What's Happening?

What can you tell about what is happening in the graph shown here? Click on the graph to see a larger view of it. Talk about EVERYTHING that you can identify. What is happening at each letter? Is this water? Explain in detail why or why not. Post your response here by Wednesday, November 10th.

As a Matter of Fact

We have been talking about density of matter for about a month and you seem to have a grasp of what density is. What exactly is matter though? Empedocles, a Greek philosopher first proposed four states of matter: water, fire, earth, air. Today, our understanding of matter has changed with the help of Aristolte, Democritus, Priestley, Bernoulli, Lavoisier, Dalton and others.

What are the 4 common phases of matter and explain 2 things you know about each phase? Attempt to explain in a well written paragraph using your own words and without doing much research. Submit this online. This is due October 15th. If you want to read more about this, check it out on visionlearning or check out the reading on week 8 of Blackboard.

How Dense Are You?

Density is a concept that we will use this unit. It is a relationship between mass and volume of an object, where mass will be divided by the volume of the object. The density of water for example has a density of 1.0 g/ml. The density of aluminum is 2.7 g/ml. Anything that is said to have a density greater than 1.0g/ml will sink in water and those with a density less than 1.0g/ml will float in water.

Why then will a gigantic ship made mainly of steel (let's call that a density of 7.8 g/ml) float in water fairly easily with many passengers and potentially a massive cargo aboard? Discuss your answer in a logical, well organized fashion (1 paragraph or more if you are up to it). You may even have to do some research. Do not ask your parents! Type up your response, post it here by Friday, Sept. 17th. Good luck and have a great weekend!

Putting Your Best Foot Forward

The first week of school is over and we are well into the swing of things. Students are becoming more engaged in learning as the weary eyes of summer fade. I am enthusiastic about what I have seen and heard thus far from my students. Detailed responses to in class questions and a genuine effort to succeed is being displayed. That is all I can generally ask of my students. Always try your best in whatever you do. If you work only half as hard, you get only half the results. No matter what the difficulties that arise happen to be, attempt to be a leader in your own educational experience. If you always put your best foot forward, you will reap the benefits later in life. Sometimes taking a big step forward comes after some smaller steps backwards. That is all part of the journey in education and the beauty of it. Sometimes the best learning experiences come from our failures and that makes all the difference.

Profound Truth

Niels Bohr (1922 nobel prize winner, theorist about atomic structure, and overall good person) once said that “The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.”

What does this statement mean to you? Why is it an extremely important quote to understand if you are a scientist or an 8th grade student learning about science? Respond to this blog here and/or turn in a copy of your statement to your instructor by September 4th. You may respond to another person's posting when you get the chance.

All Kids...Every Day!