Grade 9 – Page 2 – Julia’s Blog

The Illusive Tragedy

It all happened so fast. The last thing I recalled was taking a pleasant stroll onboard an Alaskan cruise ship. Now, I was awakened on the sandy beach of a forgotten island surrounded by crisp, cold waters. At first, I thought it was all a dream, however when I glanced around, I saw the washed-up bodies of all the victims in the tragic accident. I knew this was not a dream, it was a reality. I tried to stand up, then immediately regretted my action as my knees buckled beneath me and I crashed into the sand that was full of sharp and jagged rocks. My legs were hurt in the accident, so all I could do was crawl painfully and slowly. I pulled myself over the sand, rocks, and grass until I finally managed to recline on an arched black spruce tree. I took a moment to gather myself and took several deep breaths. I stared down towards the ocean which I came from and counted 25 bodies who weren’t as fortunate as I was. There were only 40 passengers on the ship the night before. As of what I knew, I was the only one who survived. A helpless tear trickled down my eye. The trauma took over me, and I curled into a ball and cried, longing for an embrace by my family that wasn’t there. I thought of how not only was I stuck on this deserted island, I couldn’t even stand up, let alone build a raft to try to get back home to my family. This thought caused more tears to stream down my grimy face.

By the time I seemed to calm down, the darkness was already taking over and the sunset was just declining behind the small-scale hilltops in the distance. I wasn’t hungry, so I decided to rest my eyes for a mere minute or two. That was a mistake. I dreamt of the incident. I was walking along the deck with a book in my hand that I was longing to read that evening when suddenly something crashed into the rear end of the ship. The boat swayed for a moment before the object crashed into the ship again, which contained such a force that the ship’s deck was almost vertically standing above the water. Many passengers fell out, but I was holding on to the slick railing and wasn’t ready to let go. It was then when another object hit the boat with the same deadly force, that I was pushed overboard. When I emerged from the surface of the dark water, the sunset was just starting to set, and I was watching it in the most painful way. I was fighting to stay at the surface when the boat suddenly detonated. Pieces of the ship struck people fighting to stay alive, killing them off one by one. I ducked out of the way as a flaming piece of debris raced past my fragile head. I was exhausted, and before I knew it, I was unconscious.

I awoke in a cold sweat, in the dead of the night. My stomach growling beneath me, I stood up to try to find some sort of food. My legs were still in pain from earlier, however, I managed to find a sturdy stick to lean on. I hobbled on my bare feet, walking into birch and tamarack trees every second while trying to navigate in the darkness. Then suddenly in the distance, I witnessed an occurrence that was almost magical. A creature, walking in a mystical, mysterious sort of way, was wandering through the forest. She appeared to be a woman, yet her skin was glowing the colour sapphire, and her hair was almost like icy blue fire. Behind her trailed a path of a glimmering blue substance, that almost appeared to look like foam. She didn’t notice I was watching her, or perhaps she didn’t care. As I was about to follow her, since I was curious as to where she was going, I spotted more creatures like her walking throughout the forest in the distance. They were moving incredibly fast even though they were only walking, so it was hard to keep up with them. I finally saw where they were heading. They were all roaming, as if in a trance, towards the deep depths of the sea. They walked down the beach, and right into the water, where they disappeared into the darkness that not even the moon could seem to light up. I was dumbfounded and thought my mind was betraying me and playing tricks on my feeble brain. Despite that, when I saw a fin splash in the distance, I knew this had to be real. These were mermaids. I was witnessing the creatures from the realms that everyone believed were just fables.

Still in shock, I hobbled back to the arched black spruce tree where I first went when I arrived on this mysterious island, to rest once again and watch them in a comfortable spot. However, when I arrived, I saw that a shimmering blue path trailed right through the spot where I once was. I crouched down on my knees to examine it, which was a mistake since my knees still hadn’t fully recovered, and I fell into the frothy substance. I didn’t know what to expect. My knees then suddenly started to heal, as if I took a thousand painkillers, and the cuts and scrapes began to disappear. Even the gash in my side started to close. I was bewildered and started jumping for joy. The answer to my problems was the blue foam! These mermaids were my saviour. They were beautiful souls who saved me and gave me the strength to walk again. They gave me the chance to go home while there was still time to build a boat before the tide washed all of the wreckage away.

I ran down to the beach, ecstatic about the new opportunity to return home that was bestowed upon me. To my disbelief, a lifeboat that was fully intact was perched on the shore, waiting for my arrival. I pushed it out to sea and paddled away into the black water. I sang out loud, joy seeping through my veins. I began paddling away when suddenly I saw the sapphire colour glowing in the water ahead of me. I instantly knew it was the mermaids who helped me before, so I rowed to them hoping to get a chance to thank them. My lifeboat was pulsing through the water, and as the sapphire blue became closer and closer to me, I yelled out, “Thank you! Thank you for everything!”

The mermaids seemed to hear me since they swam closer to my boat. I could see their glowing skin move swiftly through the soft waves. When I thought they would come and greet me, or at least show me a sign that they appreciated my gratitude, they crashed into the side of my boat, almost causing me to fall overboard. Then from the rear, another crash. Then another, and another, until I was finally knocked into the depths of the sea once again in the same dreadful night.

And it was when I was sinking back lower and lower into the icy cold water that I then realized these mermaids were the reason I was stranded on the island in the first place. They weren’t my saviours, they were my killers. The pressure became too much for my lungs and they collapsed. The last memory I can recall is seeing the face of the sapphire mermaid, her mouth covered with a smirk, yet her skin ice cold. My eyes then closed for the last time, and I would never see my family again.

