Cornstarch/Water Experiment Conclusion

If you've ever seen the movie "The Blob," then you know the sight of a gelatin-like goo that oozes from place to place and still maintains it's shape. Now, imagine that, but when you move it around, it turns solid and when you let it go, it turns back into a liquid. Creepy, right? Well, all you need to do to make your own is mix water and cornstarch (pancakes not included). Our science class recently experimented with this method. It was a lot of fun to do and i encourage you to try it at home!

We were assigned to make a conclusion for our project, which is what you are reading right now. Here is the synopsis of our research:


1.) The mixture was a thick, liquid-like substance that was smooth flowing, like molasses, yet hard at touch. Although it appeared to be a liquid, I believe that the "blob" was a solid. This is so because it was able to form a dense object when heat and pressure are added and it turned softer when they were taken away, although not soft enough to be a liquid.

2.) When handled, the mixture had a variety of reactions. If squeezed, the mixture becomes hard and controlled. If released, the mixture becomes loose and uncontrolable. The heat and pressure cause the molecules in the solution to be compact and stiff, which is the solid you get. After those traits are taken away, it turns back into glop. When I quickly put my finger in the gunk, it gets stuck because it gets hard when it feels the heat and pressure of your finger. When I slowly dip my finger in, it doesn't feel the change in pressure or heat, therefore my finger goes right through.

Conclusion:
This magnificent experiment is a facinating way of indirectly exploring the Earth's mantle. This is so because you are experiencing plasticity, which is the capability of being molded, receiving shape, or being made to assume a desired form (in this case, turning goo into a solid). Inside of the mantle, molten magma is being churned, which makes the lithospheric plates move (that's the cause of earthquakes). The plates move around on top of the magma, causing the magma to stay a liquid. If there was no plasticity, the Earth probably wouldn't exsist! Yeah, it's that important. So just think, the next time you do this experiment, think of how our Earth works (and think of my blog!!!)

October Sky Responce

The movie "October Sky," featuring Jake Gyllenhaal, is based on a true story that happened in Coalwood, West Virginia. John Hickam, the main character, is fascinated by the way rockets work. He goes from creating models from scratch to winning the national science fair in Indianapolis. This inspiring show features how math and science can be used in everyday life. For example, after John and his friends that helped him make the rockets got in trouble for "starting a forest fire" by where one of their boosters landed, they used math to prove that the rocket didn't start the fire. The equation was this:

• (delta)X or S or height = Viyt + 1/2at2


• at the crest, Viy=0, S = Viyt + 1/2at2


• In all, S = 1/2at2

If this doesn't make sense to you, it's OK... the rest of America doesn't know either. This formula states that the rocket would have landed further away from the fire's origin. After hours of searching for their own rocket, they found it lying in a river almost 1/2 mile away from where the other one was found (that booster happened to belong to an airport near by).

Character traits are also an important part of the movie. In our school, we based character education on C.A.R.E.S. (Cooperation, Assertion, Respect, Empathy, and Self-control). Most, if not all of these are shown in the movie. One example is cooperation. If it weren't for the kids working together to reach their goals, they wouldn't have won the national science fair. They worked for hours trying to perfect the correct dimensions of the rocket to make it fly. Teamwork led them to successfully fulfill their dreams. Assertion was also shown in the film. The four friends worked hard, long hours to complete their task. If I were one of them, I would be proud of the things I accomplished over that period of time.

Given these points, it's fair to say that the movie "October Sky" displayed how character, science, and math were put into affect. I understand why this moie earned 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. I encourage you to watch it and be not only enhansed by the facts given, but also by the way everyone teats each other. Thank you for reading this responce. To learn more about the movie, click here.

Fragile X Responce

My new blog-buddy "D507" has recently written about Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease. Scientists say that it causes hammer toe (when the foot arch rises and the toes curve down), scoliosis, and weakness in the hands and forearms. It has nothing to do with someones teeth, though. In all, I was very surprised to see so much detail in just one blog. He was very precise when explaining what happens to people with CMT Disease. For example, he quotes, "The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease affects the peripheral nerves which are a nervous system that resides or extends outside the central nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord." I would have never known this information from any other website on the internet. He gives facts that I would have never understood on another blog. This post makes it easy to comprehend the difficult jargon of science. To read this extraordinary blog, click here and enjoy!

NFL All-Time Fantasy Team

This list states my fantasy team that includes players dating back to the early 1900's.

