Gravativity

*Yes, the title is purposely spelled wrong.

So this mini-project has actually been proven before, but I still have some doubts to it - do paper and a bowling ball both land at the same time when dropped from a certain height?

For this mini-project, you will need two materials , preferably of a different weight; in this case, I chose:
1. A small styro-foam soccer ball
2. A Washington - one dollar bill

Science:
-Gravity is a field force, or a force that pulls you even if you are at a great distance
-equivalence principle (key): a principle explored by researchers such as Galileo and Einstein that said two objects of a different mass or vacuum composition dropped from a certain height will fall and land at the same time.

My Three Tries:
1) the dollar seemed to hit the ground after the ball; my guess is that since the dollar bill was bent, the friction of air slowed it down.
2) after smoothing the bill out, the time that both objects hit the ground seemed more even.
3) they both hit the ground at the same time! success!

here is Galileo's falling objects lab proven by "mysciences":





Photocredit: Kenneth Lai (Dad)

MiniProject Pt. II

Materials required:
-cup/glass of water filled near the top (but not full!)
-a piece of cardboard or a card

Can we pretend that... LOL jk

So the mini-project I decided to do was to fill a cup with water, put a card on the bottom, and turn the cup upside down, WITHOUT the water splashing out.

How does this magic water and cup work? (Science)

If done correctly, the paper should stick to the cup, with the water still inside, because the air pressure from outside the cup is greater than the pressure inside.

Photocredit: Kenneth Lai

Chem Standard 2E

Objective: Students know how to draw Lewis dot structures.

Drawing Lewis dot structures really isn't too complicated, once you know the steps.

1) Find the total number of valence electrons in the molecule.


Here's a table with some common individual structures.


2) Figure out how many octet electrons the molecule should have, using the octet rule(all atoms want eight valence electrons to be like the nearest noble gas). Use this rule to figure out how many electrons each atom in the molecule should have, then add.
*There are two that do not want eight, being Hydrogen (2) and Boron (6).

3) Subtract the valence electrons from octet electrons [Subtract the answer from number one from number two]. The answer will equal the number of bonding electrons in the molecule.

[Divide the number of bonding electrons by two because every bond has two electrons, thus the # of bonds in the molecule = number of bonding electrons/2]

4) Draw an arrangement of the atoms for the molecule that contains the number of bonds you found in #4 above.

Here are some helpful guidelines:

o Hydrogen and the halogens bond once.
o Oxygen and its family bond two times.
o Boron itself and Nitrogen's family bond three times.
o Carbon and its family bonds four times.

A good thing to do is to bond all the atoms together by single bonds, and then add the multiple bonds until the rules above are followed.

5) Finding number of lone(nonbonding) electron pairs by subtracting the bonding electrons (#3) from the valence electrons (#1). Arrange these around the atoms until they satisfy the octet rule.

--> Then you're done with drawing those Lewis dot structures!

A fine example of drawing a Lewis Dot Structure, specifically - Carbon Dioxide.

MiLlZ CrE3K C@nY0|\|

So last week, we went to Mills Creek Canyon (that's what the title says, if you couldn't read it). It was a good experience to explore and get a little closer with nature. I'm not a fan of slugs, but there were some banana slugs, GROSSED me out, no joke. Other than that, it was pretty cool - I got to spend some quality time with some friends. :D



View Mills HS --> Mills Creek Canyon in a larger map

Melting Glass [mini-project]

So, glass is bendable, melt-able, and shape-able under the high temperatures of fire. After heating the glass for a long time, I was able to reshape it, using the proper tools and a lot of care.

Some things to avoid/take caution of:
-Don't dip the heat glass into cold water - it'll either shatter the glass, or make it very brittle
-Make sure you have the proper equipment: goggles, metal claw (for holding class), it can get hot and even somewhat dangerous
-If the glass parts DO break, make sure to watch out for the sharp parts at the ends of the glass and be sure to clean up any broken bits

Science:
-to bend the glass tube, you have to heat up the area you wish to bend until it is immensely hot
-a sudden decrease in temperature raises the chance of the glass shattering
-if a warm glass tube is filled quickly with cool water, some steam may be produced

Photocredit: My mom (Tracy Lai)

IProposeWe Make A Volcano

IProposeWe Make Our Own Volcano

Photocredit: My mom (Tracy Lai)
Good materials
Places where you can get them:
-Safeway
-Lucky's
-CVS
-Most stores like aforementioned

Links:
- Discovery Kids: Make a Volcano
- About.com: How to Build a Volcano

Materials:
-Volcano (paper mache, clay, dirt, bottles, bottle)
-a Container for 35 mm film
-Food coloring (red or yellow/optional)
-Vinegar
-Liquid dish washing soap
-Baking soda

Procedure:
1. Gather materials
2. Make a container of some sort (bottle, clay, etc.), this will be your volcano
3. Add two spoonfuls of baking soda into the container
4. Add approximately a spoonful of dish soap
5. For a more realistic appearance, add 5 drops of red and yellow food coloring
6. Add one ounce of vinegar to the container to spark the reaction!

Safety Precautions:
-Never hurts to wear goggles
-Tuck in shirts
-Gloves (optional)

Scientific Principles:
-the vinegar reacts with baking soda
-there is some kind of chemical reaction

Star Testing

So this Tuesday and Wednesday, we had STAR testing, fun right? Yeah, not really. Especially when our grade was the only one that had to come to school early on Wednesday. I ended up RUSHING to school... It was cool though because Mrs. Lighty was really chill and I had probably one of my most relaxing STAR testing experiences so far. Also, it's springbreak next week - and this week has been going by SO SLOW... I think it's taunting me... whatever doooohhhhhh. I'm really excited for springbreak, even though our schedule is so fun we have star testing AFTER it too! hahah...juskidding Anyway, we have a test tomorrow, and I need to studyyyyyyy and finish my packet, so ttyl and peace out.

