Plasticity Lab

Structure of the Earth:
Plasticity Lab

In science class we performed an experiment that had to do with plasticity. Plasticity is the capability if being molded, receiving shape, or being made to assume a desired form.
In this experiment or lab, we used, cornstarch, water, two small beakers, a spoon, food coloring, and a tray. With these materials we conducted an experiment that made a gooey substance that demonstrated plasticity. First, we made sure we did this lab over a tray to prevent a huge mess. Then, we put about five tablespoons of cornstarch into one beaker. After that we put twenty milliliters of water in the second beaker. Then, we combined them by pouring the water into the cornstarch slowly and mixed the substances together. We also added in about two drops of green food dye. Soon the mixture became harder to stir because it was now thick.
To describe the mixture, I would say that it was gooey and green. When you stirred it the mixture was extremely stiff and hard to mix. This was not the only way that the substance was though. It reacted in different ways depending on how you handled it. When you roll it in your hands, the pressure and heat that is being exerted on the goo, keeps it in a ball, and from falling apart. When you stop rolling it from in between your hands, the goo appears to look like a liquid. In reality it is smooth and hard.
Like I said before, this mixture reacts in different ways depending on how you handle it. Another example is when you stick your finger in the mixture quickly, it just makes a small dent in the substance. Then it returns to its original form. If you push your finger in slowly, it causes your finger to sink, and covers your finger in green goo.
The mixture is similar to the earth's mantle because of heat and pressure. Also there are two layers of the mantle. The top layer has plasticity and the bottom layer is solid. Just like the mixture that I made, it has plasticity and sometimes it can be a solid too.

October Sky Blog

Recently I viewed the film October Sky. This movie was a heart felt film that included many concepts of life.
October Sky is about a young boy named Homer who dreams of building rockets and exploring the vast unknowns of space. One of his inspirations was The Sputnik and the Russians. These were his inspirations because no one dreamed to go into outer space and everyone thought that it was dangerous. Exploring space was completely unheard of and many thought that it could be life threatening too. Unlike them, The Sputnik (a famous spaceship) and the Russians, proved that their beliefs were far different. This was Homer's drive to keep moving forward and to keep him believing that anything is possible.
During this movie, it also showed Homer's family. Homer's dad works at a coal mine and it is a very dangerous job. The dust from the coal can clog your lungs and can make you extremely ill. Also, there is always the possibility that the ceiling can fall on top of you, since it is made of rock. Homer's dad expects that he takes on his job after him, but Homer does not want to take over his dad's job since he is interested in rockets. This does not please his father, but it did not stop Homer. Homer experimented with building rockets with his three close friends throughout a period of time and tried different ways to make the rocket go farther then the previous ones they had tried. As they were doing this one day, one of the rockets went in a different direction and Homer's father yelled at him for the mishap and how it landed near the coalmine.
Soon after all the experimenting and finding a working rocket formula, Homer entered a science fair. There he showed his rocket as an exhibit and won first prize. He was even awarded a scholarship, which were very important (as they still are now) in the 1950's. Along with that Homer and one of his buddies used calculus and magnificent math equations to prove that his rocket did not land where his dad said it did, and that it actually landed in a stream. Something that looked like a rocket landed near the coalmine instead. This proved that Homer was serious about his rocket building and did not want his dad to think that it was just a silly thing to do.
October Sky, also included Character Education traits like cooperation, assertion, respect, empathy, and self-control. Cooperation was shown when the boys were making the rockets together. This trait was necessary to get to their goal because without it nothing could have ever happened. Assertion was shown when Homer's mother stood up to her husband and told him to bring a new rocket piece to Homer when one of his was stolen. She was very brave to do this and I was glad that she stood up for herself and spoke the truth to her husband about how he needed to take interest in their sons hobby. Respect was also shown and not shown in the movie. It wasn't shown when Homer's father did not have respect for his rocket building, and Homer's father showed respect to Homer when he worked in the mines for a couple of days when he was ill. This made him happy because mining is a job he does, and he liked that Homer was taking after him. Empathy is yet another characteristic shown in this film. Homer feels sorry for his teacher Mrs. Riley when she was sick in bed. This means that he knows how she feels even though he did not go through it. Lastly, self- control was shown. Homer was surprisingly calm when his dad yelled at him for shooting a rocket near the mines. He maintained a good attitude and did not yell or fight back.
Overall, October Sky is a great movie that is inspirational and proves that you can accomplish anything you want if you truly try.

