Class Response - Frog Dissection

While studying the animal unit in class we knew that we would have to dissect a few different animals throughout, but the frog was definitely going to be the biggest dissection. We recently learned about frogs and completed the dissection on them. As predicted, this was the biggest dissection. Due to the fact that the frog was the largest and most complicated animal, it was the hardest to dissect. Will doing the dissection, we had to look for the vital organs in frog, like the liver, lungs, heart, fat bodies, stomach, and intestines. During the dissection, my group had some trouble. We couldn't locate some of the organs that we had to find. Maybe they just got mixed in with some others and we miss took them for something else? All in all the frog dissection was a crucial part of the animals unit and in showing us the differences between certain animals and humans.
Part of our unit of study in animals was to complete dissections. The most important dissection was the frog. I felt that although it was important to learn about the animals, i didn't know if we had to do the dissections. It just didn't make much sense to me why learning about the internal anatomy of animals like a frog was so important to us. Most of the organs they have are different or work differently then humans. In my opinion this unit could have been short and simpler, but it was still and interesting topic to learn about.

Math Connects to Global Warming

Global warming is racing around the world creating so many different changes. This problem alters the temperatures. In most parts of the world, like the arctic, the temperatures are rising at a rapid pace. The temperature fluctuations can be very dangerous to many places in the world. Also, percents relate to global warming when scientist talk about the percentage of polar ice that is being lost each year or the percentage of animals species that could become endangered or extinct in the next years. Each year the percentage of these numbers increases causing an increased effect on the natural world. Most of the effects are happening on the natural world, but they are being created in the man-made world. The amount of pollutants in the atmosphere is such a large number, and each day a certain amount more is being released. Global warming has so many aspects of it that can be directly related to math, like temperature, percents, and simply numbers.

Global Warming

Global warming is an issue that has been present in our society for a while. Since humans are releasing such a large amount of carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere, it's causing the Earth to heat up at a rapid pace. Although this issue is effecting humans, it has a greater effect on the helpless animals and their environments. In the arctic, polar ice ice is melting destroying habitat and hunting ground for animals, like polar bears. Also, the gases are causing the oceans to raise effects beaches and small islands. As humans we can create different materials to help our society control the effects of global warming. But unlike us, the animals don't have the ability to adapt like humans.

This problem was created by humans, and we have the power to stop it. Global Warming is destroying most of the beautiful and natural creations on our Earth. We need these things to be around for a long time, because, although we may not see it everyday, the creations in nature help us survive and live the lives that we do. Global warming is something that has to be reversed to insure the sanity of our planet!

Fingerprint Technician

Fingerprint technicians have the very important job of identifying the victims and criminals involved in police cases. The aren't always on the scene, but the work behind the scenes in the labs. They use different chemicals to life the fingerprints off the different pieces of evidence they receive.

babybblue14

Carbon Dioxide Pressure

Is it really possible for a gas to send an object hurling through the air, or is it just some tale? Well the last few days in class we have been experimenting with this. By combining baking soda and vinegar in a test tube, we made carbon dioxide gas and attempted to shoot a cork across the class room. Our teacher didn't give us any specifics as to what we had to do to, we simply got the materials and had to solve it on our own. My group tried multiple different measurements and formulas to try to solve the equation. Some worked better then others, but for the most part we either hit the window or came very close to hitting it. This lab shows that the carbon dioxide is what forced the cork out of the test tube. As the pressure rose in the test tube, the gas had to escape so it forced the cork out. Also, this lab showed us problem solving skills. We had no detailed instructions as to what to do. It was our job to figure out the formula and be able to repeat it consistantly.

This lab was an extremely fun way to understand how pressure bulids and then must be released. We got to see how the gas pushed the cork out and across the room. We also worked together in groups and had to come to agreements on the formulas. This lab was a great way to demonstrate a hard to understand concept in an easy and fun way. All in all, the cork lab was enjoyable and helped me understand all of the concepts we have been learning in class.

The Artic is Melting?

