I was not here for a lot of the important things that we learned about light this week. From reading Geoffrey's blog I know now that we learned about the electromagnetic spectrum (I actually do remember being taught this). We also learned that humans can see only three colors which are red, green and blue. We also learned about how light refracts and reflects through and off of surfaces.
The electromagnetic spectrum consists of the longest waves to the smallest waves. It goes radio, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x rays and finally gamma rays. We only see a tiny fraction of the entire electromagnetic spectrum.
According to Geoffrey's blog, we can only see blue, red and green. But when you combine the colors, that's when you start to get the different hues and colors. I also know that if something is in front of a light source, it will create a shadow because it is blocking the light waves from shining there.
Also from Geoffrey's blog light can refract and reflect. When light refracts, it bends. When light reflects, it bounces off of a surface. Refraction mostly happens in water.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Week 30 reflection
I missed three class periods this week because of AP tests and such. So I can only talk about a few things for week 30. What we did do this week is learn about sound waves. We also went outside and did an experiment with the cement decorations outside to show how the waves bounce off and amplify.
We learned that the speed of sound is about 356 meters per second ( I think I may be wrong but that's what I thought it was). We saw that distance affected when you saw the sound and when you heard it. We watched a video where Steve Elliot was clapping wood blocks together and was walking backwards. The farther he got down the field, the later the sound came after we saw him clap the blocks together.
The experiment that we did this week was we went outside to the cement decorations outside of the school and talked to them. What happened was it amplified our voices and made sound like we were talking into a microphone. We were told that when you talk into a space that can bounce the sound waves together, what you get is an amplifying affect that makes the sound louder.
I thought that this week I got what was being taught to me. Even though I missed a majority of class this week, I feel like I still learned something. I thought that the microphone experiment was cool because I didn't think that it would work.
We learned that the speed of sound is about 356 meters per second ( I think I may be wrong but that's what I thought it was). We saw that distance affected when you saw the sound and when you heard it. We watched a video where Steve Elliot was clapping wood blocks together and was walking backwards. The farther he got down the field, the later the sound came after we saw him clap the blocks together.
The experiment that we did this week was we went outside to the cement decorations outside of the school and talked to them. What happened was it amplified our voices and made sound like we were talking into a microphone. We were told that when you talk into a space that can bounce the sound waves together, what you get is an amplifying affect that makes the sound louder.
I thought that this week I got what was being taught to me. Even though I missed a majority of class this week, I feel like I still learned something. I thought that the microphone experiment was cool because I didn't think that it would work.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Week 29 Reflection
This week, we started a new unit on waves. We learned about transverse and longitudinal waves. Also how those wave can either have measures of amplitude, frequency and wavelength or compression and rarefactions. To demonstrate these measurements, we did an experiment with slinkies and we watched the energy go through them.
We learned that longitudinal waves are like slinkies. The movement is in the same direction that the energy is being transferred. Longitudinal waves go through compression (shrinking) and rarefaction (expanding). You can see the compression and rarefaction in slinkies if you send a pulse of energy through them.
Transverse waves are different from longitudinal waves in the way that their movement goes up and down while the energy goes straight through them. These are the waves where you can measure things like amplitude and wavelength.
The experiment that we did this week was where we took slinkies and waved them side to side. It created a transverse wave. From that we measured the period for one wave to go through the slinky.
We could even measure the amplitude if we wanted to because we could see how big the wave got.
I think I did alright this week. I get most of what we've been taught about waves so I figure that I'm in good shape.
We learned that longitudinal waves are like slinkies. The movement is in the same direction that the energy is being transferred. Longitudinal waves go through compression (shrinking) and rarefaction (expanding). You can see the compression and rarefaction in slinkies if you send a pulse of energy through them.
Transverse waves are different from longitudinal waves in the way that their movement goes up and down while the energy goes straight through them. These are the waves where you can measure things like amplitude and wavelength.
