GPS Contest 2013

That was pretty fun wasn't it? I enjoyed watching each team in action on Friday. The weather was awesome. So many of the groups did very well, and every one of the film canisters was found...... eventually. I commend all the teams for their hard work. Here are the results from the 2013 GPS Contest: GPS Final Standings 2013
Period 3: The Super Trendy Diapers narrowly edged out the Oreos to claim victory.
Period 4: Great People got the top spot, followed by the Jolly Space Ranchers.
Period 6: The Steampunks ran away with the contest, beating TMEK by 6 points.
Period 8: MAKS was victorious, but MG wasn't too far behind. Both teams had impressive point totals.

Feel free to leave comments that you have about the GPS contest. How was your experience? Were there any waypoints that you just couldn't seem to find? What was the best strategy? If you had to do the contest again, what would you change?

Crushing Cans

This is what I do. Here's the procedure:

• Place 8-10 ml of water in an empty pop can.


• Place the pop can onto the heat source and wait for the water to boil. After you see steam escape, continue to boil for one minute.


• Use the tongs to remove the can from the heat. Quickly turn it upside-down and place it into a saucer with water (which was close-by).

In your blog response, explain what happened in this experiment step-by-step. Justify the result that you saw. What happened inside the can as it was being heated up? What does the air do? How about when it was placed in the water? Why was it crushed? Did a ghost do it?

SSoCC Evaluation and Reflection

Well, the Socratic Seminar on Climate Change came and went. I had a good time listening. Hopefully you were able to share your knowledge and point-of-view on this subject with your classmates. I say this because your opinion/knowledge matters. A lot.
Below is a link to your partner evaluation and your own reflection on the discussion we just had (and the research that led to it). Please include anything you might have wanted to say, but did not get the chance to. Show me what you know about Climate Change. Thanks.

Partner Eval and Reflection Form

Socratic Seminar Research

Is "global warming" actually happening? If so, are humans causing it? Or, is climate change occurring because of natural fluctuations in the system? We will be discussing these questions and more in our Socratic Seminar on Climate Change, which will occur during class on Wednesday. In between now and then, you will be preparing yourself to contribute (intelligently!) to that discussion. I will give you a list of questions that will be addressed, and you may use the links provided to research the issue of climate change. Remember to have an open mind, so that your arguments will be well-informed.

The list of questions that may be discussed is on your paper packet, and they are also posted here: Google Doc; Word Document). Feel free to write notes on it as you research. You may use these notes during the discussion.

Here is the list of links:

EPA for Kids (click on the "Climate Change -- what it is" and "Can we change the climate?")

Icecap Facts and Myths

American Policy Roundtable

Global Warming: Natural or Manmade?

Global Warming 101 (Roy Spencer)
Larry Ferlazzo's Best Sites about Climate Change

Environmental Protection Agency

USA Today Interactive

Global Warming: Did We Cause It?

Global Warming Effects

AMNH's Climate Change

Temperature Anomalies
Climate Timeline
Bias in Scientific Research
ClimateGate Article
Climate Interactive
Global Warming Stopped?
Permafrost Climate Change Effects
Astronauts Chime In
Warming Slowdown

Human Density Lab on Video

World's Deepest Ocean Trenches

Check out this link that helps you explore ocean trenches. What's the most interesting thing that you saw? Would you want to be the next person to go down to the Mariana Trench? Why? Why not?
Ocean Trench: Take a dive 11,000 m down

If you have the time, also check out these videos from National Geographic about plans to once again go to the Mariana Trench.

Density Exit Slip

Coke Challenge

Crazy 8s: Don't let the title of this post fool you. This is not a taste test. Instead, we will test these objects' densities. Please follow the directions that are given below the slideshow.
Coke vs. Diet Coke Density

• Click on "comments". Like always, this will open up a new window where you may type your blog response.
• Advance to the next slide by clicking on the right portion of the slideshow. You can also click on the left portion if you want to go back to the previous slide.
• In your blog response, answer all questions that appear on the purple-ish slides.
• Do not advance to the next slide until you have completely answered the questions that appeared on the purple-ish slides.

The Power of Solar Activity

If you think that campfires are mesmerizing, watch this video and then wonder where four minutes went.

