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8/24/2007
Find an web article from a reputable news website that contains information about any type of projectile. The article must relate to some science topic this could include something having to do with the projectile of bullets or weapons but should not focus on killing!Write a short (1 paragraph) summary of the article and then describe how anything you have learned in the past week about projectile motion might relate to it (second short paragraph). Finish with a citation to the web article. Enter all of this under "Entry" below.

//8/26/07//
Entry: Charleston Daily Mail reports that teachers experienced weightlessness through several parabolic plunges in an aircraft. The aircraft was taken many miles above the Atlantic Ocean. These Parabolic dives made the teachers feel like they were 1/3 of their weight, 1/6 of their weight, and the last dive created weightlessness. Being weightless, the teachers were able to float in the air as well as objects.

This relates to what is currently being learned in Science because the students are being taught how the horizontal and vertical velocity of a projectile changes over time. The vertical velocity accelerates as it travels downward because of the gravity. In this scenario, gravity is pulling the teachers towards the ground, but the plane is moving faster than gravity, which caused the teachers to float above the floor of the plane.

-Emily A.

Holleran, Kelly. "Charleston Daily Mail." __Charleston Daily Mail__. 8/26/07. Charleston Daily Mail. 26 Aug 2007 <[|http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007081759/School-official-describes-time-spent-in-zero-gravity/>.]

Comment 1: This article sounds very interesting and I can tell how it is related to the science lesson. Even though it was interesting, do you think you could add more detail about the article? It sounds like you zoomed the article, not putting some important details in it. Also, You forgot to add your first name and last initial at the end. That is important to add, otherwise someone may not know who wrote this summary. Another thing is you really expressed the relation to science class. You really knew what you were talking about wehn you mentioned parabolic motion. So with a little more detail, this would be an even greater summary about a projectile motion news article-David J Comment 2:

9/24/2007
Reflect upon the mystery density cube experiment. You may write in first person. Create a long paragraph addressing these questions:

1.) Was the scientific method necessary in this experiment? If not, why? If so, why? 2.) What made this experiment difficult? or was it easy? 3.) Is density very important in finding the identity of an unknown substance? . //Entry:// The scientific method is important in all experiments. The hypothesis gives those who are experimenting a slightly educated guess. Observations, finding qualitive data, and finding quantitive data are also essential because it gives more information about what is being experimented on. Research is necessary because it is a fact that can be compared to your hypothesis, leading to the final analysis. This experiment was difficult because during our hypothesis, it was hard to identify the material without much knowledge of it. Some of the cubes looked similar, for example, the different types of wood. It was hard to distinguish which cube was which type of wood because they looked very similar. It was hard to make our final analysis of what material made up the cube because a lot of the densities we calculated were different than the densities that online resources provided. Density is not important in finding the identity of the cube, but the quantitave data is the most important (texture, color, smell). The weight of a cube is also important. If one had the knowledge that a certain material was very heavy and the cube that they held was light, that person would know that the cube was not made of the heavy substance.

-Emily

//Comment 1:// Emily, great writing. I really liked your explanation of the scientific method and how it integrated with our experiment. I agree that it was difficult to determine the nature of the unknown cubes based solely upon the densities but also think the density is important. Your statement "quantitative data is the most important (texture, color, smell)" doesn't make sense as this is qualitative data ! What about the power of deduction? Could you eliminate some of the choices on the list of 20? All in all good job :-). - Ms. Todd

Comment 2: Emily I think that whether the density was important or nt is a matter of how you searched it because all you need to do is find destictive features that will seperate it from the others so the qualitative information was not necessarily necessary. I think that your explanation was how it should be on the scientific method now that I think about it, it was way better than mine. As Ms.Todd said it was all in all good. -Clayton

10/16/2007
What is a flame test in your own words? How does this relate to the use of chemicals in fireworks? Make sure to include your MLA citations you may not use Wikipedia! . //Entry://

//Comment 1://

Comment 2:

11/1/2007
Go to this site: [|http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=55 .]Click on "Watch the Reaction with Sodium and Chlorine" In your own words and in third person, create a blog entry describing the reaction and explaining what is happening in terms of the bonding. Write a long paragraph. Explain in detail.

