reality, it helps them lose weight. eating a GF diet is a reHowever, doctors insist this quirement only for people is not the case. Gluten-free with celiac disease. foods can be just as high or People with celiac disease, higher in calories, fat and an auto-immune disorder, sugar as gluten foods, and Biopsy of small bowel showing celiac disease can suffer a wide array can even lead to weight manifested by blunting of villi, crypt hyperplaof physical ailments and gain. “Gluten-free cookies sia, and lymphocyte infiltration of crypts. symptoms. Gluten causes are still full of sugar,” Dr. inflammation in their small Gerard Mullin, an associate Soruce : intestine, which can result professor at Johns Hopkins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coeliac_path.jpg in damage to its lining, and Hospital, told the Baltimore an inability for the body Sun. In fact, a study pubto absorb many nutrients. When lished in Journal of the Academy of of certain antibodies produced people with celiac disease conNutrition and Dietetics states that by the body’s immune system in sume any gluten, their immune a gluten-free diet has no health its effort to fight off perceived system reacts by damaging or even threats. Second, a doctor must benefits for people without an destroying their villi, the tiny filaactual gluten intolerance. They can perform an endoscopy to confirm ments that line the small intestine whether damage has been done even miss out on some beneficial and play a critical role in absorbto the lining of the small intestine. effects gluten may have on blood ing and delivering nutrients to the The endoscopy involves sending pressure, immune system function bloodstream. If someone’s villi are a long, narrow tube with a camera and colon health. destroyed, their bodies can literally on its end through the mouth, the starve to death. •Michaela Palmer esophagus, the stomach and into People with celiac disease often the intestines where a small biAuffret, Sarah. “Gluten-free fad not backed by scisuffer from severe stomach upopsy sample of tissue is taken for ence.” Westernfarmpress.com. Penton Media, Inc., 18 set after they eat food containing evaluation. In some cases, if these Oct. 2012. Web. 8 April 2013. Chang, Kenneth. “Gluten-free, Whether You Need it gluten, but they can suffer from tests are not 100% conclusive, a or Not.” Well.blogs.nytimes.com. The New York Times other symptoms as well including patient’s blood may be tested for Company, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 8 April 2013. Jaret, Peter. “The Truth About Gluten.” Webmd.com. headaches, skin rashes, joint pain, the gene linked to celiac. WebMD, LLC., n.d. Web. 8 April 2013. irritability, fatigue and most often In some cases, people with Shiffler, Bailey. “Doctors caution that gluten-free is not for everyone.” Baltimoresun.com. The Baltimore in children a failure to grow. This some form of severe gluten senSun, 14 Nov. 2012. Web. 8 April 2013. wide array of symptoms can some- sitivity or intolerance may also Zuckerbrot, Tanya. “Should you go gluten-free?” foxnews.com. FOX News Nettimes make celiac disease difficult want to avoid gluten. The main work, LLC., 2 Dec. 2012. Web. 8 April 2013. to diagnose, though it is estimated proteins in gluten are called
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that 1 out of 133 Americans have it. Determining whether a person has celiac disease, which is a genetic condition, can be a multi-step process. First, a blood test is done to detect the presence and levels
Processed Foods We’ve all heard of the term “processed food” before, but what does it actually mean, and why does it always come with a negative connotation? Processed food can be defined as the alteration of food from its natural state to make it long-lasting, appealing, and convenient. Fresh, natural foods are mixed with artificial ingredients in factories and then changed to the point that it can be impossible to recognize the original ingredients. Processed food can be found everywhere and is much more common than you think. Basically anything that is canned, packaged or frozen can be classified as processed food.
Processed Meat Processed meat is the flesh of animals altered to taste or look a certain way. Hot dogs, bacon, sausage, sandwich meat, pepperoni and bologna all have something in common - they look fresh and healthy when you buy them. Often, what really causes that “healthy” glow is sodium nitrite. sodium nitrate can be carcinogenic, meaning it could potentially cause cancer. When sodium nitrite is consumed it can lead to the formation of nitrosamines, which are compounds that can be carcinogenic. Generally speaking, foods with sodium nitrite can cause cancer. A study conducted at the University of Hawaii shows that processed meats can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67%.
Hot Dogs We eat them at baseball games,
Processed food might look and taste good, but what’s really in it?