Genetic Disorder Response Blog

I read gymnasticsgirl817 's blog and it turned out to be very interesting. It was about the genetic disorder called Turner's Syndrome. Turner's Syndrome is a disease that happens only to women. You see, according to this blog women's genes are XX while men's are XY. Turner's Syndrome is when a women is missing an X gene or one is defective. When I read this blog it was very upsetting to hear all of the possible symptoms of having Turner's Syndrome. For example, some symptoms are, you can be smaller in height, your hands and feet can swell up, you can have droopy eyelids and a short neck. All of these issues are very serious and they can affect the daily activities of the people with this disease. Unfortunately, Turner's Syndrome has no cure yet but some treatments that can be done are, growth hormone injections can be performed to increase the women's height, and apparently estrogen replacement therapy can help the women live a more happy, and productive life.

Clearly, this disease sounds complicated to live with. It is very unfortunate for people with this disease because it makes life a whole lot harder for them. Reading this blog made me feel very fortunate that I don't have to deal with these problems everyday of my life. Although there is no cure for Turner's Syndrome yet, I am sure that there will one day be one and it will help patients with this disease to thrive and be happy and healthy.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

As you may know a genetic disorder is a pathological condition caused by an absent or defective gene. Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease is yet one of the many genetic disorders that can be found in our world.

This disease is very complex. There are several different types of CMT disease. These include CMT1, CMT2, CMT3, CMT4, and CMTX. It is very unfortunate that there are several different conditions of this disease. All it does is it makes people more vulnerable to have it. In fact 1 in 2,500 people in the U.S. have this disease. Unfortunately more and more people are diagnosed with this disease every day. Before doctors diagnose they look at the patient’s history and family history to see if anyone else in their family has ever had this disease before. This helps to determine weather or not the patient has the disease.
Sadly, there are many symptoms to Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. A couple of these symptoms include weakness of the foot and lower leg muscles and it affects both motor and sensory nerves. Also, it can cause people to have a disability in their hands and feet. Therefore, life is made much harder for them. It is a struggle to even do the daily task of brushing your teeth. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for this malfunctioning disease, but some people with the disease go to therapy and sometimes even orthopedic surgery to help “them cope with the disabling symptoms of"CMT disease. Currently there is research being doProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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for CMT disease. There are efforts to “identify more of the mutant genes and proteins that cause the various disease subtypes.”

Overall, this disease makes me feel very upset because it is hard for me to realize that this disease actually exists. Anyone with this CMT disease has a hard life because their motor skills are affected. I guess I take for granted the simple tasks that I do everyday. I cannot imagine not being able to get dressed or brush my teeth on my own. Even for one day. CMT disease patients have to deal with these challenges everyday. Clearly, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is very serious and I think that everyone needs to be informed about it so that they know about other people’s troubles when they think that they’ve got it bad.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/charcot_marie_tooth/charcot_marie_tooth.htm

Social Studies Blog

Tips For Easing Your Worries

Who- Everyone
What- This simple trick can help you "ease you money worries", Or any other worries you might have. All you have to do is write down what is bothering you such as " are you concerned about paying bills late" on a piece of paper and this will make you less stressed about getting it done. Sometimes by seeing your worries it can help ease your worries. It can make what you are stressed about "seem more manageable."
Where- Everywhere
When- Anytime you want!
Why- This will help you become less stressed about getting your bills paid, or whatever you are worried about.

In my opinion I think this is a great idea. In fact a couple minutes before I even read this article and made this blog I wrote down what was worrying me. I made a list of things that had to get accomplished, and it automatically made me feel less stressed. It is funny because you would think that by looking at your worries it would just make you more stressed, but in reality it lets you know that you have to set your priorities straight and get done what needs to be accomplished. Overall, I think that writing down your worries and what is stressing you out is a great way to vent your feelings and help you finish your work faster!

For more information visit-
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/personal/02/24/p.8.tips.for.money.worries/index.html

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Current Event Blog #8

Volunteers Guard and Search for Whales

Who- Glenn Wood.
What- Glenn Wood "searches for whales at least once a week."
Where- She searches for them at Flagler Beach in Florida.
When- At eight o'clock a.m. once a week.
Why- Glenn searches for whales because she wants to have hope that there is still a chance for the endangered species of right whales to survive.

In my opinion I think that it is great that people volunteer to guard and search for whales. This is a fantastic thing to do because there are not too many people in the world who care about whales and their becoming of extinction. If there were more people like Glenn Wood in the world, it would be a safer place for whales, and they probably would not be going extinct. Overall, this is something that I hope to be able to do in my life and I hope that many others will be able to do it too.

For more information visit-
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/02/19/saving.right.whales/index.html

Social Studies Blog

Steelers Fans Gone Wild

Who-Steelers fans
What-Fans were so happy that the Steelers won the game, they got a little out of hand with their celebration. They possibly injured a police officer's arm and they also "threw bottles at the police." Over one hundred people were arrested.
Where- The Steeler's fans partied in the streets at night.
When- Sunday, February 1, 2009
Why- The fans were overjoyed at the success of their favorite football team winning Superbowl 43.