Power Information Fluency

Part 1:

1. Share your findings in your own words with cited images Share

Charles F. Brush created the first wind turbine in 1988. Wind Turbines are the modernized and improved version of windmills.

The sole responsibility of wind turbines is to try to reduce our overall usage of fossil fuels, as burning fossil fuels is negatively impacting our environment.

In addition, they consist of many parts that contribute to the production of electricity. At the base of every wind turbine is a foundation, which is a concrete structure particularly designed to ensure that a wind turbine can stay stable even through fierce windstorms. The size of the foundation depends on the size of the wind turbine it is stabilizing, and they can be found underground. The tower of a wind turbine is connected to the foundation. In addition a wind turbine consists of blades (usually three), a rotor, a shaft, as well as a generator. As these blades are moving, parts of the kinetic energy in the wind travel down the blades and make its way to the rotor. The rotor is the piece that connects the blades to the shaft of the interior, so the kinetic energy that is transferred to the rotor is moved to the shaft. Since the rotor is connected to the shaft, as the blades are spinning due to the energy in the wind and the rotor is moving, the shift rotates as well. The shaft is connected to the generator, so as the shaft revolves, the generator spins and the kinetic energy converts into electricity.

Image result for wind turbine diagram

A wind turbine changes the kinetic energy from the wind into electricity, using blades that rotate in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion (depending on where the wind is flowing from since the blades need to face the wind to be able to convert the kinetic energy within the wind to electricity). The action of the blades turning towards the other direction to face the wind is known as “yaw”. Wind turbines also vary in speed and size. The speed at which the blades of a wind turbine rotate at ranges from 13 to 20 rotations per minute, as well as longer blades capture more kinetic energy which means it produces more electricity than a shorter blade would. Wind turbines commonly have 3 blades, however occasionally you can come across one with two blades.

There is a vast difference between windmills and wind turbines, although people misunderstand them for being the same thing. A windmill is a device that is powered by the wind, and takes the energy from the wind and turns it into mechanical energy.

They are mainly found on farms, and assist in water pumping and milling grains including wheat and corn. Windmills were one of the first wind-powered machine that could create usable energy by harnessing it from the wind. Wind turbines, on the other hand, are a revision of windmills and take the kinetic energy from the wind and convert it into electricity.

The electricity that wind turbines generate is used in houses, schools, and numerous buildings. Windmills and wind turbines achieve the same task, turning wind energy into electricity, however they have individual processes to achieve this task. Wind turbines also have an abundance of positive aspects to them, such as they are cost efficient, eco-friendly for the most part, and they cut down the amount of fossil fuels that are burned and released into the environment. The main negative impact of wind turbines is that thousands of birds and bats are fatally wounded due to coming into contact with wind turbines. Below within the statement, I offered a reasonable solution to this reoccurring problem.

2. Make a statement to Justin Trudeau about the implications of your findings

Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Wind turbines should continue to be installed all throughout Canada since it is an eco-friendly solution to creating electricity out of the energy that is found in the wind. Canada should continue to invest in wind turbines, as they take energy from the environment without creating repercussions and problems that leave a negative impact on the air quality or climate. Burning fossil fuels is leaving harmful and dangerous gases in the air that is damaging the Earth, and wind turbines create none of these harmful gases. We can power our houses, schools, and business other ways than creating green house gas emissions and burning coal. Wind will never run out, so we should take advantage of this opportunity. Steel is also the main material that a wind turbine consists of, and it is affordable, durable, and there is a surplus amount of it. Wind turbines are also very inexpensive considering that they can last for around 20-25 years, as well as wind is free and there is an infinite amount of it to fuel the wind turbines. Establishing these wind turbines would also open up an abundance of job opportunities, since it will take a while to get them all built, and that can potentially raise the economy in all of Canada drastically. In addition, investing in wind turbines would be a very wise choice since wind turbines can be built upon farms and ranches. The wind turbines would barely take up space on these plots of land, as well as the owners and farmers of the land would be paid rent fees, and therefore increase their yearly income. There is currently over $1 billion dollars of investment in wind turbines (wind energy), which is fairly good since we have over 6596 wind turbines in Canada. The province of Nova Scotia is leading the way in terms of investing in wind turbines and increasing the amount of wind farms all around the region, with over 300 wind turbines converting wind energy into electricity. We should see that that number of wind turbines continues to grow. However, we must keep in mind that wind turbines are injuring and killing thousands of birds and bats in all of Canada. It is in your power and responsibility to come up with an idea that decreases this number while we can still utilize wind power energy, although I suggest to establish a netting system around the wind turbines that goes all the way around wind farms. The nets would allow the wind to pass through, and would keep the birds and bats out. It would be very tight and secure to guarantee that it wouldn’t get caught in the wind turbine or ruin any pieces of equipment. Please consider that the best location for these wind turbines would be in an area with a good amount of wind that is located near towns or locations that use energy. Think about the future of a Canada that is resting upon your shoulders and use your power wisely.

Thank you for your time. I hope you take my suggestions into consideration.

Julia Shaw, grade 9 Riverside student.

Part 2:

What questions do you need to research in order to research your topic?

Who invented the wind turbine?
Why did someone feel the need to add wind turbines to the growing list of energy producers?
Are wind turbines eco-friendly?
How are wind turbines different from other common energy producers, such as burning fossil fuels?
How do wind turbines impact animals?
What is a wind turbine made out of?
How do wind turbines work?
Why should we invest in wind turbines?
How expensive is the wind turbine?
Where are wind turbines located currently?
What are the consequences of building wind turbines?

