I'm guessing you'd know you have an unstable isotope in your sample if you detect the energy released when it decays?

Weirdly, MK posts a copy of their answer cards on their website. In the past they were the tall rectangular variety with the student's name pre-printed.

Check the link in my signature for electronics resources. The Make: Electronics book by Charles Platt assumes you have no electronics background. An EEME subscription is also perfect for beginners.

Related question: Are there any issues with taking SAT subject tests before high school? Do scores get "archived" or is it all okay to submit those scores for college apps 6 years later? I saw this page on sending old scores but it refers to: "Once you have left high school and have not tested for a year..." so I'm not sure if it applies. Dd will take SAT bio in 7th grade, and probably some more SAT subject tests during high school, along with regular SAT. Anyone have experience with this?

Sometimes I purchase used textbooks, or I decide that a new book is worth the premium. Sometimes when I'm done with curriculum or science equipment I will sell it or sometimes just give it away to my friends. With the science equipment in particular, it's almost like a group buy situation, where we share in the cost and take turns using the equipment, not unlike a school or co-op. In my particular situation, since I purchase the equipment new I will pay the bulk of the cost. I will usually sell the used equipment for 1/3 my cost or free. In fact, schools also purchase science equipment that is used for multiple years, and they pass on books to several generations of students before they are retired from use, and perhaps given away or sold used. (I always enjoyed looking inside the front cover to see which older students used my textbook before me.)

I agree wholeheartedly, though some can make the mistake of confusing the minimal requirements to qualify for admission, with the actual test scores and awards and advanced coursework that will actually get you into the school. UC's a-g requirements are a good example. You can have all those, but it won't necessarily get you into Berkeley.

Don't worry about it. For every homeschooler like you, there's one like me: I pay for the privilege of letting my kids write in them and then throw them into recycling when they are done. I only have 2 kids and I welcome the convenience. It's up to the vendor to make sure the ratio of reusers to consumers is such that they are making enough money for themselves. That's not your responsibility.

Thanks again. We were just informed by the coordinator of a local high school where dd can take the exam. She's taking another practice test now!

Mine are close in age (18 months apart) and do not fight often, but they do have very different personalities. I want to do more to promote sisterly affection before they go their separate ways in life. What did your parents do to help in this regard and what do you do and/or say to your daughters? Thanks!

All the lawyers I know studied engineering or some quantitative field. Don't discourage your ds from studying the law. There's still a need for excellent lawyers from the top law schools, and they get paid buckets of money.

I coach a MathCounts team and I make algebra mistakes all. the. time. I think the kids enjoy pointing out my algebra errors. Or I'll end up with the wrong answer, and we're all staring at the white board trying figure out what I did wrong. It's kinda fun, really. But I also have been stressed out at the board. I had a gal attend a MathCounts meeting for the first time, and her dad came to observe, and he himself got to nationals in MathCounts, so I really felt like I needed to impress him. So I was doing fine until I got to triangle inequality. I just could not articulate it. a+b<c?? a+b>c?? a-b><??? I just blanked, and I could feel myself getting hotter and then sweating. Really sweating. He didn't do or say anything--and I've been coaching his dd for 2 years now--but in retrospect if he had spoken up, I would have been so relieved, not embarrassed. I think a good teacher should be willing to admit they are fallible, and willing to accept help when needed, and above all wants to make sure his students get the right info. I think you should have spoken up, but I don't think I personally would have done anything in your shoes, because...I don't want to make waves? If you ever see me make a math error, let me know, or better yet, ask the students to tell me what I did wrong.

What also closes doors are a lack of marketable skills. I read articles these days about students graduating in liberal arts (even from name schools), and ending up as baristas or in unpaid internships. I've read about a student who graduated from Tulane with a degree in poli sci, who went back to school to pick up another undergraduate CS degree so he could finally get a real job. I wonder how many students end up at university hoping for a prestigious degree (engineering, sciences, vet school, med school, marine biology) but don't have the academic chops to pass their classes and drop down into an easier department. I want to keep my students' doors open, but I'm banking on their technical skills and letting the college applications fall where they may. Wherever they end up I want them to excel and be capable of studying even the most difficult majors. That way, whatever field they choose, it will be because they actually choose it, not because they couldn't hack something else.

My dd 14 is just about finished reading Ancient Greece by Thomas Martin. I've been having her answer discussion questions chapter by chapter, section by section as we slowly make our way through the text. Now she is asking me to prepare an exam covering the important material in this book, and I have no idea how to proceed. I've somehow slinked by in 9 years of homeschooling without writing a single test. What should I do?

I want a lanai. All I have now is a patio.

I consider myself mathy, but now I feel like I'm in a race to stay ahead of my dds. I work ahead in Intermediate Algebra, and I am working through all the historical AMC12s. (I finished all the AMC8s and AMC10s last year.) It's a lot of work, but worth it, as math coaches at this level are fairly rare, and my kids prefer to work with me anyway. Deficient math ability can be compensated for with hard work and practice. Do the problems before your kids do them. Work ahead during breaks and summer. And for the questions you don't know, there's wikipedia and youtube and other websites.

I didn't have time to read closely but here's a similar article in the NY Times about this sort of thing. OTOH, there is an article in Imagine magazine (published by JHU CTY) about a guy participated in some leadership thing and had a great experience. LMK if you want more details and I'll find the article.

Here's a good list.

We had a nice experience with a testing center in our area. My kids each took the SCAT on separate occasions. We arrived early, then expected a long wait until our exam start time, but we were pleasantly surprised that my kids could begin their exam without a wait. They could elect to take a break or not take one. If they did take a break, they could resume the exam whenever they were ready (within the time limit) and not have to wait for a bunch of other students to get settled. It was all very flexible. As I recall there were some students there taking the MCAT. If testing center is good enough for medical admissions, I would think it would fine for everything else. A few years back a local high school didn't follow the AP rules precisely, and all the students who took the exam had their scores nullified. (Note the school wasn't punished for its error, only the students.) We've also seen testing (ISEE) at local schools where mistakes were made in the time allotted, proctors were discussing problems with the students during the test, and other nonsense. I vote for test centers where they seem to know what they are doing.

Looking at your signature, is she taking 5 APs this year? How does she manage? Dd is taking AP chemistry and it's probably 1-2 hours a day plus labs and more study on the weekends. And good for her!

Here's a genotype/phenotype project: https://www.genome.gov/Pages/Education/Modules/PTCTasteTestActivity.pdf You can order the PTC test strips from Amazon and other vendors.

It's a rare public school that offers more advanced Java. Good call.

Can I ask what folks think of this sort of collective reward/punishment system for classroom management? It seems like it would be more fair if individual students who turned in a certain number of homework assignments would earn, say, a gift certificate for an ice cream cone. Those students who don't, don't get the ice cream. I'm writing this as someone who has never taught a group class before, so I'm curious whether the group reward does in fact get results.

If cost is an issue Edhesive offers AP CS A for free, but you can also pay extra for additional services. We didn't pay extra, and my dd took is last year and got a 5. It will be hard to say how different that is from the DE class. Compared to Java, he will find python to be very easy to learn and understand. He should be able to learn python on his own without any problem.

Could you share which Data Structures class she is taking? Is it online?

Another vote for Staetdler. My kids use my DH's old Staedtler compass, and it's high quality. (just don't ask me to spell Staedtler!)