Weekly Blog (10/14/18) Evolution

Summary

          Evolution is how species change over time through extinction of undesired traits and random mutations. One way that undesired trait disappear is survival of the fittest. That is the process on how the best traits continue and the worst traits die out.This process makes sure that the species as a whole gradually advances. The random mutations are the reason there are so many animals.

S&EP

Weekly Blog(9/30/18) Earth through the years.

Summary

The earth has been around a long time. This times has been divided up into the different types of life. First there was the Hadean Eon. This eon is not on the chart on the left because the Hadean eon supported no life and has no rock left on earth to observe. Next was the Archean Eon. In this time, the earth had cooled, and the first bacteria/algae had formed and started to produce oxygen. Next was the Proterozoic Eon. Multi-celled organisms started to form and there where more of them. Next was the Cambrian Period/Explosion. Life was rapidly evolving. There where many trilobites. For the rest of the Paleozoic era things slowed down but there was a mass extinction at the end of the ordovician period and the first brains popped up during the Mississippian Period. Next was the Mesozoic Era. At this time things started to get big. This is when most of the dinosaurs we know romed pangea. Next is the Cenozoic Era in this era a lot of the animals we know. Humans only started to appear at the end of this era and mammoths went extinct. 

S&EP

I constructed physical, mental or conceptual models to represent and understand phenomena when I got with a group and made a poster where we each had to write about a different era. Mine was the Archean Eon. There was not much to write about the archean eon because there was near no atmosphere and there where only single celled organisms. But I think it

must have been very beautiful (besides the fact that sunsets/rises were boring and you would die instantly on the surface). This is because there would be crystals covering earth like in the picture. It would be like a cave without being underground.

XCC

I guess this would all be stability and change. This is because things are always changing and there is nothing we can do about it. Things will always keep on moving. Nothing will ever be the same forever.

Weekly Blog (9/23/18) Rock Cycle and Rock music

http://www.mineralogy4kids.org/?q=rock-cycle

Summary 

The rock cycle is the cycle that rocks go through to become Sedimentary rocks, Metamorphic rocks, Igneous rocks, and everything in between. We didn't really learn anything different this week so I'm to talk about a new angle on what we learned last week. I'm going to talk about how the rock cycle (starting with magma) lines up with the evolution of rock music. First off, in the 60s the Beatles invented this new form of music that people were curious about and kickstarter this new genre of music and culture. This is when the magma hardens and first becomes a new, solid rock.  Next in the late 60s early 70s new bands started noticing what was happening and popping up everywhere. In 1970 the Beatles broke up and some of them made their own music. This is weathering and erosion because the rocks break apart and mix with other rocks, and coming from other places other than that one mountain/volcano. In the mid 70s everything changed. The music started evolving into more disco-ish music. This is like when it turns into sedimentary rock and becomes solid again but is very different than how it was before. In the 80s people started to make the rock music... well... a little harder and louder. The same thing happens with rocks when they go under heat and pressure and become a harder, different rock. The same thing happened even more so in the 90s. In the 2000s things started changing again and getting sad and just overall different. This is when the genre "modern rock" started to emerge in bands like Fall Out Boy. 

This when it changed into magma and the term rock became for liquid and not exact. Finally, some modern music exploded out of a volcano and uses samples of old music and a lot of songs from the 60s 70s and 80s are popular again. Other rock crystallized underground and continues to evolve like the Imagine Dragons album "evolve".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrAV5EVI4tU

S&EP

 I constructed physical, mental or conceptual models to represent and understand phenomena when I made a small comic of a rock going through the rock cycle. To think of the cycle our rock goes through, we had an activity where we went to different tables that were labeled different places like "earth's interior" or "ocean" and we would roll a die to figure out where we were going next. This really helped us understand that not all rocks follow this same, structured cycle that most diagrams use. Sometimes rocks can become little dust particles in streams, the ocean, or even the air. I did not think about the fact that air is part of the rock cycle until I did this activity. It was also pretty fun.

XCC

          I think that this is patterns because everything follows a certain cycle or pattern. From rocks to rock music. I really have no idea if this is coincidence or not. Some things have much larger scale cycles, like the universe expanding and contracting. And other things are much small like an atom turning. All I know is that there are cycles everywhere whether we notice or not. 

Weekly blog (9/13/18) Rock cycle

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

Summary

The cycle is the slow, infinite cycle that all rocks go through. There are three main forms of rocks in this cycle.First, Sedimentary rock; this rock is formed by the pressing and cementing together of sediments. This rock might have fossils in it and you can easily see the grains of sand or pieces in it like limestone and sandstone. It is sometimes brittle depending on its age. You can see the layers in this rock as seen on the grand canyon and similar formations. The second form of rock is Metamorphic rock; this rock is formed by a lot more heat and pressure being put on any of the other forms of rock. This forms a smooth rock like granite or marble that might have ribbon like layers in it if it is made from some types of sedimentary rock. The last main class of rocks is Igneous rock; this rock is formed when metamorphic rock is put under a lot of heat and melted into magma. Then the magma could crystallize into intrusive igneous rock under the ground, or extrusive igneous rock. More commonly known as (lava rock) Igneous rock is usualy glasslike and might have bubbles like pumice.

