Do Cranberries Float?

Observe a cranberry (even cut them open) and then make a hypothesis about whether or not a cranberry will float in water. Plop a cranberry in a cup of bowl of water and see if you are right! For an extension, research how cranberries are grown and harvested.

Colorful Changes

Remember back when the kitchen chemistry class was looking at acids and bases, and we made homemade pH indicator with cabbage? You can do the same with cranberries. Try making cranberry juice, and see what happens when you add baking soda compared to what happens when you add lemon juice. The chemicals involved in the color change are called anthocyanins, and they are responsible for some of the health benefits of cranberries, as well as the gorgeous red color.

Can you think of any other experiments you can do involving cranberries?

Thermal Energy by Caitlin

Have you ever wondered what makes an object hot? The answer is thermal energy. It is simply the movement of particles in an object. Temperature is determined by how fast those particles move. For example, in a hot cup of tea the particles will be moving fast and randomly, but in a cup of iced tea the particles will be moving slowly.

Some people assume that thermal energy and heat are the same thing, but heat is actually a process. Heat energy always flows from the object of a higher temperature to an object with a lower temperature. This is called heat transfer. The second law of Thermodynamics states that it is impossible for heat to flow from the cooler object to the hotter object.  There are three ways that heat transfer occurs: convection, conduction, and radiation.

Thermal energy is very important to us. We use it to cook our meals, heat our homes, and to generate electricity. Do you think that we would be able to survive without it?

Earthquakes by Isaac

Summary:

Earthquakes can happen at any moment.  They can be very dangerous and can cause volcanoes to erupt. They can also cause tsunamis and destroy everything in its path. Even with the technology we have now, scientist still don't know when or if earthquakes will happen.

3 Facts

●     Earthquakes strike suddenly, violently, and without warning at any time of the year and at any time of the day or night

●       Smaller earthquakes often follow the main shock

●     Most earthquake-related injuries result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects

Question

●     Does a smaller earthquake mean that a larger earthquake is coming?

Importance of Earthquakes

Why are earthquakes important? It helps us to understand the changes taking place in the earth's crust and it helps us to match the amount of damage done to the strength of the quake. It can also tell us some other important things such as if a volcano is becoming more or less active. It can tell us something about the size of a tsunami which could have been produced by the earthquake under water

Mitosis and Meiosis by Shyenne

For the past week and a half my Advanced Biology class has been studying mitosis and meiosis. We have learned everything from the first phase to the last phase. Mitosis and mitosis are closely alike the only difference between them is that meiosis is in two stages and creates four different daughter cells. During mitosis DNA is replicated, then the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell. When this happens if not done right a mutation could occur. The chromosomes cross over and spindle fibers form, then the spindle fibers start to pull the chromosomes to opposite ends of the poles. Then after this happens they start to form two separate daughter cells. This process is the same as the first stage of mitosis but instead of forming two different cells the process starts over but this time the DNA does not replicate. Why does the DNA not replicate? What I have learned is that in these two different cell splitting is that meiosis creates gametes or reproductive cells in the male and female reproductive organs. Also while doing this we did a lab where we got to look at different cells undergoing mitosis. We looked at frog cleavage, lily ovary, and pollen just looking at where the most cell division occurs. 

Work and Machines by Mikayla

What interests you about work and machines?  Work is the transfer of energy that occurs when a force makes an object move. Work is important because it applies to a lot of things, like a machine. A machine is a device that makes doing work easier. Power is included in this because power is the amount of work done in one second, like if you and your friend push a box that weighs the same up an inclined plane both of you are doing the same amount of work but if you finish before your friend then you have more power.

     Input and output force are also applied to this, the output force is the force applied by the machine. The input force is the force applied to the machine. An example of input and output force is pulling a nail out of a board, you pulling the hammer back is the input force and the nail coming out is the output force. Efficiency is the measure of how much work put into a machine is changed into a useful output work by the machine. A few things about work and machines that I think are interesting are that there are many different machines that help reduce work. Another thing is that like an inclined plane isn't just a ramp like the definition said, it could also be a zigged zagged hill, or many other things.

This is a picture of a machine (a pulley), doing work. It is reducing the workload for the guy. The box isn’t as heavy if he has the machine to help.

