Unit Exam

This Wednesday we took our Matter and Measurement unit exam, and I am not very confident in my score. Although I studied, I did not account for the difficulties of the dimensional analysis problems and I got very confused when converting cubed units. Going forward, I will definitely need to complete more practice tests and worksheets to practice.

Dimensional Analysis Lesson

Khana Academy

Mixture Activity

After our lesson on matter and its components earlier this week, we immediately tested our knowledge through the matter activity. There were multiple stations set up to reinforce the lesson we had just learned and to determine if we had absorbed the information. In many of the stations we had to choose between physical and chemical changes, which I found was relatively easy. However, in other stations we had to choose between homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures, which was not as easy for me. Altogether, I believe this activity helped me figure out what lessons and concepts I needed to study more.

 Difference between heterogeneous and homogeneous

Difference between physical and chemical changes

Last Meal Conversion Project Reflection

                                                               The Metric Kitchen

Yesterday we celebrated the end of our Matter and Measurement unit by bringing in the products of our Last Meal Conversion Project. Everyone was required to make one dish, whether it be an appetizer, main course or dessert. I whipped up a Dirt Cake in honor of today being Halloween. For the project, we were asked to convert our traditional, US recipe measurements into the metric system. This project was a good example of how we practically use measurement in everyday life and it exposed us to the rest of the world's measuring system. Also, we got to enjoy tons of delicious and unhealthy foods which is always fun.

Measurement notes- 10/21

Last week we began taking notes for our measurement unit which included scientific notation, accuracy, precision, mixtures and solutions. I found most of the concepts relatively easy to understand; however, I did struggle to comprehend significant figures. There are many rules used to determine the number of significant numbers in a problem. For example, non-zero digits are always significant and and zeros between two significant digits are significant. I understand the concept, but when applying it to actual examples I get confused. The stations at the end of class helped me to practice these concepts and strengthen my ability.
http://www.chemteam.info/SigFigs/SigFigRules.html

Mole Day

Last Friday we celebrated the national Mole Day holiday with a festive party and many interesting mole creations; my personal favorite was the "mole dancer" swinging from a pole. However, a mole in chemistry carries a drastically different meaning. It is the amount of pure substance containing the same number of chemical units as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12. This is represented in the scientific notation as (6.023 x 10^23). Our celebration was a fun way to end the week, but also lead into our new topic of matter and measurements.

http://www.chemistry.co.nz/mole.htm

Atomic Inference Activity

Earlier in the unit we participated in an activity that tested our ability to inference the architectural structure of a circular box. This activity was related to Rutherford's experiment of bouncing particles off the atom to determine its structure. Unfortunately, Gillian and I were rarely able to determine the structure and usually didn't even get close. Luckily we were not the scientists discovering the atom or who knows how long it would've taken. This experiment also showed the difficulties of inference without visual aid.

Half-life Notes

In chapter 19 we studied half-life, which is the time it takes for half of the radioactive nuclei to undergo radioactive decay. For example, if you have a 100mg sample with a half-life of 1 hour, after 1 hour, you will have 50 mg of that sample remaining. However, this does not mean that half of the sample disappeared; it merely means that only half of the original 100 mg is still radioactive. This rule originates from Dalton's Atomic theory, which states that atoms can not be created or destroyed.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nuclear/halfli.html
http://study.com/academy/lesson/radioactive-decay-definition-formula-types.html

Star Log Work

Our project for the Atomic Theory and Radioactive unit is a star log, which is very unique. By researching their chemical make-up, location, stellar classification and spectrum analysis, we are identifying their distinct atomic characteristics which relates to radioactivity. I liked this project overall; however, I found it difficult to find the star's chemical make-up. Nevertheless, it is very interesting to learn about the stars' origins and properties!
Links used:
http://stars.chromeexperiments.com/
http://www.astronoo.com/en/stars.html
http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/acrux-shines-in-the-southern-cross

Forensic Archaeology

Earlier this week, we began the Forensic Archaeology lab which required lots and lots of cutting tiny pieces of paper. Today, we continued to work on the lab and created a data table and graph using Excel. It was my first time using Excel to make a graph, so that was interesting! Overall I found the lab very relaxing, easy and fun while also giving us a little more needed practice with half-lives. Half-lives were an essential part of the exam today, and I feel this lab was helpful in preparing us.

Radioactive Unit Exam

Today we took the unit exam that completed the Atomic Theory and Radioactive lessons. I found it was difficult, but definitely not impossible. Throughout this unit, I struggled with memorizing the Atomic theory and the scientists involved and confused the characteristics of elements. However, after studying for a long time last night, I felt I was adequately prepared for the test. I am also looking forward to the Aspirin lab tomorrow!