The experiment that we did this week was where we took slinkies and waved them side to side. It created a transverse wave. From that we measured the period for one wave to go through the slinky.
We could even measure the amplitude if we wanted to because we could see how big the wave got.
I think I did alright this week. I get most of what we've been taught about waves so I figure that I'm in good shape.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Week 28 Reflection
This week we learned more about momentum and the transfer of energy. We also used this new thing called gosoapbox that I thought was a great idea personally. It was nice that throughout the class period you could answer questions about the lesson that the teacher puts up there. I remember that we had to do a lab that involved using that website and looking things up online. I think that it's a great idea.
The entire week we were working on our Newton Cradles. They were due on Thursday and we had to present them on Friday. I think Devin and I's project worked pretty well. We used ping pong balls that had needles stuck in them for eyelets for the string. We cut out an old shoebox and used that for the frame.
We were told that the more rigid the object is, the more efficiently it transfers energy. Even though ping pong balls are necessarily the most rigid objects, the still transferred the energy well. We could do all the tricks that we were supposed to do. We could drop 1, 2 and both ping pongs from both ends and have good results.
This week also involved the new soapbox website that we used. The lab that we had to do with it involved us watching a video that Mr. Abud made I think explained what an impulse was and then he asked us a question at the end that we had to answer on twitter. (I'm taking that from memory, so I am probably wrong but that's what I thought it was talking about.) I feel like we should use gosoapbox more often.
The entire week we were working on our Newton Cradles. They were due on Thursday and we had to present them on Friday. I think Devin and I's project worked pretty well. We used ping pong balls that had needles stuck in them for eyelets for the string. We cut out an old shoebox and used that for the frame.
We were told that the more rigid the object is, the more efficiently it transfers energy. Even though ping pong balls are necessarily the most rigid objects, the still transferred the energy well. We could do all the tricks that we were supposed to do. We could drop 1, 2 and both ping pongs from both ends and have good results.
This week also involved the new soapbox website that we used. The lab that we had to do with it involved us watching a video that Mr. Abud made I think explained what an impulse was and then he asked us a question at the end that we had to answer on twitter. (I'm taking that from memory, so I am probably wrong but that's what I thought it was talking about.) I feel like we should use gosoapbox more often.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Week 27 Reflection
This week was all about momentum and energy transfer. We have a project that is due on thursday that involves us making a Newtons Cradle to demonstrate what we are learning. We also worked with the cars on the track to demonstrate how momentum is transferred to another object.
Momentum is the movement after a force has been applied to an object. So if I push a ball on the floor and nothing else pushes the ball afterward, its momentum is carrying it. We also did work with "Momentum Blocks". You take the velocity of the object in meters/seconds and put that one side of the block and then you take the mass in kilograms and put it on the other side and multiply them. That is how you get your momentum in kg/meters/second.
This project that we are doing will be a good way to demonstrate transfer of momentum. The more rigid the spheres are, the better the transfer. I know that if you apply a force to a sphere (in this case gravity) it will hit the sphere next to it and start a transfer in momentum until it reaches the last sphere which isn't blocked by anything. This is where it gets its motion from.
This week we also worked with the cars on the tracks to demonstrate what the transfer of momentum looked like with two things that could freely move and weren't blocked by anything. We pushed one car into the other and observed what happened. What happened was usually the car that was hit would take off and the other car would stop completely. This is because the car that was hit took all of the energy and left the other car with nothing.
I think that this week was very succesful. I believe that I got everything that was taught to me. I'm pretty sure that I had some trouble with certain things on the exam, but I think I did fairly well, just by judging from taking the test.
Momentum is the movement after a force has been applied to an object. So if I push a ball on the floor and nothing else pushes the ball afterward, its momentum is carrying it. We also did work with "Momentum Blocks". You take the velocity of the object in meters/seconds and put that one side of the block and then you take the mass in kilograms and put it on the other side and multiply them. That is how you get your momentum in kg/meters/second.
