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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 (not war, guns, etc.) 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:// //This article is about a juggling program that shows the math behind juggling (aka the secret of juggling). The programs can be used by jugglers to make it easier to see the ball and understand the pattern. It applies a number to each kind of throw or pass, so each move has a pattern of numbers.// //Juggling has relevance with the things we did in class because the objects used in juggling are projectiles. To juggle, jugglers need to know what angle to throw the projectile, the velocity in which to throw it, and where exactly it will come down.// //Citation: the secret to juggling." 01 sep 2006 1. 26 aug 2007 <[|http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2006-09-12/>.//]//

Comment 1: You made a very good point about the projectile motion in juggling. The velocity, gravity, and the parabola all make perfect sense. You also wrote in good third person. Although you had wonderful sentences, you did no have an entire paragraph. you explained everything in your five sentences but you could have made the paragraphs bulkier and elaborated a little more on your thoughts. The juggling balls are very cool. It would be great if you had said more on the projectile motion. Joshua Comment 2:

Make sure to follow the instructions on the Student Blog Page

9/24/2007
Reflect upon the mystery density cube experiment. 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:// Scientific method is the method used in all scientific experiments. It consists writing a hypothesis, materials and methods, all the research, and your final analysis. This method was necessary in this experiment because if there was not a hypothesis, materials, methods, research, and final analysis than other people looking at it would not know what was going on in the experiment, or how to recreate it. This experiment was hard because it involved a lot of research and math skills. Research made this experiment hard because it takes up a lot of time to research every possible material. Math skills are needed in this experiment because the density had to be found by dividing mass/ volume. Being able to find the density is very important because the density of a material does not change, so if you know what the density of a material is than you can see if it matches the density of the cube.

//Comment 1:// Comment 2:

10/1/2007
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 used to visually determine what an element is by what color it turns when heated. Each element turns a different color, for example table salt makes the flames turn bright copper/ orange. So if you know what color each element turns when in heat than you would know what element you are testing. In fireworks the colors are produced by heating elements/compounds, which each produce their own recognizable color. In a flame test we see what color an element turns when burned, in fireworks these colors are used for entertainment and amazement. You can also use a flame test to what chemical is used in each color fireworks.//

//Citations:// //1.// Unknown, unknown. "Qualitative Analysis." __About.com__. 2007. New York times company. 16 Oct 2007 <[|http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa110401a.htm>.] 2. Conkling, John. "Fireworks!" __chemical of the week__. 1985. Marcel Decker, Inc. 16 Oct 2007 <[|http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/fireworks/fireworks.htm>.]

//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: When sodium, or Na, is dropped into chlorine, or Cl, the sodium starts to burn. On a molecular level the one electron in the outside energy level of the sodium transfers to the chlorine. This makes the chlorine negatively charged because it has more electrons then protons. This also means that the sodium atom becomes positively charged because there are more protons than electrons. Even though they are both not neutrally charged any more, they are both more stable because they have eight electrons in their outer energy level. When these two extremely poisonous materials are combined they form to create sodium chloride, or table salt.

Entry two: When sodium, or Na, is dropped into chlorine, or Cl, the sodium starts to burn, this is called an exothermic reaction. On a molecular level the one electron in the outside energy level of the sodium transfers to the chlorine, this makes it an ionic bond. This exchange of electrons makes the chlorine negatively charged because it has more electrons then protons. Also the sodium atom becomes positively charged because there are more protons than electrons. Both atoms are not nuetral any more, but they are both more stable because they have eight electrons in their outer energy level. When these two extremely poisonous materials are combined they form to create sodium chloride, or table salt.

Comment 1: Very accurate information and a well thought out paragraph with a great length. The concluding sentence was very well done. I like your large vocabulary. Your spelling was also well done. Something you can improve upon is the fact that you did not state whether the bond was covalent or ionic. On the other hand, parts of the entry were not in third person. The entry was supposed to be in third person and there were parts when you said "they." I would give it a B+ for the lack of stating the bond and the lack of third person. Great job! -Cannon D.

Comment 2: You made a very good paragraph in a couple aspects. It has good length, includes lots of good information, and is well written. Also, the grammar is all correct. You should however add a sentence or two about bonds, and whether its a covalent or ionic. Good job overall! I would give you an A because its a long paragraph with good information.