In my opinion I think that this was very likely to happen. Anyone could have expected people to do this after the Steelers won the game. I do believe that it did get to wild though. These people should not have injured the police officers and they most definetly should not have partied in the streets. Overall, this was a bad decision made by these Steeler's fans but I bet that most people knew that this would happen somewhere.

For more information visit-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090202/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_super_bowl_pittsburgh_reax

AP – Pittsburgh Steeler fans

Class Response Blog

Smart Board Acceleration Game

In science class we played a game on the smart board that had to do with acceleration. In this game you had to find the block with the correct height that would move the car down the track all the way to the number 100. You also had to find the correct type of weight to place on the car in order for it to increase acceleration.

Three Interesting Facts Are...
* The higher you make the starting point for the car (or whatever you are dropping) the more acceleration to move forward it recieves.
* The smart board makes the game interactive and even more fun then it would be on a regular computer.
* This game shows you how force and acceleration are related and can make something move.

In my opinion I think that the Smart Board acceleration game is awesome. It is really fun to play it and you are learning while you are playing. By playing this game you really learn a lot about life and how acceleration plays a major part in it. I find it amazing that acceleration and force are what makes a marble move down a hill or a book slide down a set of steep stairs. Overall, this game is great for people that want to learn more about acceleration and how it works.

Current Event Blog #6

Global Warming Threatens Forests

Who- Generations of scientists.
What- Specific trees such as "pines, firs and hemlocks" in forests are being killed because of global warming.
Where- Several sites in "Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and southwestern British Columbia.
When- Thursday, January 22, 2009
Why- Some trees can't live up to the harsh climates that global warming is producing.

In my opinion I think that it is terrible that trees are dying because of global warming. I don't think that there is anything that we can do to stop it but we can help fix it. As a solution to trees dying due to global warming we can plant new trees. By replanting trees this will ensure oxygen and a healthier Earth. This will also replace the trees that have died. Overall, I think that on this year's Earth Day we should all plant a tree for our planet.

For more information visit-
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/01/22/study.forests.dying/index.html

Extra Credit Virtual Tour Blog

http://paleobiology.si.edu/dinosaurs/interactives/tour/main.html

Class Response Blog

Waves

In science class we learned about waves. A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy from place to place.

Three Interesting Facts Are...
* Waves can move in all sorts of directions
* Waves can transfer energy
* There is more than one type of wave. Two different types are transverse waves and longitudinal waves.

In my opinion I think that waves are facinating. I used to think that waves just come and go and thats that. But there is a lot more to it. Who would know that there are different types of waves? Not me. Well at least not before I learned about it. Waves are actually very cool. They can transfer energy, they all have vibration and they can move in all sorts of directions! Overall, I think that waves are a very interesting subject to learn about, and I hope I get to learn more about them in the future.

Math Blog (Extra Credit)

Inequalities

In math class we learned about inequalities. An inequality is "a statement formed by placing an inequality symbol between two expressions." Inequalities can be multiplied, divided, subtracted or added together. An example of one would be: "x-2>5". To solve it, first you would add 2 to both sides. Then your equation will look like this: x>7. Therefore if you were to graph this inequality there would be an open dot and the arrow would be going to the right.

Three Interesting Facts Are...
* If you are multiplying or dividng by a negative number then you must switch the inequality sign.
* The arrow in the inequality shows you which way to make the line on your graph go.
* When you add, subtract, divide, or multiply a number you have to do it to the other side too. Whatever you do to one side you have to do to the other.

In my opinion inequalities are a great thing to know how to do. Nothing in life is always exact, and knowing how to solve inequalities may help you out later in life. Inequalities are easy to learn, but sometimes confusing. You have to know the basic rules such as switching the inequalitiy sign at the right time and problem and knowing that whatever you do to one side you have to do to the other. Overall, inequalities are a very significant and useful part of math.

Current Event Blog #2

Furby-Look-Alike

Who- Scientists working on the island
What- "Long- Lost Furby -Look- Alike." This creature looks just like Furby! Furby was a popular "electronic toy" in "the late 1990s." This "Furby-Look-Alike" can "fit snugly in one hand", and is most likely really soft since it is claimed to be a "fur ball!"
Where- Lore Lindu National Park on the Indonesian island
When- Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Why- The scientists found it because they were on the island.

In my opinion I think that this "Furby-Look-Alike" is really cool! It seems like an awesome pet. Forget about plastic toys this is real! I would love to have one. I've always wanted a Furby but this one is even better. Overall, I think that the "Furby-Look-Alike" is a great discovery and I hope that they can be sold as pets if more are found. It would be so cool to have an animal as a pet that "many scientists" thought were "extinct!"

