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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:

//**Security With Advanced Technology's New MK Series Provides Agencies With a Less Expensive Non-Lethal Option Over Competitive Products**// //July 30, 2007// //SWAT has produced new, less-lethal military and law-enforcement projectile-launchers. They shoot projectiles that release a substance that is similar to pepper-spray, only much more powerful, on impact. It causes victims to cough, choke, and become temporarily debilitated. The projectiles will shoot up to 50 meters accurately (for when aiming at a single person), or up to 100 meters for crowd control situations, when aim doesn’t matter as much. SWAT teams are pleased with the new projectile-launchers, because they allow sufficient control without resorting to lethal methods.// //Many elements of the previous projectile-launchers that caused them to be lethal were easily changed. For instance, the previous weapons were traveling at a lethal velocity when fired. Since the velocity of a projectile is ‘symmetrical’, when it began to come down from its parabola it increased in speed. By the time it hit its target, the force at which it was traveling was lethal again. Many people died unnecessarily because of this. A simple change in the velocity at which it is fired has already saved lives.//

//"New Less-Lethal Series of Projectile Launchers for Law Enforcement and Military Now Available." __CNNMoney.com__. 27 Aug 2007 <[|http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0284005.htm>.//]

Comment 1: This is a very good paragraph. It explains very clearly what the new projectile lancher you are talking about is, and what it does. you might want to explain more about what they did to make the new projectile launcher non-lethal. Besides that one thing this entry is excellent great job. Zack L. 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: September 24, 2007 The scientific method was necessary in this experiment, but the steps were completed out of order. The scientific method involves first asking a question; in this experiment, we asked what the identity of each cube was. Next, you are supposed to do background research, make a hypothesis, test your hypotheses with an experiment, analyze your data and come to a conclusion, and then finally communicate your results. We did all of these steps, but not in the same order. After determining our question, rather than doing research, made a hypothesis as to what each cube’s identity was. Next, we conducted an experiment: we found the mass, volume, and density of each cube. Then we did research; we collected qualitative and quantitative data on all of the possible cube identities. Then we analyzed the data and made another guess about the cubes’ identities. Finally, we communicated our results by making a Wiki. This experiment was fairly easy until we came to the next-to-last step; when we tried to make our final guesses about the cubes’ identities, we found that many cubes did not perfectly match up to any of the possible identities. In some cases, multiple cubes seemed to match a single identity; in other cases, some cubes matched the description of a certain substance, but the densities were not the same. In these cases, we chose to value the quantitative data more than the qualitative data, and if the densities weren’t close we did not chose that identity for that cube. Density is a very important property to determine when trying to find the identity of an unknown substance, because two pieces of the same subject will always have the same density, but they might have different qualitative traits such as color and texture.

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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:// When energy is applied to any compound or element, it creates light. A flame test is when a chemical is placed in an open flame (energy), turning the flame a different color. This can be used to determine the identity of an unknown substance. Fireworks are an example of chemicals creating light: when a firework explodes, energy is released in the form of fire. If a chemical is somewhere in the firework when the fire starts, it will turn the fire a different color. This is how fireworks can be made to e different colors when they go off.

//Anne Marie, Helmenstine. "Chemistry of Firework Colors ." __About.com__. 16 Oct 2007 <[|http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa062701a.htm>.//]//

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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:// //When sodium atoms come in contact with chlorine atoms, a chemical reaction occurs. Each sodium atoms gives up an electron to a chlorine atom, so both atoms have full outer energy levels. This makes the sodium atom positive and the chlorine atom negative, so they are attracted to each other. Theybond and form an entirely new substance: sodium chlorine (more commonly known as salt). The process of atoms bonding this way is called// //ionic bonding////.//

//Comment 1:// Positive: Your blog was very well written, you had good grammar and correct information. The information you write was clear, precise, and understandable. The way you explained what was happening was a good explanation of the ionic bonding. You definitely paid close attention to the details of the bonding! Nice Work! Negative: Although your blog was great you had some errors. You had “they bond” and did not put a space between the two words. Besides this small error, your blog was fantastic! Great job! -Myra

Comment 2: Positive: Your blog entry was very good. You had correct grammar and information. The information your have written was correct and precise. It looks like you understood the reaction between Sodium and Chloride.

