Jackson's+Blog+1

= = toc Back to Student Blogs

=Your Blog=

Make sure to follow the instructions on the Student Blog Page

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: The military has started to use nonlethal projectiles to eliminate casualties. One of the new modes of subduing targets include a paintball-type projectile filled with pepper. the government is also experimenting with other solvents to use for a stun effect. One new method is a patch for the delivery of sedatives into the bloodstream. Another way is to put gases or liquids into a easily broken projectile. The new methods are still in development, and are not expected to completely replace guns for a few more years.

This relates to what I have learned in the past week because of the type of projectile being launched. The shape of the projectile is almost as important as how the projectile is fired. For example, a paint ball would fly faster than a square of cloth, which could make all the difference. Also, the range of the projectile is affected. For example,a streamlined bullet would move faster than a cube. in conclusion, the projectile itself is its greatest strength.

citation: Hambling, David. "Psycho Paintballs & Drug Drones." 23 8 2007 . CondéNet. 27 Aug 2007 <[|http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/08/psycho-paintbal.html>.] Comment 1: Great choice for your artical! For the second paragraph it is supposed to be in 3rd person,(right now i think you have it in 1st). The vocabulary is very easy to understand and read, and your spelling was very good. I think the paragraphs could use a little bit more detail, like in the second paragraph you might want to include some things you found out when you did your own experiment, or how velosity, gravity, windrestence, and the angle ALL affect the projectile. The connections you made were very interesting and would deffinantly help anyone who isn't familiar with projectiles. Great job!- Jen K.

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://

//Comment 1://

Comment 2:

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 performed by exposing a compound to a flame. The compound can be identified by the color of flame the compound produces. A flame test is only effective if you test compounds. The produced colors can range from white to purple. This relates to the use of chemicals in fireworks because they both produce bright, intense colors when exposed to flame.

citation: "Qualitative Analysis-Flame Tests." __The New York Times__ (2007) 10 21 2007 http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa110401a.htm.

//Comment 1://

Comment 2:

11/2/2007
the reaction between sodium and chlorine is rapid and powerful. The sodium starts to burn in the gas, and is slowly pulled apart as it bonds with the chlorine. the burning is caused by the energy released during the reaction. during the bonding, sodium loses an electron to chlorine, becoming a cation, a positively charged ion, and chlorine becomes an anion,a negatively charged ion, creating an ionic bond. the new bond then falls to the ground, because it is more dense than air. after a short period of time, you are left with only the compound NaCl, or table salt.

Comment 1: Overall, the analysis was good. You showed a lack of real understanding for why it bonded, because the paragraph seemed like a list of information that we had learned in class. There was nothing about the reasoning of the non-metals and metals bonding in an ionic bond. Also the format for the blog was not set up correctly and there was no citation for the website with the simulation. A hint for next: type it in Microsoft word so the paragraph will have correct capitalism as well as a decrease of awkward sentences. You did a good gob using good vocabulary from class. Nice work! (B) -Rachel

Comment 2: Jackson you have too much detail!! Cite your sources next time. You lack capition at the start of sentences. But you have a ok blog. Tip Write in Microsoft Word before puting in your blog for Capital letters and spelling. Good job. ~ Jason F.

revised paragraph: The reaction between sodium and chlorine is rapid and powerful. The sodium starts to burn in the gas, and is slowly pulled apart as it bonds with the chlorine. The burning is caused by the energy released during the reaction. During the bonding, sodium loses an electron to chlorine, becoming a cation, a positively charged ion. Chlorine takes the electron, becoming an anion, a negatively charged ion. This creates an ionic bond between the metal sodium and the nonmetal chlorine. The new bond then falls to the ground, because it is denser than air. After a short period of time, you are left with only the compound NaCl, or table salt.

review **of the first trimester**
entry: my favorite experiment this trimester was the chemical reactions. I enjoyed this the most because it was interesting to see the reactions envoking changes in the chemicals. I also think the snakes are very interesting. I would like to see if they are able to survive in this environment. I think I could have improved by being more productive on workdays.
 * 11/8/2007**

comment 1: Jackson, I believe that you are a are a very trustworthy, kind, and you always know what to do, most of the time. You are also always there for me. Thanks! Then you are always listening in class, making a great backup for when I kind of don't listen. I belive that you are a great student for science. -Sahil

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 do not know very much about electricity. what I do know is that electricity is formed by electrons jumping from atom to atom. I also know that there are multiple ways to form energy, including harnessing nuclear, solar, and wind energy and channeling that energy to other locations that require it. I would like to learn about how nuclear energy can be transmitted to electricity. Also, I would like to learn about how computers can utilize electricity to perform their many tasks.

Comment 1:

Comment 2:

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. graph 1 [|This graph can also be seen at this LINK.]

Entry: The graph above (graph 1) represents the use of different sources to produce power in the last 50 years in the USA. The electricity source that has grown the most is coal. In the time period shown on graph 1, coal grew continouously from 0.2 trillion Kilowatthours to 2.0 trillion Kilowatthours. The other three leading sources of power (petroleum and natural gas, nuclear power, and hydroelectric power) have all stayed relatively low in power output compared to coal. Petroleum has had a sort of wave effect, rising, sinking, and rising again. Both coal and nuclear power has climbed continuously in the time period shown. the remaining power source, hydroelectric power, has stayed on a relatively even line, without much wavering in its power output, and remaining the only clean energy source on the graph.

