Plasticity Lab Conclusion

In science class, we did a lab which demonstrated plasticity. Plasticity is the ability to retain a shape attained by pressure deformation. The mixture we created in the lab was a solid, with characteristics of a liquid, because it flowed like a liquid, yet it was in the form of a solid. At first, it was white, but after we added the food coloring, it turned green. It was sticky, rubbery, and looked like silly putty. When handled, at first it was hard, but then it started to drip off your hand like a liquid would. If you kept it on there long enough, it would dry up again. If you pushed your finger in fast, the mixture stayed about the same. But if you pushed your finger in slow, it sank fast. This mixture was similar to the Earth's mantle because the mantle needed heat and pressure to become a sphere, just like the mixture did. This lab was so much fun! It was awesome to play with the "silly putty." I wish I could do it again!

October Sky Response

Last week, our unit watched "October Sky," a movie based on a true story. It took place in October of 1957 in Coalwood, West Virginia. It is focused on a boy named Homer, whose dad works in the coal mines. His father wants him to work there too someday, but is shocked to learn that his son suddenly finds an interest in rockets after seeing Sputnik in the night sky.

The first rocket was sent into space by Germany in 1942. It was a V2 missile. The first satellite was launched in 1957. It was called Sputnik. Two kinds of rockets are liquid fuel rockets, and solid fuel rockets. To learn more about rockets go to http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/cosmic_kids/AskKids/v2rocket.shtml and http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_different_types_of_rockets

In some states, coal mining is one of the most important industries. But it can also be very dangerous. At first, coal miners brought down canaries to see if there were any poisonous gases, because small birds are more sensitive to the air then we are. If the canary died, the miner would get out of there as soon as possible in order to save his life. Another danger is that sometimes a tunnel could collapse, or even worse, rocks can fall on you and you could get injured or die.

The characters in this movie showed many character traits. Homer and his three friends cooperated very well together, and they eventually found a rocket that worked and could be entered in the school science fair. I believe Homer's dad did not show respect towards his son's new interest in rockets because he was a drunk, and a very stubborn man. He really wanted Homer to follow in his footsteps, but I think Homer made the right decision because working in a coal mine all your life doesn't give you a sense of accomplishment. Homer was assertive with his dad because he knew he was making the right choice by sticking with something he loved. And look where he ended up, in NASA! Meanwhile, I think his dad wasted his whole life in a coal mine where he almost died.

I personally really liked this movie because it was touching and interesting. I felt kind of sad when Homer gave up his rocket dream and started working at the mine when he thought he started the forest fire. I was so happy when Homer learned that he didn't start the fire and then won the national science fair because I knew that he deserved it. I'm glad we watched this movie because I learned so much!

Response to Cystic Fibrosis

This blog was about cystic fibrosis. I learned many things from it, like most of the symptoms are in the lungs, pancreas, and liver. The skin can taste salty, and you can get pneumonia and bronchitis very easily. A genetic mutation stops the production of a protein in cells of the lungs, liver, and pancreas. I hope that scientists find a cure very soon, because this disease can affect your life span.

blog- http://simplybf16.blogspot.com/

Genetic Disorders- Fragile X Syndrome

Fragile X Syndrome was first discovered in the late 1970's. It is a genetic disease that causes mental retardation, autistic-like behavior, and ADHD. Some more minor symptoms are depression, very slurred or broken speech, and no attempt to verbal communication. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but there are various drugs that are used to help, such as antidepressants, sleeping medication, and anxiety medications. The good news for people with Fragile X Syndrome is that their life span is usually unaffected by it. In the world, this disease occurs in about 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females. Males are more vulnerable. The cause of it is cells that are mutated by the Fragile X Syndrome mental retardation gene, which contains the Fragile X Syndrome mental retardation protein. The mGluR Theory of Fragile X might lead to further treatments. FRAXA-funded scientists are currently studying animals, and trials of new compounds are being planned. A clinical trial of one drug is underway. I feel really bad for people with this disorder. I hope they find a cure very soon. For more information go to

http://www.ikm.jmu.edu/Buttsjl/ISAT493/Fragile%20X%20Syndrome/fragilexsymptoms.html

http://www.fraxa.org/research_summaryFindings.aspx

http://www.ikm.jmu.edu/Buttsjl/ISAT493/Fragile%20X%20Syndrome/fragilextreatment.html

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/943776-overview

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=fragilexsyndrome

http://news.bio-medicine.org/biology-news-2/The-Fragile-X-syndrome-protein-as-RNA-distribution-hub-5717-1/

http://www.fraxa.org/research_summaryFindings.aspx

Mammoth Skeleton Found

An almost complete skeleton of a Columbian mammoth was discovered on February 20th in Los Angeles while workers were digging for an underground parking garage near La Brea Tar Pits. Researchers from the Page Museum nearby named it "Zed." Zed died in its 40's about 4o,ooo years ago. It supposedly became stuck in a tar pit along a river bed and died of exhaustion or starvation. His skeleton remained intact because soon after he died he was washed away by a flood, and then covered by enough sediment to keep predators from eating the carcass. This discovery is going to double the size of the museum's collection. "He's really big compared to the mammoths we've recovered from La Brea before," said laboratory supervisor Shelley Cox.

