Week of 5/10/10

This week was PALs. I made top sixteen, so I get to go to finals. This weekend will be a very busy one. I have to do a history Cold War Time Line and a family tree for English. In addition, I have a swim meet. I really want to PR, but it is really hard. I wish I could make top 8. I will be sleep deprived this week. It is almost finals for school. I need to study hard.

CA Chem Standard post

ChemStd12l: Analyze situations and solve problems that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.
From elementary school to high school, we have learned many different areas of science. They include biology, chemistry, and physics. There are many more, but I will not name them all. you can go to this website and find out :)
-Biology is the study of living organisms.
-Chemistry is the study of matter and its interactions with energy and itself.
-Physics is the study of the behavior and properties of matter. (forces, attractions, and repulsions)


When we went on the field trip to the Mills Canyon, we have encountered different areas of science. As we walked to Mills Canyon, there was physics involved: static friction. We require friction to move about in safety (remember how difficult it is to walk on very icy pathways). Without the external force of friction, we would be unable to stop. Walking through the streets and the path in Mills Canyon, we noticed a lot of trees and flowers growing. We also saw birds, insects, and spiders. This was biology! These living creatures always had some type of chemical reactions taking place within them. As Mr. Olson says, "Biology is chemistry!"

The chemical reactions that occurred in the plants and trees was photosynthesis:

6CO₂ + 6H₂O + energy(sunlight) -> C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ .


Animals, plants, and we were undergoing cellular respiration:
C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ -> 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + energy(as ATP) .


In the path we walked through, we also saw evidence of rust forming on a spike:
4Fe +3O₂ -> 2Fe₂O₃ .
From going on this field trip, we have touched upon more than one area of science.

Another situation where we would combine more than one area of science: Thermochemistry is the study of energy evolved or absorbed in chemical reactions and any physical transformations such as melting and boiling. When we boil water, it turns into steam. This is a physical change. The temperature goes up because the kinetic energy, which is the movement of molecules, is increased. Water has the highest specific heat capacity of any substance.

Mini-Project 4

So today for dinner, my sister and I decided to cook a Mother's Day dinner for our mom. We made lemon chicken wings. After we cooked the chicken wings, we used the sauce and cooked udon. Dinner was tasty! :)

Here are the ingredients:

-about 3 lbs of mid-joint chicken wings (thawed, rinse well)

-1 lemon (cut into 10 thin slices)

-10 slices ginger (with peel on)

For the seasoning:

-2 tbsps dark soy sauce

-2 tbsps light soy sauce

-2 tbsps oyster sauce

-2 bars raw can sugar

Here is the method:

1. Stir fry the ginger with 2 tbsps of oil. Add the chicken wings. Stir fry over high heat.

2. Put the lemon and seasoning in and cook over high heat until the sauce turns thick.

*Do not add water to chicken wings because of the high water content in frozen chicken wings.

*Remember to stir the chicken wings from time to time and adjust the heat accordingly. chicken wings stick easily to the bottom of pots and get burnt.

Science: When the chicken wings were being cooked in the seasoning, there was convection so the chicken wings were heated up evenly. There is conduction when heat is transferred to the wok and spatula. The sugar melts because there is heat transferred onto it.

photocredit: Brian Ng

Mini-Project 3

I love eating many different types of fruits. Today, I made a fruit smoothie.

Here are the ingredients:

-pineapple

-orange

-mango

-watermelon

All I did was blend these ingredients together to make a smoothie. You can add any amount of fruits you want. It depends on what fruits you like to eat. You can add ice to the blender if you want a cold drink.

Science: Blending fruits is a physical change. The fruits also become liquified. Fruits are healthy to eat. They are very nutritious and are neccesary for your daily needs. Pineapple juices have a variety of positive effects on the skin and promotes skin elasticity while removing dead damaged skin. They improve hydration and moisture in the skin. Orange has a lot of Vitamin C. It is beneficial in asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, rheumatism, arthritis, and high blood pressure. It prevents kidney stone, helps lower cholorestrol, and helps prevent diabetes. Mangoes contain phenois, this phenolic compound have powerful antioxidant and anticanser abilities. Mango is high in iron and effective in relieving cloged pores of the skin. It is valuable to combat acidity and poor digestion. Mango is high in antioxidants and low in carbohydrates. It is a rich source of vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin E, and Selenium which help to protect against heart disease and other ailments. Watermelon is a good source of the antioxidant vitamins C and A to protect us from diseases. It reduces the risk of dehydration.

photocredit: Brian Ng

Mini-Project 2

Today, I cooked some red bean soup. It is a type of Chinese dessert. It is characterized as a tang sui (literal meaning: sugar water) or sweet soup. It is served cold in the summer and hot in the winter. The two types of sugar used interchangeably are rock sugar and sliced sugar.