The problem with coal as an energy source is that it's waste is put into the air, contributing to global warming. Also, petroleum and natural gases, or fossil fuels, can contribute to global warming. This is because they produce gases that get stopped in our atmosphere. This results in the trapping of the sun's rays inside our atmosphere, which then can result in the raising of global temperatures. The main gases coal and fossil fuels release are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). While these gases are not classified as extremely hazardous to our ozone, they are released in such amounts that they can cause large amounts of damage.

There is a trend in 1972 to 1985 with the production of US electricity. In this time period, coal and nuclear power rose, both of which can cause disastrous problems for the environment. However, reliance on hydroelectric power rose by 0.1 kilowatthours, which is a clean source of energy and reliable, so this is good news. In addition, reliance on fossil fuels for power decreased, dipping from 0.6 kilowatthours to 0.3 kilowatthours. The trend here is that the growth of nuclear power and coal seemed to be on a stop-and-go raise, increasing in power output, leveling out, and then rising again.

citation: "Greenhouse gas emmisions." __Greenhouse gas emmisions__. 03 Jan 2008. EPA. 4 Jan 2008 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/index.html#ggo.

Comment 1:Great job! this was very well written; i did not find any mistakes, spelling or grammar, and everything was informationally correct. i cannot find any mistakes, except for that you didnt say " in graph 1..." nice work! -griffin

Comment 2:

1/8/2008
graph 1

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 in graph 1, there were four sources of US power in the time period of 2000-2005. The sources were coal, petroleum/natural gas, nuclear electric power, and hydroelectric power. In this time, the US demand for power grew. The best example of this is coal. As shown on graph 1, coal rose steadily in energy production from around 1.8 trillion kilowatthours to about 2.1 trillion kilowatthours. During this time period, nuclear electric power and petroleum/natural gases increased at a slower rate than coal, going from around 0.5 trillion kilowatthours to near 0.6 trillion kilowatthours. Also in the span of these five years hydroelectric power output has stayed relatively level, about 0.3 trillion kilowatthours, then rising to around 0.4 trillion kilowatthours. For the most part, all of the energy sources have increased in their power output steadily, with coal increasing the most in the period of 2000-2005.

Comment 1: As seen in Graph 1, there were four sources of US power in the time period of 2000-2005. The sources were coal, petroleum/natural gas, nuclear electric power, and hydroelectric power. In this time, the US demand for power grew. The best example of this is coal. As shown on Graph 1, coal rose steadily in energy production from around 1.8 trillion kilowatthours to about 2.1 trillion kilowatthoursDURING WHICH YEARS. During this time period, nuclear electric power and petroleum/natural gases increased at a slower rate than coal, going from around 0.5 trillion kilowatthours to near 0.6 trillion kilowatthours. Also in the span of these five years hydroelectric power output has stayed relatively level, about 0.3 trillion kilowatthours, then rising to around 0.4 trillion kilowatthours. For the most part, all of the energy sources have increased in their power output steadily, with coal increasing the most in the period of 2000-2005.

Very good job Jackson! :) You directly answer the questions clearly, cite the graph and tell people an overall description of the power usage in the U.S. You also have a good concluding sentence that wraps your paragraph and gives you what you should remember. Nice!

Comment 2:

Re-Entry: As seen in graph 1, there were four sources of US power in the time period of 2000-2005. The sources were coal, petroleum/natural gas, nuclear electric power, and hydroelectric power. In this time, the US demand for power grew. The best example of this is coal. As shown on graph 1, coal rose steadily in energy production from around 1.8 trillion kilowatthours to about 2.1 trillion kilowatthours during 2000-2005. During this time period, nuclear electric power and petroleum/natural gases increased at a slower rate than coal, going from around 0.5 trillion kilowatthours to near 0.6 trillion kilowatthours. Also in the span of these five years hydroelectric power output has stayed relatively level, about 0.3 trillion kilowatthours, then rising to around 0.4 trillion kilowatthours. For the most part, all of the energy sources have increased in their power output steadily, with coal increasing the most in the period of 2000-2005. GREAT WRITING! - 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 measure of electrical power to show how much electricity a load uses. You can calculate the amount of used power in a circuit by measuring the resistance. Finally, a 200 watt lightbulb burns 4.8 kilowatthours over a 24 hour period. This is because the bulb uses 200 watts an hour, after which the 200 watts is multiplied by the 24 hours. This equals a total of 4800 watts. 4800 is then divided by 1000 to change from watts to kilowatts.

Comment 1: You did a pretty good job overall on this blog, but you forgot how watts are calculated. Watts are calculated by multiplying current by voltage. The part about watts to kilowatts is a little confusing, you may want to tell how much a kilo is (just in case the reader doesn't know). That is it, and good job! -SD

Comment 2:

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 had a lot of fun in science during the second trimester. I enjoyed building the circuits the most. This is because I enjoyed watching the electronic creation perform actions, such as making an LED flash. The snakes were also very interesting. I thought it was intruiging to watch them develop. I learned many interesting things as well, like during our Acids/Bases lab. I learned that when a acid and base combine, they form water and salt. Also, I learned about Ohm's law, which states that current equals voltage divided by resistance. Overall, this was a spectacular trimester.

Comment 1: Jackon is a hard working good friend. He always participates in work and always does it with a smile. I hope to work with Jackson some more next trimester.

Comment 2:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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: What makes a human different from a robot is that a human is a being with a capacity to learn, in addition to organs, tissues, and muscles. also, no two humans are alike, unlike mass-produced robots. robots also do not have the ability to grow or reproduce, like humans. I think that learning robots should not be created because they would never die, and continually collect information until it became smart enough to overthrow humans.

Comment 1:

Comment 2: