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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:// Projectile motion can be related to real life in this case sports. The jumps in figure skating are examples of projectile motions that are used for real life scenarios. Having a successful jump depends on one key component, air resistance. Generally when jumping height and distance, the trajectory is affected by a constant acceleration of gravity and air resistance. However, the skaters are not moving fast enough for the air resistance to affect their jumps. The height and distance that a projectile travels at is affected by the variables. Although, the horizontal and vertical components are what affects the distance of the projectile. The skaters motion makes a parabola (the projectile motion). The angle that the skater shoots off from is 45 degrees which is actually the ideal angle of which a projectile is angled. The path of projectile motion is affected by wind, angle, velocity, and gravity.

Citation: "Projectile Motion." __Physics and biomechanics__. April 1998. 27 Aug 2007 &lt;[|http://btc.montana.edu/olympics/physbio/biomechanics/pm01.html&gt;.]

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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:// An experiment was conducted to identify which substances matched the 10 different cubes. The scientific method was necessary for this experiment. First of all, the problem be defined so, in this particular experiment we needed to find the substance of the cubes and the density of the cubes. All the possibilities of the 10 cubes were researched to find the density because, when the experiment is conducted and the density will be found for the 10 cubes. The densities will just be matched up to the correct substances. After, there was some research to find create a hypothesis which does not have to be correct but still researched. Then, the experiment was conducted, the mass and the volume had to be found then, the mass was divided by the volume to find the density. The data collected will be placed into multiple tables including quantitative data, qualitative data, etc. The density was found for all 10 cubes The difficulty of experiment was trying to find the correct density for 20 substances. Researching the densities of the different objects was difficult because, finding where the data is and if the data is accurate. To find correctly density is extremely important. Although, color, smell, feel, etc. do help finding the identity of the data, when you have the density of the object finding the correct substance is easier. -Myra

//Comment 1:// I liked how you have written your blog. I agree with you that it was difficult to find the density accurately of all the 20 substances. It is also true that you needed to use scientific method. However there are many spelling errors as well as confusing sentences. You should have checked your spelling before saving your blog entry. Otherwise, the blog entry was really good. -Adit Comment 2:

10/16/2007
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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: The flame test is an experiment to reveal an element or compound, using simply an element or a compound and an open flame. The different elements emit various colors which show up when lit into the fire. The experiment tested whether color can be shown in fire when putting an element or compound into fire. This experiment is similar to fireworks because, when lit, fireworks emit different colors such the elements and compounds. The way the chemicals in the fireworks react to the fire is very similar to the elements, they both emit color. Therefore, when testing to find an element, many options can be chosen and they can relate to different uses for the test such as, adding color to fireworks. -Myra

__Citation- Gondhia, Reema. "The Composition of Fireworks."__ The Chemistry of Fireworks__. 16 Oct 2007 &lt;[|http://www.chemsoc.org/ExemplarChem/entries/2004/icl_Gondhia/composition.html&gt;.]__

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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.

Entry1: As sodium is dropped into the chlorine, the sodium emits fire. When the sodium has contact with the chlorine, an ionic reaction begins to occur. The chlorine atoms receive one atom electron from the sodium atoms. atom. The sodium atom becomes positive while the chlorine chlorine atoms becomes a negative atom. The process of the electron releases energy so, the result is When the electrical charges for the atoms are changed, this causes the atoms to hold the compound together. The compound results in creating sodium chloride also known as table salt.

Entry2: As sodium is dropped into the chlorine, the sodium emits fire. When the sodium has contact with the chlorine, an ionic reaction begins to occur. The chlorine atoms receive one electron from the sodium atom. The sodium atom becomes positive while the chlorine atoms becomes a negative atom. When the electrical charges for the atoms are changed, this causes the atoms to hold the compound together. The compound results in creating sodium chloride also known as table salt.

-Myra

Comment 1: //Positive: Good job!// it's very good and easy to understand! I like how you said that sodium chlorine is really just table salt //Negative: A few things- first, you said that chlorine (which has an h in it) becomes a negative atom. All atoms are neutral; the word you are looking for is// //ion// //(it becomes a negative ion). Also, you said that the process of the electron releases energy, so the electrical charges hold the compound together. This is not really true- the electrons don't cause the atoms to emit energy, they just cause their electrical charges to change, which holds the compound together. Also, sodium gives chlorine an// electron, not an atom. - Katie

Comment 2: Positive: Great job! You had all the information that was necessary and did a great job explaining. Negative: It would have sounded better if you had a beginning and closing sentence. Awesome job overall! –Courtney K.

