Freeze,+Jessica


 * Helium Balloons:**

First thing is first. My name is not Sarah. :P No worries. It's just weird because so many people always call me sarah or Rebekah. Whoops! Sorry about that. I'll fix it! :( MW

The first VIP involves the force that acts upon any and every object, producing a force pushing upwards that is part of the reason that balloons float. This force, called the buoyant force, gives a short weight decrease to every object on earth. It is one of the most important points because it helps to allow for things to float, and gives females especially a better opinion on their body image. Just kidding :). It is important to our class because it explains why the hydrogen balloon that exploded was able to float. A second VIP deals with the idea that the buoyant force equals exactly that of the weight of air that is displaced. This is important because it allows for scientists to be able to easily calculate the buoyancy of items. The MVP of the Helium balloon article is the explanation of how the buoyant force works. It explains how since the gas lower to the earth is more dense and exerts more pressure that it pushes up, making sense of a seemingly unknown force, and shows how gas particles effect everything.

Jessica, Well written! Good comments on the measurement of buoyancy! 5 stars! MW
 * Explosive Sugar:** The tidbit of information in the article, "Sugar, An Unusual Explosive" that I found to be interesting was the fact of how many explosions are caused by small particles floating in the air. Just the other day I was sitting in my room and watching the sun reflect off the particles of dust floating in the air. I find it funny now that as I was watching them float I was disgusted enough that I was inhaling those particles that I went downstairs and grabbed a air filter. The irony that that occurance happened and then I find out that these same small particles cause explosions that kill many people is shocking, and creates awe in my mind. One peice of information in the article that relates to class was the way that sucrose combusts, showing the that conservation of mass remains true with equal reactants and products. The way that small particles of sugar combust only when they are separated in the air is the same as the Lycapodium powder. When the lycapodium powder is on a table in a pile and a fire touches it, it does not burn very well. But when it is spread throughout the air it combusts at a much quicker rate. The same occurs with sugar.

Jessica, Right. Your comment on dust in sunlight made me remember that I was wondering if household dust could cause the same problem? 5 huge stars! MW

Elements undergo massive heats to perform nucleosynthesis to create elements up to Iron. Elements heavier than Iron are created when stars explode in supernovas.
 * Where Do Chemical Elements Come From?**

Jessica, OK. 5 stars. Mw

I enjoyed reading this article for the way it presented the elements in a manner that showed the mystique each one has surrounding it. I would perhaps find Mithril the most interesting of the elements mentioned because of the many ways it has been intertwined into science fiction. As mentioned in the article, the Hobbit is the first appearance of Mithril, and yet it is incorporated into so many science fiction stories and continues to transfer its story with it wherever it travels as if it is a real element. This hard and light metal reminds me of titanium carabeaners used for climbing, which are very light to make movement easier. This metal, if it were real, would probably be rather expensive due to its rarity, durability, and beauty. Because of these facts, Mithril and many other fictional elements will remain well known for many years to come. I find it extremely interesting that a stone (Dilithium) is what fuels the Star Trek ships. Though I am not the most diligent fan of Star Trek, I am a devoted fan of space travel. With all that makes up the universe, surely there must be other life for us to exchange technologies and learn from. The main problem; however, is how humans could get there fast enough as to not age a great deal. This is where the Dilithium comes in. The ability to travel faster than the speed of light is a great feat achieve, one I am sure will most likely not come about until many years after I have gone on. A stone like Dilithium that can withstand the presence of anti-matter must surely exist somewhere, though probably not on Earth. It kind of makes sense that Dilithium would be a stone of immense hardness and not some sort of liquid that would not withstand pressure and is so reactive. Finally, I find interesting the fact that one of the isotopes of Vibranium can break down molecular bonds. I find this especially interesting because of the possibilities that if enhanced it could possibly break down atomic bonds allowing for fission. What a marvelous element Vibranium would be to have in real life. What marvelous elements they would all make.

Jessica Freeze

Sorry about that Mr. Williams, I wasn't finished. I had gotten home from a party later than I expected last night and was only able to get one paragraph done before I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. The rest of my response has been added. I will make sure to include a note next time I am still working on one of these.

Good reference to climbing and titanium. Kind of one dimensional though Anything else interesting? 4 stars. Jessica, Wow! You really found a lot of stuff now!! 5 stars! MW


 * Redefining the Kilogram:**

I found this article very interesting, though slightly confusing. The first interesting and most valuable piece of information that I found in this article was that the International Prototype lost weight. This is interesting because of the mystery of how the IP could have lost weight. Even though the weight lost was such a small amount that the majority of the world sees it as even too small matter, a fingerprint of weight makes a great deal of difference to the community of science where every atom matters. The sheer fact that an item with so much control lost weight is dumbfounding and downright strange. It will definitely be an interesting article to read when scientists discover the source of the loss. The second interesting thing I found about the article was that even though a kilogram will not be the same weight as it was before, it will still be a kilogram. It causes you to pause and think about what is really a fact, and what is merely a human creation that can be changed, even if it is something that has been set in stone for a hundred years. The final thing I found interesting about the article was the fact that the kilogram is the last physical artifact that symbolizes an SI base unit. This means that humans will most likely try to hold onto this final piece of history because of their sentimentalism. It also puts forth the question of how it was even determined that a kilogram weighs a kilogram. Overall, it was a very interesting article. -Jessica Freeze

Jessica, Good points. I'm not sure how it was decided - "OK here is a kilogram." and everyone says that sounds good. :) 5 stars. MW


 * Crude Oil**

I find it interesting that humans were able to adapt their knowledge of different boiling points to create a system that can separate different Hydrocarbons using distillation. The process of distillation is a interesting and excellent example of how density is important. Because certain parts of the crude oil are denser, like asphalt, than others, like methane, the asphalt would end up on the bottom while the methane ends up going through the top tube. I wonder if any of the other gases end up going down lower tubes because of being pushed by condensing gases. What processes do the oil refineries use to test the purity of the substances that they are refining? Or do they risk giving an inferior product to consumers?

Jessica, Wow! Well written and intelligent post! There are quality control people that check for purity. 5 huge stars! MW


 * Motion Detectors**

This article brought me new knowledge of how motion detectors work. I now understand the commercials that show waves flowing out from a motion detector box. I already knew before reading this article that snakes had thermal vision and could therefore see the infrared radiation that humans give off. It is also already known to me that bats are able to use sonar to find prey even though they are flying fast and have bad eyesight. It was also old to my knowledge that vision is a serious of chemical reactions that culminate in the brain to form what we know as vision. This article did however teach me some new pieces of information. For example, while I new that snakes could see in infrared, I was not aware that this was adapted and used in motion detectors. I was also not aware that sonar technology was implemented to make motion detectors work. Perhaps the most interesting of the motion detectors which I was not conscientiously aware of was the fact that light sensor motion detectors are used in everyday life. You always see the light sensors in movies, but it hadn't occurred to me that light being sent to a signal constantly and then being interrupted was a motion detector that is used often.

Jessica, Looks good! I'm impressed that you knew about the chemical reactions that occur in the eye! 5 stars. MW