Negative: Your blog had some miner details. You had "they bond" without a space between the words. Other than that you did a FANTASTIC JOB ON YOUR BLOG!!! ~Nupur~

//Entry2 :// //When sodium atoms come in contact with chlorine atoms, a chemical reaction occurs. Each sodium atoms gives up an electron to a chlorine atom, so both atoms have full outer energy levels. This makes the sodium atom positive and the chlorine atom negative, so they are attracted to each other. They bond and form an entirely new substance: sodium chlorine (more commonly known as salt). The process of atoms bonding this way is called// //ionic bonding////.//

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). After finishing, find a peer in class to comment and tell you what they appreciate about your participation in Science class this trimester.

//Entry: My favorite experiment this trimester was the flame test lab. I enjoyed how hands-on the lab was, and I enjoyed doing something different from last year. I have also liked interacting with the snakes. I could improve my performance in Science 7 by studying more for the tests.//

//Comment 1:// Katie contributed to class alot. Katie helped us when we needed help. I had a lot of fun working with Katie on experiments. Katie always helped us on homework when we needed help. Katie is AWSOME!!!! ~Nupur~

Comment 2: Katie was a great student in this first trimester. She helped everybody a ton when they needed it. If we had any questions, we would know who to ask. Thanks, Katie!! -Courtney K.

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 do not know much about electricity besides the fact that it has to have a complete circuit to work, and that it is energy. During the course of this unit I would like to learn how electricity is generated, and maybe do some experiments in which we try to generate electricity. I would also like to know how and why electrocution occurs. For instance, why do you feel a shock when you put your tongue on a battery? And why do you sometimes feel a shock when you touch another person? I would also like to learn about lightning and how it is generated, and why it is attracted to metal and water. ~Katie//

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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: //There are four major electricity sources in the US: hydroelectric power, nuclear electric power, petroleum and natural gas, and coal. Of the four, coal use has increased the most from 1950 to 2005. It rose from about 0.2 trillion kilowatt-hours to about 2 trillion kilowatt-hours. Coal is the most used electricity source. Hydroelectric power use has increased the least throughout the century, and is the least used. Petroleum and natural gas and nuclear electric power have steadily increased at about the same rate since about 1985, prior to which natural gas and petroleum were used more and nuclear electric power was hardly used at all.// //Global Warming is caused by CO2, or carbon dioxide, thickening the atmosphere, which means that when heat from the sun comes down in the form of light, it cannot escape the atmosphere. This is similar to how a car that is parked in the sunlight in summertime heats up; sunlight comes in through the windows and heats the car, but while light can get through the windows, heat cannot, and the car heats up drastically because of all the heat is trapped inside. Hence, all electricity sources that produce CO2 are contributing to Global Warming. These include coal, which generates nearly two-thirds of the US’s CO2 emissions, and petroleum and natural gases. Hydroelectric power and nuclear electric power do not produce CO2.// //From1972 to 1985, many trends in the US’s electricity sources were broken. Hydroelectricity and coal use both followed the trends they had been following for years; hydroelectric power use did not increase much, and coal increased a great deal, but not more than was expected.//

//Thanks to:// - //"CO2 Emmisions Report." __EIA__. July 2000. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the. 5 Jan 2008 <[|http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/co2_report/co2report.html>.//] -// Gielecki, Mark. "Commercial Nuclear Electric Power in the United States: Problems and Prospects." 5 Jan 2008 http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/ftproot/features/hewlett1.pdf.//

Comment 1: There was not enough information in paragraph 3. You only wrote 2 out of the 3 required sentences. Although the 2 sentences that you wrote were very well written. You didn't directly reference graph 1. Joseph

Comment 2: You need to add more sentences to the entry. There were only 2, but you were required to have 3. Also, you didn't directly reference the data. The biggest problem, though, was that you didn't mention either nuclear electricity __or__ petroleum and natural gas. Victor

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: As seen above in Graph 1, four major energy sources were in use from 2000-2005. These sources were coal, petroleum and natural gas, hydroelectric power, and nuclear electric power. The population grew a lot during this time period, so the US needed more electricity from these sources than it had in previous years. Coal usage increased the most during this time period; it went from about 2 trillion kilowatt hours to about 2.3 trillion kilowatt hours. Nuclear electric power usage stayed at about 0.7 trillion kilowatt hours the entire period. Petroleum and natural gas usage grew from about 0.7 trillion kilowatt hours to about 1 trillion kilowatt hours. Hydroelectric power stayed at about 0.3 trillion kilowatt hours from 200-2005, except for a drop to about 0.1 kilowatt hours in 2001. From this data it can be concluded that coal accounted for the largest usage increase during this time.

