03/27/15 Weekly Blog

Surprise

This week one thing that surprised me was how easy it was to find the fraction of numbers. At first in math when we had to do the word problems I was very confused. Ken helped teach the concept to me and Pierson so then after that everything was really easy. The solution was actually very simple. Next time if I need help I will ask for help. That way I will be able t learn how to do it so I wont need help in the future.

Weekly Blog 03/20 - Build the Best Electromagnet

I think that the best electro magnet would be made with D.C power, copper thick wire with 100 coils. I found that copper wire was the best conductor of all. For example, aluminum thick wire with 100 winds on A.C power picked up 123 iron filling out of 500 while copper thick wire with 100 coils on A.C power picked up 333 out of 500. l, the thicker the wire the more iron it picks up. More coils also make the electromagnet stronger. D.C Current is much stronger than A.C current. All the ones on A.C current picked up less iron than the ones on D.C current. If you compare copper thick wire with 25, 0, 75, 100 coils on A.C current, they will all be lower than the exact same thing from D.C current. There are 500 iron fillings in total. These are how many they picked up out of 500

                      Copper Thick Wire
             A.C                                  D.C
25         87                                    130
50         167                                  250
75         253                                  380
100       333                                  500

As you can see, by comparing the strongest types of wire on different currents, the D.C current is better for building an electromagnet.

The three wire I tested was aluminum, copper, and string. Aluminum conducted a good amount of power but the copper conducted more. The one that conducted the least was string which didn't conduct anything. String has no power in it and it can't conduct electricity. Aluminum and copper are conductor (especially copper) and string is an insulator. The best type of wire to use for building an electromagnet out of the three I tested is first copper, then second is aluminum, then last (and worst) is string. Remember to never use an insulator for a electromagnet or circut.

Weekly Blog 03/13/15

Surprise

One thing that surprised me this week was that my mom slept downstairs on the couch. I was getting ready for school in the morning when I walked into the living room ( I didn't turn the lights on yet) and put away a book when I heard my mom say "Hi honey, how's your back?"  since I bruised it in karate the other night. I thought she was upstairs so I screamed and turned around. I was very surprised that she was there because I thought I was the only one awake and downstairs. One thing I can learn from this experience is to stay open minded about things like where people sleep (it's actually kind of comfortable on the couch) and know that my parents wake up really early.

Summary

This week we studied all about magnetism and did experiments on magnetism. We watched a Bill Nye video, tested what magnetism can go through (almost everything), tested how strong a magnet is, worked with electromagnets, and studied what uses magnets and what kind. Electromagnets or permanent magnets. 

Also, we had to complete different worksheets every time after we did a project.

Backwards

How much did you know about the topic before we started? What do you now know about the topic that you did not know before?

Before I already knew a lot about magnets but this week I learned even more.  I knew that magnets attracted certain metals but I now know that magnets attract cobalt, nickel, and especially iron. Also, I learned that magnets are strongest at the poles. I knew that on a magnet there is a north and south pole and the opposite poles attract while if you try to put two of the same together it will repel. I learned that when you make electromagnets the more coils the stronger the magnet.

Inwards

What was especially satisfying to you about your work this week?

I really liked my work this week for a couple reasons. I think the answers to the questions are very detailed and they really explain why. Also, I think that my work was also very accurate. For example, in the worksheet where we calculated volts being generated on the website I am certain did all my math correct. One thing was wasn't satisfying was how I forgot to do my birdbrain. 

Outwards

What do your classmates particularly notice about your work when they look at it? 

One thing I think my classmates would notice my worksheet is that the answers are most of the time very long. i like to write a lot in my answers because that way it has more detail and is more interesting to read because it has more information. When I write most things I usually make the answer really long and somehow stretch it out even though it is the same information but longer.

Forward

One thing I would like to improve upon is ...

One thing I would like to improve on is remembering to do my birdbrain. This week I forgot so I now have a permanent zero. Next week I will make a goal to do my birdbrain on monday so that way for the rest of the week I don't have to worry about it. I would also like to improve on getting my work done faster so I will not have any extra homework.

Weekly Blog 03/06

Summary
This week we worked on our my pet mineral jilster pages. We gathered information then wrote about our mineral in a jilster page. At the end of the week we turned the jilster in. Mine was uranocircite.

Surprise
One thing that surprised me this week was that I got a new best mile time in P.E. My last mile time was 8:06 and today (friday) I got 7:39. My goal was to get 7:50 but instead I did a lot better. This tells me that next time I should try to set a harder goal to beat and try my hardest to get another good time.

Backwards
In what ways do you think you need to improve?
I think that I need to get my work done at  faster ace since I did not finish my jilster page on time. Next time, I want to work faster and get more things done quicker. Also, I should make sure that if I am behind, to catch up at home. That is my goal for next week.

Inward
What were your goals for this week? Did your goals change as you worked? Did you meet your goals?
This week my goal was to get my jilster page done with all the information on time. My goal did not change but as the week passed by I started to fall behind. In the end I did not finish my jilster on time so my goal was not met. This shows me that I should try harder and work more efficiently during class. That is my new goal for next week.

Outward
In what ways does your work meet the standards for this assignment? In what ways does it not meet the standards?

My jilster page met the standards because it had correct information in an appealing format. For example, instead of  listing the physical properties, I wrote it into a kind of paragraph. It did not meet the standard because it did not have all the information needed on the page. 

Forward
What would you change if you had a chance to redo the work over again?
If I had the chance to redo my work this week I would definitely add all the needed information that my jilster doesn't have. I would also make sure everything was readable and interesting for the reader. I would follow my goal and make sure it was correctly completed and finished. That way, my jilster psge would have lots more information and be a lot more interesting  for readers. Next week, I will make sure I follow my goal. Also, in birdbrain I would keep on trying and reread the article until I get 8/8. This week I couldn't find which question I kept getting wrong.