Tariq,+Wareesha

Motion Detection Motion detectors are a burglar's worst nightmare. But this madness doesn't end on just law breakers. These motion detectors can find anyone, anywhere, anytime (okay, maybe thats a little exaggerated) All I have to say is that the world was so much better without motion detectors. I mean who knew that these alien devices could detect our every move, spy on our very lives, and hurt us in ways not imaginable by a human mind? (not really but still) I guess I should thank you for giving us a chance to read something on this topic. Now I can't say that nobody told me. I just found out that those brilliant scientists up there have found three techniques to detect motion. Some of these motion detectors use a light source, while others use sensors to monitor reflection pattern. Then there are detectors that sense infrared radiation coming in. The skin temperature of humans is approximately 33.9 degrees centigrade. All those detectors have to do is find an object with a wavelength of 9-10 micrometers. I guess being human is not all that good. :) The photoelectric effect was first observed by German physicist Heinrich Hertz (I knew the hertz part, because of yellow bulbs back in Pakistan). I soon realized that Einstein had explained this relationship by proving that light behaves like a wave in some ways, whereas in others instances, it behaves like photons (light particles). I don't get why they made a distinction between those two. Even the waves are made up of light particles, so basically they are the same thing. The only difference is the direction of motion. Also the article presented a metaphor about ping pong balls and steel balls. I understand completely that even one hundred ping pong balls cannot do as much damage to a window than one steel ball. But hello? What was that metaphor trying to explain?Sorry, but it lost me somewhere in there. The best part in the article was where it explained how "creatures of the dark" such as rattlesnakes find and hunt their prey. I mean, is that cool or what? I wish I could see like that. It would be so much helpful for doing homework at night. : Wareesha, Entertaining as usual! The ping-pong ball analogy is to illustrate the photoelectric effect. The ping-pong balls are red light and the steel ball is violet light. 5 huge stars!! MW Sulfur Hexafluoride Article

Let me just tell you how terribly sorry I am for forgetting to post this wiki. All I can say in my defense is that I was freaked out about the SAT's all throughout this week, and that drove this from my mind. Still I want to post my thoughts on this article. I think that the "Sulfur Hexafluoride" article was one of the easiest ones I have ever seen since the start of this semester. The first 'elementary surprising thing' to me was the fact that people actually breathe in sulfur hexafluoride. I thought it would be too hard to handle. I mean come on. Don't these people have anything better to do than experimenting with gas inhalation? Oh well, whatever. One of the other things that I thought I knew was that the human body depends on the ratio of oxygen in the body to trigger the 'gasping reflex.' But I was wrong. As a matter of fact, the buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream is the reason our brains go 'ting.' I also thought that it was pretty stupid for people to think that ‘inert form’ of sulfur hexafluoride will contain no impurities. I think we are at a level in chemistry where our minds can comprehend that nothing is “totally pure (with the exception of a few million things :).” The article also mentioned how some people keep on doing this over and over again which causes them to be unaware of the fact that they are actually getting no oxygen and that the carbon dioxide is still in their bloodstream. This repetitive activity can cause injury and in some cases, instant suffocation. I also knew from our class lessons that a helium balloon decreases in size over time and that an air filled balloon maintains its size for a longer period than a helium balloon. What caught my attention was that a sulfur hexafluoride balloon would actually GROW in size! Wow! Now I am totally psyched about this ‘gas.’ If I ever become a chemist, I promise to experiment with a sulfur hexafluoride balloon. Who knows? It might even be fun! :)

Wareesha, Well it was worth the wait! Your post was funny and insightful! 5 stars! MW  Dust Explosion

First of all, I want to let you know that the article was a ".tif" file, which is why I could not zoom it in enough to make it legible. So that's the sad story. But no worries, because I searched for the article on the internet and I found it on the "Chemical and Engineering News." So my first reaction? Well, I was shocked that a thing as small as this could create a havoc as such. But then I thought of myself as stupid because after learning chemistry all my life, I still couldn't grasp the understanding of smaller things and big impact (atoms, DUH!). The article mentioned that fire need not be the only source of initial ignition and I searched the topic a little bit more to find out what the common sources of ignition are. Wikipedia says that electrostatic discharge, friction, and hot surfaces might be some of the more common reasons of dust explosions, which makes sense in a weird way. The horrifying thing mentioned in the article was that the smaller the particle, the better the chance of an explosion. I hope that they compensate for the loss of the lives of those workers and do something to implement better protection and security for everyone. My question to you is this: the article said that an excess of dust can lead to combustion with even a small spark. Does that mean that if a house has been abandoned for centuries and it has a huge mine of dust, that dust can be ignited and a combustion can take place? 