This project that we are doing will be a good way to demonstrate transfer of momentum. The more rigid the spheres are, the better the transfer. I know that if you apply a force to a sphere (in this case gravity) it will hit the sphere next to it and start a transfer in momentum until it reaches the last sphere which isn't blocked by anything. This is where it gets its motion from.
This week we also worked with the cars on the tracks to demonstrate what the transfer of momentum looked like with two things that could freely move and weren't blocked by anything. We pushed one car into the other and observed what happened. What happened was usually the car that was hit would take off and the other car would stop completely. This is because the car that was hit took all of the energy and left the other car with nothing.
I think that this week was very succesful. I believe that I got everything that was taught to me. I'm pretty sure that I had some trouble with certain things on the exam, but I think I did fairly well, just by judging from taking the test.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Week 26 Reflection
This week we learned more about energy and how to calculate it. We learned what joules, watts and power is. We also used the results of an experiment that we did last week to get practice on finding joules, watts and power. The experiment was where we had our class run up the stairs in groups and time themselves. Using these measurements, we could find joules, watts and power.
We learned that joules are a measure of energy. You find it by doing the equation massXgravityXheight. To get watts you just divide that whole equation by the time. Finally to get the horsepower, you multiply the watts by 0.0013. We also learned that power is a rate of joules/time.
The experiment where we had people run up the stairs really helped me learn about joules, watts and horsepower. Everyone timed how fast they could run up the stairs and we put everything into the equation to get joules. It all started to make sense to me when everything had a place in its equation and we could get a number that represented the energy.
We also had an assesment this week. It was about everything that we had learned about energy. I was very thankful for the review the day before because there were still some things that I hadn't really understood up until then. Things like the fact that power is a rate and not a unit and the difference between power and work.
We learned that joules are a measure of energy. You find it by doing the equation massXgravityXheight. To get watts you just divide that whole equation by the time. Finally to get the horsepower, you multiply the watts by 0.0013. We also learned that power is a rate of joules/time.
The experiment where we had people run up the stairs really helped me learn about joules, watts and horsepower. Everyone timed how fast they could run up the stairs and we put everything into the equation to get joules. It all started to make sense to me when everything had a place in its equation and we could get a number that represented the energy.
We also had an assesment this week. It was about everything that we had learned about energy. I was very thankful for the review the day before because there were still some things that I hadn't really understood up until then. Things like the fact that power is a rate and not a unit and the difference between power and work.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Week 24 Reflection
1. Some factors that could have made the boat sink: if the tape was not pressed on tight enough or was coming off in some places. This could expose seams that let water in.
If there were any cuts in the cardboard. This could disable the waterproof outside by letting the inside meet water.
If it was not stable enough to handle the weight of two people. This could cause the boat to sink because of the sheer weight from the people.
2. To stay afloat, you must have a wide enough base to distribute the weight of the sailors. You must also duct tape every seam so that water has no chance of getting into your boat and sinking it. Also, having a flat bottom helps to distribute the weight and make it easy to climb into and keep in balance.
3. The knowledge of the lowest center of mass is most stable is very important because the captain is in charge of directing the building of the boat, so making a design that includes that principle is essential for making the boat float.
4. Our groups boat sunk at the starting line due to small cut that had appeared in the side of the box. We didn't have any ductape to fix it with, and it ended up being our downfall. Other than that, we had a very strongly built boat.
5. I think that the best rowing technique is to have the two sailors alternate on which side they paddle. This way, it keeps the boat fairly straight.
6. What I would do differently is that I would put pieces of cardboard on the creases in the cardboard and tape them to have an even stronger frame for the boat. And pack extra ductape.
If there were any cuts in the cardboard. This could disable the waterproof outside by letting the inside meet water.
If it was not stable enough to handle the weight of two people. This could cause the boat to sink because of the sheer weight from the people.