http://www.gcsescience.com/rk1.htm

S&EP

 I used models to explain and predict behaviors of systems, or test a design as I used starburst to represent the rock cycle. First we represented weathering by cutting up different colored starburst into small pieces. Then we mixed them up and and lightly mashed them together to represent sedimentary rock. You could still see the original forms, but it is stuck together. The we put the sedimentary rock into a ziplock bag and applied heat and pressure from our hands until it was flat. Then we folded it and attached more heat and pressure. This created "metamorphic rock". At this point it looked ty-dye like marble and you could not see the original pieces. To make igneous rock we put the "rock" into the microwave to melt it into magma. Once it hardened it became the same color and was all crystallized (the sugar). 

XCC

There is a cycle for almost everything. This is a pattern because there are a lot of things that if they are used they will end up back where they started. There are cycles for water, carbon, rocks, phosphorus, sulfur, and plenty of other minerals. There are so many things that just go in endless cycles.

Weekly Blog (9/7/18) Scientific Method

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/steps-of-the-scientific-method

Summary

          The scientific method is a series of steps and a thought process that goes into finding a conclusion for a question. The first step is to identify a question/problem that you will answer. Next you do some research to see if anyone else has done anything similar. Then with that knowledge, you form a Hypothesis/educated guess of the outcome. Once you have a hypothesis you can start planning to test your experiment. Then you analyze the data that you collected and compare it to your hypothesis. After you have done all this you can share your results to those around you.

S&EP

           I constructed physical, mental or conceptual models to represent and understand phenomena when I studied the scientific method. I found that almost everything follows the scientific method whether you consciously use it or not. For example, when you lose something you first say, "where is my phone?" Then you think about where you last saw it. Once you think you remember you construct a hypothesis, "I think I left it on the kitchen counter." Then you go to the kitchen counter and find it is not there. In this case you go around testing different places. If you did find it, you say, "I guess it was where I thought it was!" So then if you are very outgoing you post on some social media saying you found your phone and lost it. If you are a normal person, you make a note for future losses where it might be.

XCC

          I think the fact that we always use this no matter what is a pattern. Whenever we want to find something out or look for something, we always use the scientific method. From finding your keys to random curiosity. Humans have always used this and you use it many times a day with no idea you are. There are plenty of patterns like this in the world, some more common than others. There are most likely many we have yet to discover.

Weekly Blog (5/25/18) Neil deGrasse Tyson rap battle

If image does not work click here.

Summary

          Neil deGrasse Tyson is 59 years old and born on October, 5, 1958 in The Bronx, New York. In 2016  B.O.B. the rapper made a lot of tweets about flat earth and accusing NASA of lying. Then when B.O.B. posted a specific post with a picture of him on a hill with Manhattan 16 miles behinds him saying that if the earth was really round, how could you see Manhattan, Neil deGrasse Tyson responded in a short series of tweets saying
"Earth's curve indeed blocks 150 (not 170) ft of Manhattan. But most buildings in midtown are waaay taller than that."
"Polaris is gone by 1.5 deg S. Latitude. You've never been south of Earth's Equator, or if so, you've never looked up.".
When B.O.B. saw this he made a song talking about how much he must get paid by the government to say that. This song is called Flatline (explicit). Here's one line: "Aye, Neil Tyson need to loosen up his vest / They'll probably write that man one hell of a check." Naturally Neil  deGrasse Tyson asked his nephew to help him make a response. This song is called Flat to Fact (also explicit). So far, nothing more has come from this.  I got this information in an article from npr if you want to read more.

S&EP

          This week I conducted investigations by finding out more information than I already knew about Neil deGrasse Tyson. In my previous blog I wrote everything I could think of but this week I had to find something else. So I looked on the npr website and sure enough; they had many articles and I chose the one about a rap battle because Neil deGrasse Tyson is a pretty cool guy and I though it might be interesting. It was. But now I know that if I ever need an interesting story or interview with him I can just look on npr.

XCC

          If you mess with Neil degrasse Tyson, he will mess with you worse. Just like Wendy's on twitter. This is cause and effect. There is really not that much more to it. Just stay away from messing with Neil deGrasse Tyson about science. He knows what he is talking about.

Weekly Blog (5/18/18) Neil deGrasse Tyson

Summary

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a very famous astrophysicist. He has starred in multiple science related tv shows such as The Inexplicable Universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Cosmos, a Spacetime Odyssey. He has also written multiple books such as Space Chronicles, The Sky is Not the Limit, The Pluto Files, and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.  He grew up going to public school in The Bronx, New York. Then he went to The Bronx High School of Science. After that he went to harvard and got a BA  in physics and a PhD at Columbia university in astrophysics. 

S&EP

 I conducted investigations by looking up things about his life and finding the information I need for this assignment (aka being a stalker). After finding this information I have more respect for him because now I know that he grew up in The Bronx and how hard he worked to get where he is today. Now I am closer to mastery at finding information that I need for an assignment.

XCC

I think that the idea that no matter your beginning if you put your mind to something you can get it done, is cause and effect.