Waves Interference

The week before spring break we started the wave unit. We went and visited a government building where they did experiments and generalized while showing us the waves. This week we finished a lab where we needed to drop drops in a pond with or without obstacles, paper towels and clay, and see what was going to follow after the drops. We observed it and recorded at a sheet. In order to see how the waves work, we needed to visit this site (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/wave-interference) and try the application the helps us observe how the wave will be if the amplitude and frequency increase or decrease. This is a really good way of observing the affects that the changes have in the appearance of the waves because you can see it from both side at top, add slits like obstacles, add drips and changed frequency and amplitude that has a really big difference.

Try different combinations. Try increasing the amplitude or the frequency. Add another dripping faucet. Add a barrier (wall) or try a slit or two.  Try turning the sink to the side view.  How do these changes affect the appearance of the waves?  What have you learned about wave properties (wavelength, frequency, and amplitude) and how waves interact

• When the frequency and amplitude is low the wavelength is big but the wave is short
• When the frequency is low ans the amplitude is medium, the wavelength is about the same, as the first observation but the wave is taller.
• When it is the opposite, frequency medium and amplitude low, both wavelength and height is short
• When botg are medium the wave is medium size but the wavelength is short
• When the frequency is high and the amplitude remains the same, the wavelength is even shorter so is the height
• When it is the oposite, the waves are taller and the wavelength is big
• When they are both high, the wave is short so is th ewavelength
• When there is high frequency but low amplitude or the opposite, there is not wave
• When there is one or more slits but no space between them the wave stops suddenly when it meets the barrier(s)
• When the space between the slits increases, more and more waves come at the other side

When you change the frequency of the wave you control how many waves are in a time period.  The amplitude is the size of the drop you want to drop and it affects the waves by making them bigger or smaller.  
Pictures of Data I recorded in class:

Making waves lab:
Data Analysis: What pattern or relationships do you see in your data/ sketches/ images? In my sketches with the relationships between the waves created, I see that when we have the clay, the wave goes around it. When we have the paper towel the wave stops and when we have the foam ball, it rises it while moving it its direction. When we have both the clay and the foam ball, the clay slows the wave down a little bit and affects the ball by not moving that much as if the wave had come directly. Another important thing that my partner and I observed in this is lab is that the wave in the sides of the pond bounces, reflects, and creates another smaller wave going the opposite way. To add to this fact, when the waves don't have an obstacle or something to affect on, the wave keeps  up the same speed and has the same wavelength but when it has obstacles it kinds of slows down.

Conclusion: What do you conclude about he behavior of waves in the various situations you created today? Can you answer the guiding questions now? What I have concluded about the behavior of the waves is that in various situations it has a different affect. When it has obstacles it goes around it, in real life if it is a big wave it usually overlaps it or reaches a point of it. When there is an obstacle that is not stable and can be moved, not as powerful as the energy, it moves it. When there is not an obstacle or something on its way it keeps the same speed till it reaches the limits.

Guiding Questions:
When water is dropped from a pipette into a pan of water, how does the wave behave? The energy that we do creates a wave and forms other waves. When it meets the limits (Walls) it bounces off (reflects) and creates other smaller ones What properties does a mechanical wave have? The properties of a wave are: amplitude, frequency and wavelength  How do waves interact with each other and with solid objects in their paths? When two waves interact is when they meet each other. When they meet and have the same energy they continue but when they don't have the same energy they slow don't and suddenly stop. If there is an object in its path, it either goes around it, cover it or move it (like the foam ball used at the lab)

Hypothesis:

The water will create lots of ripples which each of them is bigger than the one before and often covers objects or smashes them if they stand on the wave's way.

End of Astronomy Unit Reflections

by Despina Katsirouba
4/24/12

End of Astronomy Unit Reflection:

Using the knowledge about astronomy that you gained during this unit, reflect on each big idea and what they mean to you.

                                               

1.      Students will understand that scientists are using the knowledge they have of Earth’s surface and atmosphere in search o extraterrestrial life. Explain what you have learned. All these years scientists are examining Earth and its atmosphere and have learned a lot of information that taught us what our body needs to survive. Scientists have studied the Earth’s surface and have learned that the plants that grow on it give us oxygen, the water is one of the most precious and important substance for our planet, our health, our daily life and the animals that grow on our planet. Also because of water full of minerals, we have fertile land so we are able to plant crops and survive. The basic thing that Earth has but other planets don’t is stable and solid ground that helps us grow plants, crops, build houses and walk on. Another thing to consider about is climate; it is in the perfect position between the sun so it is not too gold or too hot. Scientists have spend a lot of years studying our atmosphere and have learned that it composites of different gasses such as carbon dioxide, water vapor and other. All these precious information is used to find other planets that have the same or similar features so once we destroy our planet, we know it is going to happen if we don’t take actions but we don’t know yet how soon, we will have another one. Earth also has gravity that keeps us on the ground, stable and not floating around but it is one of the things that we don’t consider when looking for another planet.