Here are the ingredients:

-about 1 lb of red beans

-about 1/4 lb of lotus seeds

-rock sugar or sliced sugar (It depends how sweet you want the soup to be)

-enough water to cover the red beans and lotus seeds

Here are the steps to make the red bean soup:

1. Wash the red beans.

2. Put the red beans and the lotus seeds in a medium sized pot.

3. Fill the water over the the amount of dry ingredients.

4. Boil this for about an hour on low heat.

5. Turn off the fire and let it sit for about 45 minutes.

6. Add in the desired amount of sugar (you can add some more water if the soup is too thick) and boil the mixture for another 30 minutes.

The red bean soup should be a little thick. The beans and seeds should not be too hard. If it is, boil the soup a little longer. Enjoy.

If you want to eat this cold, you can put some ice, red bean soup, and ice cream inside a blender and blend them together to make a cold smoothie.

Science: In the beginning, the red beans and the lotus seeds are hard and dry. Then, when you boil the beans and seeds, they expand and become pasty and thick. Molecules are denatured. According to Chinese herbs, lotus seeds are good for the liver. Red beans increase the amount of blood in your blood.

photocredit to Kenneth Ng and Yvonne Ng

Mills Canyon Field Trip

On Thursday, April 29, 2010, we walked to the Mills Canyon for our first chemistry field trip. We had a great time at Mills Canyon exploring the wildlife and nature. I love nature!!! Biology is chemistry. I saw a lot of evidence of chemical reactions. On some parts of the trails, there was mud. I had to carefully walk through or go through a different path. I liked the biodiversity at Mills Canyon, but I wish I could have seen more animals. I plan to come here again with my family over the summer.

View From Mills High School to Mills Canyon in a larger map

Mills Canyon

On Thursday, May 29, we went on a field trip to Mills Canyon. We walked there and back. We explored around in the park and saw a lot of different types of plants. There was poison oak at Mills Canyon, too. I saw evidence of at least three chemical reactions. They were photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and iron and oxygen reacting to form rust. I also learned about the carbon cycle. Biology is chemistry!

Chemical reactions are happening everywhere around us.

Mini-Project 1

Today, I baked Poor Man's Oatmeal cookies.
Here are the ingredients:
-2 cups of rolled oats
-1 cup of brown sugar
-1 cup of flour
-1/4 cup hot water
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 stick butter (1/4 cup)
-1 tsp. vanilla
I mixed the oats, sugar, and flour together first. In a separate bowl I mixed the water and baking soda. In another bowl, I mixed vanilla and butter. Next, I combined everything together. I scooped the mix into balls and put them on top of the cookie tray. I baked these trays in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. The result was yummy cookies.
SCIENCE: The baking soda caused the cookies to rise. The flour, which provides the framework, was the principal structure builder in the recipe.

Photocredit: Yvonne Ng

IProposeWe Make Glowing Bubbles

IProposeWe Make Make Glowing Bubbles

Links:
How to Make Glowing Bubbles
How to Make Bubble Solution
How to Make Glow Solution

Materials: bubble solution, glow in the dark solution (can use washable glow paint or can make glow solution), bubble wand

Procedure:
1. Mix bubble solution with glow solution.
2. Make sure you have enough bubble solution to make strong bubbles and enough glowing solution to get a good glow.
3. Try a 50:50 mix to start. You can add more glow liquid or more bubble solution, depending on your results.

Safety precautions:

• Protect eyes with goggles.
• Try to use non-toxic washing glow paint or non-toxic highlighter pen.
• Blow bubbles outdoors.

Scientific Principles:
1. Stir solutions.
2. Explore the different concentrations of glowing solution.
3. The glowing solution is the solute. The bubble solution is the solvent.

Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon

During the spring break I was out of town. I went to see my brother's karate tournament in Las Vegas. My sister drove part of the way to Las Vegas. It was the 2010 international Ozawa karate Cup. Although my brother did not win, he gained experience. After the tournament, we went to the Las Vegas. We stayed at Luxor. We went to Las Vegas Chinatown to eat dinner. The next day, we swam at the Luxor pool. Then, we drove to Las Vegas Chinatown teahouse to eat lunch. The food did not taste that good. After that, my siblings and I bought bread and were shopping at the mall. Then we returned to the hotel and parked the car. We went out and walked on the Las Vegas Blvd. We went to the M&M store and bought 3 pounds of chocolate, which costed about $66. We went to the new mall. For dinner, we ate at BBQ King. The food tasted good. At night, we went to Circus Circus.
On Monday, my dad drove to Hoover Dam. Then, we drove to Grand Canyon. At the Grand Canyon, it was only 40 degrees. The next day, I woke up and looked out the window and saw frost on the tops of cars. It was only 27 degrees! We took many pictures at the Grand Canyon.
Overall, vacation was great but I think I was sleep deprived. It was a road trip and we were in the car a lot.

