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Is Time Travel Possible?

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Time travel has always been an intriguing topic for many. In a sense, we all travel through time. If 1 minutes has passed, then we have traveled 1 minute through time. Time is perceived as an unstoppable, articulate force. Now, the more specific question we should be asking is, “Can we travel 3 hours forward/ backward in a time frame in which us humans experience it as only an hour?” In 1916, a well-known scientist named Albert Einstein created a theory called “the theory of general relativity”. He theorized that time can be viewed a lot more as a variable than anything. It was described that time can change within “perspectives” and that strong gravity could bend time. For example, time may be slower in a strong gravitational field, but be faster for someone further away. Another one of his theory, widely known as “the theory of special relativity”, implied that objects moving at extremely high speeds could “skip” through time. The faster a person travels through space, the slower time may be observed upon by a stationary viewer. As a side note, both theories have been proven to be correct through GPS satellite technology.

 

Now, this creates 2 very plausible methods of “time traveling”. First, let’s use Einstein’s theory of special relativity. Let’s say I went on a space trip to a faraway planet, and the trip took 10 years. If I was traveling at a speed as fast, or as close to the speed of light, around 100 years would have passed on Earth. Unfortunately, this method would only be a one-way trip to the future. The next method uses the theory of general relativity. Knowing that strong gravity could bend time, it creates opportunities for things like wormholes to exist. If in fact, wormholes do exist, one possible method to travel to the PAST would be taking a wormhole and substantially speeding up one side of it. Going through the wormhole would distort time and bring you back in time. Overall, both theories are a very possible method, but the amount of energy and technology needed to operate such a project may be millions of years too early.

Knowing that time travel is possible, it creates some paradoxes that could occur. A famous one is the grandfather paradox. What would happen if a time traveler was to travel back in time and kill his own parents/grandparents, making it so the time traveler was never born to kill in the first place? As farfetched as it may sound, some scientists believe that this would create alternate timelines in which one of them was born, and one wasn’t. Others believe this is the reason time travel is not possible. In conclusion, traveling through time is a very tough subject, but I believe that one day we will be able to prove these plausible theories correct and show that in fact, the impossible can sometimes become our reality.

 

 

Part 2

 

  1. What questions did you need to research in order to research your topic?

 

In order to research my topic, these were a few guiding questions I had to research=

What is the theory of special relativity?

What is the theory of general relativity?

What are the paradoxes that could occur in time travel?

How does time work?

Do wormholes exist?

 

 

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

 

I used google search to find websites to gather my info, YouTube to find a video explaining time travel, citation machine for my citations, and google pictures for some pics.

 

  1. What was the process you used to investigate the topic?

 

First, I had to use my guiding questions to further understand the full “image” and make sure I was getting the right info. Once I found multiple credible/trusted websites I put bits and pieces of info from all my sources together and created the project.

 

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

 

First, the websites I used were websites like Gale and NASA, so they were already credible, but I wanted to double check that all my info was correct, and so I corroborated the info with other websites and verified that the info I was getting was credible.

 

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

 

Overall, the process of completing this challenge was very fun and successful. I’ve learned a lot about time traveling while researching this topic and was able to put all my findings into this project. While I believe that I did well on this assignment, there is always room for improvement. One thing that I could’ve improved on was maybe making the project a bit longer and going more into depth as the subject of time travel is relatively heavy. In conclusion, this project was a great learning experience.

 

A video for further explanation:

 

 

 

Citations:

 

“Is Time Travel Possible?” Gale , go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=Reference&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=1&docId=GALE|CV2643750281&docType=Topic overview&sort=Relevance&contentSegment=&prodId=SCIC&contentSet=GALE|CV2643750281&searchId=R1&userGroupName=43riss&inPS=true.