      Students will understand that the International Space Station and space probes as well as satellites are excellent tools for further space exploration. Explain what you have learned.  Some many years scientists from all over the world have put together their powers to create the International Space Station (ISS) and I have to tell they have done a really good job as much as I know. Telescopes and satellites but also space shuttles are made are made every day so they can help improve our lives. Using telescopes scientists but also us can observe the sky but there is a small difference. Scientists use much more powerful telescope that help them see and analyze the galaxies, stars, planets and our moon. Some stars or planets are very far away so we can’t really see the through a telescope. That’s why we have invented satellites that can take pictures of the planets and send them to NASA for observations. The last thing that was a huge step for us humans was when we stepped the first time one the moon’s surface. But in order to go there, astronauts spent hours in a space craft. The space crafts were a really important invention because we can observe planets much better than the satellites  and space probes can  because astronauts can actually feel how it is up there and can tell more precise if we can survive or not there. As we improve our technology we can improve shuttles, satellites and space probes so we can go and explore the universe even further than we can now.

3.      What effects are caused by the motions of Earth and the Moon? As we all know, Earth does two movements while it is completing its orbit around the universe; it rotates and revolves. These two movements have a lot of effects on Earth’s surface. First, tides are caused when the moon and earth are rotating and revolving. Every 6 hours the tide changes (low, high/ high, low). Depended on the moon’s position, days and nights are caused. Also while Earth’s rotation, seasons, equinoxes and solstices are caused because of its tilt. At last weather and climate is caused. At last at Earth we can see the moon phases that are different every night of the month.

4.      How has the development of technology and space flight helped astronomers learn more about the other parts of the solar system and the structure of the universe? Throughout years, astronomers and scientists have made improvements in the way technology is. They have worked hard on creating much more powerful telescopes so we can observe even further but that is not always enough. Because the universe is a really big place, we don’t always have the right tools, methods or abilities to explore the whole place at one time or even at all. For this reason scientists have improved space probes and satellites so they can take pictures of the solar system and the structure of the universe and look into it much closer. An advantage of flying to space is that we get to feel how it is up there, what it looks like and make experiments that help us knowing whether we can survive on another planet or not.

5.      How are the conditions in space different from those on Earth? How has space technology benefited modern society?  The conditions in space are much different from those in Earth. First there is water and oxygen which are one of the most important things that we need to have in order to survive. Then, there is not weather and the temperature can be extremely high or low, depending on the position you are and the shadow. At last there is not gravity. In order astronauts to make it all the way back to Earth, they have these special suits that help them have oxygen and not freeze or ‘burn’ from the extraordinary temperatures. Space technology is really important to modern society because that’s how lasers, frozen and dry food, fire resistant clothing, smoke detectors and other useful things for our daily life.

6.      Did you enjoy this unit? Did you feel like this was something of importance to your life to learn about? Did you make any connections in your life while you were studying this unit? What are some things you liked and didn’t like? What are some ways for me to improve this unit, other than making it shorter? In my opinion this was the most interesting unit we have done throughout the year. We learned useful things about us humans, our abilities, our inventions, goals we have achieved, goals we want to reach, risks we took and the best thing how fun space can be. This was a really important thing to know about our society and our lives because up to this point, I always thought that space exploration was something easy; you just have to send the shuttle or the satellite but in fact it is not like that at all. There is complicated work going on and it needs a lot of effort to create and actually make all these things work. While we were studying about all this interesting things, I thought about the movies and documentaries I have watched on T.V. and the truth is that it actually looks simpler than it is and it impresses how things are in reality than in movies. I will repeat myself by saying that this unit was really fun but the only thing that I didn’t like was that we had to do a few labs but the good thing was that we didn’t have to do not even one at the end of this unit. Also the best part was that we only had one test and it was really easy because we wanted and were interested in studying it. A thing that I would change from this unit is the project at the end to be with fewer details and have more time.

Space Exploration: Is it worth the cost?

