Final Exam Prep

EXTRA HELP - If anyone needs extra help from me, they need to get a pass from their study hall proctor to come over to the Fitness Center!  

Here is some stuff you should focus on tonight:

Guesses, Laws and Theories   Re-read this!  (pages 9 - 13) 

-Know the difference between a law and a theory. 

-What is most important to a scientist?  What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative evidence? 

"Big Ideas in Science" 

There will be a matching section on the final exam. (study page 112) 

Reading Scales  (pages 23 - 26) 

-be sure you understand page 26 in the Lab Manual 

Make sure you can do problems from the EARLIEST tests.  For example:

Convert the following units: 

 

A. ________ cm = 2 m 

 

B. 214 km = _________ m 

 

C. 3.222 m = ________cm 

 

D. 7 g = ________ kg 

 

E. 1234 mm = ________ m 

 

F. 423 m = _______ km 

 

G. 5.43 g = _______ mg 

 

H. 1.7 m = _______ mm 

ALSO:  Practice making a histogram with the data from the dissolving salt experiment (section 2).  Remember, put the data points in "baskets".  Make sure you know what happens when the data point falls on the line and why sometimes, even though the data point is a different number, it doesn't show a difference in mass (think:  Sensitivity of your Balance).  

LASTLY:  Check Mr. Hamilton's page for more practice problems!! 

Still Studying....(I hope!)

Hi Guys,

Ok...8th grade, you have a plan.  This weekend is either Fri/Sat off OR Sat/Sun off.  DO NOT TAKE ALL THREE DAYS OFF.  

7th Grade: You should be VERY comfortable right now with all units of measurement (length, mass and time).  You should also be feeling really good about characteristic properties (Boiling Point, Melting Point, Freezing Point, Density, Buoyancy).  This weekend, refresh your recent memory on the electronics and renewable resources unit.  You should know how what a circuit is, how to create a schematic (and the symbols we used - battery, wire, resistor, variable resistor, LED, diode, capacitor), and what each piece does.  You should also know about renewable and non-renewable sources of energy:  Where does electricity come from??

Here are a few problems to keep you busy over the weekend.  I will post more practice problems on Tuesday.

1.  What is the length of a pendulum with a period of 5 seconds? (Hint:  L/t2=21/1)

2.  What is the period of a 230 cm long pendulum?

3.  How tall is a fence 200 meters away that appears to be 2.5 cm high when compared to a ruler held 25 cm from your eye?  (Hint:  Go back to your proportions section!)

4.  What is the mass of a bar of gold 4cm x 2cm x 5cm? (Hint: Use the density chart in your tiger book to help with this one!)

Also, the study guide for our class is on a link to the right!

7th Grade Windmill Project

Hey Guys,

You have all been given a cork to construct a windmill with.  You must create 3 blades and attach them to the cork so that they will spin when put onto the little motor.  We will test the windmills to see which one can generate the most electricity in class on Thursday.  THIS IS A LAB GRADE - DON"T FORGET YOUR WINDMILL!!

Also, come to class on Thursday prepared with questions you need help with for the final exam!

7th Grade Trash Data

Eeeww!!  We collected 48 hours (2 days) worth of trash this past weekend.  Here are the numbers we came up with:

Food Scraps   1.175Kg

Paper 0.408Kg

Plastic Bags 0.210Kg

Recyclables 0.715Kg

Non-Recycle 0.726Kg

Questions to Be Answered (due Thursday):

1.  What percentage of the total trash is truly trash (cannot be recycled or reused)?

2.  How much (mass) total trash would the class produce in:

a.  One week

b.  One month

c.  One year

d.  What percentage of the above three numbers is recyclable/reusable?

e.  What is the mass of the percentages from "d."?

3.  In one week, how much total trash would:

a. The total 7th grade at Thayer produce (5 science classes)

b.  BONUS:  HOw much would the 7th grade in MA produce in one week? In USA?

FINAL EXAM PREP:  Watch for questions over the next few days and throughout the weekend to practice with!

TONIGHT:  Please go over the characteristic properties section again.  You should really start getting into Buoyancy tonight.  Please know:  forces, what the buoyant force is equal to, how to calculate buoyant force.  

Remember, we did not study solubility, so you can cross that off your list!!  

7th Grade Extra Credit Challenge

Hi 7th Grade,

You should spend about 30 minutes tonight going over the next section of your review sheet - 

Characteristic Properties:  Boiling Point, Melting Point, Density.  

Be sure you know that Characteristic Properties are and remember they independent of the amount of substance present (mass is not a characteristic property!)

Density-know the UNITS (page 111)  D=M/V

Know:

-what a density column is and how it is used

-how to find the density of solids and liquids

-that density is equal to mass divided by volume.

CHALLENGE QUESTION:

How is the wind converted to energy using a windmill or wind turbine.  Come to class with one paragraph (typed) and the source(s) you used.  