For more information visit- http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/11/19/elusive.primate/index.html

Class Response Blog #2

Smart Board

In science class we have something called a Smart Board. It is easy to use and is super fun.

Three Interesting Facts Are...
* You can type on the Smart Board.
* It is interactive
* You can erase and write with the special markers

In my opinion the Smart Board is really cool. I love drawing and playing games on it. The Smart Board makes our science classes easier because now we don't have to stare at a small television screen. I always enjoy watching the interactive food webs move on the screen and playing the Wii with my classmates. Overall, I think the Smart Board is awesome and it makes learning fun.

Current Event Blog

Who- The people of London, England
What- The M-Dress
Where- London, England
When- October 24, 2008
Why- The M-Dress was made to make it easiar to live. Now you don't have to take your cellphone everywhere. All you have to do is put a SIM card into the dress and it is now your cellphone. Put the M-Dress on and if you raise your hand to your head when the dress rings, it will answer your call!

In my opinion I think that the M-Dress is a great idea because it is fashionable and it makes life easiar. Now there is no need to carry around your cellphone when you can wear it! What could be more easiar then putting your hand to your head to answer a call?! Overall I belive that the M- Dress is a great and helpful invention and that it will be ideal for multitasking.

For more information visit:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/10/24/future.fashion/index.html

Class Response Blog

In science class we did an experiment invloving leaving a gummi bear in a liquid overnight. My liquid was lemon juice.

Three Interesting Facts are...

* Lemon juice is a really foggy liquid so it is hard to see a gummi bear in it.
* When you leave a gummi bear in lemon juice overnight, it becomes a blob.
*Lemon juice smells discusting so don't take a whiff!


In my opinion I liked this experiment. It is always fun to see how things change and react over a period of time. Who would have thought that something as simple and small as a gummi bear could change its form so drastically. Overall this experiment was fun and I hope to do many more.

Math Is...

To me, math is something that you use everyday. For example, suppose you want to buy a shirt at Target that costs $40.00 and is 10% off. To find the price of the shirt you need to use percent decrease. Another way that we all use math everyday is in cooking. One way we use math in cooking is when we add fractions together to get the right amount of a certain ingredient. There are so many other examples of how we can use math everyday. Too many to write. Math is clearly an important part of our lives and it would be hard to live without it.

Science Extra Credit Blog

The Wind Tapped
By: Emily Dickinson

The wind tapped like a tired man,
And like a host, "Come in,"
I boldly answered; entered then
My residence within

A rapid, footless guest,
To offer whom a chair
Were as impossible as hand
A sofa to the air.

No bone had he to bind him,
His speech was like the push
Of numerous humming-birds at once
From a superior bush.

His countenance a billow,
His fingers, if he pass,
Let go a music, as of tunes
Blown tremulous in glass.

He visited, still flitting;
Then, like a timid man,
Again he tapped--'t was flurriedly--
And I became alone.

The poem I chose to read was “The Wind Tapped” by Emily Dickinson. The type of weather discussed in this poem is the wind. Weather is used as personification in this poem, for example in the first line in the second stanza where it says, “A rapid, footless guest.” Some literary techniques that were used in this poem are personification, as I mentioned before, and similes. One example of a simile from the poem can be found in the second line in the third stanza, “His speech was like the push of numerous humming-birds at once from a superior bush.” I think that if this poem did not mention weather, it would not make sense because the whole poem involves weather and without it the poem would not be complete.
Dickinson’s poem does not really further my knowledge about the wind and weather in a scientific way. However, the way that the wind is personified and all that Dickinson writes about the wind almost being a friend to her, furthers my knowledge about how wind and weather can make you feel. The narrator in the poem treats the “tired man”, which is the wind, as a guest, and when the wind stops blowing and leaves, the poem ends “And I became alone” which shows how the narrator feels like there is almost an empty space and something is missing. I felt after reading “The Wind Tapped,” that the knowledge that Emily Dickinson has about the wind and about weather is how it can make you feel. Understanding this definitely did enhance the poem for me.

Class Response Blog #2

Clouds

In class we are learning about clouds. There are three basic types. Cumulus, cirrus and stratus clouds.

3 Interesting Facts Are...

* Cumulus clouds look like "piles of cotton balls."
* Stratus clouds turn into fog when they form close to the ground.
* Cirrus clouds are "feathery and fibrous."

In my opinion clouds are really cool. I never knew that they has special names for what they look like. I also never knew that cumulus clouds could produce thunderstorms when they are darker on the bottom. Overall, clouds are a very interesting subject to learn and study about.