Belnick,+Andrew

Although all three of the graphics contain the same basic information, the examples in the first graphic helped me to understand the differences between the classifications of matter the best. The third graphic also provided examples of each classification, but with no picture I wasn't able to distinguish how one example looked different than the next. The simplicity of the second graphic made it easy to understand, yet with no examples or pictures the words had no meaning to me. The only drawback to the first graphic, in my opinion, is that 'chemically decomposable' and 'uniform properties' wouldn't help me to be able to classify matter.

In having Honors Biology with Mrs. Rafferty last year, we did a chromatography lab similar to the M&M/Skittle one today except with cabbage. I learned that the hydro carbons in crude oil are separated using fractional distillation, with the lowest boiling point producing rocket fuel, as well as producing tar and gasoline. Its amazing to think about all the things that crude oil breaks down to and the ordinary things that are made from it. I also found it interesting that during the first round of distillation a flame can't be used because the compounds are highly flammable.

Measurements are especially important in certain work fields such as pharmacists, chefs, and and chemist. In my life, measurement is important when I go to the doctor. The doctor can't just estimate what your blood pressure is, they need to have the exact measurement. The same holds true for heart rate and body temperature. When I'm making something like pancakes or mac n' cheese it is important to add the right amount of water so as not to ruin the food! It is also important that the food we buy and the medicine we take is accurately measured because in the case medicine a misreading of ingredients could be fatal!!

Andy, Good point on the medicine and the blood pressure monitoring! MW

Although I didn't understand much of the section about Avogadro's number%2Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 nd Planck's constant, I found it interestinProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 20that the kilogram is the only SI unit of measurement still defined by a tangible object. In this world today of computers and technology, most would think that this physical measurement would have been thrown out for a mathmatical equation or more precise way of measuring. In my opinion, an equation defining exactly how much a kilogram weighs would be a better idea in the long run because unlike physical artifacts, the equation will still be the same whether someone uses it two years in the future or a thousand years in the future. On the topic of having to revise textbooks, science is changing everyday so there is probably a lot more information that needs to be updated besides the definition of a kilogram.

Andy, Good call! Your insight is once again impressive. MW

Airline security is a very serious topic in these post 9/11 days. If people didn't feel that they would be safe in the skies, they wouldn't be flying, so considering the exceptionally long lines at security checkpoints now-a-days passengers must feel the the TSA is doing a good job of checking people. I agree with those that think it is essential to continue to develop new technologies that can test a larger range of materials because terrorists will just continue to come up with new methods of beating the system. If there weren't all of those anti- American pychos in the world we wouldn't even need to have these precautions!

Drew, Good thoughts. Sadly it seems that there will always be people determined to hurt others. MW

I found the mole day web page extremely entertaining to say the least. Paige and I found the mole day jokes witty and sounded very much like ones that you would share with the class. Mole day reminded me of our pi day celebrations back in middle school. The "Molar Express" theme was really clever and the accompanying song was equally entertaining. In a previous post I had mentioned how i had no clue who Avogrado was, or what his number was, but now know that it is 6.02 x 10^23. I thought the paragraph at the top also did a good job of explaining the mole and how to figure out the mole of an element.

Drew,

Well written! MW

This article shows just how imperative it is that lab areas and factory floors be free of foreign substances in order to keep everyone safe. It only takes one small spark to ignite some dust, leading to a full-blown factory explosion. The CSB and OSHA should be creating stricter guidelines in regards to cleanliness of labs. From this article I learned that after a chemical meltdown people can’t return to that areas for a few months rather than days. Stoichiometry is important to chemical reactions because even a small amount of the two chemicals mixed together can cause catastrophic distaster.

What I found most interesting about the sulfur hexafloride article was the part where it explained that sensation that you need to breath doesn't come from a need of oxygen but rather too much carbon dioxide. So, if you continue to breathe in helium and don't breathe any oxygen in between you may make yourself pass out without knowing it. I also found it interesting how dangerous it can be to breathe in other gases just because of some of the impurites present in the container. Something seemingly harnless as helium could end up being extremely deadly.

Drew, Any thoughts about SF6? 4 stars.

First off, if I was going to be late for curfew I would make sure to take a path that goes around the sensors instead of right into them. In regards to science many of the concepts we have been studying, like photons, frequency, and wavelengths, appeared in the article. I liked the 'steel ball v. 1,000,000 ping pong balls' because it illustrated the point that it's frequency rather than intensity that impacts the electrons. The motion detector that was set off when light no longer reached the sensor made me think of those spy movies where the hero would break the sensor, triggering a boobie trap or other obstacles.

Drew, I had similar thoughts when I read this! MW