Plasticity Experiment

Today in class we did an experiment to represent Earth's mantle. We added water to cornstarch. With adding these two products together they have plasticity. It got gooey because of the plasticity. When you put pressure on the mixture it turns to a solid just like the crust and core put pressure on the mantle to make it a solid. When you let go of the mixture it is a liquid. I didn't make any mistakes while doing this experiment. From this lab I learned what plasticity is. I also learned how the Earth mantle is a solid because of the pressure put on it by the crust and core. Another thing i learned is that when you mix cornstarch and water together it is gooey from plasticity. Neither one of them have plasticity until they are mixed. All in all this was a fun experiment that i learned a lot from.

October Sky

October Sky is a inspirational movie that is based on a true story about 4 boys who built a rocket. Homer Hickam, one of the four boys, was inspired by a satellite that was launched into space in 1937. The satellite was called Sputnik and was made by the Russians. Homer goes against his dad's wishes by pursuing his dream to build this rock. His dad works in the coal mines and that is what Homer is expected to do when he is older. Homer doesn't want to work in the coal mines. Coal mining is a very dangerous job because they can collapse.Homer and his friends had to use a lot of science and math while building their rocket. It took them many tries to get the rocket to fly. They used alcohol as their fuel. The boys were arrested and than later let out because they were accused of launching a rocket that started a fire. They used math and science to figure out about how far the rocket went with the wind and force. They calculated that spot and went there and found the rocket. They proved that they weren't the cause of the fire. They entered a science fair and Homer went to demonstrate their rocket. They took first place in the science fair. Homers dad finally accepts Homer's love for science and that he won't work in the coal mines. All four boys get scholarships to go to college. Later on in Homer's like he becomes a NASA engineer. Throughout building rockets the boys had to be very careful since they were mixing chemicals. They also had to be careful about where the rocket landed so that it didn't injure anyone. October Sky is a very inspirational story. All the boys worked together and cooperated good. They all used their knowledge and put it together to build the rockets. This is an amazing story that they made the most of their life. They could have just accepted that they would be coal minor but instead they persevered until they succeeded.

Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome is a disease which you are born with an extra chromosome. There are three of the chromosome when you should only have two. Some symptoms from Down Syndrome are having a flat face with a shorter neck. A person with  Down Syndrome usually has small hands and small feet. Having Down Syndrome also causes complications internally such as loose ligaments, skeletal issues, eye problems and ear problems. Only 50% of infants born with Down Syndrome live past the age of fifty. A woman who is 25 has a 1 in 1,250 risk of having a child with this disease whereas, a woman who is 40 has a 1 in 100 chance of having a child with Down Syndrome. There is no cure for Down Syndrome but special education, speech therapy, special exercises and occupation therapy are beneficial to a person with Down Syndrome. I feel really bad for anyone who has Down Syndrome. It's sad that they have no cure for a child born with Down Syndrome. It is also really bad that only 50% of people with Down Syndrome live past the age of 50. It must also be hard because people may look at you weird because you look different. I hope in the future scientist will find a cure for children with Down Syndrome.

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Phenylketonuria

In class we researched Genetic Disorders. I researched Phenylketonuria which is a disease where your body can't use proteins correctly. One enzyme doesn't function properly and can't separate amino acids. The body can't convert "Phe" into tyrosine. The "Phe" builds up in the blood. Some symptoms are skin rash, irritable behavior,excessive restlessness, mental retardation, seizures and autism. A person inherits Phenylketonuria from their parents. It is a recessive gene. The only treatment for this disease is having a diet low in "Phe" which is found in many proteins. People with Phenylketonuria can live normal lives as long as they are on the right diet. One in every 70 people is a carrier for Phenylketonuria. One in every 15,000-20,000 infants born in the United States have Phenylketonuria. I feel bad for anyone who has this disease because there is no treatment. They have to live with this for the rest of their life. This disease is pretty common because 1 in 70 people are carriers and they might not even know. I also feel bad for parents of the infants who are born with Phenylketonuria. They child may have autism or mental retardation from this disease. Babies should be screened when they are born to check for this disease because when it is discovered sooner it can be kept under control and not turn into mental retardation or other things. 

I got my information from:

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/whataregd/
http://www.noah-health.org/en/genetic/
http://www.genome.gov/10001204

Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum is the complete range of electromagnetic waves placed in order of increasing frequency. Radio waves, microwaves, radar, infrared rays, thermogram, visible light, ultraviolet rays, x-rays and gamma rays are all a part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio waves are the electromagnetic waves with the longer wavelengths and lowest frequency's. Microwaves are radio waves with the shortest wavelength and highest frequency. Radar is the system that uses reflected radio waves to detect objects and measure their distance and speed. Infrared rays are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths shorter than those of radio waves. Thermogram is an image that shows regions of different temperatures in different colors. Visible light is electromagnetic waves that you can see. Ultraviolet rays are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths just shorter than those of visible light. X-rays are electromagnetic waves with wavelengths just shorter than those of ultraviolet rays. Gamma rays are electromagnetic waves with the shortest wavelengths and highest frequency. One type of visible light is a lamp. Microwaves are used in space to learn about the structure of galaxy's. Hot gases in the universe give out x-rays.

I got my information from:

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html

I got my picture from:

http://mail.jsd.k12.ca.us/bf/bflibrary/images/electromagnetic-spectrum.jpg

Building my Rollercoaster.

My Roller Coaster Website

Spinecracker