Tests

Test 1: Magnet Racers

       My partner for the magnet racer was Connor. The first thing we did before anything else was either if we wanted to build a car that we pulled with the magnetic force or push using the magnetic force. We choose the pushing method because we knew that the pulling method wouldn't go that fast even though it was easier to keep the car straight. Then we started building the car. We made the car so that the weight was distributed more towards the front of the car which would cause its acceleration to keep increasing after the initial force is applied and then taken away. To make the weight more towards the front of the car, we used bigger wheels in the back and smaller wheels in the front. We then stabilized the back wheels by attaching two metal rods to the shaft of the axel. This pretty much fixed that problem. Then we calculated the acceleration of the car. Then we found the amount of force we were using. This allowed us to find the proper mass that we needed for our car because the formula for force is... 

FORCE = MASS * ACCELERATION

Test 2: Container for Camera in Space

       Ashely, Aalia, and I worked as a group to make a container for the Camera in Space project. Our design that we came up with was to use two koozies that we would put together so they formed a cylinder. Later in the process we added more compartments so that it no longer looked like a cylinder but a double-sided mallet hammer. To keep the koozies together we used duct tape and packing tape. The phone and the flip camera had bubble wrap around them to keep them safe and secure so that it didn't move around inside the container. Before we surrounded those two items with bubble wrap, we popped all of the bubbles because in space, if the bubbles were still inflated, they would have eventually popped and this would've caused problems with the camera of the phone and the flip camera. We had an idea to put cardboard around the koozie container if it failed to protect the cameras alone but it was never necessary to use the cardboard because the container worked very well. When we dropped the container from the box at the top of the new gym, it passed the test! The container absorbed the shock from the impact of the fall and the cameras were unharmed. It did take us a couple of classes to fix the confinement of the cameras so that they wouldn't move one inch when the container was dropped, but we eventually secured it. In the end, we wrapped the whole container in duct tape. The flip camera was in the middle compartment. The GPS (which was the iphone) was in the middle compartment as well, and the two compartments on the sides were for either one camera and another flip camera or two cameras. The good part about our container was that it was one of the lightest containers made out of all of the other ones. This is a major factor we had to make sure to take into account for when we were building the container because if it was too heavy it would fall back down too soon and if it was too light it would've gone up too quickly which would've had a negative effect on the container. 

Test 3: Balloon Racer

     My group for the balloon racer was Gray and Elizabeth Oakes. At first we created a balloon racer that  worked somewhat ok but wasn't too amazing. The reason for this was that we had the wheels the same height and the wheels didn't spin well in the axels because there was too much friction. After we figured out these problems with the car we started trying to fix them. Somehow we just made the car worse in the project. So that same day I went home and built a new car that worked a lot better! I made sure to make it so that the back wheels were larger than the front so the mass was focused more on the front. This would keep it rolling and accelerating even after the initial force was exerted. I also made sure to make the axels have less friction so that the wheels could roll more easily. Then I made an attachment to the car that you would attach the balloon to so it would concentrate the air more which caused the air being emitted from the balloon to be more forceful than without the attachment. This car worked a lot better than the first and got second overall in the competition. 

Science Project - Wavelength and Frequency

I did "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Buble.....

Wavelength

B - 69.9

F - 98.8 

C - 132

D - 117

G - 88

Frequency

B - 493.88

F - 349.23

C - 261.63

D - 293.66

G - 392

To find the wavelength and frequency of five parts of the song, I had to take five different notes that were sung. Then I found the wavelength and frequency of each note.  All notes that are the same have the same wavelength and frequency. For example a C note has the same frequency as another C note even if one is a high C and one is a low C. 