//Entry:// When Sodium is dropped into Chlorine, Sodium bursts in flames. Before Sodium was dropped into the Chlorine, two Chlorine atoms had a covalent bond. Then, two Sodium atoms each bonded with one Chlorine atom, separating the bond of the Chlorine atoms. Each Sodium atom made an ionic bond with a Chlorine atom, giving each Chlorine atom one electron. Now the Sodium atoms are positive because a negative electron has been taken away from them. The Chlorine atoms are negative because an electron has been added to them. This results in fire. -Emily

Comment 1: Great Job! It had good grammar. The spelling is correct and it stayed on content. I think it's fine the way it is! I don't think that sodium and chlorine needs capitalization though. I loved it! Great job! A+! Nice use of vocabulary too! ~ Jennifer N.

Comment 2: Along with Jennifer I think that you did a great job with spelling, grammar, and content. You stayed on topic and I really don't anything could get any better than it already is. Grade: A+ ~ Nathan N.

Entry Rewrite: When Sodium is dropped into Chlorine, Sodium bursts in flames. Before Sodium was dropped into the Chlorine, two Chlorine atoms had a covalent bond. Then, two Sodium atoms each bonded with one Chlorine atom, separating the bond of the Chlorine atoms. Each Sodium atom made an ionic bond with a Chlorine atom, giving each Chlorine atom one electron. Now the Sodium atoms are positive because a negative electron has been taken away from them. The Chlorine atoms are negative because an electron has been added to them. This results in fire.

Image:



Citation: "Sodium_Chlorine_1_09.jpg (JPEG Image, 320x420 pixels) ." __Sodium_Chlorine_1_09.jpg (JPEG Image, 320x420 pixels)__. angelo.edu. 5 Nov 2007 <[|http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/demos/sodium_chlorine/Sodium_Chlorine_1_09.jpg>.]

11/08/2007
What was your favorite project, experiment or topic this trimester and why? (projectile motion, density cube experiment, podcasts, chemical reactions, flame tests, etc.) You can also comment about the snakes. What do you think that you excelled at this trimester? How could you have improved your performance in Science 7? (Make sure to check your spelling and grammar).

//Entry:// My favorite project this trimester was the podcast/commercial that I made with Julia and Caroline. We gave hints in a creative way to help people guess the mysterious element we were describing. I think I excelled in knowledge about formation of molecules, atoms, and the periodic table. I think I could have improved by backing up my data more often for Bluebeam. Bluebeam erases much of the ink innotations that are written on it, so if I had backed it up, they would not have been lost.

//Comment 1:// Emily, I think you made very helpful contributions to our class discussions that helped me understand things better. I think you were very creative when we worked on our podcast together. You had great ideas to make our podcast great and we had a lot of fun working on it together. -Julia W

Comment 2:

12/18/2007
Our next unit is about electricity and electronics. In first person write a long paragraph about what you know about electricity and what questions you might like to have answered in our electricity unit. If you could investigate any subject area related to energy in the home, electricity, electronics, computers, etc. what would you like to research or investigate?

Entry:

I know that Tungsten is used to produce electricity and is in light bulbs. In science we looked at a light bulb and identified the Tungsten. I know about conservation of energy through the spiral light bulbs that many people purchase for their homes. In this unit, I would like to know about the mechanics of fireworks. I also would like to know about lightning and how it is produced in the sky. If I could investigate any subject area related to energy in the home, I would like to research solar - powered energy. It intrigues me that electricity could be produced through the sun. I would also be interested in how the computer functions through electricity.