Comment 1: Great job Katie! Your blog entry was wonderful! There were no spelling/grammar errors, you described the changes, you backed up your data, and you referenced the graph. There isn't much you can do to improve, you have all of the information you need. Awesome job! -Courtney K.

Comment 2:

Re-Entry: As seen above in Graph 1, four major energy sources were in use from 2000-2005. These sources were coal, petroleum and natural gas, hydroelectric power, and nuclear electric power. The population grew a lot during this time period, so the US needed more electricity from these sources than it had in previous years HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS, PROVIDE DATA. Coal usage increased the most during this time period; it went from about 2 trillion kilowatt hours to about 2.3 trillion kilowatt hours. Nuclear electric power usage stayed at about 0.7 trillion kilowatt hours the entire period. Petroleum and natural gas usage grew from about 0.7 trillion kilowatt hours to about 1 trillion kilowatt hours. Hydroelectric power stayed at about 0.3 trillion kilowatt hours from 200-2005, except for a drop to about 0.1 kilowatt hours in 2001. From this data it can be concluded that coal accounted for the largest usage increase during this time. EXCELLENT JUST WATCH YOUR ASSUMPTIONS AND BACK THEM UP WITH DATA. -JT

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 unit used for measuring electrical power. The formula used to find the amount of power used in a circuit is P=V*I, or power=voltage*current. A kilowatt is 1000 watts, so if a 200 watt light-bulb burned for 24 hours, the total number of kilowatt hours it burn could be found using the formula Kilowatt hours= (power*time)/1000. Using this formula we can determine that in this instance the light-bulb used 4.8 kilowatt hours. ~Katie//

Comment 1: Your blog is great! There were no spelling errors. You 3rd sentence was a little bit confusing. You could say the total number of kilowatt hours it burned instead of "the total number of kilowatt hours it burn". The last sentence could be changed a little bit. You can change this part of the sentence, "that in this instance", to at this time. Overall, your blog was great. ~Ruchi

Comment 2: Your blog entry is Great, KATIE! You answered all of the questions in the blog prompt precisecly. When you state the formula for Kilowatt hours, make sure you use the correct unit of measurement instead of saying (power*time). You mgiht say something like: " The formula for Kilowatt hours is (# of watts* amount of time)/1000. Some people may not know that KILO means one thousand. You might want to state some thing like :" Kilo stands for 1000." Overall, you did a great job!! ~Nupur~

Re-Entry: //A watt is a unit used for measuring electrical power. The formula used to find the amount of power used in a circuit is P=V*I, or power=voltage*current. A kilowatt is 1000 watts, because the prefix kilo means 1000, so if a 200 watt light-bulb burned for 24 hours, the total number of kilowatt hours it burn could be found using the formula Kilowatt hours= (wattage*time in hours)/1000. This formula can help us determine that this particular light-bulb used 4.8 kilowatt hours of power. ~Katie//



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 we focused on chemistry and electricity. My favorite lab was the RadioShack Electronics Learning Lab, during which we used circuit board to build very complicated circuits. My lab group built 3 circuits: a flashing LED circuit, a 555 black box circuit, and a fully adjustable siren. My personal favorite out of these three circuits was the fully adjustable siren, because after it was built we were able to play around with it. Rather than writing a lab report about this experiment, we make wiki space pages about them. I enjoyed this a lot, because we were able to add in video interviews about the lab. I’ve also really enjoyed having the snakes around this trimester- it’s been fun to watch them grow. We’ve collected a lot of snake skins from them, which are very cool. I feel like I’ve done very well this trimester, but one of my goals for the third trimester is to study for exams more in advance, rather than just the night before. I’ve really enjoyed science this year, and hope to do more fun labs in the final trimester! ~Katie

Comment 1: WOW, great blog! I feel that your blog really reflected how well you did this trimester. You really did do great this trimester and, always helped when anyone needed help. Just watching you in class I think you are always focused and ready to work hard. I don’t really understand why you put the not cramming comment but, it’s good that you still set a goal you have for yourself. With that said, this trimester you have basically been the perfect role model for the expectations our science class had set, you have definitely prospered as a young “scientist”. -Myra

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