David Webb and Vacuums

This week, we had two presenters on block day. We learned about atmospheric pressure. When pressure is below pressure, it is a vacuum, which basically means that there is no air. Gas and all fluids flow from high pressure to low pressure. 14.7 pounds per square inch is the atmospheric pressure on earth. Whenever we are in a higher elevation, there is less gas. One of the experiments they showed was with a balloon. Mr. Webb blew a small balloon. They took out the air around the balloon and the balloon expanded. I have seen the feather and the washer experiment before in eighth grade. I learned about the Magdeburg hemispheres. In my class, two boys were able to pull the hemispheres apart because they could overcome the force of the pressure. The can crush was different from the one we did in class. Mr. Webb's can was like a spiral. In another experiment, the water boiled with heat. As the water boiled longer, the water grew colder.

Week of 3/15/10

This week, we took a test on Monday. On Wednesday, we started a new unit on gases. So far, I think it is hard to understand. We learned about the general properties of gases. We did a lab on the pressure of gases. I thought the submarine diving was interesting. When we squeezed the bottle, the water level in the eyedropper rose. It was also cool how the can squashed, but I remember in eighth grade that my teacher showed us this experiment. I missed class on Thursday. I had a swim meet against Carlmont. The girls varsity tied. The girls JV lost. The varsity guys lost. The JV guys lost. I swam the 200 IM, 4x50 free relay, 100 breast, and 4 x 100 free relay. I added a second on my 200 IM. I totally died in my last 50 of the 200 IM, in the freestyle. We won the other Carlmont team in the 200 free relay by a touch. In the 100 breaststroke, I think I beat my time, but I am not sure because one of my times was 1:17.25 and the other was 1:17.03. I think I lost this race but a hand touch. I couldn't reach as far because my arms were short. In the 4 x 100 freee relay, my team won. It was an exciting meet because I thought girls varsity would lose, and we ended up with a tie.

Week of 3/8/10

This week was a four day week because there was a staff recess on Friday. This week we learned about equilibrium. The Collision Theory states that atoms, ions, and molecules can form a chemical bond when they collide. The activation energy is the minimum energy colliding particles must have in order to react. The four factors that affect reaction rates are temperature, concentration, particle size, and catalyst. Whenever a catalyst is added, the activation energy is lowered. We learned about Le Chatelier's Principle. It basically states that equilibria resist change. Chemical equilibrium is dynamic and reversible. Changes in gas pressure and changes in temperature can affect which way the reaction will go.
This week we also did a lab. I was very interested in the drinking happy bird. I thought it was cool how the bird could drink water.

Week of 3/1/10

This week, we learned about calorimetry. At first, it seemed confusing, but when I did more practice, I got used to the problems. the teacher showed a video about Q equals mc delta T. It was funny. I learned about the phase change curve. We did a lab about melting ice. There were three phases: solid, liquid, and gas. In between these phases, there was melting and vaporization(boiling). the opposite of melting was freezing, and the opposite of vaporization was condensation. the fusion of water meant melting or freezing. I learned how to do calorie- joule conversions.

This week was the first high school season swim meet. It was away at Terra Nova. I did pretty well at this meet. However, I think I could have done better. It was very cold there. I did not want to get out of the pool. We returned home very late. I was tired.

Week of 2/22/10

This week, we learned about heat transfer. There are three types of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. Conduction is when heat molecules vibrate to heat other molecules. In convection, heat rises, then cools down, then goes up again. Convection is a flow of matter. It occurs in our oceans, our atmosphere, adn Earth's mantle. Radiation is when the sun gives us heat in rays. There are endothermic reactions and exothermic reactions. In endothermic reactions, heat is absorbed, so heat is a reactant. In exothermic reactions, heat is released so heat is a product. We learned how to calculate heat energy. Q= mc (deltaT) Heat energy is measured in calories or Joules. M is the mass measured in grams. C is the specific heat of the substance (cal/g degrees C or J/g degrees C). Delta T is the change in temperature (degrees C) = T final minus T initial. the equation Q=mc (delta T) describes the heating or cooling of a specific physical object. Each variable must refer to that specific object.