              Moon, Earth, Venus,Mars and many other planets have been discovered along with galaxies, black holes, stars and many other interesting facts about space have been seen by astronauts, scientists either from Earth or space. Every year NASA spends a huge amount oh money on telescopes, spacesuits, crew, building etc. but is it really worth the cost?  
                 Space exploration can be really risky and very expensive, is it really worth it? When we are sending people to space, there are certain reasons we do it. It is maybe because they want to place satellites, do scientific experiments or to see if we can survive on another planet because we are beginning to destroy Earth. The benefits in exploring space are that we get to know other planets and see if there are any other beings in the whole universe and scientists do experiments that improve our daily lives. One example of exploring the universe is when the Apollo 17 crew landed on the moon for the first time and it was a really important and remarkable moment for us humans. The space exploration cost is a really big amount of money that is spent every year on things that are not really necessary for our planet (except when people lose their lives) for example space crafts and shuttles, suits, training and crew salaries, supplies, building and telescopes. We could use this amount of money to educate the poor kids in Africa, provide medicine and clean water but also shelter to the people leaving in poor countries with deadly diseases and at last to be provided at environmental unions that will help to save our planet and then we can have better lives… The space exploration dangers are as many as the benefits but ‘cost’ much more. Some dangers are the risks the astronauts take to travel somewhere that is sometimes new to them and can often cause accidents, the safety of the spacecraft, for example the accident that happened in the first of February in 2003 that the crew died while they were in the atmosphere and it was called the Columbia disaster, and at last the training of the astronauts. My opinion is that robots should be sent to space for certain purposes and astronauts also for certain reasons but Earth based research is much safer. First of all when we send humans into space, we can say more accurately whether we can survive or not to other planets, we can place satellites and generally can do certain things and experiments that robots or from Earth based research can't for example to sense or even enjoy. When sending robots, it is much safer because they can’t actually lose their lives but can only be destroyed that it is not that bad (people have families, friends and lives but robots are just things) and it is sometimes more accurate plus they don’t have needs. In my opinion it is worth the cost because if we hadn’t traveled at space we wouldn’t have equipment for firefighters, easier ways to package frozen food and effective heart monitors that help us every day and make our lives much easier than they were before space exploration started and when Neil Armstrong and other astronauts landed on the moon.When we do Earth based research we are only basing it on satellites and telescopes but we can't explore as much as we are able to plus we can't say it that accurately. But on the other hand it is much safer.  If I was a member of the government in my country and I had the right to change the budget or at least vote for a new one, I would make a list with several things that are more important in my country than space exploration so the money will hopefully go to the other options that come first before the space exploration. First I would donate money to the organizations of my country that clean areas, protect forests and animals, the second area I would donate money is health, hospitals, new systems and machines and third I would give money to education for poor children. After space exploration would be on the list and at last but not least provide help to the children and people that are homeless and with no family that their only home is the road and the food is the garbage…
            To review my point, I said that space exploration has its benefits, costs and danger. We learn a lot of things threw doing Earth based work, traveling to space and by sending robots to explore it even better than us can. In my opinion space exploration is really worth the costs but it is not one of the first areas on my personal list that I would spend money on for community service.


Here is a nice but long video with the plans and budgets of NASA for next year. Hope you enjoy it:http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=132377741

bibliography: 

• Jessa, Tega. "Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster." Universe Today. N.p., 22 Mar.
       2010. Web. 9 Apr. 2012. <http://www.universetoday.com/60400/
       space-shuttle-columbia-disaster/>.  
• Padilla, Michael J., Ioannis Miaoulis, and Martha Cyr. "Space Exploration- Is it
       worth the cost?" Prentice Hall Science Exlporer: Astronomy. Boston,
       Massachusetts: n.p., 2009. 92-92. Print.

Why You Parents May Soon Insist You Get A Teeth Tattoo

  By Meera Dolasia on 04/04/2012 

Dogo News:http://www.dogonews.com/2012/4/3/why-you-parents-may-soon-insist-you-get-a-teeth-tattoo

 

Did you ever want to get a tattoo but your parents don't let you? Well I promise you that when this tattoo comes out on market they will 'beg' you  (this is not a promise...) to 'wear it'. This will be a teeth tattoo but not an actual shape like hearts or names etc. but something that will prevent you to get sick! Isn't that amazing? Mike McAlphine- University Assistant  Professor- says that it can sensor the harmful bacterias and informs your doctor with a wireless system. In order to create the 'sensor' they used Graphene, which is really sticky and sensitive, peptides, that attracts the bacteria, and the glue type of thing that they bacterias get stuck on. You will tell me now that " I am afraid to go at the dentist.." well I also don't like pain but I would definitely put it because it is painful.. There is just one more small detail that we have to consider! Scientists have to actually make it smaller in order to fit in human teeth... but it has been tested at COWS!!! This would be really useful for soldiers in battles so they don't get a diseases that can be harmful but deadly. I hope that we will have it soon in market and can use it because it is really useful but Mike still needs some commercializing...

bibliography: Dolasia, Meera. "Why You Parents May Soon Insist You Get A Teeth Tattoo." DOGO News. 4 Apr. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. <http://www.dogonews.com/2012/4/3/why-you-parents-may-soon-insist-you-get-a-teeth-tattoo>.

 

Australian Spiders Weave A Wickedly Cool Web

Australian Spiders Weave A Wickedly Cool Web

By Meera Dolasia on 03/08/2012

I am pretty sure that everybody that is reading this current event dislike spider and especially their webs. We all remember Charlotte the spider from the movie. Well believe it or not, she is the only spider that I like (just because she is a movie). Well for the first time spiders in Australia really impress me so read the article!

