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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.

//Entry:// Aug. 24, 2007 at 1:50 AM The coast guard might train with lasers, instead of real weapons. They train near the Great Lakes. The lasers simulate a bullet, and the laser was made eye safe. Also the company that made the laser also works in other branches of the military. The company name is Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System or people call them MILES. The guns that they also use are real but they are blanks it just simulates the recoil. This article relates to what we learned because of the new projectile for coast guard training is an eye safe laser that simulates a bullet. It also is about how the old way they trained was too dangerous and not a very good projectile because it actually shot a bullet and that was a very risky way to train. This whole thing is literally about projectiles. That’s all I have to say about the article I have read.

Coast Guard may train with lasers." __Coast Guard may train with lasers__. August 24 2007. Coast Guard may train with lasers. 27 Aug 2007 http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/08/24/coast_guard_may_train_with_lasers/1252/

//Comment 1: Over all you did a good job. However you didn't add enough sentences in each paragraph. Also, in the last paragraph it is not 3rd person. -Sahil Dayal// 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:// In the density cube experiment the scientific method in the experiment was necessary because without it the experiment would have been done all wrong. Also without the scientific method we would not know the formulas to figure out anything. This experiment was easy and not because we knew all the formulas we just had to do them and put the information. But, the researching took forever and we couldn't find much also the hypothesis for each cube was tough because there were 20 choices for only 10 cubes. The density of the object is important to know in the experiment because you need it to match up with choice you pick. The density helps show how heavy an object is. This is my paragraph on the density cube experiment.

//Comment 1: You have some great information in your blog! I think it would have been better if you elaborated more though. In the first sentence you wrote that "it would have been done all wrong" what do you mean by that? There were a few places where there were run-on sentences, or the sentence didnt make a lot of sense. Such as sentences three and four. You could improve that by adding in commas or makeing two sentences. Overall you did a great job!// -Jen

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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:// A flame test is a test used to identify an element. to do this you clean the wire loop in hydrochloric acid. next you dip the wire into the substance and hold it to the hottest part of the flame. Last observe the color it gives off and decide what the element is. In fireworks they use flame tests to find out the colors, and from there they take other elements and mix other elements to create certain colors they are looking for. Also they have to find out what temperature that is needed to create the color that the firework is supposed to give off.

__Citations__ Qualtitative Anlysis-Chemistry Flame Tests." __About.com__. October 16, 2007. About.com. 16 Oct 2007 [|http://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+a+flame+test&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en] [|-US:official&client=firefox-a[[http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa110401a.htm%3E.]|]]

Teachers Domain." __Teachers Domain__. October 15,2007. About.com. 16 Oct 2007 [|http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=0LF&s][|a=X&oi=spell&resnum=0] [|&ct=result&cd=1&q=do+flame+tests+have+to+do+with+fireworks&spell=1[[http://www.teachersdomain.org/resources/phy] [|03/sci/phys/matter/lp_fireworks/index.html]

//Comment 1://

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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:// In this reaction the sodium was dropped into the chlorine, the bond was a ionic bond because the sodium lost an electron and gave it to the chlorine. The sodium became a positively charged atom, and the chlorine became a negatively charged. This is how it is an ionic bond. At the end of the bond the sodium ends up with 8 electrons and the chlorine gets 18. This makes both the elements happy. When the sodium was dropped in the chlorine the reaction that it gave off a orangish red color. The reaction for dropping the sodium into the chlorine was a chemical reaction. This probably happened because sodium is an explosive element when it reacts to the chlorine. When the bond is complete the new element created is sodium chloride, also known as salt. Overall the sodium, when it was dropped into the chlorine made a very interesting reaction.

//Comment 1: Overall it was a great blog entry. It was a good length, but there were a few grammar mistakes. An example is in the first paragraph when Neal said "the bond was a ionic" it should be "the bond is an iconic..." The information was great, Neal had many explanations, and details in the bonding of the sodium and chlorine. He shows a very good understanding of the bonding concept. Neal's paragraph was very good.I would give Neal an A. - Jen K.//

//Comment 2: Neal, Overall this blog entry describes what is happening in this experiment very well. There were a few confusing sentences, but there are different parts that cover it up. There was great facts, and descriptions that you used. Overall i would give you an A on this blog entry. Great Job. -Jordan B.

REVISED ENTRY:// In this reaction the sodium was dropped into the chlorine, the bond was an ionic bond because the sodium lost an electron and gave it to the chlorine. The sodium became a positively charged atom, and the chlorine became negatively charged, this is how it is an ionic bond. At the end of the bond the sodium ends up with 8 electrons and the chlorine gets 18. This makes both the elements happy ( they both look like noble gases). When the sodium was dropped in the chlorine the color that it gave off a orangish red color. This reaction was a chemical reaction. This probably happened because sodium is an explosive element and when it reacts to the chlorine it gives off a flame color. When the bond is complete the new element created is sodium chloride, also known as salt. Overall, when the sodium was dropped into the chlorine it made a very interesting reaction.

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 was the element rap and the flame test, because they involved actually doing the experiment. I really like the new snakes, because they are really fun to hold. I think I excelled in doing the experiments. I think I could have spent more time on my studying and my homework. Overall, i enjoyed the first trimester in science 7.

Comment 1:Neal did excellent job this trimester. He helped me a lot if i was late or when i hurt my arm he caught me upon what we were doing. He stayed on topic and tried really hard in science class.

