Category: Science 9

Car paint – A Real Word Applications of Static Electricity

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Sci 9 – Doftoreanu – Car Paint and Static Electricity

Car paint is something that you might not think of often, but we had to think of it a lot when we were researching about its use of static electricity. My PowerPoint goes over the big questions of “how is static electricity used in car paint” and “what other things is this method used for?” as well as diving into a brief explanation of the charges used as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this method. My sources are at the end, enjoy.

CC Self-Assessment – Science 9 #2

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While I have progressed through the spheres unit, I have used Creative Thinking as a skill to help me. Learning this type of skill is very important in the long run because it helps you persevere through tough times. Here is my self-assessment.

 

I can get new ideas in areas in which I have an interest and build my skills to make them work. This relates to the Solution Fluency project because once I find a topic I like and I can work with, I can come up with many good ideas that help me with the project I need to complete. If something doesn’t work, I am able to change my design in a way that I still am proud of, but so it actually works. There were times where my design was a challenge, but it was mostly because I realized that it wasn’t the topic I was most passionate about and there weren’t many ideas that I had to help with the problem, but when I found something that I knew I had ideas for, I knew that that was what I had to progress on, even if it meant redoing the project. Sometimes there will be times where I need to redo something, but it’s for the sake of myself and my grade since if I don’t like or understand the topic, my presentation won’t be the best.

 

I deliberately learn a lot about something (e.g., by doing research, talking to others, or practicing), so that I am able to generate new ideas about it or the ideas just pop into my head. This contributes a lot to the project because we had to do a lot of research and figure out many things before we were able to design our idea. The research, or the discover portion of the project was very helpful because it made me see what other have and haven’t done. This helped me realize if my ideas were original or not because that was a major part of the grade for this project. Researching is something that I struggle with sometimes since a lot of sources have a lot of the same information, but they also have different information, so most of my information is repeated and it’s not very organized. I think that is something that I need to work on, but I have gotten better at it throughout the years. With the research, I am able to create ideas that work and use information that’s needed while also having separate knowledge even if it’s not that important in the project that I am focusing on at that moment.

 

I build the skills I need to make my ideas work, and usually succeed, even if it takes a few tries. This is a very important part to me, but it’s something I struggle a lot with since I am quick to give up, yet I am a perfectionist. I have gotten over the “I need to be perfect” part, but I still sometimes feel like I should have done better, even if there wasn’t much else I could do either because I didn’t have the time or supplies needed or I am simply just burned out because I have overworked myself too much. I do need to work on not giving up so quickly with things because I need to acknowledge that I am not perfect and sometimes multiple tries may be needed, but I am able to build the skills to make my ideas work when I know what’s wrong and what I need to fix. If I don’t know, I can research and find out more about what I need before trying again.

Minecraft Solution Fluency – Climate Change

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In science 9, we started to look at climate change and the way it effects us and the environment. We were instructed to present a project to solve a part of climate change with the 6 D’s (define, discover, dream, design, deliver, debrief) using Minecraft as a way to represent our invention. This is my solution to something that’s effecting us greatly and causing the most progression in climate change. My sources are at the bottom.

I might talk a bit fast and stutter in the video, so the script that I used will be at the “Deliver” section of this post.

1) DEFINE:

Climate change has been around for a long time and there are many different parts that contribute to its horrible progression that’s destroying the planet. The issue that I chose to focus on was fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a leading cause of the amount of CO2 that is in the air. When they’re burned, they produce a lot of carbon dioxide which pollutes the air and also contributes to the greenhouse effect which is heating the earth. Although they are more reliable, they still are something that we need to change, and maybe even get rid of completely if we want to save this planet. The amount of CO2 in the air is horrible, and it’s difficult to get rid of it because of the lessening amount of oxygen producers we have like trees. Fossil fuels might be difficult to quit, but in the end it will be worth it for us and the generations coming.

2) DISCOVER:

What are fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels are mostly hydrocarbons. They’re formed from fossilized remains of organisms that lived millions of years ago. Because of this, they have more carbon in them. They are all found in the Earth’s crust. Some examples of common fossil fuels are: coal, oils and natural gas. Coal has one of the worst effects out of all the fossil fuels. Oils have the second worst and natural gasses are considered the cleanest, but they still contribute.

 

What are the effects fossil fuels on the environment?

There are many effects of fossil fuels that you will see repeated throughout this post. First, when fossil fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide in the air which is a greenhouse gas, meaning it traps heat in the atmosphere which makes the Earth warmer, therefore contributing to global warming. A study conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that fossil fuel emissions are the leading problem of climate change. In 2018, 89% of carbon dioxide in the air was from fossil fuels.

