Labs

This past week in class we have done many different labs. These labs included observing a candle, pouring a gas, marshmallow fun, and observing change in matter. The first lab, burning a candle, was to help us understand chemical changes. When we lit the candle on fire the flame reacted with the candle. We knew this was a chemical change because the two elements formed a new element, smoke.
   BURNING CANDLE PHOTO
 Next the lab, pouring a gas, was another chemical change lab also. It showed us how alka seltzer reacted with water to form CO2. We then poured it onto the flame so we could see how a flame needs oxygen to burn and not CO2.
  POURING CO2 PHOTO
Our third lab was called marshmallow fun. This also showed us a chemical change while having fun. When put in the flame the sugar in the marshmallow burned and left a bitter taste. We also got to eat the marshmallows when we were done, so it was pretty fun.
      BURNT MARSHMALLOW PHOTO
Our final lab was observing change in matter. This showed us both physical and chemical change. First we crushed a sugar cube and let it dissolve in water. We knew that this was a physical change because we could still taste that the sugar was present. Finally we burned sugar over a bunson burner. When we finished burning the sugar we knew that it was a chemical change by 1) the new product that we got was CO2 and 2) it definitely didn't taste like sugar anymore.
   BURNT SUGAR PHOTO

In science class we had to seperate these seven things while they were in a cup, and then right out our  procedure.                                       
Items:                                              Tools:
salt                                                  scissor like grabber
water                                               magnet 
tooth picks                                        spoon  
beans                                               filter 
metal filings                                      graduated  cylinder
sand                                                 beaker
clear oval rock                                  hotplate

Procedure: First we took the scissor like grabber and removed the tooth picks. Then we used the magnet and removed all of the metal filings. Next we used the spoon to remove the beans and clear oval rock. After that we poured the water onto the filter and into the beaker, so we seperated the salt water from the sand. Finally we used the hotplate to evaporate the water and seperate the salt.

metal filings on magnet      graduated cylinder                                      hot plate                     

Fog Dissection

In class we had been studying all of the life systems. At first  we learned the function of each system, and then we learned how they are all connected. To better to understand how all of the systems are connected, we dissected a frog. We dissected frogs because  their organ structure is very similar to humans. This was very helpful because it really helped me see how everything is connected. I could really see how the organs are all connected to each other, and how they work together. I could tell how if one system failed all would stop working. For example if the digestive system stopped working then the rest of the body wouldn't get nutrients and all of the systems would fail. It also helped show the location of the organs in the body. This lab was very helpful and it helped me better understand the organ systems, their functions, and how they are all connected.
More information
Virtual Dissection
Frog Organs Picture
Human Organs Picture

Chicken Wing Dissection

In sccience we watched our teacher dissect a chicken wing to show us the different kinds of tissue. The four different types of tissue that we learned about are epithelial which covers and protects, muscle which make your body move, connective which support and protect, and nervous which send commands from your brain to other parts of your body. Epithelial tissue found in the chicken was the skin, because it covers and protects the cell. Muscle tissue was the triceps and biceps because, they make the wing move. Connective tissue was the bones, because they supported the wing. Nervous tissue was the nerves in the wing, because it gave messages from the brain to the wing. This was a fun lab to watch and helped me better understand the different types of tissue.

First Lab

Today in class we had our first lab. We have been studying cells so our teacher made this lab to show us how cell membranes only let in certain substances. First we put corn starch in a plastic bag to simulate the cell membrane, and the corn startch was to indicate when the iodine got past the "cell membrane". Then we put the bag in a beaker full of water with a few drops of iodine mixed in. What was supposed to happen was that the iodine would go through the bag, to simulate a substance going throught the cell membrane, and turn the cornstartch purple. This didn't work out in our class because the plastic bag was to strong to let the iodine in. By the end of class we only got the very bottom of the bag to turn light purple. I had fun during the lab and learning about cells. I hope that the next time we do this the cornstartch turns purple.

The Claim: Playing a Wind Instrument Causes Respiratory Infection

For years people have  thought that playing an instrument could lead to a higher risk of sore throat or airway inflammation. Research suggested that saliva and micro organisms could build and get blown deeper in the instrument.  Until now scientists didn't know  if the germs could survive long enough to make someone sick. The International Journal of Environmental Health Research, Tufts University scientists tested 20 instruments — flutes, clarinets, trumpets and saxophones. All were found to harbor living bacteria, mold and yeast, some of which survived for several days. Wooden reeds and mouthpieces had the most contamination. Researchers have not been looking at infection rates in musicians there have been numerous reports of lung problems linked to instruments. Such as a 35-year-old trombone player who had suffered a bad cough for 15 years; it went away after he started disinfecting the instrument with rubbing alcohol, and a 67-year-old saxophonist with shortness of breath saw the problem disappear after he made a habit of washing his mouthpiece. a 67-year-old saxophonist with shortness of breath saw the problem disappear after he made a habit of washing his mouthpiece. In the end Certain instruments can raise the risk of infections if not routinely cleaned.


I think that this article shows the need for hygiene. For example if nobody cleans an instrument that they share it can end up getting many people sick. It also suprises me that no one thought to clean their instrument by them selves. This is a problem that can be easily prevented and should be.
nytimes.com

Endeavour Lifts Off on Its Final Flight

At 8:56 a.m. on May 16th at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Endeavor space ship took off to reveal the secrets of the universe. The ship contained a 6 man crew commanded by Captin Mark E. Kelly. This was the second attempt because of an electrical short circuit on April 29th. The crew is going to install a $2 billion giant doughnut shaped magnet, on the International Space Station, that will sift through cosmic particles to find evidence of dark matter. It weighs almost 8 tons and is made to last as long as the space sation, untill around 2025. It will create a strong magnetic field that will push away cosmic particles and an array of detectors will analyze the deflection and will hopefully discover new particles.


I think this is a good idea, because if we discover dark matter does exist we would be able to someday use it to discover new galaxies. We might even be able to find planets that are similar to earth. It would also not waste years of research.
nytimes.com