plasticity! :D

Recently in science class, we experimented with something called plasticity. We basically, simulated how the Earth's mantle moves. We made a mixture of water, corn starch, and food coloring. Adding the food coloring however, was optional. Mixing the water with the corn starch was slightly difficult. Once it was fully mixed, we were dealing with a substance that was half liquid and half solid. Our group mixed a little too much water in, however we were still able to see how this substance was both liquid and solid. When the starchy water was in our hands it was solid and when our fingers spread apart, it would slip through like a liquid. Actually, a drop of the mixture fell onto my shirt. After a a few seconds, the drop solidified. After a while, the water and corn starch actually dried onto my hands. The cleanup for this lab was different than usual. Using water on the tables would only make cleanup more difficult. Undoubtedly, doing this lab was an excellent way to see how the mantle moves.

October Sky

Recently, the Omega Unit has watched a movie called "October Sky". This movie features important connections to science and math. It also includes connections that can be made to character education and the C.A.R.E.S. acronym.

Character Education
C.A.R.E.S.
C.cooperation
A.assertion
R.responsibility
E.empathy
S.self-control

Several instances in "October Sky" had the viewers thinking about the aspects of character in the "C.A.R.E.S." acronym and other important facets of character. Some of these instances include:
-determination: Harvey showed absolute determination to learn about rockets in the beginning. Then he persisted and tested out different model rockets.
-respect: Homer respected the principal when he was questioned about his rocket in school, even though he already had a teacher's permission to bring it in.
-cooperation: The boys worked well together in the process of building the model rockets.
-responsibility: The boys took the responsibility of warning the train that the train tracks were unsafe to ride on.
-responsibility: Homer showed responsibility by temporarily dropping out of school to work on the mine in place of his father.

Science and Math Connections
Several science and math connections were made in "October Sky."
One connection to physical science is related to the rockets. The rockets that were launched in the sky had to come down because of gravity.
A connection that can be made to another type of science in this movie, is chemical science and the incident in the science classroom in the movie. A chemical reaction was made in the sink and caused a fire.
A math connection is made to parabolas. There was a parabola involved in the path of the flight of one of Homer's rockets.

Response to : Cystic Fibrosis

Blogger, Ashanima posted information on Cystic Fibrosis. Being that Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder, I feel that it the victims absolutely do not deserve to suffer the horrid consequences of this disease. Cystic Fibrosis causes the victim to die at the age of thirty-seven. That is a horribly young age to die at. The symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis are harsh on the individual. The fact that it causes 30,000 deaths annually is absolutely depressing. According to this blog, the pain that the individual has to withstand is unbearbable. All in all, I feel absolute sympathy for those affected by Cystic Fibrosis. They have done nothing to attain this disease, for it is simply in their alleles, and they must suffer a great deal.

Ashanima's Blog.

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome was discovered in 1959 by Jerome Lejuene. This gentleman discovered that Down Syndrome results from having an extra chromosome. Symptoms of Down Syndrome include certain heart malformations, short stature, weak muscles. They will have short, wide necks with excess fat and skin, short arms and legs. It can induce eye conditions and celiac disease. Down Syndrome occurs when there is a second, or even third copy of the twenty first chromosome. Treatments for this disease include vocational training. Vocational training can better the development of children with Down Syndrome. It is imperative that the child with Down Syndrome has regular medical checkups. The average lifespan of an individual with Down Syndrome is 49 years. Down Syndrome occurs one in every 733 live births. This would mean there would be about 5,429 cases per year. Currently, there are 400,000 people living with Down Syndrome in the United States. Down Syndrome can occur in people of all races and economic levels. However, Down Syndrome occurs more in births of children who have mothers under thirty-five years age. As mentioned before, at a "molecular" level Down Syndrome occurs when an individual has two or three copies of the twenty-first chromosome. Personally reflecting on the information on this condition, I feel that Down Syndrome is terrible. Especially since it can affect the victim, only by having an extra copy of a chromosome. I would love to find out more information on this genetic disorder. I hope that more can be found out on Down Syndrome in the subsequent years.