On lab day 2 we experimented with dry ice. Dry Ice could be a very dangerous substance. It is a lot colder than regular ice. We focused on the relationship between the molecules in solids and gases. First we broke up small pieces of dry ice and put them on the table. Those little pieces caused the surface of the table to freeze. The ice was so cold that I could see the smoke coming off of it.
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Yesterday in class we had a very fun lab. We worked with cornstarch and water, making oobleck. We made this to observe the differences between liquids and solids. We were trying to determine whether this substance is considered a liquid or solid. Before we started making the oobleck we went through the characteristics between a solid and a liquid. We experimented with a penny as the solid and water as the liquid. Some common characteristics that solids have is: Hard, rigid, constant shape. Liquids consist of: Wet, clear, bubbly, shrivels up, and it vibrates when touched.
Solids: Liquids: ~ Wet ~ Hard ~ Clear ~ Rigid ~ Bubbly ~ Constant Shape ~ Shrivels up ~ Vibrates when touched Then we moved on to making the oobleck now that we were familiar with the concept. The ingredients and materials we used were a paper bowl, plastic spoon, cornstarch, and water. First, we mixed both cornstarch and water together to create a liquid type substance. Once I picked it up with my hands it would become a solid and then dissolve into liquid. My group and I played around with it by throwing it on the table to see if that changes the outcome. When we did that we noticed that once it comes in contact with a hard surface (a solid) it forms back into solid. We also found that if it was constantly in motion it would stay as a solid. I don't think we can actually determine whether oobleck is a liquid or solid, because it's both of them in a way. It depends how you interpret it. If I were to pick one over the other, I'd say that it is a solid because when it's sitting in a container it's still and becomes a solid. I think of it as water. When water is held in a container or glass it stays in that confinement. Once you take out the water or pour it out onto your hand it slips out of your hand because those molecules are released and don't have a base surrounding it. In class for one of our first assignments, we were to create a poster using the rules of lab safety
in the classroom. My partner was Olivia, and we decided to choose the Chemical Exposure category. The General Rule was "Assume all Chemicals are dangerous". We chose this rule because we thought that we had a good drawing in mind to represent this specific rule. Also so it would be easier for students to understand. Today in class we watched an interview of Stephen Colbert and astrophysicist Niel Degrasse Tyson about the connection between science and the society today.
I found a decent amount of things that were said very interesting. Something that caught my attention was the idea of knowledge and how people interpret it within science. Neil says "I don't want to blame the knowledge, I want to blame the behavior of people in the presence of the knowledge". I chose this quote because it got me thinking about the real meaning and message about it. Neil says this in such a settle tone in which it has a powerful thought behind it. Some people might say that this quote is difficult to understand, although it takes time to process. This quote stuck out to me because I think that we as a society should give science a chance. The reason why most think that science should deserve the attention it should is because we have the technology and resources that we do. We should use them to our advantage. We don't have enough knowledge about the world of science, therefore theres no place for us to stand. Personally I don't take much interest in science which leads me into thinking that I can't learn or study about it. The behavior that I have towards science is the greatest, the knowledge doesn't come directly towards me. Science is all around us and I think that since we have it we should use it for our own good. When I first heard this quote during the interview it brought me to the realization of how people think of science. When you think of the word "Science" the first couple of words that come to mind are, confusing, difficult and useless. You can't blame science for anything. Science is such an incredible resource that we have accessible to us. Yes, we research and come up with hypothesis to better the world. But, that doesn't mean that we can treat it like it's absolutely worthless. The behavior people have towards the world of science is what creates a poor presence. |
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