-Emily

Comment 1:

Comment 2:

1/3/2008
Our next unit is about electricity and electronics. Observe the following graph, Graph 1. Write at least five sentences for each of the following questions. Write in third person. Directly cite data and identify the graph (1). 1.) Which electricity source in the US has increased the greatest amount over the time period shown in the graph? 2.) Which of the sources listed below directly contribute to global warming? Provide evidence and explain using the Internet (MLA citation). 3.) Describe the overall trends from 1972 to 1985 regarding the US's sources of electricity. [|This graph can also be seen at this LINK.]

Here is an example statement: "Graph 1 shows that from 1960-1965 there was a steady increase in the use of coal as a source of electricity. It rose from roughly 0.2 trillion killwatthours to 0.5 kilowatt hours.

Entry:

Coal is the electricity source that increased the most over 1949 - 2006, according to "Graph 1." It began, in 1949, at 0.1 trillion Kilowatt hours. By 2006, it had rose to 2 trillion Kilowatt hours. Looking at Graph 1, the use of coal fell slightly at certain points, but overall it was a steady increase. The other energy sources increased, but did not take as much of a dramatic increase as coal and fell more dramatically.

Coal directly contributes to global warming. One of the causes of global warming is carbon dioxide pollution. Coal - burning power plants produce 2.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution each year, being the most used energy source. Another main cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect. Coal emits greenhouse gases, which which have infrared radiation that warm the globe. Global warming affects many things like habitats, so it would be helpful to the earth and the society to decrease the use of coal energy.

The overall trends from 1972 to 1985 for the US's sources of electricity were that the use of the sources rose or stayed the same. Coal undertook a dramatic increase of about 0.7 trillion Kilowatt hours. Petroleum undertook more of a minor increase. Hydroelectric power stayed the same for the most part, but Petroleum and Natural Gas were different than the rest of the sources. Petroleum decreased by about 0.25 Trillion Kilowatt hours.

MLA Citations:

"NRDC: Global Warming Basics ." __Issues: Global Warming__. NRDC. 4 Jan 2008 <[|http://citationmachine.net/index.php?reqstyleid=1&reqsrcid=14&mode=form&more=>.]

Hopwood, Nick. "Greenhouse Gases." __Greenhouse Gases and Society__. 4 Jan 2008 <[|http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/greenhouse.htm>.]

"Greenhouse Effect." __Greenhosue Effect__. 1/3/08. Wikipedia. 4 Jan 2008 <[|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect>.]

-Emily

Comment 1: Emily, you did an awesome job! You used smart vocabulary words such as undertook. You had a good scientific writing style because you wrote the amount of increase or decrease, this was helpful to prove what you were saying. Your entry makes sense and it flows very well. I think that you could improve on making your sentences a bit longer because they sound short and choppy. Overall you did a great job! Comment 2: Great Job! You wrote in third person, and had a great vocabulary throughout your entry. Your content was also good, you wrote 5 sentences like the directions said to. You didn't refer directly to the graph, but you did directly refer to the sources. Also, you referenced your data and backed up your statements for the most part. The only thing I would suggest with this is to tell just how much Petroleum decreased. You said this for the rest, so I think you should do the same for Petroleum. Otherwise, your entry flowed very nicely, and made sense throughout the entire entry. The only other thing I might suggest doing is to go back and make some of your sentences longer. But otherwise, excellent job! -Alyssa P.

Comment 3: "REFERENCE THE GRAPH The overall trends from 1972 to 1985 for the US's sources of electricity were that the use of the sources rose or stayed the same. Coal undertook a dramatic increase of about 0.7 trillion Kilowatt hours. Petroleum undertook more of a minor increase DATA. Hydroelectric power stayed the same for the most part, but Petroleum and Natural Gas were different than the rest of the sources DATA TO SUPPORT THIS. Petroleum decreased by about 0.25 Trillion Kilowatt hours.PROVIDE A SIMPLE SUMMARY STATEMENT OF WHAT WAS OBSERVED. " - JT

1/8/2008
Please read the paragraph below about energy use to create electricity from 1972-1985 in the US. Observe that the graph is referred to, there is an introductory statement, supporting statements are backed up with data, and that their is a concluding sentence. This would have been a well written paragraph for question 3 in our previous blog entry.