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:// Overall, this trimester in science class, was indescribable. My favorite project this year was the podcasts. I really enjoyed the podcasts because, we were able to use our imagination and create a fun and exciting project. We also recently received snakes in the science room. I am not the biggest fan of the snakes so, I did not particularly like the snakes but, they are gradually growing on me. I think I excelled in experiments during the trimester, I really enjoyed all the projects and experiments. I could have improved by listening to the teacher better, and by practicing the skills we learn. This year in science was fantastic but, I do have room for improvement!

//Comment 1: Myra was a great student! She was always there when I needed her help, especially in the chemical reactions experiment. Great first trimester!//

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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: Electricity helps power the world and helps during everyday living. Although there are many things known about electricity, I have a few questions. What makes electricity so expensive and, what is happening in the world that is helping save electricity? Why is electricity so versatile, what properties of it make it have an inclusion in so many aspects of life? Electricity was discovered by Benjamin Franklin who was a founding father of our nation. After the discovery of electricity, Thomas Edison created the light bulb. These are just two discoveries of electricity. There are many known uses for electricity and even more to come in the future. -Myra

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1/3/2008
Our next unit is about electricity and electronics. Observe the following graph, Graph 1 and write an analytical paragraph describing what it means. Make sure to address what trends are observed; how things change over time, etc. Write at least five sentences for 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.]

Entry: 1. The amount of coal usage as electricity, has risen steadily from 1950- 2005. As seen in graph one, in 1950 it started out at about 0.2 trillion kilowatt hours and, in 2005 the usage grew to about 2.0 trillion kilowatt hours. So, the use of coal had risen about 1.8 trillion kilowatt hours from 1950-2005, as seen in graph one. Unlike other sources of electricity, the use of coal was steadily growing without extreme drops in use. In conclusion, if the data continues in the same, the use of coal should grow steadily and still be the most used source of electricity. 2. The use of coal in the US is contributing to the global warming issue. As shown in graph one, the amount of coal used in the US is quite significant and, from the data shown, the use of coal will be growing significantly. In the US, coal burning power plants are the largest source of carbon dioxide pollution. Carbon Dioxide emissions stem from burning fossil fuels for electricity generation. Every year, about 2.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide pollution is produced.

"issues: global warming." NRCD: Global Warming Basics__. February 9, 2007. 5 Jan 2008 <[|http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/f101.asp#1>.]__

3. During 1972-1985, the usage of almost all of the electricity sources shown in graph one have gone up with minor drops. Coal had a significant growth and did not encounter large drops in use. However, petroleum and natural gas had suffered pretty significant drop in 1975 but then, the amount of use was going up. Until around 1978, there was a very large drop and by 1985, the use was steady from the point of the drop. The use of nuclear electric power had gone up similar to the way coal had raised in use however, the amount of nuclear electric power is not as significant as coal. Around 1972-1985 hydroelectric power was steady and the amount of use had dropped and risen however, the loses and growths were not very noticeable. Therefore, the different sources of electricity had steady and non-steady changes through the years of 1972- 1985.

Comment 1: Very good blog entry, Myra. You did forget to do one or two things. You forgot to directly reference the graph. You also forgot to include from and to sed usage power increased. Overall, a very good blog entry. Colin

Comment 2: This is a awesome Blog entry, MYRA. You did a very good job writing in third person. There were lots of great examples of data.There were no references directly to the graph. Overall, a very good blog entry. Nupur

Comment 3: Good job Myra! You had no spelling errors did a great job writing all of the information in third person. You had the required amount of sentences, too. Awesome blog entry! -Courtney K.

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 kilowatt hours to roughly 1.5 trillion kilowatt hours. 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 kilowatt hours 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: During the years of 2000 to 2005, there have been some major increases in the uses of different sources of electricity even with minor drops in amount of use. As seen in graph one, coal had a significant growth, coal had about 1.8 trillion kilowatthours and in 2000, there was a growth of about 0.2 trillion kilowatthours meaning in 2005 the use of coal was about 2.0 trillion kilowatthours. Although the use of petroleum and natural gas is not as significant as coal, during the years of 2000- 2005, there was a growth in use of about 0.9 trillion kilowatthours. With just few minor drops, nuclear electric power had gone from about 0.6 trillion kilowatthours to almost 0.7 trillion kilowatthours. Hydroelectric power was not as steady as the other sources of electricity, in about 2001, the use of hydroelectric power went down but, around 2002, the use went up again and after the drop, the usage of hydroelectric power was quite steady at 0.2 trillion kilowatthours. As shown in graph 1, the several sources of had successful and non- successful growths in usage! -Myra