Photosynthesis by Amaize

Photosynthesis is a process that plants use to convert light energy into their chemical energy. Which they later use to fuel their processes. Photosynthesis uses water and carbon dioxide (which we exhale) to form simple sugars.

Interesting facts

●     The process takes place in chloroplast and is changed in the chlorophyll.

●     Without photosynthesis, plants would not release oxygen, so we wouldn't be able to breathe in that oxygen.

●     Both directly and indirectly green plants generate most of the world's chemical energy

Question

●     Could we sustain life without photosynthesis?

  

Mixtures by Sara Jane

Why are mixtures important? Mixtures are vital to everyday life. Mixtures in our food provide diversity in the nutrients we need in order to survive. Many things people come across are mixtures- food, drinks, and even the air. The air is a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen, and greenhouse gases. What would it be like if the world lacked mixtures? How boring would it be if there weren’t any diversity in what we consume and breathe in?

What is a mixture? A mixture is two or more substances combined. For example, jello is a mixture because you are adding jello mix to water. A fruit salad is another good display of a mixture because you are adding a variety of different fruits to the salad. There are different ways to categorize mixtures- suspension mixture, colloidal mixture, and solution. Suspension mixtures have particles large enough to be seen by the unaided eye, and is a heterogenous mixture, meaning the particles are not evenly spread out. Colloidal Mixtures are mixtures that are homogenous, meaning they are evenly spread out throughout the mixture, and are solids or liquids combined with a fluid. Their particles are smaller than that of a suspension mixture, but larger than a solution’s. A solution is a homogenous mixture where the particles are dissolved together. A good way to learn about mixtures is through example. Air is a homogenous mixture, evenly mixed together. Sand and water is a heterogenous mixture, most of the sand sinks to the bottom. Kool-Aid is a good example of a solution, because you add the Kool-Aid packet to water and the packet is dissolved into the water.

Why are mixtures important to understand? Mixtures are used in everyday life for many different purposes. We find mixtures in the food we eat, the drinks we drink, and the air we breath in.

Beginning of November

Physical Science

We just finished up a unit on work and simple machines, and starting on Wednesday we will be looking at energy and electricity. You might ask your student what sources of energy are around them.

Advanced Biology

The first annual Garden Valley Fall Research Conference went very well today. Students shared the results from their personal experiments, and there was a lively discussion about experimental techniques, real world applications, and poster design.  We will be starting on cellular reproduction next- also known as mitosis and meiosis.

Earth Science

We just started a unit on earthquake, and students will be trying to answer their own questions as the next two weeks progress….see if you can answer them yourself:

1.       How do earthquakes happen?

2.       What are fault lines?

3.       How do we detect and measure earthquakes?

4.       How often do earthquakes occur?

5.       How do we stay safe in an earthquake?

6.       Can we harness the energy of an earthquake?

Kitchen Chemistry

Students will be looking at the different chemicals that make up foods. The first stage will be looking at general classes of chemicals (carbohydrates, amino acids, lipids, etc) and the second stage each student will research a specific vitamin or mineral and see how it works in the human body.

Biology

We are finishing up our guide to Garden Valley- ask your student to see the rough draft!

Chemistry

Students are working on experimental design, and electron energy. Remind your student to bring in pine cones. Fir works fine as well.

Isotopes by Maicel

Isotopes are atoms that are missing neutrons or have extra neutrons. Isotopes of the same element have the same number of protons, but a different number of neutrons. The reason the atomic mass shown on the periodic table is rarely an even number is because of isotopes. The atomic mass of an element shown on the periodic table is the average mass of the all the isotopes and the normal mass of that element. It is important to understand isotopes, especially Carbon-14. Carbon-14 is an isotope of Carbon (two extra neutrons) that is used in carbon dating. Isotopes do not last forever; eventually radioactive decay will come into play. Radioactive decay is when extra neutrons are lost over time.  Isotopes are important in understand the basic structure of the atoms nucleus because isotopes deal with neutrons. Isotopes are also important in science applications and technology because many isotopes are used in scientific research.

Question: Isotopes are a lot more common than we think. In what ways have you used isotopes not knowingly, and then realized it?