"As seen in Graph 1, there were four sources of electricity production in the US from 1972-1985. These sources were coal, petroleum/natural gas, nuclear electric power, and hydroelectric power. From 1972-1985, the US needed greater and greater production of electricity from these combined resources. This best example of this is that during these years, coal increased from 0.5 trillion kilowatthours to roughly 1.5 trillion kilowatthours. During this same time period hydroelectric sources remained approximately the same at 0.3 trillion kilowatthours. There was a slight increase in nuclear electric power sources from 0.1 trillion kilowatthours to 0.3 trillion kilowatthours during this same time period. Finally, petroleum and natural gas showed the greatest amount of fluctuation during this time period staying about the same from 1972-1980 at 0.4 trillion kilowatthours but then deceasing to 0.3 trillion kilowattthours by 1985. Thus, although greater and greater amounts of resources were needed to produce electricity during this time period, coal accounted for the greatest increase in use." - JT

//**Using the above paragraph as a model, describe the changes in electricity production sources from 2000-2005. Make sure that you reference the graph (Graph 1). Make sure all statements are backed up with data. Make sure you have an introductory sentence and a concluding sentence that provide an overall summary/statement.**//

Entry: According to Graph 1, there are four electricity power sources in the US. From 2000 to 20005, Graph 1 demonstrates the change in use of four sources: coal, petroleum/natural gas, nuclear electric power, and hydroelectric power. During this time period, the use of hydroelectric power remained roughly the same at about 0.2 trillion killowatthours. Nuclear Electric power remained the same as well, at about 0.5 kilowatthours. Petroleum/natural gas increased by about 0.1 trillion kilowatthours during this time period, from 0.5 trillion to 0 .6 trillion. After undertaking a dramatic increase in the previous years, coal remained at about 2 trillion kilowatthours from 2000 to 2005. From an overall standpoint, most of the four electricity sources stayed at about the same amount of use, except for some minor increases.

-Emily

Comment 1: Great Job! My positive points are that you used references of your graph, the years, and the units(trillion kilowatt hours). You used data to back up your statements, you stayed in past tense, you continuously used 3rd person, your paragraph was easy to understand, and you were accurate. To improve on your paragraph I would include which products were used the most and which were used the least. I know you said coal was used the most but you might want to think of a better way to phrase the sentence. Nuclear electric power remained around the same //but// there was some change, I would mention that. Overall outstanding job!//-Caroline W//

Comment 2:

Re-Entry: According to Graph 1, there are four electricity power sources in the US. From 2000 to 20005, Graph 1 demonstrates the change in use of four sources: coal, petroleum/natural gas, nuclear electric power, and hydroelectric power. During this time period, the use of hydroelectric power remained roughly the same at about 0.2 trillion killowatthours. Nuclear Electric power remained about the same as well, at about 0.5 kilowatthours. Petroleum/natural gas increased by about 0.1 trillion kilowatthours during this time period, from 0.5 trillion to 0 .6 trillion. After undertaking a dramatic increase in the previous years, coal remained at about 2 trillion kilowatthours from 2000 to 2005. From an overall standpoint, most of the four electricity sources stayed at about the same amount of use, except for some minor increases. ACTUALLY THERE WAS STILL A CONTINUOUS TREND UPWARD! GOOD JOB- JT

-Emily

2/05/2008
What is a watt? How do you calculate the amount of electrical power that is used in a circuit? Finally, if a lamp with a 200 watt lightbulb burned for 24 hours straight (you forgot and left it turned on), how many kilowatt hours would it use? Make sure to write in complete sentences and in third person. Explain how you calculated the amount of kilowatt hours that would be used in the question above.

Entry: Watts are the units that are used to measure electric power. The formula for calculating the amount of electrical power that is used in a circuit is Power = current * voltage. To calculate the problem presented above, the first thing to do is multiply 200 * 24, to get the number of watt hours. 200 watts * 24 hours = 4800 watt hours. To find the kilowatt hours from this number, it must be divided by 1000, since there are 1000 watts in a kilowatt. The solution is 4.9 kilowatt hours.