Hurricanes

Hi Guys,

Great discussion (again!) in class today!  We started to talk about hurricanes a little toward the end, and I have posted an article from the National Science Foundation for you to read regarding modern hurricane patterns.

The general summary is this:

1.  The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has nearly doubled over the past 35 years.

2.  The total number of hurricanes has remained fairly consistent, but the average number of Category 4/5 hurricanes has increased from about 10% of that total number to about 35% since the 1970's.  

3.  Sea surface temperatures have increased between 0.5 and 1.0 degrees Fahreneit during hurricane season since the 1970's.

4.  Scientists are still unsure about whether or not this increase of intensity is due to global warming, but they do know that hurricanes are responsible for helping to regulate the Earth's climate by redistributing the ocean's tropical heats to higher (cooler) latitudes.  

Here is the article.  It's a quick read - enjoy!

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=104428

More Study Questions

7th:  

1.  What is the area of one side of a square that has a length of 5mm and a width of 5mm?  

2.  What is the volume of the square from #1?

3.  What is the area of a rock that displaces 14.5 mL of H20?  (Bonus:  What's the buoyant force on this rock?)

4.  Proportion question:  A student needs to make a proportional model of a field that measures 100m x 50 m.  If she makes the longer side 15m, what should the shorter side measure?

5.  A student is measuring a soccer goal from across the field using a little card she brought out from science class.  Her card measures 5mm x 13mm.  She is standing 85 meters from the goal (and it is completely covered by the card).  How tall is the soccer goal? 

8th:

1.  What are the functions of the cell?

2.  What is homeostasis?

3.  Based on our current unit, where is DNA (chromosomes) located?  How many are there?  How many chromosomes come from each parent?

4.  What are the types of Microorganisms that you know?  Where do they come from?  

5.  What is the difference between a red and white blood cell?  Where are each found/created?

6.  What is the process to immunity (four step process carried out by the white blood cells)?

7th and 8th Study Questions for Finals

Here are a few ideas to think about for your upcoming final exams:

7th:

1.  What is the difference between area and volume?  

2.  What are the formulas for area and volume?  What are the units?

3.  How would you calculate the volume of a rectangular piece of metal? 

4.  If you were handed a small rock, could you measure it's volume? How?  

8th:

1.  Can you name the important organelles in a human cell?

2.  Can you identify the functions of these organelles?

3.  What is cell reproduction?  How does it work?

Some Stuff about Climate Change and being Kind to the Earth

Hi 7th Grade!

So, we had a really great conversation in class about the ideas and opinions surrounding global warming and climate change.  I have a few things that I would really like you to read for Wednesday.  The first one is a story about plastic bags, which you are supposed to bring in on Thursday (don't forget)!!  The second is a fact sheet on climate change.  

Remember, this is a science class and in science we deal with scientific discoveries based upon data collection and evidence.  While there a lot of personal and political opinions out there, we are going to try to stick to the facts!  As it was mentioned in class, fossil fuels (regardless of their effect on the environment) are going away fast due to overuse! One day soon, they will no longer be available provide energy for our homes, cars, and lives.  It is up to you and the people of your generation to come up with some really great ideas for moving the energy systems on the planet forward!  It's a big job, but you can do it!!

Plastic Bags

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/08/10/plastic_bags/index.html

Climate Change

http://climate.jpl.nasa.gov/evidence/

Heavy Reading (optional for those of you that are interested in  some real deal answers!)

http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/Report/AR4WG1_Print_FAQs.pdf

7th Grade Video for Quiz

Hi Guys,

Check out these videos.  Take notes on them and come prepared for a quiz on Monday.  We will also include material from Experiments #1-3 from the Electronic Playground.  You should know about switches, LED's (diodes), resistors and variable resistors.  You should also know how resistors in a series work.  Have a great weekend!

Gold Foil Experiment:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=ernest+rutherford+goldfoil+experiment&aq=f

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsq9OiM76OY&feature=PlayList&p=05838CEE514F300D&index=19&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL

Static:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFeFsw3Ht2c

Electricity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDW0IqwMK00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxZ-ZbXQygs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucTxDam_Huk&NR=1

7th Grade Quiz

For the Quiz on Friday

You should know:

1.  Why we had to use extra special means (electricity) to separate hydrogen and oxygen in water.  Why could we not just heat it up?  Doesn't it turn into a gas? How is that gas different from the separated hydrogen and oxygen?

2.  What is an atom?  Where do you find it?

3.  What is an electron?  Where do you find it?

4.  What is electricity?  What is static electricity?

5.  What is a circuit?  What are the pieces that you know in a circuit so far (battery, wire, switch, resistor)?  What does each piece do?

6.  What is voltage, amperage, and wattage?

BONUS:  What is electromagnetism and how did it work in the demonstration we did yesterday?

Good luck studying!!  This one will be pretty quick, but you should definitely know the above material!!