2. What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?

Throughout this project I utilized various tools to enhance the reliability of my content, as well as to broaden my understanding of wind turbines. The new digital tools I used throughout this project included Gale, the Canadian Encyclopedia, and Destiny. The familiar digital tools I used throughout this project included Google, Pexels, YouTube, and Citation Machine. These new and familiar digital tools and search engines provided me with the information I needed to complete this project, and made checking over my findings as well as citing sources much easier.

3. What was the process you used to investigate this topic?

While investing my topic, and researching information to understand more about wind turbines and why we should utilize them, I made sure to visit numerous sites to be certain that the information I was using wasn’t false. While doing so, although it took extra work and time, I found an abundance of credible cites and made sure a lot of my information wasn’t fake or wrong. I found that the more you scrolled down after asking a question on a search engine, such as google, you find more information that is both in-depth and isn’t cluttered in useless ads. As I was writing my paragraphs for this assignment, I made sure to take the main concept and idea of the information and re-organize and re-construct it into my own words. However, I still wrote down the citations for the sources I had used, since I can’t take full credit for the information because someone else took the time to research and upload their findings online for others to learn from. If I were to take credit for someone else’s accomplishment and ideas, that would be considered plagiarism.

4. How did you verify and cite the information you found?

To verify the information I found was accurate, as said above, I checked multiple sites to further confirm that I was not using false information to fuel my writing. When I read a paragraph or more from a website, I made sure to check multiple websites on that topic, and if the information I was finding was relevant to other websites I had used. As I was using various websites, I made sure to copy the link of the website, so that when I had finished researching for this project, I would be able to cite all of my sources to give all of the authors the credit they rightfully deserve. I used Citation Machine to help cite my websites, photo’s, and videos in the proper MLA format.

5. How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?

I am very proud of my findings and how I put a lot of effort into this assignment to ensure that I am only handing in my best work. When completing this challenge, I found that it was a little difficult at first to get started with this assignment, since I did not really understand what I was supposed to complete. I found the rubric a tad confusing, however all of my questions had been answered in the process, and I felt a lot more confident about completing this assignment properly. At first it was difficult to find websites that directly held the information I needed to answer my questions, however I found that as time went on and I spent more time working on this assignment, I learned more about the more efficient techniques to researching. One aspect I noticed was that it was easier to find the information you needed when you made your question simpler, without all of these extra and cluttering words, and more to the point. Using key words and points made searching a lot faster, and saved me a lot of extra time.

If I were to do this assignment again, there is various aspects that I could have improved upon. Firstly, when researching the information for this project, I could have went more in depth about the issues of wind turbines. My main focus was on why wind turbines are good for the environment, however I made my argument seem very one sided, and should had included more information on its negative impacts. I did mention how birds and bats were being fatally injured by wind turbines, however there may be more problems with wind turbines. In addition, I found I could have made my writing more precise when creating a statement for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. If the aspect of the assignment, where we were to create a statement for Justin Trudeau, was supposed to realistic in terms of that Justin Trudeau would actually be reading my statement, my writing is very long and wordy, and if he were to in fact see my statement, he might not want to read it all. This would forfeit any chance I had at him extending the use of wind energy (wind turbines) all throughout Canada. In the end, otherwise the fact there is minor tweaks here or there, I am very pleased I managed to complete this assignment before the due date, with as much detail as I could muster. I learned quite a bit about wind turbines, and am fascinated by how they can turn the energy from the wind into electricity useable my buildings and houses. I hope that Canada decides to extend our green footprint and that we can eliminate the burning of fossil fuels in the future, to save our planet from irreversible casualties.

Citations:

“Buildings and Infrastructure.” Worldsteel, https://www.worldsteel.org/steel-by-topic/steel-markets/buildings-and-infrastructure.html. Web. December 7, 2019.

Fares, Robert. “Wind Energy Is One of the Cheapest Sources of Electricity, and It’s Getting Cheaper.” Scientific American Blog Network, Scientific American, 28 Aug. 2017, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/wind-energy-is-one-of-the-cheapest-sources-of-electricity-and-its-getting-cheaper/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“How Wind Energy Works.” New Zealand Wind Energy Association, http://www.windenergy.org.nz/wind-energy/the-facts. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Installed Capacity.” Canadian Wind Energy Association, https://canwea.ca/wind-energy/installed-capacity/.

Khillar, Sagar. “Difference Between.” Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 4 Oct. 2018, http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/difference-between-windmill-and-wind-turbine/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Parts of a Wind Turbine.” Horizon Energy Curriculum, https://www.horizoncurriculum.com/supportmaterial/parts-of-a-wind-turbine/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“The Inside of a Wind Turbine.” Energy.gov, https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/inside-wind-turbine. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Third Planet Windpower.“ Third Planet Windpower, http://www.thirdplanetwind.com/energy/history.aspx. Web. December 7, 2019.

“What Is a Wind Turbine and How It Works?” ACCIONA, https://www.acciona.com/renewable-energy/wind-power/wind-turbines/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“What materials are used to make wind turbines?” What Materials Are Used to Make Wind Turbines?, https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-materials-are-used-make-wind-turbines?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Wind Power – Renewable Energy Sources.” Default, https://www.nspower.ca/clean-energy/renewable-energy-sources/wind-power. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Wind Power.” Wind Power | The Canadian Encyclopedia, https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wind-power. Web. December 7, 2019.

