2/28/11

Today we received a presentation from a man who creates models about our solar system and galaxies past the Milky Way. He talked about planets orbiting around the sun, stars, the Milky Way, and other galaxies billions of lightyears away. He especially focused on the constellation, Orion. It is the easiest constellation to see. Orion is over 1,000 lightyears away at some points.





This is a picture of the Milky Way, it is the galaxy we live. To get from one end of the Milky way to the other, it would take 100,000 lightyears.



This simulation was very informative and it was really interesting. I have learned that Earth is extremely small when you consider the Milky Way and all of the other galaxies surrounding us. It really made me think of what else could be out there. I hope astronomers will eventually find out what else there is.

JM (#3)

February 17th 2011

Today in class, we preformed a lab. Our task was, to seperate iron filings, saw dust, sugar, and sand. They are all frozen into an ice cube. My group decided to melt the ice leaving all the objects in the water. need First, we will try to pick up the iron ingots using a magnetic. Since the iron will be attracted to the magnet, all the iron will be taken out of the mixture when we pass the magnet through the mixture.

Next, we need to think of a way to remove saw dust. Saw dust is less dense than water, so it will float. Sand has a higher density than water so it will sink. We can use a coffee filter to separate the saw dust from the water. We can filter it again to remove the sand.

A big problem we face is to find the sugar. Sugar disolves in water so we can't scoop it out like saw dust or sand. Sugar isn't magnetic so the magnet wouldn't attract it. But, if we were to evaporate the water, the water would leave because of evaporation. If the water the leaves all the sugar would stay behind in the cup. We preformed the experiment. We melted the ice using a heated plate. Then we seperated all the materials using the designed procedures. Our results are-

Sand= 0.3 g

Wood chips= so light it was basically nothing

Iron Filing- 0.8 g

Water + sugar= 24

Total Mixture- 25.1

Assumptions- We might have spilled some iron fillings because they are so small.

Also we haven't evaporated it because evaporation of water takes a long time and we don't have that much time. If you really want to see how much sugar there, is evaporate the water until it all disappears and the sugar is left over.

If anyone ever wants to do this experiment, make sure you NEVER lean over the heated plate(Yuji) because you and your shirt will not like it.

Why on earth would we need to know whats inside water and how we can separate each part from the water??

Well, if you needed to find whats inside an ice piece, lake, pond, or stream you can extract any items in it. You can use things as evaporation, magnetism, or filtering like we did in the experiment.

ZK

More Matter

February 16, 2011

Chemical and Physical Properties Examples of Physical Properties: color, size, weight, mass, texture

Finley has a cool camera thingy, and he's using it to show us what is up on the table in the front of the room.

What are some of the properties those objects have?

1) Magnet Properties

• Attract or repel other magnets
• Opposite poles of magnets attract each other
• Magnets attract some types of metals
• Above are chemical properties

2) Wood in Water Properties

• Wood will have same density no matter how big or small it is

3) Boiling Water Properties

• We can predict when water will boil. Water will boil in 100°. That is called its boiling point. Everything has its own boiling point. Not everything boils at the same temperature.

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Challenge Task!
In small groups, we devised a plan on how to separate the following frozen mixture of sawdust, iron filings, sand, and sugar.

Task: Separate the frozen mixture

EXTRA CREDIT Task: determine the mass of every component of the mixture

Before we begin, we planned out all of the procedures and came up with a list of materials that we will need. We made sure to include a short paragraph that explains a justification of our procedure.

Questions: (1) What am I learning in terms of science and problem solving skills? (2) Why is it important?

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Homework: (1) Write a procedure for the task. (2) PhET Simulation!

YZ #3

Code Red :(

We first went over homework today. Before I bore you people with this I have good news! The test on Thursday got moved back to Friday!!

We discussed the difference between physical change and chemical change.
Physical changes: pretty much is a change that changes its physical properties such as color, size, shape, etc. A physical change does not produce a new substance.
Ex. Ice melting, crushing a can, evaporation

Chemical changes: a change that occurs at a molecular level and produces a new substance. Usually a physical change is reversible while a chemical change usually is not. Also this process causes a rearrangement of atoms.
Ex. Burning something, cooking a egg, rusting

After going over the homework we had a code red drill so sadly I had to sit in a corner and fold origami!

YS (3)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2/14/11





We went over the homework. It was to work on sections of the Lab and to balance a few equations. The Lab is going to be due friday it should be typed, you would only get about half a point off if you don't.