POSITION: 1st Team - 2nd Team

QB: Joe Montana - Steve Young
HB: Walter Payton - LaDanian Tomlinson
FB: Tom Rathman - Mike Alstott
WR: Jerry Rice - Cris Carter
Tim Brown - Issac Bruce
TE: Kellen Winslow, Sr. - Antonio Gates
OL: Anthony Munoz - Gary Zimmerman
Art Shell - Jackie Slater
Larry Allan - Randall McDaniel
Jonathan Ogden - Mike Webster
Dan Dierdorf - Bob St Clair
DE: Reggie White - Richard Dent
L.C. Greenwood - Harvey Martin
DT: "Mean" Joe Greene - Manny Fernandez
Bob Lilly - Henry Jordan
LB: Lawrence Taylor - Ray Nitschke
Dick Butkus - Mike Singletary
CB: Rod Woodson - Mel Blount
Deion Sanders - Champ Bailey
Dick "Night Train" Lane - Darrell Green
S: Ronnie Lott - Ed Reed
Steve Atwater - Paul Krause
K: Morten Anderson - Adam Vinateri
P: Ray Guy - Sean Landeta
RET: Gale Sayers - John Taylor

Please feel free to leave comments about your favorite players!

Sickle Cell Anemia 101

There are over 10,000 diseases known to mankind. One of them is the dreaded Sickle Cell Anemia. This rare disease, mostly found in African countries, turns the red blood cells in a persons body from round and bagel-shaped to a crescent shape. In the United States alone, over 70,000 people have the disease and 2 million African-Americans have the trait for it. Around the world, 1 in 12 Africans have the trait. Although having the trait for SCA doesn't mean you have the disorder, you have the ability to pass it on to your offspring. This disease is not contagious but it is hereditary, and it can only occur when the child is purebred recessive. It was discovered by James B. Herrick in 1904 while testing blood samples from a college student at Harvard. Symptoms include weakness, becoming tired easily, and appearing run down. SCA is also a major cause of jaundice, a disorder that turns the pigment of your skin yellow. A cure has not been found yet, but doctors have found ways to treat patients with Sickle cell anemia. Some options are getting exercise, eating healthy, getting plenty of rest, avoiding extreme cold or heat, and getting a lot of folic acid, which creates new red blood cells in the body. Most people survive from this disease, but the people that do die usually die at a young age. The event that occur at the molecular level is mutation, due to the change in shape and size. As for me, I believe that this occurrence in the blood stream is awful. What I don't understand is how it could kill a person. Does it affect how the heart function? For more information on Sickle cell anemia, click here.

San Francisco Drafts #1 WR

The 2009 NFL Draft was full of surprises... Jets trading to get Mark Sanchez, St. Louis skipping Aaron Curry, ect. One of the most notable surprises was the fact that wide receiver Michael Crabtree from Texas Tech wasn't selected until pick #10. That pick belonged to the San Francisco 49ers (Boo-Yah!). No wide receiver has been a true starter on the 49ers since Jerry Rice, who became the greatest wide out of all time. That might change in the 2009 season. Crabtree, who caught for 1,962 yars in his freshman season and 1,165 last year, looks to become the next Jerry Rice. The 49ers are looking to change not only their rosters, but their look. On the bottom of this webpage, I have posted a picture directly from the 49ers owner Jed York of their new uniform. Other 2009 49er draft picks were:
Glen Coffee- RB- Alabama- 74th Overall
Scott McKillop- ILB- Pittsburgh- 146th Overall
Nate Davis- QB- Ball State- 171st Overall
Bear Pascoe- TE- Fresno State- 184th Overall
Curtis Taylor- FS- LSU- 219th Overall
Ricky Jean-Francois- DT- LSU- 244th Overall

DNA Extraction

DeoxyriboNucleic Acid (DNA) is the core of all living beings. It contains the genetic instructions for development and functioning, while only as wide as 2 nanometers. Extracting DNA would sound tough, considering its size, but it is pretty easy. DNA extraction is used in genetic testing, body identification, and analysis for forensic evidence. To extract DNA from a cell, you must open the cell by using sonication (the process of using ultrasound to break it apart). Then, to remove the lipids that hold the DNA, you must add a detergent, which will kill off the other parts of the cell. Once the lipids are separated, alcohol must cover the lipids because DNA is immune to it. the most common alcohols used are ethanol or isopropanol. The only thing left to do is to copy the DNA so it's able to be match to another strand. In all, the steps to take apart a cell to detect its DNA is pretty simple, extremely helpful, and very amusing.

Bombs Away... Well, Not Entirely

Most people think of finding treasures on the bottom of the ocean. But, off the beautiful shores of Puerto Rico, you're more likely to find unexploded bombs. Yes, you heard me right...
UNEXPLODED BOMBS!!!
Divers discovered them a while ago, but the US Navy has yet to take them out. What's worse is that they are releasing cancer-causing emissions and harmful toxins. This is not only bad for the marine animals, but it's also taking a toll on the fishing industry near Puerto Rico. With all of these creatures becoming intoxicated, they are unsafe to eat. These bombs arrived here when the Navy was testing them during World War II. I don't understand why the Navy hasn't taken them out yet. With all of the consequences for leaving the bombs there, they're just too lazy to pick them up and at least move them. I also feel sorry for the mammals living in the waters near the site of the "munission graveyard" and how they have to survive with death floating around them. In all, I believe leaving the bombs in the water was a foolish idea because of the threats that the creatures are taking... plus, I love shrimp!
For more info, click here and enjoy.