Photo Citations:

“Brown and Gray Windmill Beside Green Tree Under Blue Cloudy Sky during Day Time.” Free Stock Photos, https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-gray-windmill-beside-green-tree-under-blue-cloudy-sky-during-day-time-161994/. Web. December 7, 2019.

Fulcher, Jonathan. “How Do Wind Turbines Produce Electricity?” Lexology, 17 July 2019, https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=aa96a2de-c1a5-4a70-b510-9ecc569d3ddf. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Low Angle Photography of Building.” Free Stock Photos, https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photography-of-building-1737779/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Scenic View of Agricultural Field Against Sky during Sunset.” Free Stock Photos, https://www.pexels.com/photo/scenic-view-of-agricultural-field-against-sky-during-sunset-325944/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Wind Turbine Landscape Photography.” Free Stock Photos, https://www.pexels.com/photo/afterglow-alternative-energy-clouds-dawn-532192/. Web. December 7, 2019.

“Woman Holding Her Child Walking Near Windmills.” Free Stock Photos, https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-holding-her-child-walking-near-windmills-122101/. Web. December 7, 2019.

Video Citations:

“How does a wind turbine work? | Sustainability – ACCIONA.” Sustainability – ACCIONA. February 23, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=DILJJwsFl3w&feature=emb_logo. Web. December 7, 2019.

“What Is a Wind Turbine and How It Works?” ACCIONA, https://www.acciona.com/renewable-energy/wind-power/wind-turbines/. Web. December 7, 2019.

Uses of Static Electricity

Taking too long?

Reload document

Open in new tab

Download

Victorian Era

Continuity:

‘While immigrants had more opportunities in British North America, life was still hard and disappointing’

I chose this idea, and categorized it under continuity, since when immigrants where coming to British North America in the Victorian Era, they were having trouble adapting to the new environment and were finding it hard to rebuild their life, even though they had way more opportunities than before. This is very similar how immigrants feel about coming to a different country modern day, such as Canada, since even though they have much more opportunities, there are still various struggles that they face when they come to another country. Problems such as language barriers, finding a decent job, and restarting their life are still common and difficult to achieve for immigrants, and it can be very disappointing when your expectations of starting a new life aren’t the same as the realities.

Change:

‘The invention of the steamboat aided more worldwide travel (decreased travel time from 5 weeks to 2 weeks)’

I chose this idea, and categorized it under change, since in the Victorian Era one of the best transportation options were steam boats since it only took around 2 weeks for worldwide travel. However, modern day transportation has become more advanced and instead of taking 2 weeks to travel to a place worldwide, it can take up to a day or two. Airplanes were invented after the Victorian Era, and we use them consistently when traveling to a location that is very far away, since they allow us to travel more efficiently, as well as ships that are built for sightseeing and travel. Transportation has developed greatly overtime and we have benefitted significantly from it since we can save an abundance of time.

Everything I know about exponents

Diagram of a power:

2. Describe how powers represent repeated multiplication

Powers represent repeated multiplication since repeated multiplication is the same as multiplying a number by itself a certain amount of times. Powers are a short way of writing out repeated multiplication for an individual number.

If you had $3^4$ , the exponent (4) is representing the number of times the base (3) is written out in a repeated multiplication expression.

When written out in the form of repeated multiplication, $3^4$ = 3 $\times$ 3 $\times$ 3 $\times$ 3 = 81.

For example, $2^5$ = 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 = 32.

4. Demonstrate the difference between two given powers in which the exponent and the base are interchanged by using repeated multiplication, such as $2^3$ and $3^2$ .

There is a difference between two given powers when the exponent and base of the powers are interchanged. Interchanging the base and exponent is not the same as switching the order of numbers in a multiplication question, and getting the same answer either way. The exponent is the amount of factors of the base you have.

For example $2^3$ represents 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 which equals 8, and $3^2$ represents 3 $\times$ 3 which equals 9.

6. Explain the role of parentheses in powers by evaluating a given set of powers such as $(-2)^4$ , $(-2^4)$ , and $-2^4$ .

Parentheses have a significant role in determining whether a power will have a positive or negative outcome.

For $(-2)^4$ , when the negative sign is within the brackets, and the exponent is outside the brackets, it implies that the base is negative. You would apply the exponent to the negative base.

However, whenever there is an exponent inside the brackets, such as $(-2^4)$ , or there isn’t any brackets at all, such as $-2^4$ , the negative sign stands for a coefficient (-1) and the base is positive, so you apply the exponent to the positive base, and than the negative coefficient afterwards, since Exponents is before Multiplication in BEDMAS.

For example, if you have $(-2)^4$ , it would be written out as:

(-2) $\times$ (-2) $\times$ (-2) $\times$ (-2), which would equal +16.

If you had $(-2^4)$ , it would be written out as:

(-1 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2), which would equal (-16).

If you had $-2^4$ , it would be written out as:

-1 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2 $\times$ 2, which would equal -16.

8. Explain the exponent laws for raising a product and quotient to an exponent.

When given the expression $(4\times 2)^2$ , people tend to use BEDMAS instead of using the raising a product to a power exponent law.

For example, they would multiply the numbers within the brackets first (4 x 2) = 8

Then they would apply the exponent, so they would have the expression $8^2$ which equals 64.

However, if you are multiplying two or more numbers inside of brackets, and on the outside of the brackets there is an exponent, you can apply that exponent to every individual number instead of applying that exponent to the product of the numbers inside the brackets. This is called raising a product to an exponent, which is an exponent law.