Comment 1:Your blog is very good. There are no spelling errors and you referred directly to the data. Your introduction is great. In sentence one instead of saying during the years of 2000 to 2005, you can say during the years 2000 through 2005. Your conclusion is a little bit confusing. You could make it a little more clear. Overall, your blog entry is great. Good Job! ~Ruchi

Comment 2: Nice job on your blog. As Ruchi said there are no spelling errors. However, you repeated growth too many times. You should have used different synonyms such as, "Coal increased to...". Also around the beginning you should have told the four different sources that were being used for energy. Other than that great job. ~Adit

Re Entry: During the years of 2000 to 2005, there have been some major increases in the uses of different sources of energy even with minor drops in amount of use AWKWARD. As seen in graph one, coal had a significant increase,PUNCUATION coal had about 1.8 trillion kilowatthours and in 2000, there was a growth of about 0.2 trillion kilowatthours meaning in 2005 the use of coal was about 2.0 trillion kilowatthours.RUN-ON SENTENCE Although the use of petroleum and natural gas is not as significant as coal, during the years of 2000- 2005, there was a growth in use of about 0.9 trillion kilowatthours. With just few minor drops, nuclear electric power had gone from about 0.6 trillion kilowatthours to almost 0.7 trillion kilowatthours. Hydroelectric power was not as steady as the other sources of energy, in about 2001, the use of hydroelectric power went down but, around 2002, the use went up again and after the drop, the usage of hydroelectric power was quite steady at 0.2 trillion kilowatthours. As shown in graph 1, the several sources of energy had, both successful amount of use and non- successful amount of use! PRETTY GOOD BUT WORK ON MAKING A STRONGER CONCLUDING SENTENCE THAT SUMS IT ALL UP. - JT

-Myra

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: Measurements for electrical power are made by watts. Current multiplied by voltage is the equation used to calculate the amount of watts used in electricity. For a 200 watt light bulb, which burns for 24 hours, it would use 4.8 kilowatt hours. The equation used for this problem is 200 watts (power) times 24 (the number of hours burned). The answer ended up being 4800 then, 4,800 is divided by 100 giving an ending answer of 4.8 kilowatt hours. In conclusion, the simple equation of (power*time) / 1000 can be used for many instances to find out the number of kilowatts hours just using time and the number of watts! -Myra

Comment 1: Great blog, Myra! You had a good amount of sentences and very well written information! There were also no spelling or grammar errors. You might have wanted to make the conclusion sentence about power, watts, and kilowatt hours not just kilowatt hours. Overall, great job! -Courtney K.

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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: During the second trimester I had several difficulties, but I still feel that I put my best effort forwards. I could definitely improve on listening, paying, attention, and contributing to the discussions going on. However, even with my troubles, I feel I did well contributing in experiments, trying to finish/do all my class work and homework, and doing what the teacher asked. I enjoyed building circuits this trimester because I thought it was interesting how a complex circuit could be made with just bread board, wires, resistor, etc. even though sometimes it didn’t work. I think I enjoyed the circuits with the bread boards the most because, it was interesting and fun to see how complex and simple it was to make a siren sound, LED light up, etc. I was just amazed to see the complexity of the circuit because, if just one component was in properly, the whole circuit would not work! I feel that this trimester I have tried hard and even though my grades don’t always show it, I know that I have always contributed what I could. I know that I have grown as a young scientist this year but, next trimester I hope to prosper and improve a lot more on my science skills. Hopefully the third trimester will help me prosper with better grades, more effort, and more appreciation for the simplicity and complexity of science. -Myra

Comment 1: Very good entry Myra! Good job saying that you could improve on. I think maybe you could add in more about what you've enjoyed so far- maybe tell your favorite experiment. There is one sentence that is a little confusing: //"I know that I have grown as a young scientist this year but to break boundaries next trimester and improve a lot more on my science skills."// You may want to reword it to make it easier to understand. Other than that, great job! ~Katie

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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: There are incredibly recognizable differences between robots and humans so, there should and could not be robot made to be humans. Even if machines in the future have the ability to have human like qualities, machinery can never take the place of humans. If machines had the ability to be self aware, the ability to reason, and feelings they would still lack the human qualities like personality and deep emotions that are different for each human and cannot be duplicated. Several people do believe that making humans and machinery the same can be achieve but, machines could never really achieve the complexity of the human race. For this reason, there should not be robots that are made to resemble humans because they would fail, robots cannot express everything a human can because, humans are and forever will be much more complex than the man made minds of robots. ~Myra

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