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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:// Russian Police have decided to use non-lethal techniques for taking down enemies, instead of using lethal weapons and killing them. In the past they have used deadly combat such as missiles and grenades. Now they have invented a water cannon. The water cannon fires small amounts of water at great speeds. The water hits the victims at the same impact of the recently tried method, a beanbag round. However, the water does not harm them like a beanbag does. It just stuns them momentarily, given the police enough time to take great action. The water also spreads out after it leaves the cannon and makes a larger impact area.

This article relates to what we have been studying in Science this week. The water cannon is classified as horizontal motion. The water cannon is shot at about a 0˚. When the water gun is shot, the water has a constant velocity of 60 meters/second. It doesn’t increase or decrease until it hits the object. The water from the gun can successfully travel about 5 meters before it hits the ground. The force of gravity slowly pulls the object down to the ground. However, the object can fly through the air at a decent height for a good few meters before gravity pulls it all the way down.

O'Brien, Terrence. "Russians Build the Ultimate Squirt Gun." __Switched__. 2007. Blogsmith. 26 Aug 2007 <[|http://www.switched.com/2007/08/23/russians-build-the-ultimate-squirt-gun/>.]

//Comment 1: This was a great blog entry. You made the water cannon very easy and what it was, and how it works. One part i didnt really get, was the beanbags. Did they throw them or was it a cannon. You used good punctuation, comma's, and language that isnt to hard to understand. You wrote in 3rd person, and summarized it very well. Every thing was was well written. Good job. -John// 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://

The mystery density cube experiment was a fun experiment that determined our knowledge of how to collect and analyze data to draw a final conclusion. The scientific method was necessary in this experiment. We may have followed parts of it in a slightly different order, but we still used all parts of the scientific method. There were many things that made this experiment difficult. We were given 20 materials, and we didn't know very much detailed information about any of them. We had to do a lot of research just so we could determine a background of all of the objects. Then we had to apply that and determine what materials 10 cubes were made out of. It was very difficult to do this. Density is very important in determining an unknown material’s identity. A key point about density is that it is the same for all objects of one material no matter the size, shape, volume, etc. Therefore we could match up the density of a unidentified cube with another material’s density using the web. This was very useful if a cube’s identity was a tossup between two materials.

//Comment 1: Good job Megan! I really like it. I agree with all your points, they all have good supporting detail. You really explained what you meant and I thought that was very helpful. I like how your wording sounded, it made it seem like a proffesional paragraph. All in all GREAT job!!!!// : ) Comment 2:

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:// There is a very interesting reaction between Sodium and Chlorine. When the silver-colored metal sodium is dropped into the green-colored toxic gas Chlorine, the sodium ignites. What really happens is when the two elements come into contact they form an ionic bond. When the electron transfer happens energy is released. The ionic compound formed is then a hard, white solid called sodium chloride, also known as table salt. This is an exothermic reaction because when Sodium ignites it releases heat. This is the amazing reaction when you combine Chlorine and Sodium.

//Comment 1:// It's really good. The grammar could use a little tiny bit of work. Like on sentence two, the sodium ignites is a comma splice I think. It's one sentence short but that's okay. Other than that it's really good! - Meredith G.

//Comment 2://

Revised Entry: There is a very interesting reaction between Sodium and Chlorine. The silver-colored metal sodium is dropped into the green-colored toxic gas Chlorine. When this is done, the sodium ignites. What really happens is when the two elements come into contact, they form an ionic bond. When the electron transfer happens energy is released. The ionic compound formed is then a hard, white solid called sodium chloride. This is also known as table salt. This is an exothermic reaction because when Sodium ignites it releases heat. This is the amazing reaction when you combine Chlorine and Sodium.

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 Mystery Element song. It was really fun to write and sing, and we learned about the element too. We got to perform it and it was really, really fun. I also liked the chemical reactions experiments. They were really fun and exciting, especially when something happened all the sudden that you didn't expect. I did really well on memorizing the periodic table symbols. I studied really hard over a period of time and came up with a memory device to help me. Next Trimester, I want to improve on my podcasts. I haven't really mastered how to make them. Next Trimester, I want them to be stronger. Overall, a fun science this 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: I am not very familiar with electricity. I remember studying it in 4th and 5th grade but I don’t remember much. I know that electricity does not mix very well with water and will cause electric shock if they combine. I remember that positive and negative electrons have something to do with electricity too. I don’t understand how light bulbs work. I think it would be neat to learn about them. I want to investigate computers. I don't really know about how they really work. It would be really cool to find out what happens inside of the computer. I'm really looking forward to this unit!

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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: 1) The electricity source that has grown the most shown in this graph is coal. It started at about 0.2 trillion kilowatthours and it increased to almost 2 trillion kilowatthours. It maintained a steady increase over the 55 years shown. The other energy sources increased much slower and didn’t even make it up to 1 trillion kilowatthours. Some sources such as Petroleum and Natural Gas even had sudden decreases. Coal stands out way higher than any other source on the graph shown and is continuing to increase.

2) The source that directly contributes to global warming is coal. Coal-burning power plants are actually the number one cause of global warming. The power plants release carbon dioxide pollution. This pollution builds up in our atmosphere and traps the earth’s heat. This causes temperatures to rise which causes many problems. Coal is such a popular energy source which is a big problem for global warming. The amount of coal used keeps increasing, which means the amount of carbon dioxide pollution from the plants keeps increasing. This is just making global warming a bigger and bigger issue.