we buy them from street vendors, we grill them at family barbeque’s, but what’s really in a hot dog? Hot dogs are usually made up of a mixture of meats. The main ingredient is mechanically separated meat. This means that it is a “paste-like and batter-like meat product produced by forcing bones, with attached edible tissue, through a sieve or similar device under high pressure,” as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This can be unsanitary, and the meat then needs to be “cleaned” so it is drenched in ammonia. After it has been soaked in ammonia, the meat has an unpleasant taste, so artificial flavors and other additives need to be added to the meat. In conclusion, although processed meats are definitely more time-efficient and sometimes taste better than organic or natural versions, the effect that it has
on health outweighs the amount of time or flavor that you lose to eating healthy. There are so many alternatives to your favorite hot dog, or any other meat product. The amount of chemicals that processed foods contain is certainly more than what is healthy for people to consume. Next time you are grocery shopping try to read the ingredient labels. If there are words that you don’t know and many artificial ingredients, it is processed. Instead of reaching for a processed package of cold cuts, buy a fresh, natural alternative. •Emily Chen http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/ processedfoods.htm http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/processed-food-definition-2074.html http://www.gracelinks.org/279/food-processing-slaughterhouses http://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/ http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/definition.html http://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/clostridium-perfringens.html
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Introduction to JavaScript
ple do not program often in machine code or assembly is because not only are they hard to read, but the required instruction sets they use vary from computer processor to processor. This means unless the computer your friend has is an identical model, machine or assembly code that properly works on your computer may not work on theirs. To fix that issue, high level languages such as C, C++ and JavaScript were developed. They are (comparatively) easy to read, text based scripting languages that implement a clearly defined standard. Code is the backbone of the In order to run JavaScript, the modern world. Computer Code script we will be working with, a powers computers, cars, modern computer must have a JavaScript televisions, your phone, and even engine installed that can underthe printer that placed the ink on stand the JavaScript text and act the page that you hold in your on it. Even though the same JavaShand right now. There is not a sin- cript that works on a PC works on gle, uniform standard for computer, an I-Pod touch, they use different code, however they are all linked JavaScript engines. JavaScript by very similar rules. The closest is important because it is used that a person can get to computer in webpages, and because of its code is by using either machine popularity, many modern devices code or assembly. The reason peo- and web browsers have a JavaS-
History
REFERENCE
cript engine installed so the same script will work across almost any modern computer or smartphone. But wait. Why learn code? Developers obviously have already given all devices the code they need to work. As previously stated, computers are the backbone of modern society, so even understanding a small amount of code will help you learn to appreciate the work that developers must pour into even the most humble applications. Learning code will also help you to be more productive. Knowing the language your computer speaks will allow you to create your own programs that will streamline your workflow.
Lesson
Today, you will learn the simplest fundamentals of JavaScript, but first, you need to know where JavaScript is mainly used and some basic rules about coding. JavaScript is one of the three coding languages that constitute the majority of modern web pages. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript work together to create the modern web. HTML (Hypertext Markup
Keyword
Function
A special word that is reserved for the core functions of the script. Examples are: var, if, else, function, and int.
The function keyword denotes the presence of a function, or a defined set of instructions. A function may also return a value. usage:
Var
function functionname() { //some code to be executed }
The Var keyword is used to define a variable usage: var myVariableNameHere
String A String is an object that represents a “string” or a collection of characters. usage: “hello world”
// and /* */ // marks a comment /* */ marks the entire section 18
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Argument
An argument input passed to a function. A function may have more than one argument
Language) acts as a skeleton for the web page. HTML contains the text on a page, and its basic layout. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) defines how the page looks. It tells the computer where to place everything, so that the website looks attractive and organized. – JavaScript, brings the page to life. With JavaScript, webpages are no longer static, but can intelligently respond to user action. For this tutorial we will use a website called jsbin.com It is a free and powerful online code editor. You may want to make an account. Make sure you are on a blank document and that only the JavaScript and CONSOLE tabs are selected. You are free to experiment with the other tabs, but for the current project, all you will need is the
These are two screenshots of the same page. The one on the top is with CSS enabled the one on the bottom is with CSS disabled.
two aforementioned tabs. The first command you will type will bring up an alert box containing the iconic “hello world” message. Type: alert(“hello world”); into the console prompt. When you press enter, an alert box should pop up with the message you typed.
What just happened? The first command you typed was the function, alert(). This is a JavaScript function that displays an alert box. The arguments, or input of the function was placed in between the parenthesis. In this case, we pass the text “hello world”, to the alert() function. The last part of the statement, a semicolon, is used to tell the computer you are finished with your statement, To begin a new document, select new. and is the code equivalent of Make sure you only have the JavaScript a period. and Console Tabs selected.