 

Pros of fossil fuels:

Fossil fuels have many positives to them. Although we do mostly speak about them in a negative light, it is important to look at both sides. Burning fossil fuels does produce a lot of carbon dioxide, but it also helps provide the energy we need for cars, companies, lights and other things we don’t want to live without. Fossil fuels provide more than 80% of the energy we need. They’re very easy to store and transport which help make sure many places have the energy needed. They’re also very cheap and very reliable. There is also a high amount of fossil fuels and because of the high carbon content, they can provide more energy and they’re very efficient. 

 

Cons of fossil fuels:

After my previous points, it might seem like fossil fuels are really good, but they’re not. Maybe they’re reliable and easy, but they affect most of Earths spheres. They contribute to global warming as well as air and water pollution. The amount of carbon dioxide that they produce is intoxicating, metaphorically and physically. For most animals and humans, carbon dioxide is threatening to their health in one way or another.

 

Why we should switch to renewable energy?

Before the answer to this question is said, let’s focus on what renewable energy is. Renewable energy is energy that comes from natural sources and they’re being constantly “refilled” in a way. Some examples of renewable energy are sunlight and wind. They’re the most common sources that we use. Even though it might seem like a new concept, we have used renewable energy for a long time. Think of boats that use a sail or lighting a fire using the sun. What I mean by they’re being “refilled” is that the sun is always shining and the wind is always blowing, although it does depend on the weather, but we won’t lose those things anytime soon.

Now that we know what renewable energy is, why should we use them instead of fossil fuels? For starters, it’s way better for our environment. It’s also way cheaper and, of course, a cleaner way to make energy. Renewable energy also provides more possibilities for technological advancement. They are able to help stabilize the price for energy since of the natural processes that are simple to use. A recent report says we can get rid of 80% of the fossil fuel use and affects in the U.S by 2050 if we use renewable energy. With the progress so far, I think we could be close, but not exact.

 

Why is it difficult to make the switch?

Although renewable energy is really good, it’s also very difficult to make the switch and not just because we’ve gotten so used fossil fuels. Some companies are denying that there’s a problem to begin with and they’re refusing to make any switch. Fossil fuels are also way more reliable than renewable energy and they’re so widely used that it’s difficult to change our ways. They also can cause a lot of good things that we don’t want to lose or have a less reliable version of just because of renewable energy. Before industrial times, we used solar energy and it was all we needed since it was fitting, but it quickly became problematic because we evolved and needed an easier and more reliable way to have energy. That’s why we switched to using fossil fuels, without thinking of the effects that it can cause in the future.

 

What can we do to reduce fossil fuels?

There are minimal things that we can do to help this situation, sadly, since we don’t control the fossil fuels that are being used. Something we can do as individuals is to use less energy, (turning off the lights, buying things that need less fossil fuel use, etc.) and only drive if it’s really needed. With all problems, it’s always important to raise awareness about it. It can be as small as telling someone you know, or something like going and speaking with an audience for a panel or something similar. It’s a sad thing that there is minimal thing’s we can do, but we can try and do our part to help.

3) DREAM:

There are many things that my solution can do and I think that many of my “dreams” for this project can be accomplished if this because a reality.

My dreams are:

  • Less carbon dioxide
  • Less greenhouse gasses
  • Less pollution
  • Better health
  • Reduce the progress of climate change
  • Less processes to cause carbon dioxide
  • Better energy usage

4) DESIGN:

My design for this project was very simple. It was a simple “hot air-balloon” type design that was holding up a simple and light structure. The structure itself is able to produce artificial photosynthesis by taking the carbon dioxide in the air and turning it into oxygen and producing it into the air. The hot air-balloon is filled with helium, so it might just stay up for a few days, but it can be interchangeable once it falls down. The material that all of this is made of is environmentally friendly, since usually hot air-balloons are made of nylon which isn’t that good for the environment.

5) DELIVER:

Script for the video:

Climate change has been around for a long time and there are many different parts of it that contribute to its horrible progression that’s destroying the planet. The issue that I chose to focus on was fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are a leading cause of the amount of CO2 that is in the atmosphere since when they’re burned, they produce a lot of carbon dioxide which pollutes the air (and many other things) and also contributes to the greenhouse effect. They also are very bad for our health and for animals too because the amount of carbon dioxide they are producing. Although they are more reliable for energy, they still are something that we need to change, and maybe even get rid of completely if we want to save this planet. The amount of CO2 in the air is ridiculous, and it’s very difficult to get rid of it because of the lessening amount of things that produce oxygen, like trees. Fossil fuels might be difficult to quit, but in the end it will be worth it for us and the generations coming.