3) The overall trends from 1972 to 1985 show an extreme increase in America’s need for electricity. Coal has a massive increase of almost 0.5 trillion kilowatthours. Petroleum and Natural gas takes a dip but then increases again later in the 2000’s. Nuclear Electric Power has a small growing increase, and Hydroelectric power remains fairly steady with some common increases and decreases. Overall, this shows how the US is using much more electricity. Around 1950 every source was under about 0.2 trillion kilowatthours. Now with computers, cell phones, bigger cities, more television, and people’s carelessness, the amount of electricity usage has increased immensely.

"NRDC: Global Warming Basics." __NRDC - The Earths Best Defense__. 02 Sep 2007. NRDC. 6 Jan 2008 <[|http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/f101.asp>.] Citation for #2 on Global Warming

Comment 1:

Great Entry! One thing I saw is that you never really referred back to the graph. You talked about it, saying things like "The overall trends from 1972 to 1985 show an extreme increase", but you never said anything like: " in Graph 1", or "Graph 1 shows". Another thing is here: "Overall, this shows how the US is using much more electricity". You should tell what you are talking about, like "over the years" or "In a month"Other than that, you definetly did a great job; there were no grammar mistakes, no spelling mistakes, etc. Nice work! ~griffin

Comment 2: Good job. the concluding sentence was good, you used measurements like kilowatthours, and you talked in 3rd person. If you would've reffered back to the graph more it would've been great. Good grammar, and good spelling. I really enjoyed reading this wonderful blog entry.

-john

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 shown in Graph 1, the demand for electricity in the US has slowed down from 2000 - 2005 compared to what it was before. Coal, still much higher than any other resources, is having a steady increase each year and has risen to about 2 trillion kilowatthours. Petroleum and Natural Gas and Nuclear Electric Power are roughly equal to each other at 0.7 trillion kilowatthours in 2005. Hydroelectric power is the lowest on Graph 1 and remains at about the same level - roughly 0.2 kilowatthours. Overall, the trends from 2000 - 2005 show coal rising above the other sources which are slowly increasing.

Comment 1: Megan, you have written five sentences in third person, and you have a good scientific writing style. However, you are repetitive and you have some unnecessary information. In the beginning and in the end, you mention how coal is the main source of electricity in the U.S. I think that you could have “compared to what it was before.” If someone was reading this and did not know what it was like before, they might not understand what you are saying. Over all however, you have a very strong entry. Keep up the good work!

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Re-Entry: As shown in Graph 1, the demand for electricity in the US has slowed down from 2000 - 2005 compared to what it was in previous years. Coal, still much higher than the other resources, is having a steady increase each year and has risen to about 2 trillion kilowatthours. Yet It only increased about 0.5 trillion killowatthours, when from the 1980's - 1990's it increased at a faster rate. Petroleum and Natural Gas and Nuclear Electric Power are roughly equal to each other at 0.7 trillion kilowatthours in 2005. Hydroelectric power is the lowest on the graph and remains at about the same level - roughly 0.2 kilowatthours. Overall, Graph 1 illustrates the trends from 2000 - 2005 which show coal rising above the other sources which are continuing to increase. PRETTY GOOD SW. KEEP IT UP. -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 what power is commonly measured in. It's one of the most common units of measurement and is used by most electrical companies. Power is calculated in a circuit by doing the equation Power = Current times Voltage. Fill in the variables with your known information and then you can calculate power. If you left the lamp on for 24 hours straight and it has a 200 watt lightbulb, it would use 4.8 killowatt hours. You multiply 200 watts times 24 to find the total watt usage. Then you divide that by 1000, which is the amount of watts in a kilowatt hour. You can use this equation to calculate how many killowatt hours an object uses.

Comment 1: Great job on your overall blog entry Megan! However, you wrote in second person, instead of third person. You calculations were correct, and all the questions were answered thoroughly. Your grammar was also correct. The epitome of a perfect blog entry! - Jordan

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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: I really enjoyed science class this trimester. I had a lot of fun and tried many new things that I have never attempted before. Our main focus for this trimester was electricity and circuits. I haven't worked with circuits since 4th grade, so it was fun to do that again. We finished up the trimester by configuring circuits on breadboards. These were very difficult and complex, but it was neat to see the outcome. My goal for next trimester is to study for my tests way in advance. I will do better on my tests if I study a little each night, instead of a lot on one night. Overall, science was very enjoyable and challenging and I'm looking forward to next trimester!

Comment 1: Megan, you have written great blog entries this trimester. You are a great contribution to our science class and i enjoy working with you. You are very focused, and you are dependable. You are a great student and you obviously study as needed for test and quizzes in science this trimester. Way to go! -Kjersti <3

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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: Scientists today are becoming more and more advanced in robot technology. The Tech Museum: Robotics Website states that soon robots will be able to do just as much as humans do. When the world gets to this point, there may be a problem determining the difference between a robot and a human. Robots might become part of our everyday lives. Even if this happens, robots will always be machines and humans will always be living. Robots won't be able to interact the same way humans do, they will just do a majority of the work. Humans we'll still continue their lives, they will just have the assistance of robots. I think Robots shouldn't do the physical work that humans need to do to stay in shape. Even small things like getting the paper can get someone off the couch. If robots do all the work humans don't feel like doing, the world will become lazy and there won't be much point to living. Robots might be a positive in the future of our universe, but there is a point were it will go to far.

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