2. To stay afloat, you must have a wide enough base to distribute the weight of the sailors. You must also duct tape every seam so that water has no chance of getting into your boat and sinking it. Also, having a flat bottom helps to distribute the weight and make it easy to climb into and keep in balance.
3. The knowledge of the lowest center of mass is most stable is very important because the captain is in charge of directing the building of the boat, so making a design that includes that principle is essential for making the boat float.
4. Our groups boat sunk at the starting line due to small cut that had appeared in the side of the box. We didn't have any ductape to fix it with, and it ended up being our downfall. Other than that, we had a very strongly built boat.
5. I think that the best rowing technique is to have the two sailors alternate on which side they paddle. This way, it keeps the boat fairly straight.
6. What I would do differently is that I would put pieces of cardboard on the creases in the cardboard and tape them to have an even stronger frame for the boat. And pack extra ductape.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Week 23 Reflection
This week we mostly discussed how energy is transferred to different objects. We used a demonstration with a bowling ball and a string to show how energy dissapates. Also, this weeks lab was testing to get measurements on a car that bounced off of walls on each side of the track.
The demonstration showed that energy will constantly leave an object if no other force is acting on it. If you swing a bowling ball by a string and release it from a certain point, it will not return to that point because some of the energy had dissipated from it and it is not swing with as much force as it originally had.
We also learned that you can feel, hear and even see energy dissapating into another object. Like if you get hit with a ball, the bruise that you get is a result of the energy from the ball affecting the nerves in your arm. You can see energy dissipating by seeing if another object moves after being hit by something else. Hearing energy dissipate is like when you shoot a basketball and it makes a clanking sound off of the rim because you missed.
This lab that we did this week involved us measuring the distance traveled by a car on a track that bounced off of walls. We had to measure the distance within two seconds. Then we had to make LOL graphs that showed where all the energy was at the time of each of the 5 trials. This lab helped me get that the more potential you put into something, the farther it will go.
I believe that I get everything thats being taught this week. I found it really interesting that dissipated energy came in the form of sound. Actually, this whole energy unit that we're doing now is pretty interesting.
The demonstration showed that energy will constantly leave an object if no other force is acting on it. If you swing a bowling ball by a string and release it from a certain point, it will not return to that point because some of the energy had dissipated from it and it is not swing with as much force as it originally had.
We also learned that you can feel, hear and even see energy dissapating into another object. Like if you get hit with a ball, the bruise that you get is a result of the energy from the ball affecting the nerves in your arm. You can see energy dissipating by seeing if another object moves after being hit by something else. Hearing energy dissipate is like when you shoot a basketball and it makes a clanking sound off of the rim because you missed.
This lab that we did this week involved us measuring the distance traveled by a car on a track that bounced off of walls. We had to measure the distance within two seconds. Then we had to make LOL graphs that showed where all the energy was at the time of each of the 5 trials. This lab helped me get that the more potential you put into something, the farther it will go.
I believe that I get everything thats being taught this week. I found it really interesting that dissipated energy came in the form of sound. Actually, this whole energy unit that we're doing now is pretty interesting.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Week 22 Reflection
This week is kind of hard to write about since the lowerclassmen had their tests this week. But we did investigate more about how to build our cardboard boats. We also had a lab at the end of the week that allowed us to experiment with surface area and the amount of weight it holds.
I was told this week that if we have a wide surface area on our boats, it will be able to hold and distribute the weight better. But, if it's too wide and there is not enough weight it will sit on top of the water. This will make it hard to steer since there is no water pressure. If it sits to far under the water, then it will be to hard to steer because of all of the waters force on the boat.
This lab that we did on friday was a great example of how the boat takes and distributes weight. If you had a large surface area and a strong bottom, then it would stay afloat. You had to make sure that all of the seams were sealed because water leaking in was the boats downfall.
I believe that I have an idea of what I want our boat to look like. I know that it should have a flat bottom to hold our weight. It should also sink just far enough into the water to give us enough pressure to steer.
