Saturday, June 13, 2009

Why Did The Dryer Eat My Sock?

Have you ever had the feeling that the dryer ate your sock? You couldn't understand how your sock could just disappear into thin air. Later, you found your sock was under the bed and never made it to the washer or dryer. The mass of the sock had not disappeared into thin air.
The Law of Conservation of Mass states that mass cannot be created or destroyed. The object can be rearranged in space and changed into different particles.
The following is an example of an experiment showing that Iron (Fe) and Sulfur (Su), after being weighed and heated, has the same amount of chemical mass before the chemical reaction as it did after the chemical reaction resulting in the compound Iron 2 Sulfide. http://www.yteach.co.uk/page.php/resources/view_all?id=atom_atomic_mass_molecular_equation_calculation_relative_compound_page_0&from=search {please note you will have to "x" out of the demonstration page which covers the picture.}

The scientist Dr. Janet Conrad has a few words to explain The Law of Conservation of Mass resulting in the equation, E=mc2, (squared). Check this site out: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/expe-conrad.html.

The scientist Dr. Michio Kaku explains why energy and mass are the same or equal to each other. He also explains how he got interested in the atom. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/expe-kaku.html






Let's look under those beds for our socks. The socks are not destroyed!

Beam Me Up Scotty

All creatures great and small, all plants great and small, all the air that we breath and even in the science ficition show of Star Trek, are all made up or composed of atoms!
An atom is composed of a nucleus and an atomic cloud. The nucleus consists of nuetrons and protons. In the picture above, the nucleus is represented by the yellow ball and the atomic cloud is represented by the oval circles and the green, red, and blue balls.
Think about the atom like this, your house and the family members in your house are the nucleus. Your front and back yards with all your cars, trees, flowers, and family members in the yard are the atomic cloud.
Please watch this video clip of an atom's movement. http://flashden.net/item/atomic-animation/206
Here is another example of the hydrogen (H) and the Helium (He) atom moving by animation. http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~acarpi/NSC/3-atoms.htm

Here are a couple of scientists who helped with the Manhattan Project {this is when they invented the atomic bomb}. One of the scientists is Maria Goeppert-Mayer, who develope the shell structure model of atomic nuclei. Another one of the scientists who helped lead the Manhattan Project was J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Dr. Goeppert-Mayer was born on June 28, 1906 and died February 20, 1972. Dr. Oppenheimer was born April 22, 1904 and died February 18, 1967.
*****************************************
Parents, here is a game to help you and your child review the vocabulary words for the parts of the atom. http://education.jlab.org/vocabhangman/atoms_01/7.html. Here are the instructions for this site.
1. Scroll down to the pink heading that says, "Atoms and Matter".
2. Click the box nest to the title, "Basic Atom Structure (8)*".
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
4. Click on the blue sign that says, "I'm ready. Let's start.".
If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call the high school (658.4521), comment to me, or email me at denyce.scott@region16.net.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

MATTER, MATTER, EVERYWHERE

Look at your items in the home, what are they? The items that you have in your home, are they an element, a compound or a mixture? An element is pure chemical substance made up of one type of atom. A compound is made up of two or more elements. A mixture is two or more substances that are combined, but not chemically connected.


Is chocolate milk a compound or a mixture? If the chocolate milk can be separated into milk and chocolate syrup -- then the milk is a mixture. Is pure water a compound or a mixture? You cannot separate the pure water down to a further matter without applying scientific systems to the pure water -- then pure water is then a compound. Is the solid silver bracelet in the jewelry box is an element or a compound? Silver is an element.

Look at this cool, interactive Periodic Table. If your child would like, have them bookmark this page. The link is http://www.chemicalelements.com/. Keep this handy. I will also have this marked as a favorite on the computer in the Science lab. This interactive Periodic Table gives tons of information on the elements, and it might be fun to have all that knowledge about the element at your finger tips.

This site show you how hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O) combine to form water vapor (H2O): http://www.sunflowerlearning.com/files/animations/products/el.gif . This will show how two atoms can combine to form water.

Hey, try this experiment at home, and if you do not have any of the materials, then ask me and I will gladly send the materials home with your child. Now, get two drinking glasses. Make chocolate milk the way your household makes it. Next, take the second glass with a coffee filter on top (it helps if you will place the filter in a funnel or a strainer). Finally, pour the milk slowly over the filter. See how light the chocolate milk gets? This is an indication that this substance is a mixture.

This site will let you play a game of Battleship with your child: http://www.quia.com/ba/37404.html


See, Sounds, Smells & Safety!




To have a fun experience in the lab is to have the the rules of the Sci-monkey. Instead of hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil...... our Sci-monkey will hear all, see all, smell all and speak all.

Safety in the lab will allow your child to discover the wonders of Science. We will spend at least 40% of the Science class in the lab. We will try and get our hands full of the experiences of Science. Where are the fire blanket, the fire extinguisher, the fume hood and the eye wash station located? When are they to be used?

Here is a link for you to discover:

http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/Science/sciber00/safety/printout.htm. This is an example of some of the safety procedures we will be covering in class.

Check out this site and see if you can match the action in the lab to the lab apparatus or tool: http://www.quia.com/mc/65602.html.

Look at this picture and see how many rules of lab safety are being broken:



You should see 30 events of breaking the lab safety rules! Comment back to me and let me know how you liked the sites AND if you could find 15 of the 30 broken rules!

Now here was a scientist who educated the United States on the use of the DDT pesticide. She was able to start the scientific process of having the DDT pesticide banned: http://www.fws.gov/rachelcarson/kristen_cronon.html . Through her work, the United States was able to save hundred of thousands of lives by not exposing the population to DDT.

Glad You Are Here


Dear Students:
Glad You Are Here -- I Am Glad To Be Here!
My name is Mrs. Denyce Scott. The subjects of Biology, IPC and 7th Grade Science are the science courses that I have the honor of exploring with you this year. We will become lab techs together. Everyone can become that Sci-guy or Sci-gal with me.

Looking forward to the year together,
Mrs. Scott



Dear Parents:
Thank you for the chance to explore Science with your child. This is a site that will have class updates for your child. You will be able to see what we, as a class, are learning together. You will also be able to play the science games with your child and see what they are learning. Here is the link for the TEKS in IPC: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter112/ch112c.html#112.42.
If you have any concerns with your child in IPC, please do not hesitate to call me at the high school at this number: 658-4521 or email me at denyce.scott@region16.net.

Thankful for the opportunity,
Mrs. Denyce Scott