Global warming is the major concern for preservign our Earth, but is the damage already done? Some say the answer is yes. Well atlest that is what Professor Peter Wadhams says. Acording to his research, the Arctic will be almost ice-free in the summer. This prediction will occur in about a decade, and in twenty to thirty years, the Acrtic will be completely ice-free. Global warming is causing a great amount of the sea ice in the Arctic to melt. Once the ice melts a greater deal of the ocean is open to the sunlight and that warms the waters so it's more difficult for ice to reform there again in the winter. This creates a cycle of increased sea ice melt. In the past three years, the sea ice cover in the Arctic were the three lowest of all time. With this data it is pretty possible that Professor Peter Wadhams theory could come true.





Our Earth can only do so much to support the growing human race, but now that we are becoming so advanced it si starting to look like our planet can't keep up with us. We are a main cause of global warming, and destroying Earth. If the sea ice in the Arctic does melt, the whole planet will have a huge issue on their hands. As human, we have to be smarter and think before we act. We have to find some way to preserve Earth and even try to find ways to reverse all the damage that we have casued. If we fail to do so, the many theories about all the ice melting will come true and who knows what will happen then. It's our responsibility to take care of this planet and we need to step up and work a little bit harder to do so.

Article

http://www.livescience.com/environment/etc/091015-arctic-poised-open-sea.html

Picture

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chattahbox.com/images/Arctic_sea_ice_melting.jpg&imgrefurl=http://chattahbox.com/science/2008/09/01/arctic-ice-melts-away-due-to-impact-of-global-warming/&usg=__Fos20e9i6nousw1JuEDlNN45msA=&h=258&w=300&sz=20&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=0OFvvSYihSAdXM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darctic%2Bsea%2Bice%2Bmelting%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GZHY_enUS238US238%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

Earth-like Planet Found Beyond

With the new idea that there may possible be a planet in another solar system with the same ablilty to support life, many astronomers have been searching for those few planets that could sustain our lifestyles. After searching through the countless mile of space and looking through the stars, astronomers might have found what they have been searching for. One astronomer told CNN that this is the first rocky planet found in another solar system. Although this new discovery has the same composition as the planet that we live on today, all the other aspects that we need to survive aren't present on this planet, called CoRoT-7b.

CoRoT-7b is so close to it's star that one of its years is less than one of our days. Astronomers believe that the planet doesn't rotate like Earth, this means that one side of the planet is always facing the star while the other never sees the light. The possible tempature for the planets 'day face', the side that is always facing the star, is a sweltering hot3,600 plus degrees Fahrenheit. While the possible tempature on the 'night face', the side that faces away from the star, is a frigid minus-328 degress Fahrenheit. With these extremely varing tempatures there is no possible way CoRoT-7b could ever support human life. Even if the tempatures weren't so extreme, the astronomers don't think that there is any atmosphere on this planet to distribute to heat. CoRoT-7b has no may to support us like Earth does.

After the astronomers found out what the surface of this planet was they then searched for some more information. One of the advantages of this planet is that it's close to Earth, being only 500 light years away, this planet is in the constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn. Since the planet is so close, it has made it much easier for astronomers to figure out more about CoRoT-7b. The scientists that have been studing this planet, have been able to calcute the density which was very exciting to them. They found that it is about the same density as Earth. CoRoT-7b is about 5 times as dense as Earth but is less than half of Earths circumfrence. This is the smallest planet ever scene beyond our solar system, it also has the fastest orit, speeding around its star over seven times faster than Earth sround our Sun. It's amazing that any rock based planet can be more than 23 times closer to the sun than Mercury. Many different astronomers and severally institutions from many places in our world have been a part of this astounding discovery.

For our astronomers to have found a planet with the same inner compostion to Earth is very exciting. After finding this planet, scientist now have more of a confidence that there are more planets out in space that are like are home planet, Earth. This will keep their hopes alive and they will look into this idea with more of a meaning behind thier research. Personally I think that this discovery is very instersing and i hope that our astronomers will continue to look deeper into space to try to find more planets like CoRoT-7b and Earth.

Article

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/09/16/new.rocky.planet/index.html

Picture

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/07/gallery/exoplanet-580x574.jpg