 

Is time travel possible? (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2018, from https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/review/dr-marc-space/time-travel.html

 

Howell, E. (2017, November 15). Time Travel: Theories, Paradoxes & Possibilities. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/21675-time-travel.html

 

Redd, N. T. (2017, November 08). Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/17661-theory-general-relativity.html

 

According to current physical theory, is it possible for a human being to travel through time? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/according-to-current-phys/

 

Howell, E. (2018, May 26). Is Time Travel Possible? Scientists Explore the Past and Future. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/40716-time-travel-science-fiction-reality.html

 

 

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Interconnectedness. For the past few weeks, we have been learning many new things. After looking back, I started to realize how everything was connected. For example, we learned about the natural cycles. These cycles are supposed to happen naturally. When humans interfere, we cause what people call it, the “butterfly effect”. One thing could trigger another thing, in which would trigger even more things. In this world, everything is connected. Even the animals are connected. Let’s look at a dying specie. A certain specie dying may not be big to you, but it is. This specie could have been the main food source for another specie, and so that specie dies off too. In simple terms, killing the shrimp population can result in the death of thousands of whales. Furthermore, this would mean a virus inside a certain animal could spread like wildfire. Through something like bioaccumulation, the virus may spread to from rats to another specie such as even humans. Now, back to the human interference problem. We have cause way too many deaths and harm to the environment over the past centuries. Let’s look at global warming. It was caused because of pollution. Now, the globe is starting to heat up and causing an imbalance in this world. Things like wildfires, melting of the glaciers, and the sea rising is all contribution of the destruction of our planet. Our careless ways have cost this world an arm and a leg. Why? Because everything in this world is interconnected.

 

Now let’s look at sustainability. In a recent assignment, we found out have many worlds it would take to sustain a population with a lifestyle like ours. My result was 5 worlds. Many others had something similar to my results. Furthermore, lots of others in this world live a lifestyle like mine. We do not have 5 worlds, we have only 1, and we are destroying it. I learned in science that many normal human activities are resulting in negative effect. An example is how we are causing water pollution, global warming, air pollution, and etc. To view it more simply, society is in a boat with one side sinking. The people on the side where it is not sinking are cheerfully living life because their side isn’t sinking. Eventually the boat will fully sink. In reality, the boat is the earth. This is why we are learning about how to make life better for future generations. An example was when we watched a video that told us the problems that we as a specie caused. The video then further explained how we could contribute to make the world a better place. I learned that things as small as even walking, relying on transit, and biking instead of riding a car could make an impact. Like I mentioned before, we don’t have 15 worlds, not even 5; but only 1. In conclusion, I am grateful that I was taught these things and now, I’m ready to make a difference to help this planet.

 

 

 

Media that helped me:

“An Inconvenient Truth” video and worksheet that helped me interact with the principles.

 

 

 

Image result for one side of boat sinking

A view of society (explained above)

 

 

 

 

Image result for how everything is connected in nature

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A picture that illustrates how everything is connected from local to global

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The company of the bus I ride to school everyday (so that I can contribute to sustaining Earth)

Technology and Genetics

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(Transcript)

  1. What problem is your topic trying to solve?

 

Humans have 46 chromosomes. In the case of meiosis, the sex cell is split into 4 new cells now each holding 23 chromosomes. When you and your partner “make love”, 23 chromosomes from each person is passed down resulting in 46 chromosomes. Each chromosome has many genes and specific instructions on how the baby will grow. Sometimes, there is an error within these “instructions”. This causes the baby to grow abnormally. My topic was genetic counseling. Genetic counseling is a solution to see the risk you and your partner have to pass down an inherited disorder. You personally may not be affected by a certain condition, but there is a chance that you might have the instructions for this condition in you. This can be passed down when you are mating. This is why genetic counselling is recommended. Furthermore, when one goes through a session of genetic counseling, they are taught in depth the consequences, nature of the disorder, and have multiple options given to them for the process of managing it. This allows disorders like, down syndrome, sickle-cell, anemia, tay-sachs disease, muscular dystrophy, etc… to be detected before 2 partners mate and have their genes passed down which can higher the risk of getting a child with one of these conditions. Genetic tests are performed by an analyzes of the DNA of each partner which can be provided by something as simple as a drop of blood.