For example, if you have the expression $(4\times 2)^2$ you could write it as:

$4^2$ $\times$ $2^2$ which is equivalent to 16 $\times$ 4 = 64.

In certain expressions, such as $(4\times 2)^2$ , it would be easier to apply BEDMAS, however in other expressions using the raising a product to an exponent law is more efficient.

For example, if you have the expression $(3a\times 4)^3$ instead of using BEDMAS and evaluating the expression within the brackets first, $(3a\times 4)^3$ = $12a^3$ = $1728a^3$ , you could apply the raising a product to an exponent law,

$(3a\times 4)^3$ = $(3^3 a^3\times 4^3)$ = 27 $\times$ $a^3$ $\times$ 64 = $1728a^3$ .

27 $\times$ $a^3$ $\times$ 64 is easier to evaluate than $12^3$ .

When given the expression $(\frac{4}{2})^2$ , people also tend to apply BEDMAS instead of using the raising a quotient to a power exponent law.

For example, they would divide the numbers within the brackets first $(\frac{4}{2})$ = 2

Then they would apply the exponent, so they would have the expression $2^2$ which equals 4.

However, if you are dividing one number by another inside of brackets, and on the outside of the brackets there is an exponent, you can apply that exponent to each number individually rather than applying the exponent to the quotient of the two numbers inside the brackets. This is called raising a quotient to an exponent, which is also an exponent law.

For example, if you have the expression $(\frac{4}{2})^2$ you could write it as:

$(\frac{4^2}{2^2})$ which is equivalent to $(\frac{16}{4})$ = 4.

In certain expressions, such as $(\frac{4}{2})^2$ , it would be easier to apply BEDMAS, however in other expressions using the raising a quotient to an exponent law is more efficient.

For example, if you have the expression $(\frac{4}{3})^2$ , instead of using BEDMAS and evaluating the expression within the brackets first, $(\frac{4}{3})^2$ = $1.\overline{33}^2$ ≈ 1.78, you could apply the raising a quotient to an exponent law.

$(\frac{4}{3})^2$ = $4^2$ $\div$ $3^2$ = 16 $\div$ 9 = $1.\overline{7}$ ≈ 1.78.

64 $\div$ 9 is easier to evaluate than $1.\overline{33}^2$ .

10. Use patterns to show that a power with an exponent of zero is equal to one.

$2^4$ =16, $2^3$ = 8, $2^2$ = 4, $2^1$ = 2, so $2^0$ has to equal 1.

When you write out all the powers of a certain base, and find the answers for all of them, you will notice a pattern. As the exponent decreases by 1, the answer is divided once by the base. As shown above, as the exponent decreases by 1 from 5 to 4, the answer for $2^5$ which is 32 is divided by 2 which is 16 since $2^4$ = 16.

So if $2^1$ = 2, than if you decrease the exponent by 1, which would equal 0, you would have to divide the previous answer by 2. $2^1$ = 2, and $\frac{2}{2}$ = 1.

12. Use patterns to explain the negative exponent law.

$4^4$ = 256, $4^3$ = 64, $4^2$ = 26, $4^1$ = 4, $4^0$ =1, $4^{-1}$ = $\frac{1}{4}$ , $4^{-2}$ = $\frac{1}{16}$ .

As said above, when you write out all the powers of a certain base, as you subtract 1 from the exponent, the answer will be equivalent to dividing the previous answer by the base number.

If you take $4^0$ = 1, and you subtract 1 from the exponent, which would make it $4^{-1}$ , to find the answer you would divide the 1 (the previous answer) by 4 (the base number) where you would get 1 $\div$ 4, which is the same as $\frac{1}{4}$ .

As you keep dividing by the base (which is 4) and you have negative exponents, your answer is going to be the reciprocal of what the answer would have been if the exponent was positive.

For example, $4^2$ = 16 while $4^{-2}$ = $\frac{1}{16}$ . They are the reciprocal of each other.

14. I can identify the error in a simplification of an expression involving powers.

A common error in the simplification of an expression using powers is when people apply the product and quotient law when trying to find the sum and difference of powers. The quotient law applies to powers when you are dividing two powers with the same base. The product law applies to powers when you are multiplying two powers with the same base. You have to apply BEDMAS when adding and subtracting powers.

A typical mistake made with the quotient law is that it is applied to a subtraction question, such as

$2^6$ – $2^2$ = $2^4$ which would lead them to assume the answer is 16.

However, you cannot apply the quotient law to a subtraction question, so the solution should be written out as:

$2^6$ – $2^2$ = 64 – 4 which is 60.

The product law applies to powers when you are multiplying two numbers with the same base. People often apply the product law in an addition question, such as $2^2$ + $2^3$ = $2^5$ which would lead them to believe it equals 32.

Although, you can’t apply the product law to an addition question, so the solution should be written out as:

$2^2$ + $2^3$ = 4 + 8 which is 12.

In addition, there is sometimes confusion with the power law, since the power law is when you multiply the exponent within the brackets with the exponent on the outside of the brackets. This is used so you only have to multiply the base by one exponent.

A common error is that people confuse the power law with the product law, and add the two exponents together, such as:

$(2^6)^2$ = $2^8$ which would guide them to think the answer is 256. However, the solution should be written out as $(2^6)^2$ which is $2^{12}$ which is 4096.

16. Determine the sum and difference of two powers.

You can easily and quickly determine the sum and difference of two powers by evalutating the answer for each individual power, and either use addition or subtraction to answer the problem. Do not apply the product or quotient exponent law since you are adding and subtracting, and these laws only apply when you’re multiplying or dividing two powers with the same base.