If Statements If statements are one of the most important functions. It allows a program to test if a condition is true. You may also embed else statements or other if statements at the end. usage: if(statmentIsTrue) { // do this code }
Else Statements Else Statements only come after if statements, and they allow the program to specify an alternate action if the result of the if statement returns false. usage:
if(statmentIsTrue){ // do this code } else { // do this other code }
Operators = , + , - , == and ! and so on are all examples of operators. They are used to add, subtract and compare values. They can be put inside parenthesis to chain them together to create complex logic statements. For example: !(!(3==4 || 4==5) && (33 != 43)) is true
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Lets try something more adThe first new piece of code vanced. This time, copy the below we encounter is the var keyword. code inside the window marked After the var keyword, the name JavaScript. The prompt is interacof the variable, name was typed. tive, and will immediately execute Prompt(); is a built-in JavaScript any code you enter. The JavaScript function that presents a input box window allows us to write a Jato the user. We store the result of vaScript file, which can later be the Prompt(); function: whatinteracted with inside the prompt ever the user typed into the box, which is a string. Then we use an if window after we press run. else statement to check if the var Now type askName(); name that was entered is equal to function askName() { var name = prompt("Tell me your name","your name here"); // creates a variable named name and assigns it the value from the function prompt
if(name == "voldemort"){ // if the name is equal to voldemort, we must not say his name, // so we will use this message instead alert("You are He Who Must Not Be Named"); }else{ // ok, it’s safe. We can simply say hello, and // repeat the name alert("hello "+name); } }
the string, “voldemort”. If that is true, the if statement pops up an alert box like in the first example using the alert() function that says a special greeting to him. If the if statement is false, the program instead runs the code inside the else statement and creates a popup using the alert() function that says the string “hello” plus our string with the name the user entered in it. After that, the brackets close, and the function is complete. Try playing with it and seeing what happens. You might want to begin experimenting by changing what is in the strings. Also, try replacing the == in the if else statement with !=. Explore ! Sadly, this small space cannot even begin to show just how big code is. Both the history of code and the itself were simplified. If this small lesson caught your interest, try going to a website such as http://www.codecademy.com/, where they walk you through interactive lessons. http://www.w3schools.com/js/ js_intro.asp also has a good introduction to JavaScript.
•Ethan Wint
= (assign) = assigns a value to a predefined value or another variable. usage: someVariable = 1;
== (compare) == compares two values. If they are equal, == is true, if not, == is false. usage: 2 == 3 : false 2==2 : true
! (negative) ! acts as a negative, flipping true and false statements usage: 2 != 2 : false 2!= 4 : true
&& (and) an and statement requires both statements on either side to be true in order to be true usage: 2==2 && 4==4 : true 2==2 && 4==5 : false 20
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|| (or) an or statement only requires one side of the statement to be true in order to be true usage: 2==3 || 4==4 : true 3== 4 || 5== 6 : false
+ , - (addition and subtraction) Addition and subtraction statements allow values to be added together such as strings or numbers. Usage : value1 + value2
Note : Be careful when adding multiple types of variables together. You may get unexpected results, or the computer may just give up and throw an error. For example, the string “2” + the number 1 : “2” + 1 will result in “21”. But, “21” * 3 will result in the number 63. “Hello” - 3 will result in NAN. NAN means not a number, and is an error that occurs when you try to make something a number that is not a number. JavaScript can easily get confused about what you want to do when you use operators on different variable types.
Here’s a fun math puzzle: Place the integers 1-9 in the 3×3 grid so that the sums of 3 numbers vertically, horizontally, and diagonally are equal.
Are you having a hard time? Don’t know how to start? Well, constructing more squares might help. Flip a page for the answer key!
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CROSSWORD All the terms in this crossword puzzle are from the various articles in the magazine. Good luck!
Down 1. a type of plastic made out of vegetable oils that can be broken down by nature 2. a protein found in wheat, barley and rye 3. it has repeating patterns of amino acids that the human digestive system cannot digest 4. an ingredient originally used to make chewing gum that came from tree sap
SUDOKU
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Across 5. an auto-immune disorder that affects the digestive tract, specifically the intestines 6. a process that decomposes plastics into a usable fuel 7. a synthetic or organic material that may be shaped when soft and then hardened
8. one of its nicknames is "Divers' Tomb" 9. this can be created from regular and irregular polygons, but also from much more complex shapes
Instructions for Math Puzzle
1
Construct 4 more squares in the middle of each side. Let’s call these squares the “hidden squares.”
2
Separate the squares in groups of 3, diagonally. Use different colors to make them easier to distinguish.
3
Starting with a yellow square on the top, fill in the numbers 1 to 9 in order, diagonally.
4
Fill in the numbers in the white squares by placing the numbers that are facing directly opposite to hidden squares.
5
Check if the sums of 3 squares vertically, horizontally, and diagonally are equal.
This method works for any combination of nine consecutive numbers, also including negative integers. •Hajin Yang Dr. Dragon• Spring 2013
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About Dr. Dragon Dr. Dragon is a student-produced magazine that focuses on math, science, and engineering. The mission of this magazine is to give HSMSE students the opportunity to take the school's core subjects and explore subtopics that particularly interest them. Students on the magazine staff research and write about subjects of their choice. They are also involved with the production of the magazine, and learn about everything from design to fundraising and budgeting. If you are an HSMSE student and want to contribute your thoughts, please talk to our officers or our faculty advisor, Mr. Choi. Contact information: Dr. Dragon email: hsmsedrdragon@gmail.com Mr. Choi: RChoi@hsmse.org Also, you can read our previous magazines, and check the answers to crossword puzzles and Sudoku puzzles by visiting our website: sites.google.com/site/hsmsedrdragon/
Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Dragon All rights reserved. Published by Dr. Dragon No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means without permission written by the publisher. 24
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Crystal Bonds, Principal