Firstly to demonstrate what might happen if we get rid of fossil fuels, I built a prototype of a factory and, as you can see, it is solar powered. It’s also made out of bricks since they don’t produce a lot of carbon This switch can help us reduce a lot of CO2 that is in the atmosphere since no fossil fuels are being used, because it is renewable energy.

To briefly explain, renewable energy is energy from natural sources, so the sunlight and wind, for example.

Now to get into my actual invention for this. My solution was to build a hot air-balloon type thing that suspends a machine up in the air that produces artificial photosynthesis. Which, as you can see in this demonstration, it takes in the carbon dioxide and converts it into oxygen before releasing it back into the atmosphere.

The material which all of this is made of is environmentally safe, even the hot air-balloon because normally hot air-balloons are made of nylon which is not very good for the environment.

The hot air-balloon is filled with helium, which means as a downside to this invention, it does not stay up for very long, but it is interchangeable so it can just be refilled.

Sadly, there are minimal things we as individuals since we’re not the ones who are producing the fossil fuels and burning them, but we are using the energy from them. So, something that we can do to is conserve energy, which can look like turning off the lights. We can also only drive when it’s needed since driving also burns fossil fuels [because of the gas]. For all problems, spreading awareness and talking to someone about it is very helpful even though it is very simple but it is really effective for all problems.

The switch might be difficult, but in the end it’ll be worth it to save the planet and give ourselves and the generations after us a better future. Thank you for listening to my presentation.

6) DEBRIEF:

During this project, I had a lot of fun, but there were a few challenges along the way that I had to overcome. One of the challenges was the design part of this. I knew what I wanted the structure to do and how it worked, but I wasn’t sure on how to put it into something physical instead of a concept. I settled onto something simple, but also very practical and friendly for the environment. The “dream” part of this project also stumped me a bit because I wasn’t sure what to really do for that part, but after asking questions I figured it out, although I think I could have done better on that part and thought of many other things that my invention could help with. Something I’m proud of is my actual idea for this because I think it’s very original, but also something that could be possible because of the way technology is advancing. I could have done better on the “deliver” part of this project since I don’t think that my words were very clear because I stuttered a lot, but all in all, I think that this project went very well and my invention is very helpful to reduce, or even stop climate change.

 

Sources:

Denchak, Melissa. “Fossil Fuels: The Dirty Facts.” NRDC, 29 June, 2018

Gross, Samantha. “Why are fossil fuels so hard to quit?” Brookings, June 2020

Unknown. “The Sources and Solutions: Fossil Fuels” EPA

Unknown. “Pros And Cons Of Fossil Fuels & Why Can Fossil Fuels Be Good?” MET Group

Unknown. “Fossil fuels and climate change: the facts” ClientEarth, 11 November, 2020

Segal, Rachel. “Should We Depend On Fossil Fuels or Renewable Energy?” The Perspective, 2021

Kopp, Otto. “fossil fuel” Britannica, 2021

Unknown. “Carbon Dioxide” Wisconsin Department of Health Services, 3 June, 2021

Unknown. “Fossil fuels” Geological Survey

Shinn, Lora “Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts” NRDC, 15 June, 2018

Spheres Walk – Traboulay Poco Trail

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On the 26th of October, the class of Science 9 went on a walk to discover how the different spheres interact with one another. We took pictures and analyzed the ways of interacting between different sources. These are the pictures I took and an explanation of each one.

In this picture, we can see that the geosphere is interacting with the biosphere because moss is growing in between the pavement. It is also an interaction between something abiotic and biotic.

 

Here, something abiotic is interacting with something biotic which is an interesting example, but also something that is horrible for the environment (in the case of this picture) since this is litter.

 

This picture represents the atmosphere reacting with the biosphere through the process of photosynthesis. The sunlight gives to the trees and then the trees produce oxygen (with the help of other things as well)

 

This is another representation of the biosphere and geosphere reacting. The soil has rocks and there is many plants growing from the soil as well as the roots are buried into the soil.

 

It’s difficult to see here, but here is an example of the biosphere and hydrosphere reacting. Plants are sort of growing near the/on the water. It is also a good example of an reciprocal relationship since the water helps the plants grow and the plants give back oxygen to the water.

 

In this picture there is also an example of the hydrosphere and biosphere reacting, but in a different way. It’s rain water on top of grass.