Wareesha ,

Good post and good question! I'm not sure if a house has ever exploded due to dust. 5 stars! MW Mole Day 

You know how there comes a time when you see the light of knowledge and the secrets of the universe are unveiled to you? Well, that’s what happened to me today. As soon as you showed the mole video I understood the concept of this “mole thingy.” I am happy to report that now I can understand the chemistry involved in the calculation of mole. So, on to the mole talk. What did I learn today? The coolest thing I learned was that the Mole Day is celebrated at exactly 6:02 10/23. I mean that’s genius. Another informative thing I learned today was that Avogadro never achieved any recognition for the work he did regarding the mole during his lifetime. And that just pisses me off. I mean if I was to spend my whole life doing something (which I wouldn’t, as I do not have that much patience), I would want some recognition or at least some appreciation. But I guess this quote by some famous person is true. I think he said something like: Science is selfless work (paraphrasing), but it still feels unfair. Life shouldn’t be so cruel. Even though I learned a lot today (enough for one day’s worth), I still have to brush up my mole skills. This is not something that can be easily comprehended and you should be ready for many questions.  (Just so you know, I always write very animatedly. It is not directed towards you or anyone. It’s just my way of writing. If you think that’s not professional please let me know immediately and I will try to remedy it.) 

Wareesha, Your writing is awesome! You have a nice flair. Perhaps you could steer away from the "p" word but otherwise please be yourself! 5 moletastic stars! BTW I'm thrilled that you seeing the value in the mole!! Great stuff! MW Where do elements come from?

I have to say that this article brought up more questions than answers for me. As a "good student" I //should// do some deep research on these topics. But being the student I am, I will resort to directing these questions towards you. I learned from this article that the first few elements came from explosion of stars. This boggles me. How can the elements come from "the sky" such long time ago and still be here? Is there a reactive system for reproduction of these elements? Also many elements are found deep in the earth. What up with that? How did they get there and why are they still here? They are not living things, so how can they just //reproduce//?What I do understand though is that process of nucleosynthesis. It's just like the concept in biology of how the simplest beings came first and how now we have all these complex and integrated beings on earth. I am sorry if these are the //"duh"// questions but I really want to understand the simplest definition of the terms. Lastly I have to comment that it's so weird how every scientific article makes me question the credibility of the source and the level of truthfulness involved in the accomplishment of the discovery (In other words, I can't //"just believe"// a theory unless I have tested it myself).

Wareesha, While some level of skepticism is healthy, it's not possible for us to test all theories. Let me just say that theories are highly tested and scrutinized before they are elevated to the status of theory. Concerning your question about the make-up of the earth, I think it is safe to say that the earth and all things earthly were once part of a much larger celestial body - a star! 5 super stars for you! MW Redefining the kilogram:

​I thought this article was very interesting. And I am not just saying that. I can prove my interest through this argument. Well this article basically provided me with two very different perspectives. My first reaction was of surprise at the fact that in this world of "nano-thingies" we still have a problem like this. And I am actually very disappointed at those genius chemists who have invented what-not but could't do this. I don't mean any disrespect. That is just my opinion. Think about it: man has gone over on the moon but hasn't been able to provide himself with a better alternative to such a small problem. Which brings me to my other revelation which ends on amuch happier note: Sometimes a problem which might look small to most people could very well be a problem of gigantic magnitude for other people living on the same earth as that majority group.

Good perspective Wareesha! You have a very active mind! Perhaps some more reflection on the connections to our class as we move forward. 5 stars. MW  Articles of Interest: Harry Potter 1

I agree with Copes that the best thing about chemistry is the flash and bangs, which is why I decided to read this article in the first place. But I didn’t really understand when he said that this is not a “how-to” but “where to find” the necessary safety information. I really liked the “Flame Colors Demystified” table. It relates to our class perfectly and displays an easier method to memorize the various elements and their significance. As a harry potter fan I was offended by the way he made the “magical world of Harry Potter” relate to the very-normal, muggle world of reality. But I have to say that even I was fascinated by the many colored flames. It is believed that one can acquire the colored flames by introducing metal salts into naked flames and I would very much like to see us to do something like that in Chemistry class.

Wareeesha, We will do a lab with colored flames! Good post. 5 stars! MW  Crude Oil 

Crude Oil is basically a mixture of different hydrogen molecules combined together. Because of the fact that there is not much use of crude oil, it's molecules are needed to be separated and thus distillation comes in handy. During the process of distillation, hydrocarbons with low boiling points vaporize and condense into colorless oil. The remaining hydrocarbons need to be distillated on the burning flame at 60 degree Celsius and thus provide us with a more familiar color of yellow oil. I believe that this oil is somehow part of petroleum we use for transportation. Watching this video has made me understand the process of distillation even more. Now I actually have a visual in my mind that can help me in understanding the whole concept of separating mixtures. In chemistry we are learning about the different separating procedures including distillation, filtration, and chromatography. This also shows how longer molecules have higher boiling points. Crude oil is very useful and as Mr. Williams put it: "touches every aspect of our lives." So it is eminent that all student chemists understand the basics of this separation process and take it to heart.

Warresha, Good comments. Thanks for quoting me.:) 5 stars. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">