Protecting the Crime Scene
http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312020/protecting_the_crime_scene.htm
Processing the Crime Scene
Here are some websites to get you started on this project. Please don’t forget that it is due on Thursday, December 11th!!!!
http://home.nc.rr.com/enloephysics/sports.htm
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/projects/yep/sports/spinet.html
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/PhysicsSports/
History of sports
http://www.historyofsports.net/
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsports.htm
It’s hard to believe how fast this semester is going! November just flew by, and when we return from break, we only have 3 weeks left until winter break! We have been very busy in science class whether it is building bridges from pasta in physics, or learning about atoms in chemistry. I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am for all of my students and the joy and happiness you each bring into my life. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! Here are some fun Turkey Day things to keep you busy over break!
And of course, no Thanksgiving is ever complete without……The Bird Song!!!!!
Here is the link to the poster used for class today!
Here are some fun sites and experiments to get you in a ghoulish mood! Have a safe and fun holiday and enjoy your three day weekend! See you on Monday!
Enjoy!
Hey Scientists!!!!
I know it has been a while since I last posted on here, but we have been VERY busy in science class! Last Friday marked the end of the first quarter, so I’ve been busy calculating grades and grading last minute papers. Remember that PT conferences are next Monday and Thursday. I look forward to meeting lots of your parents!!
In chemistry, we’ve been discussing lots of history!! I know it seems weird to talk about history in your science classroom, but it is still important! We have been talking about how the model of our atom has developed and changed over the years. We started all the way back with Democritus and Aristotle and have ended with Bohr’s model of the atom. I wanted you to see how hard it was to study atoms, so I gave you a film canister with some sort of object in it. Using your observational skills, you had to decide what was in the canister. We used this exercise to discuss observations and inferences and also to see how hard it is to study something you can’t see but you KNOW is there!
Last week, we also did a lab on the conservation of matter which was a law proposed by Lavoisier. This was a two-day lab. On the first day, we mixed hydrochloric acid and zinc and observed the reaction. On the second day, we mixed baking powder and vinegar and once again observed the reactions. In both cases, we placed a balloon over the top of the flask to catch any gas that was produced. We then weighed the reactants and products and found that the numbers were the same within experimental error. We did lose some of our mass, and you hypothesized that it was gas molecules that escaped from the balloon! And you were right! Nice job!
In conceptual physics, we spent last week discussing projectile motion. We saw that the horizontal and vertical components of a projectile’s motion are independent of each other. That means that if we drop a ball and at the same time launch a ball vertically, they will hit the ground at the same time. This seems a little counterintuitive, but I did a demonstration where we did just that and observed the results. We also learned how to put numbers to this type of problem and solve for things like time, initial velocity and distance traveled. Using this information, we also were able to dissect Barry Bonds’ record holding home-run and discover the anatomy of a homerun!
And in physics, we spent the last week learning how to resolve vectors. Sounds like a scary task, but resolve just means to break down. So, we learned how to break down vectors into their vertical and horizontal components. 
We went back to our tried and true Pythagorean Theorem and also revisited the functions of tangent, cosine, and sine. Believe me when I say this is a skill that will greatly help you next chapter when we talk about projectile motion!!!
Have a great week!
Well scientists, it was a four day week that was still crammed with lots of discovery and experimenting. We started off the week watching a Real Scientist video on Jose, a real-life CSI agent. He showed us how glass and how it has shattered can help scientists solve a crime. A lot of you showed interest in this type of study. I took notice and I have some crime scene labs planned for all of my classes in the next few weeks.
This week in conceptual chemistry started off with a test over falling objects on Tuesday. We went over the tests and you corrected them on Wednesday. Then on Thursday and Friday, we watched the video “Armageddon.” This video was rated one of the most scientifically innacurate videos of all time. We will look at the bad physics behind this movie next week, and then you will be responsible for writing a paper on all of the innacuracies you noticed! We will do this once a quarter to keep our minds tuned to the physics, both good and bad, around us at all time!