 On the 5th of March, more than 8,000 people that lived in the New South Wales were asked to leave their houses because of the flood, caused by the overflowing of the Murrumbidgee River. The following day they were allowed to return to their houses and instead of the green grass in the land near their houses they saw something white and (un)fortunately it was not snow. IAccording to the author “It was the magical work of thousands of tiny Linyphiidaespiders that reside in the are.” you would ask, ‘why did they do that’. As the people tried to escape from the flood, so did the spiders, and they build this giant web using a ‘trick’ that it is called ballooning and helps them float up in the air with the  help of the wind! Because there were only a few dry spots, for not to submerge, they linked the trees (or hight lands) with the web in the grass. These kind of spiders are not really common and know because they are tiny and usually build their web near the ground and they are called the money spiders because people think that they bring luck! it is not the first time this wonderful and amazing thing happens but it also happened in Pakistan in 2011! In Pakistan the webs were really useful because they trapped the dangerous diseases and were transferred from the mosquitoes. 

   
Dolasia, Meera. "Australian Spiders Weave A Wickedly Cool Web." DOGO News. 8 Mar. 2012. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.dogonews.com/2012/3/8/australian-spiders-weave-a-wickedly-cool-web>.

Video Of The Week - Apollo 17 Astronauts Frolic On The Moon!

by: Meera Dolasia on 02/27/2012

           One of the biggest events in the history was when NASA landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time!  As everyone knows, the spacecraft was named Apollo 11 and it was landed on June 20, 1969. The three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were the first one to fly there and were very excited because it is really cool and awesome to factually land and step on the moon! the real Moon. Everyone would be excited if we was about to lad on the moon, so they were and  Neil Armstrong for to show his excitement or to stay in history, he said “This is one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind” according to the Article. But on December 7, 1972 another spacecraft landed on the moon with two astronauts as a crew named Harrison Schmitt and Eugene Cernan. Those two men did something really funny and something that only kids would do (but they were really excited); they were jumping up and down singing a son named ‘I was strolling on the moon one day”. !!

          I chose this article because landing on the Moon was one of the most important events that happened in history and none would expect the second landing like that. But if I were on the Moon I would also be very excited and do something silly. This video is interesting and I think it could attract anyone’s interest and since we are on the astronomy unit and we are doing about the phases of the moon I found it suitable for my current event.

Citation: Dolasia, Meera. "Video Of The Week - Apollo 17 Astronauts Frolic On The Moon!"DOGO News. 27 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://www.dogonews.com/2012/2/27/video-of-the-week-apollo-17-astronauts-frolic-on-the-moon>.











WATCH THE VIDEO: (link)http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_qBSYFGkwkM

The moon phases

Yesterday in class we did a lab where we observed the moon phases.
Observations:

ANALYZE AND CONCLUDE:

1. In your model, what represents the Earths? The sun? The moon? A big foam ball represented Earth, a smaller one the moon and the sun was a flashlight.
2. Refer back to your eight circles. How much lighted part of the ball did you see when facing the lamp? As in the moon phase one, from Earth you can’t see anything because the sun is behind it but as in number three you can see the whole moon (the part that s facing Earth).
3. Label your drawings with the names of the phases of the moon. Which drawing represents a full moon? A new moon? Which represents the waxing crescent? The waning crescent? Number one represents a new moon since you can’t see anything because the sun is behind the moon. The fool moon is the figure five were you can see the whole moon since the sun is in front of the moon. The waxing crescent is number two and the waning crescent represents number eight.
4. How much lighted part of the ball did you see after each turn? If you observe the phases of the moon from space (the top of your experiment) you would see both side and each of them would be brightened or lightened, depended on in which phase it was. When you look at it from Earth you can see only one side of the moon and sometimes it is full dark or bright (new or fool moon) and sometimes you could see half of it (first and last/third quarter) and at last from some point you could see one third of it (waxing, waning crescent, waxing and waning gibbous).
5. Wether you could  see it or not, how much of the ball’s surface was always lit by the lamp Was the darkness of the new moon caused by an eclipse? Explain your answer. Always half of the moon was lightened but we couldn’t see it always (depending on the side you are, the angle you see it from). The lightened part of the moon was facing the sun so we couldn’t see it so the new moon is not caused by an eclipse.
6. Write a brief analysis of this lab. How well did making a model help you understand the phases of the moon? What are some disadvantages of using models? What is another way to make a model to represent various phases of the moon? Creating a lab was really important for me because I understood the phases of the moon, got to see the from different angles and how it looks from the front and the back but also see it from the space view and earth view. A disadvantage of making a model is that it is not really accurate but it help and another way of making a lab is using our heads and a bigger flashlight so we can observe it better.