 

 

  1. What assumptions are made by your sources?

 

In some of my sources, there were assumptions created by the author which perceived the reader to be a woman scared of pregnancy. They also assumed that the reader came to this source because they were uncertain whether genetic counseling was right for them. I know this because the article tried to persuade me as a reader, that genetic counseling was the best solution for this problem.  Furthermore, the sources wrote the article in a way that told me that genetic counseling is never inaccurate. They assumed that genetic counseling was always successful and never talked about the negatives of it. No source ever gave me information about the actual research studies that were conducted. This also tells me about the biases of these writers.

 

 

 

  1. What are the writers’ biases?

 

Most of my sources specifically listed only the benefits of genetic counseling. This made it so that it seems that genetic counselling would be a great solution for this problem. Constantly, all my sources wrote about genetic counseling in a good light. This tells me that the writer’s biases were leaning towards recommending genetic counseling. Some of my sources tried to avoid the negatives and was “selling off” genetic counselling. This made me steer away from using this source as a reference.

 

 

 

  1. What social implications does your topic have?

Like mentioned before, genetic counseling allows society to look into the genes of 2 individuals wanting to “pass down their genes”. This could heavily affect society because it allows the couple to see the chances of a possible mutation. Why? Because if each and every couple that were about to decide to have a baby in this world was to have a session of genetic counseling beforehand, there would logically be 2 likely ways it would end; the couple could end up not having a child at all if the chances of a mutation were too high, or the couple would resort to adoption. Either way, each scenario would result in a sufficient decrease in the human population. More specifically, there will be less people with mutations. Now, would this be a good or bad thing? Well, that would be up to you, as the listener, to decide.

 

 

  1. What ethical implications does your topic have?

The result of genetic counseling will surely tamper the human population. Now this is when morals come into place. Is it wrong that us humans are allowed to tinker with god’s work? Shouldn’t we leave the work of birth to nature? Moreover, if almost every high-risk mutation gene passing human couple was to not breed for the sake of not having a child mutation, eventually the mutation genes will slowly subside. This would lead to a situation in which mutations would be viewed as far more discriminated than it already is as it would become rarer. Furthermore, genetic counseling can cause stress, arguments, and disputes amongst family members.

 

 

 

 

  1. Evaluate your topic and whether it is a satisfactory solution to the problem, given the weaknesses you have already addressed.

 

Genetic counseling is trying to solve is the uncertainty a specific disorder has to be passed down. I believe it is a satisfactory solution to the problem to an extent. Genetic counseling only lets you see the probability of a mutation being passed down, so it does not directly fix lowering the chances itself when humans naturally mate. It’s like knowing who the serial killer is but not being able to stop the process of the killing. On the other hand, there are still limitations to the genetic screening. What happens if there was an inaccurate screening and 2 high-risk mutations genes are passed down to a baby? Although this doesn’t happen often, this can still be a problem. So overall, it is based on how high your standards are and how you view each problem that will determine its satisfaction.

 

 

 

  1. What is your personal stance on this topic?

Personally, I think genetic counseling was a great breakthrough in science. Now, couples can observe the chances of transferring mutation genes down and act beforehand. Lots of suffering and stress can be avoided. Genetic counseling has even created many new jobs, profitable revenue, and new fields of study. Personally, I believe genetic counseling has many benefits; although do I understand how some people can have an issue with it. Overall, I feel the pros outweigh the cons which is why I see genetic counselling as a positive impact on society.

 

 

 

 

  1. Cite the sources you used to find your information.

Bibliography

Heller, Karen. Genetic counseling: DNA testing for the patient. 18 April 2005. 11 December 2016.

Lea, Dale Halsey. Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing. 5 June 2005. 11 December 2016.

Walker, Ann P. Genetic Counselling. December 2009. 11 December 2016.

 

 

 

Science App Review

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Have you ever wanted to have a better grasp of chemistry but seemed to struggle? Misunderstood a concept in science? Misplaced a chemical formula? Need specific details for a specific element? Overall, do you just want a simple way to double check your work and help you be more efficient in the departmentImage result for question of chemistry. If you answered yes to any of those questions, you might want to consider downloading this app.