In physics, Tuesday and Wednesday were spent reviewing falling objects and how to solve problems involving these types of objects. We did some practice problems out of the book together and then you were on your own for another set of problems. On Wednesday, we also did a short lab on calculating gravity. The last time we calculated gravity, all we had was a meter stick and a stopwatch. This time we had a motion sensor and a computer and our answers were MUCH closer to the actual value of gravity! On Thursday, you took a quiz over falling objects and had the chance to correct it with a partner on Friday. I know a lot of you have been a little frustrated with this class because it isn’t your typical science class. Believe me, it does get easier after lots of practice. You just need to get used to using equations and lots of math in physics class!
And in conceptual chemistry, we started off the week discussing the composition of a penny. We saw how over time, the density of pennies has greatly changed. The biggest change occurred around 1982 when the price of copper increased. Because of this increase in price, more zinc and less copper went into the penny and we saw a slight change in the mass and density of the pennies. We also learned about the 1943 steel cent. This coin was produced in place of a penny. 
During this time, World War II was going on and the government needed copper to make weapons for the war. So, the copper was all directed to war supplies and pennies had to be made out of steel. Pretty interesting history for a cheap little penny!!! After we did the lab, we spent two days reviewing for your 1.2 Exam and you took it on Friday. Re-takes will be offered on Wednesday, October 8th at 7:15 AM. Remember that you only get one re-take per quarter so use it wisely!
It’s hard to believe, but the end of the quarter is just around the quarter. Make sure that you have all of your grades in to me by Friday, October 17th. I can’t believe how fast time is flying!
Hey Scientists!!
What a fun week we had here at YHS! Homecoming had us all in high spirits and funny costumes! I loved seeing how creative you all were and I really enjoyed the sense of Duke Pride that was evident in the hallways! Although the football team lost in a tough game on Friday, you all seemed to have a great time and that’s what really matters!!
In both physics and conceptual physics, we spent this week discussing free fall. We calculated what gravity was in Room 111 and found that there were some pretty big discrepancies between our calculations and the accepted value of 9.81 m/s/s. This led to some great discussions on how gravity was first calculated and some possible ways to make our calculations better. We also had a “hang time” competition this week. We discussed how it seems like NBA players are flying through the air, however in reality, they only leave the ground for around 1 second. While you all had impressive hang times, I think the biggest number put up in our class was 0.6 seconds! I guess no one can touch Spud Webb!!
We also did our first Gizmo lab on free fall. Using this on-line tool, you were able to create gravity free environments as well as see the terminal velocities for some common items. We were also able to discuss what exacly air resistance is and how it affects free fall. Up next for us will be some quizzes on free fall as well as our review of the movie “Armageddon” for accuracy in its physics! Stay tuned!!!
In chemistry, we covered a wide variety of topics. We started off the week continuing our discussion on density. Again using the Gizmo labs, we were able to find the densities of some pretty odd shaped items such as chess pieces, toy cars and golf balls. You were also able to change the liquid that they were floating in. This allowed you to see and describe the densities of different liquids. After we discussed density, we moved on to the three main states of matter. I had you draw this chart in your notes and we talked about how energy and temperature are the two most important things in determining states of matter. 
After we discussed states of matter, we made Oobleck. 
Oobleck comes to us from Dr. Seuss and is described as an “ooey-gooey glue-like substance” that really stuck up an entire town! We saw that Oobleck has properties of both a liqiud and a solid, and so it is considered a colloid. I wanted you to see that not everything fits into the category of solid, liquid or gas. You will sometimes have to think outside of the box!
Hello Scientists!!
What a fun and exciting week in science!! We got to do some pretty fun experiments and to make the week even better, Friday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Honestly, does it get any better than that???