-Eric S

**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 thing this trimester was the “It’s an Elemental Mystery” podcast. This project was fun because we got to work with partners and be very creative. The snakes are also very cool, because I have had hamsters and hermit crabs as class pets, but I have never had snakes. They are so cute!!!!! I think I excelled in the podcasts and most of my blog entries, when I got them done. I think I could improve by remembering to write down my homework, and by studying harder for big quizzes/tests.//

//Comment 1: First, you need intro and conclusion sentences. Second, you might want to make your third sentence into two sentences. And last, you don't need that many exclamation points in your fourth sentences. Overall, good job Adrienne!// -Nicole A.

//Comment 2:// Adrienne, I appreciate you so much! You are very fun to sit next to. You are very nice and I enjoyed getting to know you. You were a very valuable lab group partner, very helpful with experiments. -Sarah

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, what kind of investigation would you carry out?

Entry: My knowledge of electronics is limited, to say the least. I know that metals conduct electricity. That is why the filament in a light bulb is metal. I also know that there are electric currents and that you can be shocked if you touch something that has electricity running through it. In this unit I would like to learn how a computer works, because I have seen the inside of the computer and I am interested in what all the little knobs and things do. To learn about this I would like to ‘dissect’ a computer. I would also like to know how electrons and the things we learned in chemistry relates to electricity.

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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: Graph one shows the trends of certain energy sources from 1949 to 2006 in the United States. These energy sources include petroleum and natural gas, nuclear power, coal, and hydroelectric power. One interesting trend shown in graph one is that the cleanest and most eco friendly energy source, hydroelectric power shows the least amount of growth during this time period. This trend might be caused by the lack of big fast rivers in the United States, and the cost of setting up the equipment to make the power. The most erratic trend is pertroleum and natural gas, it goes up than down two times during this time period. This graph shows that the trends of energy sources are not always what we would expect them to be.

The first line on the graph, or coal, shows the most increased use in the United States. The use of coal increased by 400% from 1949 to 2006. The use of coal goes from 0.5 trillion kilowatts hours to a little more than 2 trillion kilowatts hours. Also shown in graph one is hydroelectric power, the green line, which shows a very steady use, the only time that it goes up slightly is around 1983, this is in direct contrast to the use of coal in the United States.

Three of the energy sources shown in graph one contribute greatly to global warming. These two resources are coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Global warming is when the release of carbon dioxide and other green house gases warm up the Earth. This happens because the sun rays cannot escape the Earth’s atmosphere. The limited resources listed above give off carbon dioxide and other toxic chemicals when burned. The irony of this situation is that these resources are the most commonly used in the United States, what a mystery!

Graph one shows that from 1972 to 1985 coal use increase greatly, from 0.6 trillion kilowatt hours to 1.4 kilowatt hours. Another resource that increased steeply during this time period is Nuclear Electric Power, it rose from just above 0 to 0.3, it is not much of a change but before 1970 in was not used at all. This trend might be caused by the discovery of the use of nuclear energy for a power source. The trend of Petroleum and Natural gas was very unpredictable, it went down, then up, and then it took another big drop. Hydroelectric power remained pretty steady during this 13 year period. The time from 1972 to 1985 seems like an important thirteen years for many energy sources in the United States.

Citations-
 * 1) "The Power Beyond Our Lives." __Low Impact Living__. 2007-2008. Low Impact Living, LLC. 4 Jan 2008 http://www.lowimpactliving.com/pages/your-impacts/electricity1.

Comment 1: Adrienne, You have a nice blog entry for question number three. You described all of the sources of energy's patterns thoroughly. You wrote in third person and made references back to Graph 1! When you mentioned how Neuclear Electric Power's usage rose from 0 to 0.3 you forgot to add the unit of trillion kilowatt hours, on the others you did fine though. For Natural Gas and Hydroelectric power you needed to show backed up data from the Graph (numbers). You had good content and an solid blog entry. (put your name a the end of the entry so te reader knows who wrote it:) - Marion

Comment 2: Your overall graph was good, and written correctly. You wrote in third person and referred to the graph. You may want to ceck on some of your tense uses, such as the difference from increase and increased. They might just be spelling mistakes. You typically used a wide vocabulary, and had a good overall paragraph. Make sure you use the correct -Nikki

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: Graph one shows that from 2000- 2005 there were five major energy resources, these included coal, petroleum and natural gas, hydroelectric power, and nuclear electric power. All of the resources show very steady use during these five years. The best model of this is coal which maintained the same level at 2 trillion kilowatt hours. This data stands out in graph one because coal was on a very steep increase of use from 1949- 2000, but it leveled out to 2 trillion kilowatt hours beginning in 2000. Another interesting trend to note is that in these five years nuclear electric power and petroleum and natural gas stayed about even at 0.5 trillion kilowatt hours. This is odd because according to graph petroleum and natural gas has almost always stayed above nuclear power in use. Hydroelectric power stayed steady in this time period at about 0.3 trillion kilowatt hours. In all the trends of these years are very steady, almost never changing.