 

App Explanation and Pros

The answer for this problem was an app called “Complete Chemistry App”. As I experimented with this app, the pros ridiculously outnumbered the cons. The app is split into 4 sections; Periodic Table, Chemical Formula, Concepts, and Quick Reference. In the “Periodic Table” section, it would display all the elements ordered from the least to greatest atomic number. If you pressed on the element, it would give you the symbol, atomic radius, atomic weight, melting point, boiling point, and electron configuration. What I liked most about this section was that there would be a search bar at the top so we can search any element up and it would show up instead of scrolling down until you found it. Moving on to the next section, there was “Chemical Formula”. Here, it would list every chemical formula top to bottom. If you were unsure of a formula, you could simply check it by going to this section and searching it up on the search bar. This would be extremely helpful when studying for an upcoming chemistry test. Next section, there was “Concept”. This was where, like the setting name suggests, you search up a concept you may not understand. By searching it up, it would give you a brief but informative paragraph about the concept (such as what iconic and covalent bonds are and how they work ). Personally, this would help me a lot because I easily forgot concepts. Last but not least, the next section we got here for this app is “Quick Reference”. This section contains formulas, laws, principles, and etc. Like every other section on this app, this would be useful for quick look-ups of references you are unsure of. Overall, I have learnt that there are great apps out there than can quickly and efficiently help you greatly academically and I hope to use this app effectively in science class.

 

Cons

There were many things I liked about this app but there were also a few things I would have personally changed. For the Periodic Table section, I noticed there were no listings of amounts of electrons, protons, and neutrons for each element. I believed that caused a bit of a negative impact on the use of this app. Another thing I would have changed in the app to improve it was how there were no settings to search formulas separately on the Chemical Formula section. An example is, when I searched H2O, many other formulas appeared which makes it hard to find out what formula makes a specific substance rather than having results that showed one specific formula. Other th
an that, this app was pretty solid and did a great job serving its purpose.

 

Other Possible Solution to the Problem

-Get a tutor

-Stay afterschool for extra assignments to get better marks

-Watch YouTube videos so you understand something

-Read an article

-Get a friend or family member to review with you

-Get a group of friends and quiz each other and if someone gets something wrong, they all suffer a punishment until everyone does well

-You give your frieImage result for tutornd something valuable and you tell them to break it if you get something wrong while reviewing

-Tell yourself your going to bath in ice cold water if you get lower than 90% on the chemistry test so that you study hard

 

How does the app help users build skills or learn content?

 

This app helps students like me reflect on their knowledge and add more content to it and expand our minds so we are more successful in the chemistry section of science. The style of the app is more of a review app for upcoming tests (like a dictionary) but can still be used for others things; such as finishing off a homework sheet. With trial and error, we look for knowledge that is correct so we know the difference between right and wrong. The app helps us learn the differences and is easily accessible and so using this app as a study guide should be no problem.Image result for tutor

(also refer to app explanation)

 

How intuitive is the app? Is it self-explanatory or does it take a long time to figure out?

Sometimes, being basic is much more effective; such as this case. The app is very basic and self explanatory. But what is more important is if the app contains the correct information, which it does. Everything is straight-forward and is very easy to navigate through the app. To me, it feels like a neat and tidy room.

(refer to app for explanation of app)

 

What innovative elements does the app utilize?

The app utiliImage result for no wifizes the use of “downloaded info”. Another big pro was that no Wi-Fi or data was needed to access the information on this app. Usually, information either needs to be googled (which requires Wi-Fi) or read from books (lots of time spent). Both suggestions have their major cons, but this app was able to cross out the cons and so I thought the way the app works was pretty innovative.

 

DebriefImage result for potential

Overall, everything went very smoothly but there was definitely room for improvement, such as comparing my app to others similar to make the message behind this presentation much more effective. Another thing I thought I could have improved on was using the app for a long period of time and then reporting on the long term effects. In conclusion, I believe this app has a lot of potential in it that can grow if nourished.

 

 

 

Presented by : Peter Ra