As usual, we started off the week with another “Real Scientists” video. This week featured a hurricane tracker from NOAA. He shared with us what exactly a hurricane is and how they form. He also showed us the headquarters they use to make predictions on where and when a hurricane will hit. With Hurricane Ike so prevalent in the news, I thought this was a great way to see how science can be used to “predict” mother nature!
In physics, we learned the five motion equations that help relate acceleration, velocity, distance and time. These equations can only be used when describing motion in one dimension. We did a lot of practice with problems involving these equations and then we ended the week with a two day review over everything we have learned so far this year. This all led up to a Chapter 3 Exam on Friday. Next, we will start talking about objects in free-fall and how the five motion equations can be used to solve these types of problems.
In conceptual physics, we continued talking about speed and velocity and acceleration. You had a short quiz over these topics on Wednesday before we started talking about free fall. I taught you two equations for free fall; one answers “how far” an object has fallen and the other answers “how fast” an object would be going after a certain amount of time. Remember, these equations only come in handy when you are dealing with a situation where gravity is the only force acting on an object. And don’t forget that we are ALL victims of gravity!!!
And in conceptual chemistry, we started the week off with some elemental clues. I would give you a clue, like “What is the leg joint above your calf called?” and you would have to find an element on the periodic table that gave you the answer. The answer to the above question was “Neon.” Get it???!! This was great practice for everyone and I really think you got to know the elements a lot better! We then had a quiz on Wednesday over the first twenty elements and their symbols. The next subject that we covered was density. We learned why density breaks Mrs. Plas’ heart and how to solve for the density of an irregular shaped object. You got lots of practice with a density lab on Friday. And throughout the week, you saw that density could be colorful and a bit confusing!!! Can you tell me what is happening in these pictures?
What a busy week in science!!! Some classes had their first test this week, while others are preparing for their first exam next week. Those that took their test did an awesome job! The average for all of my conceptual chemistry classes was a 90%. I am taking your lab reports home over the weekend and will have them back to you by Monday. Also, remember that retakes will be on Wednesday morning in my room. If you want to take the retest exam, you will need to let me know by Tuesday!! As a reminder, you are allowed one retake per quarter, and your retake grade automatically starts out at a 95%.
Just like we do every week, we started off on Monday watching a video on a real scientist. This week focused on Katie who is a “toyologist.” She is using cutting edge technology, called nanomuscle, to design the eye movements on a toy called Baby Bright Eyes. I know the doll freaked some of you out, but you have to admit it was pretty life-like!!!
In physics this week, we finished up discussing speed and velocity and introduced acceleration. Remember that acceleration is the RATE at which velocity is changing. A typical acceleration might be 5 m/s/s which means that every second, I am increasing my velocity by 5 m/s. We did a few labs this week to illustrate the idea of acceleration. The first one was on average speed and how a steeper hill can lead to a greater speed. The second lab we did was on acceleration. In this one, you used weights to cause a car to accelerate down a ramp. 
I had you print out a chart and we compared charts in class. I also had you make your own accelerometer using a washer, ruler, string and index card. We saw that if you slowed down, your velocity and acceleration were in opposite directions. And conversely, if your velocity and acceleration were in the same direction, you were increasing your speed. Pretty neat stuff, that acceleration!!
In chemistry, we started off the week by finishing your lab reports. On Monday, I gave you the additional questions I wanted on each lab report and then on Tuesday, we went to the computer lab to type up the reports. On Wednesday, we did a little review game for your exam on Thursday. And on Friday, we started talking about the periodic table and how to read the symbols on it. We found out that each symbol represents an element and they are arranged in order or increasing atomic number. I also told you that you will be in charge of knowing the first 20 elements and their atomic symbols. 
You WILL have a quiz next Wednesday over this information!! Start making flash cards now so you can study if you get a few free minutes this weekend!!!!
Good luck to all the sports competing this week and next week as well. I know the weather has been kind of yucky lately, but it will get better! Go Dukes!!!