I was told this week that if we have a wide surface area on our boats, it will be able to hold and distribute the weight better. But, if it's too wide and there is not enough weight it will sit on top of the water. This will make it hard to steer since there is no water pressure. If it sits to far under the water, then it will be to hard to steer because of all of the waters force on the boat.
This lab that we did on friday was a great example of how the boat takes and distributes weight. If you had a large surface area and a strong bottom, then it would stay afloat. You had to make sure that all of the seams were sealed because water leaking in was the boats downfall.
I believe that I have an idea of what I want our boat to look like. I know that it should have a flat bottom to hold our weight. It should also sink just far enough into the water to give us enough pressure to steer.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Week 20 Blog Reflection
This week we spent a lot of time dicussing the topic of the centripital paths of the moon and the earth around the moon. We tried to get if the moon orbited around the earth or the sun. To demonstrate this we tried to use some kids from our class and have them move like cars passing each other in lanes.
So from all of the discussing that we did this week, we learned that the earth orbits the sun. The moon also orbits the sun. We learned that the path of the moon makes a certain "flower" shape if we trace it. It is constantly being pulled by the sun and then pulled back by the earth. So the path of the moon is not orbiting the earth, rather it's always "speeding" past the earth and then "slowing" down and getting back in the fast lane.
The demonstration that we did for this concept was we took kids from our class and we had one be the sun, and the other two be the moon and earth. We had the earth student orbit the sun at a constant speed. Then we had the moon student go on the outside and pass the earth, then move in between the earth and sun and slow down. This would continue to make the moons path.
This week was pretty successful I think. I now know that the moon, along with the earth, revolves around the sun. All of the other things that we were being taught this week I understand well, so I don't really have any questions yet. The coolest thing about this week is that we were talking about centripital motion with a car attached to a string and now we're talking about centripital motion with things as big as planets.
So from all of the discussing that we did this week, we learned that the earth orbits the sun. The moon also orbits the sun. We learned that the path of the moon makes a certain "flower" shape if we trace it. It is constantly being pulled by the sun and then pulled back by the earth. So the path of the moon is not orbiting the earth, rather it's always "speeding" past the earth and then "slowing" down and getting back in the fast lane.
The demonstration that we did for this concept was we took kids from our class and we had one be the sun, and the other two be the moon and earth. We had the earth student orbit the sun at a constant speed. Then we had the moon student go on the outside and pass the earth, then move in between the earth and sun and slow down. This would continue to make the moons path.
This week was pretty successful I think. I now know that the moon, along with the earth, revolves around the sun. All of the other things that we were being taught this week I understand well, so I don't really have any questions yet. The coolest thing about this week is that we were talking about centripital motion with a car attached to a string and now we're talking about centripital motion with things as big as planets.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Week 19 Blog Reflection
This week, we learned more about centripital force and now how it affects planets. We learned how the planets orbit around the sun and how our moon also orbits the sun but gets pulled back by the earth. The movement of the planets is just like how things on earth move in a circle on earth.
I know that centripital force is when somethings acceleration is going towards the center of the circle but their inertia wants them to travel tangent to the circle. This is why you get the circular pattern. This is because it is now traveling in between those to directions.
The same kind of thing is happening to the planets right now. As we orbit around the sun, we are being pulled in by it, but are inertia wants it to travel tangential to the orbit. The moons orbit is a little weird because it is orbiting around the sun but it also gets pulled by the earth. So it resembles a car that is constantly trying to pass another car.
We looked at a demonstration of the planets and the moons motion on the computer. That demonstration really helped me learn what the orbit looked like. I believe that I get all thats being taught right now so I don't have any questions yet.
I know that centripital force is when somethings acceleration is going towards the center of the circle but their inertia wants them to travel tangent to the circle. This is why you get the circular pattern. This is because it is now traveling in between those to directions.