 

In this ecosystem, what is a natural event that could affect one or more other spheres? Explain

A natural event that occurs that affects more spheres is simply rain. This is because when it rains, it comes from the atmospheres since that’s where the clouds are. The rain is part of the hydrosphere and it falls onto the geosphere where is where some of the biospheres roots are (if we’re talking about plants) and then the plants get water.

CC Self-Assessment – Science 9

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During the course of my chemistry unit, I have learned many useful skills that I can use in the future. During this unit, I have used Critical Thinking as a skill to help me throughout my learning. Here is my self-assessment.

I can use my observations, experience, and imagination to draw conclusions and make judgements. An example of this would be during the experiments we conducted in class. There were many aspects of the experiments that I had to use this skill, such as writing the qualitative and quantitative properties, practicing safety, and using my imagination to guess what would happen before the experiment.

I am flexible and open-minded; I can explain more than one perspective and consider implications. I demonstrate this by asking questions and advocating for myself and others. If someone needs help, something I can do is to explain it in different ways so the person understands better because I understand there are several types of learners, and not everyone is the same, so they might need more information. I am also able to use different strategies and ideas that my peers have suggested to benefit the assignment.

I can explore with a purpose in mind and use what I learn. I can do this by exploring other ways to do things while having a purpose of why I’m doing it in a different (and safe) way. I can use what I learn from this unit in my future, it can contribute to many aspects of my life as well as help me step out of my comfort zone to try and learn new skills or ways of thinking. I am very proud that I have been able to understand this unit of science and help others with the information I learn with this.

 

What have you accomplished so far in Science 9?

I have accomplished a lot in science 9 during this short period of time. I have learned how to ask good questions to have better and more reliable sources when researching for assignments. I have also accomplished many projects that I am very proud about and I have gained better social skills by being able to talk with my classmates if I have questions that are simple enough that I don’t need the teacher to answer them.

How have you developed?

I have developed during this year by learning how to be more responsible during labs and also being able to have a consistent homework plan and making time to also study for any upcoming tests without overworking myself. I also developed more knowledge with concepts in our chemistry unit and making myself more comfortable with the idea of experiments and learning things that I didn’t know before since I tend to not go out of my comfort zone a lot, so I have developed a lot of skills that are outside of that.

What are your goals for the rest of Semester 1 and your next Science course? Be specific.

My goals for the rest of the first semester are to just basically try my best in all the subjects I have and to be a better student in general, but if I were to specifically made a goal for science, I think it would be to ask for more help from the teacher when I need it, because I’m sure the units will get more difficult and I’ll have a few challenges with some units along the way, so I think the best goal to set is to try and ask for more help when I need it and not stay quiet because I’m too scared to ask.

Element Infofluency – Bismuth

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On the 29th of September, 2021, I started my journey towards researching a specific element named bismuth. This is the final product of this Sway project for science. The reflection questions are below. I hope you enjoy.

 

Reflection Questions:

(ASK) What questions did you need to research in order to create your sway?

  • What gives bismuth its colour when it’s crystalized?
  • Is bismuth dangerous to humans?
  • What is bismuth’s uses?
  • What medication is bismuth used in?
  • How was bismuth discovered?
  • Who discovered bismuth?
  • How did bismuth receive its name?
  • What are some unknown facts about bismuth?

(ACQUIRE) What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?

I used Sway, which is something very new for me since I commonly use PowerPoint for these types of presentations. There were many new sites that I went through to get my information and pictures which is interesting because I know a few things about bismuth, but some of the questions stumped me which was very helpful since I learned more information.

The most common tools I used for this project are:

Google – which I have used before and is very helpful when looking for information.

Creative Commons Search – which was something new for me, but it was very useful and gave me good results.

Flickr – this was also new for me, but I think I will use it more in the future for images.

For a more detailed list of my sources, please check my Sway at the bottom where I cited my sources.

(ANALYZE) What was the process you used to investigate the topic and how did you verify and cite the information you found?

The process I used to do this project is that I researched through, and when I found what I needed I verified the information by looking through multiple sites, seeing if the information is similar enough on all the sites so I know it’s most likely correct information. I kept a list of all my sources in my EduBlog draft so I could easily make the EduBlog. I made sure to use my own words in my presentation and I also made sure to cite all of my sources from where I got my information and images.

(ASSESS) How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could/would you have done better?

When I look back at my Sway, I could have been more organized and inserted more information in my project which could have helped the organization and for it to flow more smoothly, but without looking at the flaws, I am very proud of this project. This helped me understand bismuth and the elements better and will definitely help me in the future. The way of researching that I learned helped me present my information easily and get better results. I will be looking forward to following these tactics of researching in future work.