Container Development

We have finished making our container for the most part. We might make a few adjustments here and there but other than that we are pretty much finished. We have wrapped that whole container up with duct tape so now it is all grey. There is going to be a flip camera in the middle compartment, a GPS (which is an iphone) in the middle compartment as well, and two compartments on the sides for either one camera and another flip camera or two cameras. We have tested how durable our container is when it is dropped from a high height with the flip camera inside. When it hits the ground it absorbs all the shock of the fall and it protects the flip. This testing was done without a parachute. Then we tested it with a parachute and it worked very well. Today we are going to see how many balloons it takes to lift the container off of the ground. It shouldn't take too many because our container is the lightest container out of all the containers being made. We have calculated the mass of our container when it has all of the cameras and GPS in it. Then we took the acceleration that we want the container to go up into the air and we multiplied those two measurements and we got the force that we need to get the container into the air without falling back down too soon.

Container Idea

We are going to use two koozies and we are going to put them together so they form a cylinder. To keep them together we are going to use duct tape. The phone and the flip camera are going to have bubble wrap around them to keep it safe and secure so it doesn't move around. We are going to make a hole in the koozie container so the camera can film. We might put a small cardboard box around the koozie container if it fails to protect the camera and phone by itself.

Balloon Car Information

Mass = 45 grams

Acceleration = working on it

Net Force = working on it  

Homework Due 12-2-10

Objective 2:

2) You can identify a substance by its solubility because it is a characteristic property of matter.

3) The factors that affect the solubility of a substance are temperature and pressure.

4) For most solutes, the higher the temperature of the solvent, the faster its rate of dissolving and the greater its solubility.

5) see number 2

Objective 3:

1) Acids are sour to the taste. They are also very corrosive to metals. This means that they will change the color of metals and in some cases make them dissolve. When an acid is put onto litmus paper, it turns the paper red. Acids release hydrogen ions.

2) Bases are slippery to the touch. When a base is put onto litmus paper it turns the paper blue. Bases release hydroxide ions.

3) You can use litmus paper to distinguish whether a substance is an acid or a base because if the substance is an acid then it turns the litmus paper a more red color. If the substance is a base then it will turn the litmus paper a more blue color.

4) You could tell if food contains an acid in it if the food you are eating taste sour.

5) It is wise to spread fertilizer on a garden with gloves on because and acid mixed with fertilizer makes a bomb.

Objective 4:

1) The ion that is found in acids is the hydrogen ion.

2) The kind of ions found when acids and bases are mixed with water are hydrogen ions (acid) and hydroxide ions (base).

3) HNO3 forms H+ and NO3-

4) The pH is lower than 7, then the substance is an acidic. If the pH is higher than 7 than it is a base.

Objective 5:

1) The two parts of digestion are mechanical and chemical.

2) Mechanical digestion is when someone manually breaks down their food into smaller pieces. Chemical digestion is when food particles are broken down into smaller pieces by acid in the stomach and also in the small intestine.

3) This affects their digestive process because they can't break up the food into smaller pieces at the beginning before it enters the stomach.

4) The pH in your mouth is around 6-7, so it is usually neutral. The pH in your stomach is around 1-2, so it is a very strong acid. The pH in your intestine is usually around 8, so it is usually a weak base.

5) The pH variation in different parts of the digestive system are important because they do different things to break down the food.

Objective 6:

1) Acid = a compound usually having a sour taste that contains hydrogen ions.

2) Neutralization = A reaction between an acid and a base that neutralizes the pH of the substance.

3) Indicator = A substance that indicates the degree of acidity or basicity of a solution through color changes.

4) Corrosive = A substance having the tendency to be destructive to other substances.

5) Hydroxide Ion = The negatively charged ion of any base in a water solution.

Homework Due 12-2-10

Objective 1:

1) A solution is a mixture composed of two or more substances. A solution occurs when the ions of a substance split apart. Some colloids are see-through because of the Tyndall effect. Some colloids may have a slight color. Colloids are part liquid and part solid. A suspension is a mixture of two substances in which one eventually dissolves into the other.

2) When a solution forms, the particles of the solute leave each other and the particles of the solvent surround the particles of the solute.

3) Solutes affect the freezing point and boiling point of a solvent by increasing the liquid range of the solvent.

4) If you mix food coloring in water to make it blue you have made a solution. This is because the food coloring will spread out through the water and not dissolve.

5) Explained in number 3

Objective 2:

1) Concentration is measured in moles. The formula for finding the molarity of a concentration is...