Comment 1: Adrienne- Your entry is very good! I think Graph 1 is supposed to be capitalized and petroleum and natural gas are usually counted as one source, so you might want to change those. You wrote excellent third person and answered the question in a way that made sense. In sentence six I think you left out the 1 in Graph 1. Your paragraph shows the overall trends very well. Great job! -Sarah

Re-write: Graph One shows that from 2000- 2005 there were four major energy resources, these included coal, petroleum/natural gas, hydroelectric power, and nuclear electric power. All of the resources show very steady use during these five years. The best model of this is coal which maintained the same level at 2 trillion kilowatt hours. This data stands out in Graph One because coal was on a very steep increase of use from 1949- 2000, but it leveled out to 2 trillion kilowatt hours beginning in 2000. Another interesting trend to note is that in these five years nuclear electric power and petroleum and natural gas stayed about even at 0.5 trillion kilowatt hours. This is odd because according to Graph One petroleum/natural gas has almost always stayed above nuclear power in use. Hydroelectric power stayed steady in this time period at about 0.3 trillion kilowatt hours. In all the trends of these years are very steady, almost never changing.

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 the measure of power in a circuit. One can calculate the electrical power in a circuit by multiplying the volts times the current. If one two hundered watt light bulb was left on for twenty four hours it would be about 4.8 kilowatt hours. This equation is calculated by multiplying the watts used times the number of hours, 200 by 24, the answer of this problem equals the number of watts hours, which is 4800 watt-hours. Then this number, 4800, must be divided by one thousand because the question asks for the kilowatt hours used. That would be 48 cents for that one light bulb.

Comment 1: Adrienne, very good job! You might want to include how many kilowatt hours there is. You could also add a topic and conclusion sentence. I liked how you included the price. Your content is excellent. You stayed in third person as well. This is very good. -Nicole A.

Comment 2: Adrienne, Great job! You might want to say that a watt is a measure of //electric// power, but you don't really need to since you said in a circuit. Your information is all correct, and it is nice that you added how much it would cost. Good job staying in third person! Great job explaining how you got the answer. Great job!!!☺-Sarah

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 we worked on electricity and chemistry, both of which were fun units. The experiments that I enjoyed the most were the complex circuits on the RadioShack Electronic Kits. These were my favorite because it was very challenging and required close concentration. The thing that I found was the most difficult was the quiz on the elements in the periodic table. This quiz was hard because it required a lot of studying, the quiz itself was on the symbols, families, and names of the forty most important chemicals. Next trimester I will improve my studying skills so that I will not get such a bad grade again. I really enjoyed using my computer to record scientific experiments, and making wikis of them. The class pets, Diablo and Peppermint, are so cute, and have grown so much this trimester! This trimester I enjoyed all of our experiments and I can’t wait until next trimester!!!

Comment 1: Adrienne- You were a helpful friend this trimester! You were very helpful in the simple circuits we did together. You were also a great contribution to the breadboard cicuits we did at first. You were a great help if I ever needed it. Thank you for all you have done with me! You were a great science partner! - Sarah

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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: A human beings and robots will always be different, in both physical and mental sense. First, a human is made of muscles, blood, skin, and a complex web of organs. Robots, no matter how many feelings it has, will always just be metal. Also in a mental sense, robots will always be created to have a certain reaction to certain events. Humans can have any reaction they would like. Robots that act exactly like humans should not be created, because if a robot was designed with the exact personality of its creator, than how will people know the difference between humans and robots? Robots are meant to make everyday life easier, not to replace people. Another type of robot that should not be created are robots that teach, because that takes away the personalness of learning with a teacher, takes away children’s chance to become creative, and they won’t learn how to talk with and get help from a teacher. For example, if a child wanted help and he/she asked a robot, the robot would explain it in the terms that it was programmed to explain, but this might not help the child if he/she does not understand that explanation.

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