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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 very little about electricity but i hope to learn very much during the unit. What i do know is that electricity is in lighting and lightning is do to uneven neutralism which causes the electrons to jump and it it gives off light as it is electrons are jumping.

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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 kilowatthours.

Entry: Coal was the most major source of energy. This is because on the graph it shows us a gradual increase in energy over the years. All the other sources kind of hovered in the same area the whole time. But one of the problems with it is that when you burn it, it creates CO2 which blocks the sun from bouncing back. So even though it is a great electricity source it is very bad for the environment.

There are many sources of electricity that are causing global warming. The biggest ones are coal and oil. This is because when they are burnt they give off CO2 and they block the sun to cause the earth to warm up. The reason this is all happening now is because we have been burning coal and oil for over 200 years. If this continues with this it could really mess up our environment.

Citation: US EPA Basic Information Climate changing." __US EPA__. Thursday, December 20, 2007. US EPA. 7 Jan 2008 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basicinfo.html

The U.S. has many sources of electricity as you can see on the graph. Many of them are successful as in coal with has really improved since 1972, roughly one trillion killwatthours. Petroleum also has a really good trend, even though it dropped near the end of 1980 it had a high energy level. Nuclear electric power was very poor in the beginning but then it hit with petroleum. Last but not least Hydro electric power basically kept its energy level and didn't really grow at all. But overall they all contribute very well to creating electricity.

Comment 1: The paragraph started well even though you did not directly reference the graph. You had data and the evidence was clear. Towards the middle and end of the paragraph, you stopped putting data and the answers were getting short and hard to understand. Overall, though, the paragraph was well written and met the standards pretty well.

Comment 2: Even though your paragraph was five sentences long it was not very full of information.

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: In graph 1 there are four different sources of electricity. The four different sources are Coal, Petroleum and Natural Gases, Hydroelectric power, and Nuclear electric power. From the year 2000 to the year 2005, Coal has increase by very little, almost 0.1 trillion kilowatthours WORDING. That wasn't much of an increase even though it was the most resourceful WHAT?. Next is Petroleum and Natural Gases,PUNCTUATION AND WORDING Petroleum and Natural Gases really shot up SW, at the end it just barely past Nuclear electric power, which had sort of leveled out SW by then. Petroleum and Natural Gases had increased by about 0.3 trillion kilowatthours over the course of time. Last is Hydroelectric power, as seen on the graph it literally dropped a little and then flattened almost completely DATA. Overall, over the course of five years all the resources of electricity didn't drop significantly so in that sense it didn't affect us at all POORLY ANALYZED. KEEP WORKING ON YOUR SCIENTIFIC WRITING AND YOU MAY WANT TO COME IN AND GET SOME EXTRA HELP ON YOUR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS- JT

Comment 1: This is a wonderful paragraph! At the beginning of the paragraph you forgot to put that it is Petroeum and Natural Gas instead of just Petroleum. Maybe it could be better if you told what the total trillion kilowatthours is instead of just saying it rose to 0.3 trilllion kilowatthours.You might also want to capitalize the sources of electricity. Overall it was an amazing paragraph a lot better then your last one.

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: A watt is a measurement of power. To find the power multiply current by the voltage. First you multiply 200 watts by 24 hours then divide by 1000, and then you get the kilowatt hours. And the answer that was found ended up to be 4.8 kilowatt hours. The reason you multiply by 24 is because of how many hours it was burning, and you divide by 1000 because a kilo is a 1000.

Comment 1: You wrote a good entry. But in your entry you used 2nd person not 3rd person. For example you said, "The reason you multiply by 24 is because of how many hours it was burning, and you divide by 1000 because a kilo is a 1000." You also don't want to start a sentence with the word "and" in it. But you explained how to do the problem well, you knew what a watt is. I think you could've talked more about the answer and make longer sentences. Overall a good entry. - John

Comment 2: You wrote an excellent entry, Neal. As John said, you did write in second person. You said the word "you" three times in your entry. Next time make sure you edit your entry before you submit it. Overall, you did an excellent entry! ~ Bailey

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: I really enjoyed science this trimester. I enjoyed the Radio shack circuitry, my favorite part of that was being able to build the different circuits. My favorite circuit was the flashing LED circuit because i liked switching the capacitor to make the light bulb flash faster or slower. I also enjoy the addition to the class the snakes. I think that the snakes have grown very big. Other than the little incident i had with Diablo i enjoy having them in the classroom. some things i could improve on are my blog entries, I could have done a better job quantity wise, i didn't right very much information in them. Also i could have studied harder for my tests. But i enjoyed my second trimester in science this year, and i am looking forward to next trimester.

Comment 1: Great entry Neal. It has been fun working with you. You are a hard worker and a good friend I look forward to working with you next year.

-Ian H

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: Even if a robot gains all these human attributes doesn't make it human. It is still connected and built from wires and memory chips. Its still electronic. The robot that I think shouldn't be created is a robot that can learn and think for itself, because then it can learn from its mistakes and become better. Then after a while it will learn that will think that it could just do what ever it wanted now that it has learned everything. Then it would just plan on overthrowing the humans thinking it was more powerful. And unlike a human a robot can't forget so it will remember everything that it has learned crystal clearly. This is the robot i think should never be created, **ever**.

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