For example, $3^3$ + $5^3$ you would evaluate $3^3$ , which is 27, and then $5^3$ which is 125, and then you would add the two numbers together. 27 + 125 is 152.

18. Use powers to solve problems (measurement problems)

You can use powers to solve a variety of measurement problems, one of them being to find the surface area and volume of a cube. To find the surface area of a cube you need to find the area of one side of the cube, and multiply that number by 6 (since there is 6 sides on a cube). You can find the surface area of a 5cm x 5cm x 5cm cube by using the expression

$6(5^2)$ since $5^2$ is equal to 5cm x 5cm = the area of one side of the cube. $6(5^2)$ = $150cm^2$ . To find the volume of the cube, you would need to multiply the length, width, and the height of the cube together. You can find the volume of the cube using the expression $(5^3)$ since the length, width, and height of a 5cm x 5cm x 5cm cube is the same. $(5^3)$ = $125cm^3$ .

You can also use powers to solve Pythagorean theorem questions, when trying to find the length of one side of a right triangle.
For example the formula for finding the hypotenuse of a right triangle is $(a^2)$ + $(b^2)$ = $(c^2)$ .

Step 1. If we were finding the hypotenuse of a right triangle where side a = 3mm and side b = 4mm we would start out by replacing the variables in the formula with the numbers assigned to them.The equation would look like:

$(3^2)$ + $(4^2)$ = $(c^2)$

Step 2. Then you would evaluate each individual power. $(3mm)^2$ = $9mm^2$ , $(4mm)^2$ = $16mm^2$ , so the equation would look like:

9 + 16 = $(c^2)$ .

Step 3. Next we would add the two side lengths together which would equal:

25 = $(c^2)$ .

Step 4. The next step would be to find the square root of each number to isolate the c.

5mm x 5mm = 25mm so 5 is the square root of 25.

5mm= c so the missing side length (the hypotenuse) equals 5mm.

The answer is: 5mm

Another way you could use powers to solve problems is by using them to find the total volume of two shapes. As said above, you find the volume of a cube by multiplying the length, width, and height the cube together. You can find the volume a 3mm x 3mm x 3mm cube by using the power $(3mm)^3$ . Then you would find the volume of the other cube, which is 2mm x 2mm x 2mm, by using the power $(2mm)^3$ . Then you would add the two volumes to evaluate the volume of the whole shape altogether. $3^3$ = 27mm and $2^3$ =8mm. $27mm^3$ + $8mm^3$ = $35mm^3$

20. Applying the order of operations on expressions with powers involving negative exponents and variable bases.

When simplifying a question that includes negative exponents and variable bases, you have to take it step by step.

I’ll be applying the steps to the expression $\frac{(a^2b^3) (b^7a^3)}{a^6b^8}$ . Always follow BEDMAS, and make sure you evaluate powers before multiplying, dividing, adding, or subtracting, unless you are using the product or quotient law. If using the product law, it allows you to add the exponents when multiplying powers with the same base. If using the quotient law, it allows you too subtract exponents when dividing powers with the same base.

Step 1. Apply the product law. You add the exponent of the same base together when multiplying.

$\frac{a^5 b^{10}}{a^6b^8}$

Step 2. Apply the quotient law. You subtract the exponent of the same base when dividing.

$a^{-1} b^2$

Step 3. Get rid of any negative exponents. If there is a negative exponent, you put the reciprocal of the power to make the exponent

$\frac{b^2}{a}$

The answer is: $\frac{b^2}{a}$

In addition, I’ll be applying the steps to the expression $(2\times a^2\times b^3)^{-2}$ $(4\times a^{-3})^{-3}$ . Always follow BEDMAS, and make sure you evaluate powers before multiplying, dividing, adding, or subtracting, unless you are using the product or quotient law. If using the product law, it allows you to add the exponents when multiplying powers with the same base. If using the quotient law, it allows you too subtract exponents when dividing powers with the same base.

Step 1. Apply the exponent. For this expression, we can apply the raising a product to a power law, which as said above means to apply the exponent individually to each number and variable.

$(2\times a^2\times b^3)^{-2}$ = $2^{-2}$ $a^{-4}$ $b^{-6}$

$(4\times a^{-3})^{-3}$ = $4^{-3}$ $a^9$

Step 2. Evaluate the coefficients. If there is a negative, write the reciprocal of what the answer would be if the exponent was positive.

$2^{-2}$ = $\frac{1}{4}$

$4^{-3}$ = $\frac{1}{64}$

Step 3. Multiply the coefficients together.

$\frac{1}{4}$ $\times$ $\frac{1}{64}$ = $\frac{1}{256}$

Step 4. Apply the product law. You add the exponent of the same base when multiplying.

$\frac{1a^5b^{-6}}{256}$

(you can get rid of the 1, since any number multiplied by 1 remains the same).

= $\frac{a^5b^{-6}}{256}$

Step 5. Change negative exponents into positive exponents. Find the reciprocal of the number or variable if their exponent is negative.

$\frac{a^5}{256b^6}$

The answer is: $\frac{a^5}{256b^6}$

My partners Edublogs:

Kenya A: http://myriverside.sd43.bc.ca/kenyaa2019/

Nicole H: http://myriverside.sd43.bc.ca/nicoleh2019/

Taking too long?