Each table went over the balancing equations with each other. One of the equations... # 3


__Na2CO3+__HCl -->__NaCl+__H2O+ __CO2 each side has to be equal, just like an equation. the answers in red are the answers. our test will be on thursday!!!!









What can we do with our starting measurments and ending?


compare them H2O left the test tube...if you start with 57 g and end up with 23 g...34 g left the test tube. this can be good data and observations for your lab.





How does this apply to the conservation of mass?- the particles still weigh the same but are not in the same spot and the mass of the atoms went away from the test tube but if we colected them it would still be the same.


conservation of mass- mass cant just disapear what ever we start with we have to end with.





What happened to the arrangement of atoms?- everything was separate in the beginnning, all one big group the molicules were no longer together in the end, we changed the organizaton of the particles.









wich of these involved rearrangment of particles?



crumpled paper


burning magnesium ribbon


lighting a match


melting ice


soaking water up with a paper towel


nail getting rusty





the red ones were rearranged because theybecame two separate things.





in each of the RED ones the particles leave the source. unlike the Non Red ones.



GP

February 10, 2011

Last night we had to do some problems on balancing equations, so the first thing we did in class was go over the assignment. We shared answers with our groups.

For example, they were problems like ___ H2+___02(arrow) ___H20

We discussed methods (one drawing out the particles, another proportions and ratios, the ratio being the quickest). The drawing one was a little long, but I found it fairly reliable. You would have to draw out the number of the letter. For example, 2 H's would have to be drawn, 2 O's, and 2 's and one O. Then you would have to cross out the particles (cancel them out) and draw more if they weren't even. The number of the letter added was the number in the blank.

Another method:

___N2+___O2(arrow)___N2O

N=2 N=4

O=2 O=2

We would have to multiply them by two to balance it.

___HgO(arrow) ___Hg+___O2

Hg=1 Hg=1

O=2 O=2

You would have to multiply the Hg's by two so that they were balanced

We said that an arrow meant "yield".

We're doing a lab tomorrow to see if this is actually true in real life (the chemical equations).

We said that the sides had to be balanced because they are conserved, and one added was will not disappear after they react. The conversation turned to molecules, and we said that matter is mass. Mass is the things that make something up, or atoms. Going back to the equations, we ensured that they needed to be balanced because atoms in mass cannot disappear.

"Whatever we start with, we must end with," related to conservation of mass.

If it is still not making sense, we used an example. If you've made or eaten cookies, you have to make the dough and add chocolate chips. If you put the cookies in the oven and the chips were GONE when we took the cookies out, you would freak out, right?

-EL

February 7, 2011

Today in class, we went over the homework from the weekend and did an activity that involved lighting paper on fire.

Our activity: We took a box with 2 "chimneys", lit paper, and out it in the box with chimneys. We closed the door to the box and smoke started coming out of Chimney B. Here's a picture of the box with chimneys. I predicted that the smoke would go out both chimneys, but out of chimney B first. What happened: The smoke came out of B, so my prediction was half-wrong. Then, we did the same thing but placed a candle under chimney A. (the paper is still under chimney B). I predicted that the smoke will go out chimney B. What happened: The smoke came out of chimney A. The science we learned is that when particles move quickly, they can transfer, in this case, smoke. We learned these ideas by observing this experiment and making predictions about it. It's important to learn this because in this experiment it showed a real life example of this.

After the experiment, we thought of a relation between our experiment and convection.

Relation: There's more energy at A (because of the candle) and the air particles went up, so the candle gave the smoke energy. That's how the smoke went up chimney A. There's more empty space for air, so the air is sinking/falling and becoming more dense. That's why it goes into B, then A.

-EP

Febuary 3, 2011

We started class by checking our homework. We then started talking about 3 ways of heating. Which are, radiation, convection, conduction. Radiation is the transfer of heat through open space. Convection is the transfer of heat from matter to air. Conduction is the transfer of heat from matter to air.


We started looking at our simulation from homework. One example was a cup of coffee that had a little bit of particles. When the cup was hot the particles would speed up. When it was cooler, they slowed down. They all bounced off each other.


In our groups we discussed how a thermometer works. Mr. Finley asked us if you put a cup of coffee in the microwave and took it out then put a thermometer in it, what would happen? We learned that the energy of the hot water transfers to the glass particles which transfers its energy to the red stuff in the thermometer. Thermometer measures kinetic energy.



-FC