Week 14

"This week in Chem had just as much energy as the rest of them." To start off the week, we practiced more with LoL bar charts and got into the more complicated ones. We ended up not having another assessment on Tuesday, but just one at the end of the week. The main focus on some of the new bar charts was that a substance doesn't have to reach it's boiling point or freezing point in order to change phases. Instead, energy is taken from the thermal account and put into the phase account to allow it to change phases. For example, water could get to 100 degrees Celsius and not boil. Then we spoke briefly about our soap project, which will be done this upcoming week. All we have to do is get the supplies that we'll need for making the soap, and write up a brief report in Evernote. Before the assessment at the end of the week, we began the most complicated forms of LoL bar charts. With these problems, we had to determine if the problem dealt with thermal or phase energy. If it dealt with thermal, that's when we would use the specific heat equation. However, if the problem involved a phase change, we would have to use one of two new equations. If the problem involved a change from solid to liquid or liquid to solid, then it had to do with a heat of fusions. The equation we used was Q=m*change in Heat of fusion. On the other hand, if the problem had to deal with a change from liquid to gas or gas to liquid, it had to do with the heat of vaporization. The equation we used for this was Q=m*change in heat of vaporization. For water, the constants are 334 J/g for heat of fusion, and 2260 J/g for heat of vaporization. With these constants and whatever the problem gives you, you simply plug in what you have and solve for what you need to know! At the end of the week, we had our assessment. The assessment was based off of water freezing then melting, and using the different equations that we had. I feel very confident about it and anxiously await the results!

Week 13

We learned a lot of complicated information this week in Chem. To start it off, we learned about thermal energy and phase energy, two different means of storage. Phase energy has to do with the arrangement of particles. When a phase change happens, the particles move either further from or closer to one another. There's a change in the energy of that phase which causes the increase decrease in the distance the particles travel. Thermal energy has to do with the speed of particles. When there is a temperature change, caused by warming or cooling, the particles move faster or slower. Another account for storing energy is in a field. A field is an area around an object where a non contacting force can be exerted. In chemistry, for particles, the field is called and electrostatic field. This electrostatic field is where phase energy is stored between the particles, and thermal energy is stored in the movement of particles. Next, we moved to the LoL bar chart. Using this chart, you can see how the energy leaves or enters the system, and how much. Also, by using two bars you can see the thermal and phase energy. We decided on a certain number of bars that would determine the phase and/or quantity of hotness. These help us to track thermal and phase energy in specific situations. To finish off the week, we did a lab to find the specific heat of copper. Using a Bunsun burner to heat copper over a flame, we then placed it in a beaker of water find the energy that was in the copper(using the water). To find the specific heat, we plugged in what we knew to find the energy in the water, then used that energy and plugged in the rest of the variables and found the specific heat of copper! Our class found it to be 0.78J/grams*degrees Celsius, but it's actually 0.385J/grams*degrees Celsius. The assessment we were supposed to take was postponed until Tuesday, and I think I'm prepared for it.

Week 12

Week 12 in Chem flew by and was over before I knew it. Also, I wasn't able to fully wrap my mind around the concepts that we learned. We started the week off by reviewing phase diagrams and what they mean. We reviewed certain points (like the triple point) and the areas where the pressure and temperature cause different states of matter. The triple point is where a substance exists in all three states of matter at the same time in a certain pressure and temperature. Water, though, has a negative slope and can go from a solid at a certain temperature and pressure, then to a liquid at that same temperature but higher pressure. Basically, phase diagrams show us that we can change the state of a substance by adjusting temperature and pressure. Then we began to work with specific heat, which I am not very familiar with (mostly because I missed a day of class to be at a technology showcase). Specific heat is the amount of energy that is required to change the temperature of a 1g substance by 1 degree Celsius. Specific heat is different for all substances, and can be found by doing an equation--Energy/(mass*change in temperature). This equation can be manipulated if you have to solve for certain variables. Energy is measured in Joules, mass in grams, and change in temperature in degrees Celsius. This week I will have to further my understanding with specific heat. We ended the week with a four question assessment which I am not very confident about. After the assessment we did more specific heat practice problems. I am anxious to see my assessments results.

Michigan Student Technology Showcase 2012

On Wednesday, December 28th, 6 classmates and I went to the Michigan Student Technology Showcase in Lansing along with Mr. Abud. Just to open the day, seeing the Capitol Building was truly amazing. There were three sessions in the day, two in the morning then one in the afternoon. Each session was 90 minutes, and progressively got more advanced as the day went on. In the morning most of the presentations were kids that made blogs or slide shows using computers. One that I found specifically interesting in the first session was a music class that used a Mac and GarageBand to make covers for songs. We then took our lunch break and walked to a Jimmy Johns near the Capitol Building which was a nice treat, thanks to Mr. Abud. During the second sessions, presentations ranged from making school yearbooks to classes using edmodo. Edmodo is an online tool for solving problems that the teacher can put up. Also, we got a glimpse of few schools that did computer designing and could even print with a 3D printer! The third session was best of all. We presented our BYOD policy in our classroom to educational leaders from around Michigan, as well as other students. We used a PowerPoint slideshow that we displayed with our iPads and a trifold board to show how we use our devices everyday in class. We showed them the apps that we use and how we use Apple TV as well. During our presentation, there were many students displaying their computer design projects, blogs, and even a basketball shooting robot! Overall, there was much to be taken out of the day. Seeing how other schools use technology was a great experience and I'm glad I went. Honestly, though, I am proud of coming from North because based on relevance and purposefulness, I believe that we showed the best display of using technology in the classroom, and if more classes at North changed to be like Mr. Abud's, I think the learning of all students in our school would change for the better.