Reload document

Open in new tab

Download

A Fresh Look at the Periodic Table

Define and Discover:

The Science community has challenged us to establish a new way to organize and layout the periodic table, so that it is less time consuming and easier to navigate individual elements that seem to be difficult to quickly find. We must come up with an original design that is both creative and practical, and use our knowledge on Solution Fluency and Collaboration Fluency to aid us in the process.

How many elements are on the periodic table?
What are the different families on the periodic table?
How can we utilize colour coding on our periodic table?
Does anyone in my group have any ideas on how to make our project original?
How do we want to present our project?
How much in class time will we have to work on this project?
How can we demonstrate our understanding of patterns and properties of elements?

Dream:

The original periodic table organizes the elements in a way that includes a lot of patterns. The atomic number increases by one as you go from left to right, and to the left there are metals, while to the right there is non-metals, and the metalloids separate them. We could make the periodic table easier to navigate by using different shapes and pictures. Drawings of each individual element could help those who have trouble reading the names, since they could just look at the pictures instead. We could also have brail on the periodic table that spells each of the elements name, symbol, and atomic number, so those who are visually impaired can also easily read the periodic table without having to get someone to read it to them. Colour coding could also be used to our advantage, since every individual element could also be assigned their own colour to be able to easily find the element you are looking for. Every family/group could be allocated their own base colour, such as blue, purple, or red, and within that group, each element could have a different shade of the groups colour. For example, is the halogens were given purple, Chlorine could be a light purple, while Fluorine is a dark purple. The shade of the colour could get darker as the atomic number increases. For groups such as transition metals, we could assign each row a different colour within it, since there wouldn’t be enough shades of any colour to be able to colour each element. We could also create a song, or even a video game version of our periodic table, so that if younger students are learning about chemistry, these creative ideas might entice them or interest them in learning more about the periodic table.

Design:

The periodic table will be divided into its families (hydrogen, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, metalloids, non-metals, halogens, noble gases, lanthanide series, and actinide series) and each family is assigned their own colour. Along with providing the information of the name, symbol, atomic number, and atomic mass of each element, we are also including the Lewis Symbol for each element as well. We are also adding what state of matter each element is in at room temperature, although we aren’t writing it down. Instead we are surrounding the element in a specific shape that corresponds to the element’s state of matter, which can either be a solid, liquid, or gas. If the element is a solid, we are drawing a square around it. If the element is a liquid, we are drawing a raindrop around it. If the element is a gas, we are drawing a gas bubble around it. We thought this would add a creative touch to our project, as well as show our understanding of each elements properties. The format of our periodic table will be very similar to the original, however instead of the families being connected with one another, we have separated them, and for families such as metalloids, we have placed the elements in a vertical line instead of having them scattered.

Deliver:

Our periodic table is very similar to the original periodic table in the terms of the layout, and we can explain why we chose to keep most of the format the same. Scientists, as well as scholars and students, have been studying off of the original periodic table since Dmitri Mendeleev first organized the periodic table in 1869. If we were to change the order and shape of the periodic table’s layout, everyone who menorized where the elements were or even were familiar with where a few elements were located, would find it way harder to locate the element they need to find. None of the elements wouldn’t be where they had remembered it to be. If we changed it, it wouldn’t make it easier to navigate certain elements, it would just make it harder. Although, we did separate the different families located within the original periodic table so they were easier to distinguish. The different families are hydrogen alone (since it doesn’t belong to any other family), alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, metalloids, non-metals, halogens, noble gases, lanthanide series, and the actinide series. Each family was also given their own colour so you can visually see where the different families are located. For example, let’s say you are trying to find calcium on the periodic table, and you know it is an alkaline earth metal. Instead of glancing over 117 elements before finding the one you need, you can just go to the alkaline earth metals section and locate it out of the 6 elements in that family. By colour coding the different families, you can easily tell what element is part of what family. In the original periodic table, the metalloids were scattered and it was hard to tell where they were. On our periodic table, you can just go to the metalloids family and it will have all the metalloids in order of atomic number. We also included the amount of valence electrons of each element along with what state it is in at room temperature. Instead of including these details in writing, which would crowd the other important information, we added a Lewis Symbol of each element’s atom and we used shapes to show what state the element is at room temperature. If the element is a gas at room temperature, we surrounded the information of the element in a gas cloud shape, if a liquid we used the shape of a raindrop, and if a solid we used a square. If you were looking for Bromine, and you knew it was a liquid at room temperature, there are only two elements that have this property, so it would be very easy to find it. Within each family, we placed the elements in order of atomic number going from lowest to highest to make it quicker to glance over the elements and find the one you need. In addition, we also added a legend at the top that described what colour represented what family, what the shapes depict, and explained the Lewis Symbols so people can fully understand our changes.

Debrief:

I am proud of the outcome of my group’s periodic table, which was successful since we managed to complete it on time and hand it in on the due date. We had tried very hard to construct our periodic table while considering the fact that we had to make it easier to read. Lots of times we wanted to add more details and information, however we had to stop ourselves, since too much detail could make our project too confusing to read. I really like the way we laid out our project, and how we incorporated colour and shapes, although, there is definitely some aspects that we could have improved or added to our project to make it stand out better and be more creative. First of all, I think it would have been very creative to mold our periodic table into a scientific shape to make it more visually appealing. We kept the format of our periodic table basically the same as the original, since we are trying to make it easier for people to read. If we have it in a different order than the original, it will confuse people who used the original beforehand, since they memorized elements in certain areas, so if we change it, they wont know where to look. Putting our periodic table into the shape of a tree or another form of nature would have made our project more imaginative since all elements are found in nature, and the tree would represent that concept. Also, there is a group known as the post-transition metals on the periodic table, which include Aluminium (Al), Gallium (Ga), Indium (In), Tin (Sn), Thallium (Ti), Lead (Pb), Bismuth (Bi), and Flerovium (Fl). However, we hadn’t learned about them yet, so we placed them in the transition metals family. If we were to complete this project again, I would like to create a space for the post-transition metals, since they technically aren’t transition metals. In addition, I would also like to leave more space between the families. The size of our poster board limited the amount of space we had to draw our periodic table. It’s a little hard to tell, but if you were to observe our periodic table, we left space in between the families to make it easier for someone to find a certain family, since it’s hard to find what your looking for when it’s all clustered together. We also assigned each family a colour so you no one gets confused. If we were to establish another periodic table, I would prefer to spread out the families so that they are farther apart, since that will make the layout of our periodic table clearer.