I think that uncovering such a complete skeleton sounds awesome! I would love to see it! For more information visit http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090220/sc_nm/us_mammoth;_ylt=AqbBDTQ3aix7eLvYiXfEbV8PLBIF

Gaza Reconstruction

This article is about the reconstruction of Gaza, which will likely top $900 million. Hillary Clinton will also be leaving soon to go there. Organizations such as the United Nations are trying to help. Reconciliation talks are going to start in Egypt on Wednesday between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. Abbas said, " This (new unity) government must have the acceptance and recognition of all parties."

I think it's good that people are reaching out to help Gaza. I'm excitied that Hillary Clinton will be traveling to the Middle East soon. Hopefully she can make things change. For more information go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090224/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_us;_ylt=Alqs5lnMPfH5hjeMxiCxH5VvaA8F

My Roller Coaster Website

The Leaning Tower of Terror

Roller Coasters

In class, we are building roller coasters. Some of this has to do with kinetic and potential energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Potential energy is the energy of position. Roller coasters also deal with Newton's laws of motion. His first law states that an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion at constant velocity unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. Newton's second law explains how force, mass, and acceleration are related. The third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Some new facts I learned from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion were that Newton gave credit to Galileo for his first law. I also learned that another name for his third law is law of reciprocal actions, and that inertia was described in the third century BC by the Chinese philosopher Mo Tzu.

I think that building roller coasters is fun and educational at the same time. It is also challenging because it's tricky when the marble doesn't make it through. I think that energy and Newton's laws apply a lot to what we're doing.

Minor Earthquake in Morris County

Scientists reported an earthquake in Morris County, NJ on Monday night. Fortunately it was minor; just a 3.0 magnitude one. Lauren Roman, a victim of the earthquake, said, "It just started like vibrating, the whole house was vibrating." Seismologists say that tremors like this one occur about once every five years. One seismologist, Leonardo Seeber, said that, "There might be aftershocks in the next several days." Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

I was kind of shocked to hear about this earthquake, especially since we don't get many around here. We were pretty lucky to not experience it. I was surprised to learn that the largest quake ever in our area was a 5.0 in 1884. I'm just glad that nobody got hurt. To learn more go to http://www.wpix.com/landing/?blockID=203648&feedID=1404

Solar Eclipse in the Indian Ocean

This coming Monday, an annular solar eclipse will occur. But you can only see it if you travel to the Indian Ocean. An annular eclipse happens when the Moon does not completely cover the Sun's surface, resulting in a ring-like crown of solar light. There will only be one of these amazing events this year. The next annular eclipse won't be until January 15, 2010.

Wow! This sounds really interesting to watch, but unfortunately I'm not traveling to the Indian Ocean any time soon. I hope one will eventually occur near New Jersey. For more information, go to http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090123/sc_afp/spaceastronomyeclipseasiaafrica;_ylt=Ar0SXzZxmPnf5N3Ehv6pvx2HgsgF

Our First Black President!

Article #1) This article from http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/obama.inauguration/index.html was about the inauguration of our first black president, Barack Obama. It talked about the huge crowds that gathered by the National Mall, and Obama's touching speech. Then it went on to say how he said good-bye to Bush and about the lunch-in. Later, he rode in a car down Pennsylvania Avenue in a parade to the White House. That night Obama attended ten balls with his family.

I think it's great to have the first black president. I bet lots of blacks around the country are celebrating. I absolutely loved Obama's speech. It sounded like he knew just what to do. A quote from his speech that was in the article is "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious, and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met." I love this quote because it gives a positive vibe. I am now a big fan of Obama, and I believe he is the solution to America's problems.

Article #2) This article from http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/inauguration.balls/index.html?iref=newssearch was about the ten different balls that Obama and his family attended. Each one had a different name. A few were the Neighborhood Ball, Home State Ball, Youth Inaugural Ball and Commander-in-Chief Ball. The article also said who was at each ball and who sponsored it.

I would love to attend a ball with Obama! But going to ten sounds a little tiring and boring. A question I have is who sang at the balls besides the Neighborhood Ball? A quote that Obama said in the article is "First of all, how good-looking is my wife?" Speaking of Michelle, I loved her dress! I hope Obama had fun and is ready to be president!

More About Waves

In science class, we are learning about waves. The basic properties of waves are amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and speed. Amplitude is the maximum distance that the particles of the medium carrying the wave move away from their rest positions. Wavelength is the distance between two corresponding parts of a wave. Frequency is the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time. It is measured in units called hertz. Speed is how far the wave travels in a given length of time. The high part of a wave is called the crest, and the low part is called the trough. A new fact that I learned from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waves, is that all waves experience reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, dispersion, and rectilinear propagation. I also learned that a standing or stationary wave is a wave that remains in a constant position.

I think that learning about all kinds of waves is fun because there are so many kinds of waves. There are transverse, electromagnetic, seismic, and gravitational waves. I hope to learn even more over the next few days.