The same kind of thing is happening to the planets right now. As we orbit around the sun, we are being pulled in by it, but are inertia wants it to travel tangential to the orbit. The moons orbit is a little weird because it is orbiting around the sun but it also gets pulled by the earth. So it resembles a car that is constantly trying to pass another car.
We looked at a demonstration of the planets and the moons motion on the computer. That demonstration really helped me learn what the orbit looked like. I believe that I get all thats being taught right now so I don't have any questions yet.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Week 18 Reflection
This week we learned about centripital force. Centripital force is an unbalanced force that is pulling towards the center. An object wants to keep going in the direction that it's headed but it is constantly being pulled towards the center by another force. Thats why if you spin a yo yo around your finger and then you let it go, it will fly in the direction it wants to go.
We demonstrated centripital force by tying up a car that moves in one direction at a constant speed to a pole that was always pulling on it. The car wanted to go straight but it couldn't because of the string that was attached to the pole. But when Mr. Abud cut the string, the car went in a straight direction.
We also demonstrated this by swinging a ball with a string and letting it go. When Mr. Abud let it go when it reached the south position, it flew west. When he let it go in the north position, it flew east. This demonstrated centripital force really well.
We did an experiment where we took a stopper attached to some weights and had a PVC pipe in between them and had to time a full period. A period is one full revolution of the stopper. We also had to measure the radius. All these measurements were to see how fast it went each revolution.
I believe that this week went well. I understand most of what was taught to me. I'm not too sure how I did on the assesment because I wasn't familiar with everything.
We demonstrated centripital force by tying up a car that moves in one direction at a constant speed to a pole that was always pulling on it. The car wanted to go straight but it couldn't because of the string that was attached to the pole. But when Mr. Abud cut the string, the car went in a straight direction.
We also demonstrated this by swinging a ball with a string and letting it go. When Mr. Abud let it go when it reached the south position, it flew west. When he let it go in the north position, it flew east. This demonstrated centripital force really well.
We did an experiment where we took a stopper attached to some weights and had a PVC pipe in between them and had to time a full period. A period is one full revolution of the stopper. We also had to measure the radius. All these measurements were to see how fast it went each revolution.
I believe that this week went well. I understand most of what was taught to me. I'm not too sure how I did on the assesment because I wasn't familiar with everything.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Week 16 Reflection
This week we were learning about the motion of a freefalling object. This invovled knowing how much gravity affected the velocity of the object. We also studied the motion of an object that is shot into the air and when it comes back down. We had to write an equation that involved knowing the velocity, how much time it took to shoot up and come down, and the initial and final position.
This week, to demonstrate free falling objects, we took an air powered rocket outside and we shot it up into the air while timing it. Since it was a clear day with not alot of wind, the rockets usually would stay pretty close to where they were launched. We gathered all of this data and then went back inside to plug it all into an equation.
The equation was to find the velocity of the rocket on it's way up and down. You would adjust the equation to find the velocity either on its way up or down. To adjust it, we would switch the initial and final positions numbers and the time it took to reach the top of its arc or hit the ground.
We also had a reassesment this week. I'm not sure how I did because there is still things that I don't fully get and know how to apply. I'm still not sure about how to really do the graphs like acceleration and velocity graphs and how they correlate with each other.
This week, to demonstrate free falling objects, we took an air powered rocket outside and we shot it up into the air while timing it. Since it was a clear day with not alot of wind, the rockets usually would stay pretty close to where they were launched. We gathered all of this data and then went back inside to plug it all into an equation.
The equation was to find the velocity of the rocket on it's way up and down. You would adjust the equation to find the velocity either on its way up or down. To adjust it, we would switch the initial and final positions numbers and the time it took to reach the top of its arc or hit the ground.
We also had a reassesment this week. I'm not sure how I did because there is still things that I don't fully get and know how to apply. I'm still not sure about how to really do the graphs like acceleration and velocity graphs and how they correlate with each other.
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