Week of 2/15/10

Last week, we had a test on reactions and stoichiometry. I understand reactions and I know how to do stoichiometry problems. I did not need to use my compostition book to take my test. We did a lab. We mixed 3M of hydrochloric acid and and 3g of sodium carbonate. We boiled this solution and salt was left in the beaker. We had a very small percent error. I think my balance was not a zero before I found the mass of the items. My group's balance was different from the other groups. There was some popping noise when the water was all boiled out and dry. Some white stuff came out of the beaker. I thought the popping noise was interesting.

Week of 2/7/10

In chemistry, we learned about stoichiometry. At first, it seemed complex. Later, I got used to conversion factors. I could solve prblems easily because I used the same format every time. I only used different numbers and substance. We did a lab about the oxidation of magnesium. For the pre-lab, we used stociometry to figure out how much magnesium we would need to use for th combustion. Our experimental error was about 5.56%. I thought that was pretty close. We formed Magnesium oxide from oxgyen and magnesium. While the magnesium burned, I thought it looked pretty cool because the metal was glowing a brigth orange color. The product was in the form of white powder. Next week, we have the stoichiometry test.

2/11/10

This weekend is going to be Chinese New Year and Presidents Day. I can't wait till Chinese New Year because of all the good food that I will be able to eat. This year, I can go buy flowers for Chinese New Year. During the previous years, I was unable to go to the flower shop, so I never experienced it. During the previous years, I always got sick and could not make it. I think one year I had a swim meet or something. This weekend I think I will have a lot of homework to do. I can't decide if I want to go swimming on Saturday. I feel lazy, but I want to improve. It will be a very busy weekend for me, but I hope I will have a great time. I know the weekend will fly by very quickly because of all the events that are happening.

Weekend of 2/6/10 and 2/7/10

We had a three day weekend because we had Friday off. We got to sleep in. On Saturday and Sunday, I had a swim meet. It was at my home pool. It was a distance meet. I swam the 200 breast and 200 back. I was in a relay race with two eleven year olds and a fourteen year old. I was the oldest one, but I was about the same height as the eleven years old. I had to do the 100 butterfly. It was so hard. Also, I made my team lose because of the fly. I slowed down my whole team ): For my 200 Breast, I made JO time, so happy! I was satisfied with my 200 Back time because it was my first time anyway. I got an A time.

Week of 1/25/10

This weekend, I had a swim meet at De Anza Cupertino. It was a Zone 1 North Championships. Our team got first place in our division. Our next team goal is to compete in Division 1, with PASA and DACA.
This week in chemistry, we learned about chemical reactions. There was some review about the ionic compounds and molecules. We balanced equations, but I already learned how to do this in 8th grade. However, the difference this year is that there are polyatomic ions. I have to memorize these ions and their charges. I learned some new terms such as precipitate. I learned that a catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction but it is not consumed by the reaction.
I think next will be one of the most stressful weeks because I have many tests. On Monday, I have a self-defense test and my poetry project is due. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I have the California High School Exit Exam Tests. On Thursday, I have a World War I chapter test and a Spanish Chapter 3 test. I have to study a lot. I am going to have another swim meet. This is going to be a distance swim meet.

Week of 1/19/10

This Monday, we had Martin Luther King Dr. day. We have a test tomorrow. It is going to be about solutions and pH. I feel so unprepared for it. I know about Molarity, but I do not really understand the neutralization reactions. This week, we did a lab about acids and bases. We learned about the pH level of certain solutions and food items. We used litmus paper to see if the solution was an acid or a base. Acids are taste sour, while bases taste bitter. Water self-ionizes. Strong acids and bases are dangerous. Foods tend to be acidic, while cleaners are basic. The pH scale is like a rainbow spectrum.
Yesterday when I was swimming I saw a rainbow. It was a half circle. It was only of my first times seeing this. It is very rare. Swim practice was great yesterday.

Like Dissolves Like

Like Dissolves Like

Dissolving is when particles mix. Solutes dissolve in solvents in a solution. Water is the universal solvent because it dissolves many different types of things. "Like Dissolves like" is when the solvent usually dissolves solutes with properties that are similar to its own. Polar solvents dissolve polar solutes. Nonpolar solvents dissolve nonpolar solutes. For example, oil does not dissolve in water because oil is nonpolar and water is polar.
This week is the first week back from winter break. I had so much fun during the break. This week in chemistry, we started learning about solutions.