The Element Potassium

This is a video I have created to explain more about the element potassium. I created a cube with information on this element, and this video goes farther in depth on the history behind potassium, features and properties of potassium, as well as more information.

Governing Quebec

As a British official, I realize there are many alternatives to governing Quebec. I have chosen the policy of assimilation to ensure the colony is properly run. One reason why I made this decision was since it would increase the size of the British population in Quebec. When we convert these Canadiens and Native Americans to our way of life, religion, and culture, they become closer to the British, and I will make it a requirement that every British citizen in Quebec must assist in defending Quebec in the act of war. Another reason why I want to assimilate the French and the Native Americans is because then they can learn our language, and inform us useful information about the land. They could help us adjust easier to this new land we inhabit, and can teach us what they have learned from living here for years. Assimilation also seemed like the most reasonable, and least costly way to deal with the large amount of French and Native Americans in Quebec. Deportation wastes too much time that we could be using to adapt and build to Quebec. Maintaining the status-quo means that I wouldn’t have full control over all of Quebec, and who knows what chaos could come up in the streets due to different languages and religions coming together. Isolation means I would have no control over the French and the Native Americans, and it would be too much work to try to maintain three different religions, cultures, and language. As I have outlined above, I believe the best policy for governing Quebec is assimilation. This will ensure that the colony will remain under British control and provide wealth for our glorious country.

Digital Footprint

Brown Sand

How might your digital footprint affect your future opportunities?

Your digital footprint could affect your future opportunities, since if you are applying for a job in the future that you really want, one of the first things your employer will do is look up your name. If your employer doesn’t like what they come across, you are most likely not going to get that job. Then you will start to apply for jobs that you don’t really like, and you might not even be able to land a job at any of those places as well. However, if your employer looks up your name and like what they come across, you will have a better chance at getting the job you always wanted. You could also have a more successful future, since you got your dream job and you’re passionate about what you’re doing.

For example, you’re applying for your dream job. Your employer searches up your name, and your social media accounts show up. They examine it, and find photos of you drinking underage, inappropriate photos, or even find evidence of you bullying or harassing a certain person. You are immediately dismissed from the interview and didn’t get the job you wanted.

Another example is also where you’re applying for your dream job. Your employer looks up your name, and sees your social media accounts. They check it over, and see nothing wrong, and in fact they’re very impressed with what they see. There are no inappropriate videos or photos, and instead see photos of you doing what you’re passionate about. Your interview continues and you have a really good chance of getting the job Man and Woman Shaking Hands

Your digital footprint is really easy to access, and you have to make sure you keep it appropriate.

Describe at least three strategies that you can use to keep your digital footprint appropriate and safe.

Three strategies that I can use to keep my digital footprints safe is to not give away any personal information on social media, only let my friends follow me on social media, and post only what I am proud to show the internet.

First of all, I should never give away anything very personal on social media, since social media isn’t the safest place to store personal information. If I have something private that I want to share with my friends, I’ll tell them in person, call them, or message them separately. You never know what can happen when you share something online. Even if only people I knew followed me, accounts are still really easy to get into these days, as well as some people who you think you are friends with could easily take this information and share it with people you don’t even know. Brass-colored Metal Padlock With Chain

Second, I should only let my friends, relatives, or people I am close with follow me. It’s better if only people you trust follow you on social media, since if you let strangers follow you, you never know who you could be giving permission to know all about your life. These random people could take my photos and videos, or use them for various dangerous reasons. It’s not safe to let strangers follow you on social media.

Finally, I would only put out something on social media if I was proud of it. I will never put anything that could make me look bad, since people could use these bad things as blackmail and even use it against me. If I were to ever post something that could make me look bad, and then delete it a few minutes later, then it could still be too late. It only takes a couple of seconds for people to take pictures and videos of what you posted. For my digital footprint on the internet and social media, I am going to think before I post and make sure it is something I want others to see and know. Instead I’ll use my digital footprint to my advantage and show my future employers that I am creative and a critical thinker while using it as evidence that I’m telling the truth.

What information did you learn that you would pass on to other students? How will you go about telling them?

I want other students to know that it is very easy to post something now, and have no consequences, however in the future it can definitely impact your life and your job. Students need to know that they should be careful and consider what they are uploading online, or posting on social media. Also that social media is our main digital footprint these days and we have to take care of our accounts, and make sure we don’t do something we will later regret. If I notice students posting photos or videos that may cause trouble later on, I will casually approach them and let them know that what they could be doing is dangerous. I’ll inform them about the dangers of posting private things on social media, and how impactful it can be in the future.

Person Holding Iphone Showing Social Networks Folder Woman in Black Blazer Looking at Woman in Grey Blazer