Today in class, after learning the basics of matter, we did a lab to learn more. We mixed cornstarch and water, creating a sort of liquid, sort of solid goop called "Oobleck." What would lead you to consider Oobleck to be a solid? a liquid? Because of how it looked when the water was mixed in, I started by assuming it was a liquid. When I first dug my hand in to grab it, however, it felt hard, and dry. I thought perhaps it was a solid. If I squeezed some in my hand, it would harden. But if I opened up my hand and left it alone, it would drip through my fingers as if it were a liquid. To try an understand it more deeply, I tried rolling it into a ball, throwing it in the air, and from hand to hand, dropped it on the table, and smacked it with my hand. What was the purpose to this lab exercise? As we start to dip our toes into chemistry, we have learned about matter. This exercise was to make us question matter, and the basic phases. It was also a fun way to practice our newly learned lab safety rules. What happened? What did you learn? Is it a solid or liquid? When applying pressure to the oobleck, it hardened and would break. When letting it sit, it would become more of a goop, and slide through fingers or across a table. I learned how to have fun while complying with safety rules. In my opinion, this is a liquid. However, it has extra molecules. |
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To remind people of the different safety rules in the chemistry lab, we made posters with a partner. Isabel Murillo and I made this one to remind people not to dump chemicals down the drain.
"People don't connect the research in space we're doing today, and how it's going to affect our future."
In the interview of Neil deGrasse Tyson, I chose this quote to talk about because it related to more than just space research. This can be said about any subject of study, from any time. In class, Andrew Lerario told us about a man who created an electromagnetic field during his research. When he stuck a piece of metal in between, it bent the metal. The English empire had funded his research, and they got mad at him for making something that seemed like a toy. However, to this day, we use it in cell phones. It shows that scientific research really has no time span. Something we discover today that seems useless to us now, might be used in everyday utilities 50 years from now. This really provoked my thoughts about science. When I'm in my 30's, what will we be doing with quantum mechanics? What other discoveries will be made that will benefit my future, and the future of humankind? |
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December 2015
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