Ott,+Alyssa


 * Can cell phone radiation damage our brains?**

Before reading this article I always had the idea that cell phones were bad for our brains. I have been told many times that it cause cancer and does many different types of damage to the brain too. After reading the article though I realized there isn't much to worry about. The way cell phones work is not a huge problem or can cause a huge problem because they don't release a high amount radiation. Compared to cell phones microwaves and x-rays cause let off more radiation and can cause more damage then cell phones. So after reading this article I realized that there really is no reason to be worried about cell phones causing us damage or giving us cancer.

Alyssa, Good post! I agree, cell phones are not a major cause for concern. (Relatively) new technologies often make people wary but after time the hubbub will die down. 5 stars. MW

February 8, 2011


 * Redefining the Kilogram**

To start with I found out what's in the International System of Units (SI) very interesting. I didn't know that seconds (time), meter (length), ampere (electric current), kelvin (temperature), mole (amount of substances), and candela (light intensity) were part of the SI, like the kilogram (mass). This article is relevant to what we are talking about in class because it has to do with the kilogram. Lately we have been talking about mass and how kilograms are one way to find an objects mass and this article is telling about how there actually is an item that is exactly one kilogram. The only problem is that over time it has started to lose some of it's mass so they want to find another way to keep track of an exact kilogram so they have it forever even if something happens to the kilogram item they have now. I also found it interesting that the "kilogram" has been losing mass. It made me think of how in the future they will be able to measure how one thing compares to the kilogram. Last I found it interesting how they will try to figure out and exact standard that could be derived from Planck's constant or to Avogrado's constant. I would like to see with what they do in the future about this problem of the "kilogram" losing mass to iPr

Alyssa, Good post. Very thorough! 5 stars. MW

February 25, 2011


 * Motion Detectors**

I found this article to be very interesting even from the start when we were told to read this. I have always pondered the question of how do motion detectors work and usually work right, but this article made me understand better of how it works. The article also had some points that related to things we have been talking about in class, to start with it talked about what light is when you talk about it in a scientific way. The article stated "By light, we mean electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet, visible, and infrared range." We have talked about this and how when we talk about light in chemistry it's not just the lights we see made from light bulbs but more of how it works and all different types like the radiation that makes light. Second we also talked about how the eye is also like a photo sensor and can see the visible light. Like we have learned the eye can see and sensor some light like visible light but at the same time we can’t see the radiation in the ultraviolet and infrared range. Last the article talked about how motion detectors can detect humans. The article states it can detect humans by “monitoring the infrared light being given off by warm blooded animals.” We have learned in this class that humans give off and infrared light and a lot of other things that we can’t see. So over all I thought a lot of it related to class and helped me answer my question of how do motion detectors work.

Alyssa, Very good! Nice thorough job! I like the quote from the article! 5 huge stars. MW