Other Cool Solar Activity Videos:
Coronal Mass Ejection in HD
Live Solar Flare
The Auroras video
Southern Lights from the ISS

This article and associated pictures show some of the effect of Solar Activity as we approach the next Solar Maximum. This Space Weather Dangers Article warns us of the damage that massive flares from the sun could cause. Read these. In a comment, share one effect that Solar Weather could cause and one thing you just found interesting.

Sun Sites

Do a quick search through the following websites for 8 minutes.

Characteristics of the Sun
3D Solar System Tour
Sun-Earth Viewer
Amazing Photos of the Sun

What is the most interesting fact that you found about the sun and its size? Leave it in a comment on this post.

Earth, Moon, and Sun Questions

Recently, we learned about what causes high and low tides, and the difference between spring and neap tides. Do you remember the tides? We've also learned about planetary motion, the cause of seasons (generally how it's been so cold lately!), and the phenomena of moon phases and eclipses (both solar and lunar). Phew! That's a lot of stuff. The audience of this blog must be imparted with this knowledge as well. Give it to them, Crazies.
The following scenarios and questions are actually part of your standard check of these concepts. This is the short answer/essay portion.
Scenario 1:
Using these pictures and the following info, attempt to answer the numbered questions.

• Both pictures were taken from the same exact spot (The zoom for both snapshots was the same, too). The picture on the left was taken at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The picture on the right was taken 5 1/2 hours later, at 7:30 pm.
• The moon phase on this particular day was a "First Quarter Moon".

Question 1: What causes high tides and low tides? On the day the picture was taken, was there a Spring or Neap tide? If so, which one?

Scenario 2: The moon is closer to the Earth than it actually is. Normally the moon is approximately 240,000 miles away. In this scenario, the moon is only 160,000 miles away.

Question 2: What would happen to the length of time it takes our moon to progress through all of its phases (from new moon back to another new moon)? Would the length of our month be longer, shorter, or the same?  Why? (Hint: Use your knowledge of Kepler's Laws to answer this one.)

Scenario 3: The Earth's axis is not tilted. It normally tilts at a 23.5 degree angle. In this scenario, there is no tilt (0 degrees).

Question 3: Would we experience a change of seasons if Earth’s axis was not tilted? In your answer, be sure to include at least two factors that cause winter temperatures to be colder than summer temps, and why this seasonal change in temperature would or would not be felt if Earth's axis was not tilted.

Seasons Response

1. Describe what would be different if the following were changed:

• if Earth's axis was not tilted (straight up and down)? 
• if Earth was a different distance from the Sun? 
• if Earth rotated faster or slower? 

 2. Would you like any of these changes?

Explaining a Day, Month, and Year

Suppose that you need to explain the concepts of a year, a month, and a day to a small child such as Elsie. Could you do this? First, you should know a couple of things about Elsie:

1. She is extremely smart for just turning four years old (I know that you're thinking, "Hmm..... she must get her intellect from her mother." Well, you're right.) Elsie will follow your line of thought quite well.
2. If you use the terms rotation, revolution, orbit, or any other term used specifically for astronomy, she might not know exactly what it means (Many adults wouldn't know what the terms mean either.) Be sure to explain these things as you go.
3. It would help if you related these concepts to things a 4-year-old would know about -- like Disney movies (especially Rapunzel from Tangled and, of course, Cinderella), Elmo from Sesame Street, Legos, Clifford the big red dog, Super Why, Angelina Ballerina, etc.
   

For each concept (year, month, and day) describe the motion of the Earth, the moon, and the sun. Good luck.

Planet Presentations 2013

Comment: I eagerly await the chance to become an expert on each of the planets of our solar system.
Question: Who is going to give me that opportunity?
Answer: The Crazy 8s
Another Question: How?
Another Answer: This week they will be researching a specific planet, collaborating in groups, and developing a presentation that will blow away (in a good way) anyone who is fortunate to be in attendance.

Below is a link for some useful planet research sites.

Planet Presentation Links and Instructions

The Growth Mindset

We've talked about character traits (like grit, optimism, self-control, etc.) that lead to success. It can be extremely difficult to improve those traits if you don't think they are modifiable. That's what this video is about. Simply having the mindset that you can improve and "get better" is vital to actual growth.
Growth Mindset TED Talk
What is the thing you take away from this video?