-Emily

Comment 1: Great job Emily! You answered the questions thoroughly. You wrote in third person and you explained the equation and your solution well. You did have a typo when you said the solution is 4.9 kilowatt hours instead of 4.8 kilowatt hours. But other than that, excellent work! -Julia

Comment 2: Great Job! You had a great explanation, I like how you included the units when you explained what you were multiplying. As Jula said before you either had a typo or some wrong math by saying the answer was 4.9 kilowatt hours, it was really 4.8. Your wording is great and your explanation is easily understood. Excellent work.-//Caroline W

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2/28/2008
This trimester we started by finishing up our chemistry unit by doing an acid/base experiment. After this, we started our electricity/electronics unit in which we first made basic series and parallel circuits with buzzers, speakers, motors, and lights. We applied ohm's law to these experiments. Following this, we started working on the Radioshack Electronics Kits where we made complex circuits that had a variety of functions- blinking LEDs, screeching speakers, analog to digital converters, etc. The technology we used this trimester included the pH probes that we connected to our computers to get the pH of household chemicals, using the wiki to create an class test review sheet, the Radioshack Electronic Kits, and creating collaborative lab reports in the wiki for our electronics unit (instead of a formal lab report).

//__In this blog prompt, please write a paragraph long entry (5-6 sentences with a intro and concluding sentence) that addresses what you enjoyed during this trimester and what you have learned. You can also comment on what you would like to improve upon for next trimester or what was difficult for you. Feel free to comment on our snakes- Peppermint and Diablo if you would like to as well as the technology that you enjoyed this trimester. Please check your spelling and grammar as this blog entry may appear in your end of trimester comment. You may want to write it in Microsoft Word to check the spelling, etc. and then copy it in the blog.__//

Entry:

This trimester in science, I have learned a lot. I learned a lot about electricity and electronics. I came into this unit knowing nothing about electricity and electronics, and now I feel confident in it. Building the parallel and series circuits were fun to do with a group. The Radioshack Electronics Kits were especially fun once I got the hang of it, even though sometimes it could be frustrating in the process of getting the circuit to work. The collaborative Wikispace was helpful when studying for the test because everybody got to add information that they felt was important for the assessment. All in all, science this trimester was a fun and educational learning experience. -//Emily//

Comment 1: Emily, you are a lifesaver. When I was sick, you helped me catch up. When I was confused, you explained what was going on. When a test came along, we had our extremely long study sessions. In labs, when I had no idea about how to conduct the expierement, you would walk me through it. Thanks so much! //-Caroline//

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4/22/2008
Go to: [|The Tech Museum: Robotics]. Spend 10 minutes browsing the information and museum. Answer the following blog prompt in complete sentences and in third person. Create a full paragraph. If in the future machines have the ability to reason, be self-aware and have feelings, then what makes a human being a human being, and a robot a robot? Explain. Are there any kind of robots that shouldn't be created? Or that you wouldn't want to see created? Why?

Entry:

It may be very hard to tell the difference between a human being and a robot in the future because human being make robots in the image of themselves, so robots look at the world like humans. There are a few aspects that may distinguish humans and robots, though. Since human nature is unpredictable, humans have creativity, which robots will not have. For example, some humans have the ability to think outside of the box. Robots do not bleed and have the same bodily functions as humans do. Even though robots may look similar to humans, their bodies are built differently. Robots do not have a natural death and cannot catch disease. Robots that could kill other humans and take control over humans would be extremely dangerous, and could possibly result in the abolishment of mankind. Robots should not be created that are better than human beings because robots could violate rights or encourage acts that are harmful to society. It is not a preference to see a robot or robots that could reproduce, because when the robots multiply, they could take over mankind for good. Also, if the robots gain a lot of power, they could capture humans, torture them, and abuse them than rather than simply kill them.

-Emily

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