Matter

This week, we learned about what a matter was. We had to sort things into groups called: matter, not a matter, and unsure. Matter has mass and takes up space. Wind is the movement of molecules so it is not a matter. We did a lab about measurement in chemistry. We had to guess the mass of several items. Then, we had to measure the actual mass of the object with a balance beam. I learned how to use the Vernier Scale on the balance beam. The Vernier Scale allowed us to measure up to the 1/100 of a gram. In the lab, we also had to predict the volume of liquids; this task was a little harder. Next, we measured the liquids using a graduated cylinder. The plastic cup's actual water capacity was not as accurate because I kept spilling water of of the cup when I was pouring it into the graduated cylinder. I learned how to calculate the percent error. Some of my predictions were very inaccurate. From reading the chemistry book, I learned about the scientific method and saw examples of how to use this method.

Penny Lab

Yesterday in Chemistry class, we did a penny lab. We turned a copper penny into a golden color. First, we placed the penny into the melted zinc. Th penny turned into a silver color. I brought a very dirty penny to class and it seemed to come out like it was cleaned naturally. I barely had to wash my penny. There was some chemical reaction. I don't think I made real gold. I think only the color was changed. I liked this experiment because there was some chemical reaction. This fun part of the lab was putting the silver penny into the fire and watching the penny turn into the golden color. I think it would be cool to see the penny crumble, but you had to put the penny in the fire longer. I wonder if it is possible to change the golden penny back into a copper-colored penny. This lab was overall interesting.

Goals, Passions

In life, I have many goals, some of them are short-term goals and others are long term goals. I want to become a bone doctor. In order to accomplish that, I have many other goals to accomplish. I need to get into a good college or medical school. To become a doctor, I have to earn a PhD. For now, I want to pass my Grade 8 Piano Test and to earn a diploma for piano. I also want to be able to swim in the Junior Olympics. In the future, I want to travel around the whole world. I want to visit the places that I have never gone to before. Another goal is that I want to go to Yellowstone National Park with my sister and dad. We plan to bring all of our tools to look for animals. My dad, sister, and I are very interested in nature, and we are not afraid of much heights. These are my goals and passions. I know I will have more goals as my life goes on.