Snare,+Daniel

The graphic organizer that I like the best is the third one because the chart shows matter and how it's classified into smaller sections. I also think this is better organizer than the second because it provides the same information plus some examples to help you understand the classifications. For me, the first one confuses me with the questions and arrows, but the pictures are easy to analyze. They show the spacing between the molecules and also the different types according by color.

I found it really interesting in how crude oil was turned into products such as car gasoline and jet fuel using a simple distillation method. I'm surprised that these big companies use the same methods that science classes use, but just on a larger scale. It was also interesting the different fractions are used for different uses as the less complex molecules are used for fuel and the more complex could be used for road tar.

Correct measurement is extremely important to my safety because construction workers used measurements when building our high school. If for some reason, the walls or ceilings weren't correctly measured, there could be a serious issue when the school comes crashing down and hundreds of children die. So pretty much my safety is in the hands of the architects and workers each day I come to school. This also applies to the people that built my home and hopefully my safety isn't in danger.

Dan, Excellent point!!! We take a lot of things like that for granted. Think about crossing a bridge! MW

I had never known that there was such a thing as an actual physical international standard for the kilogram near Paris, though I can understand the reasoning why. There needs to be a constant and exact example for lots of things in this world, especially something as important as the measurement for weight. The suprising thing is that this official kilogram has lost 50 micrograms in weight over the years. I'm interested to know how an object as important as this can lose weight.

Dan, Good post! Radioactive isotopes in the platinum and iridium lose mass as they decay. That's why the mass has been lost. That's bad news in the scientific community. MW

I believe that the X-ray machines used for airport security are one of the most important and overlooked technologies in the country. It prevents any bombs or any explosives from going onto flights and it provides real safety for those travelers whose lives could be in the hands of TSA officials. I'm not quite sure what the security standards were before 9/11, but that event changed everything. What bothers me though is the people you see at the airport complaining about long lines at security checkpoints because they don't understand that the process is being done thoroughly to protect their lives.

Mole day sounds ridiculous to me because I don't understand how people can celebrate an equation like 6.02 X 10 to the 23rd power. I understand that it is an extremely important tool in finding mass, molecules, and atoms but there doesn't need to be an entire day centered around it. That doesn't mean we can't have a party for it in class though. You should definitely let our class bring in food and drinks but you need to bring the scotchies and hotties!

This sugar plant explosion was an unfortunate accident that resulted in the death of nine people and seems like a problem that should be solved soon. I mean, there have been 119 deaths in the past 25 years and there still hasn't been a solution. How many more people need to die! But I do understand why it is a difficult situation because even the slightest amount of electricity can result in a fire where oxygen reacts with the dust to create a lethal explosion.

Dan, From a stoichiometric standpoint why do you think this reaction occurred? 4 stars.

This article makes a great point when it talks about how sulfur hexaflouride isn't really that dangerous to breathe in, even though two dangerous elements in sulfur and fluorine are found in it. But Bob Becker does warn about the dangers of breathing this gas in when he refers to suffocation. I never thought about how when you breathe in the gas, you don't take in any oxygen and can run the risk of passing out, resulting in injury.

Dan, OK. MW

Mr. Williams, thanks a lot for the in-depth analysis of my last post haha. Now about motion detectors; I didn't realize that much chemistry is involved in these machines, especially electrons. Now, it was kind of difficult for me to understand this article because of all the technical terms but the "one steel ball to 1,000,000 ping pong balls" analogy really helped me to visualize the situation. It showed that combined mass doesn't matter as much as the individual particle's energy when you're referring to photoelectric effect.

Dan, OK. MW Just kidding! Yes the pingpong ball analogy was great! It reminds me of some of my analogies... which are almost as good as my drawings! :) MW