Wanderers

So, the spring season has started, both literally and for soccer. I'm playing on a team in San Bruno, and the league isn't too strong, so we've been winning pretty easily. We score 15 goals so far and conceded 2, which is a pretty good record. Also, this team will be attended multiple tournaments, and one in Florida, which I am really excited about. My teammates are heckaaaa funny and chill to be around, so I'm having a pretty good time. School is okay right now, I have a lot to worry about, though. There is star testing coming up, and finals soon enough. I feel like I'm not understanding some material very well, especially math, so I'll be looking into tutoring soon. Now is the time to work harder, and I will try my best to get better grades.

webbs

so this week, there was change. instead of just doing work all week in every class, we had this two-person presentation during chem, and it was heckaaaaaaaa tight. David Webb and his wife gave this really cool presentation with many experiments that taught us about vacuums and pressure. These experiments included inflating and deflating a balloon with pressure and air, and crushing a Diet Pepsi can by taking pressure away from the can via a vacuum. I was even involved in the soda can experiment - I held the can up like the Statue of Liberty for everyone to see. Also, I did pretty well on the chem test, and hopefully I can keep my grades up especially since there is a lot of testing coming up.

test

So this Monday, we had what I believed to be the hardest, most confusing test of the year. I was pretty confused by the questions, and I'm really worried about my grades. The second progress report is coming up, and my grades are not nearly as high as I would have hoped. There's not too much time left, and I really, really have to work harder and get help. On a slightly better note, soccer has been pretty fun lately. The team I play on has a lot of talent and it's fun to be around them. I really should work on my attitude though, because lately I seem to get annoyed very quickly. Hopefully, my grades will start going up, making me a much happier person.

Real Madrid are out

So just yesterday, I found out that Real Madrid is knocked out of the Champions League, for the sixth year in a row. Same spot - the first knockout round. However, this is extra disappointing because they spent over $200 Million during the summer to bring in players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. Real Madrid were down 1-0 on aggregate when Ronaldo tied the game up in the opening few minutes of the match. However, with 15 minutes left to play, Pjanic from Lyon scores the goal that allowed Lyon to progress, and Madrid to pack their bags. Still, you have to give credit to Lyon for playing a great game.























Ronaldo with the ball vs. Lyon.


Also, this week, we did a pretty cool lab, including phase changes of wax and happy duck stuff. These really helped show the effects of pressure and temperature. I just had a math test this morning, which I found to be somewhat confusing. I hope that later I will be able to understand all of my subjects better and get good grades.

2/18/10

So yesterday was the last game of the season. We beat Half Moon Bay 3-0, but they only had like 9 players including the goalie. I found it kinda hard to take seriously, so I didn't score. That was kinda disappointing. On Friday, I scored two goals and on Monday I scored one, but I missed a possible game-tying penalty. Also, it was Chinese New Year this past weekend and I spent time with my family and friends. I went to the mall and saw Legion which was pretty good. The grandma in the movie is really funny.

If you don't want to see the movie, you can read about it here.

FC HOLLYWOOD VS. THE RED DEVILS!

SOOOO, it's finally time. AC Milan will be playing Manchester United next week. This is an absolutely HUGE 2-game series because David Beckham will be playing his old club, and these two teams are VERY popular world wide. As you can probably tell, I'm SUPER excited and I can't wait to watch some great football. I expect a lot from Ronaldinho, Pato, Wayne Rooney, and many others. I'm hoping this game doesn't disappoint, because there is so much hype behind these fixtures.
Former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo and AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.

Read more about the upcoming matches here.

Jin tian shi xing qi wu

Today, there was a rally, and it was better than some of the recent ones. There was a special performance by "Chillen like a Villain", which I thought was pretty legit. One of the guys did a one-handed handstand, which I find incredibly difficult to do. Also the teachers had a pretty cool group dance as well. In chem this week, we did a lab with magnesium oxide, and it was really cool because we got to play with fire and watch a chemical reaction take place. The magnesium would burn up very quickly if exposed to oxygen, so we had to keep the lid closed but slightly open to make sure there would be a reaction. The magnesium would occasionally become very bright as well.

Here is a link to the blog for the Supreme Soul Second Gen.

CA HS EE TESTING

So this week on Tuesday and Wednesday, while everyone is at home relaxing until 10 something in the morning, I'll be at school taking the highschool exit exam. Yay sophmores right? Anyway, I think my grades are pretty good right now, but they could still use some improvement. I'm beginning to think that the homework piles are starting to flood my room. Honestly, somedays I feel like I have wayyyyyy too much homework. Oh we'll, hopefully I'll be able to raise my grade for this semester and the many years to come.

For anyone who wants to take practice questions from the CAHSEE website, knock yourself out...

1/14/10

So this is Thursday, and this week seemed to breeze by very quickly. I had a math quiz on Monday; hopefully I did well on it. Then, on Wednesday, yesterday, we played Cap. for soccer. We won 3-0. It was kind of disappointing for me, because I was trying really hard to get a goal, and I missed some very good chances. I had a header bounce wide, which I think was my best chance of the game. It's good that we won though. Anyway, we're learning about Molarity in chem and its pretty easy once you get used to the formulas. We'll also be starting pH soon, so hopefully I'll do well. Tomorrow, we play South City at Mills, and they are a pretty good team. I think if we play hard we can win though.

Winter Break

During winter break, I went to LA, which is always fun. I really like going there because it's my hometown and I have what I would call city-nationalism towards it. I really needed this break because I felt like the schoolwork was overwhelming. I look forward to the second half of the soccer season. Also, I look forward to watching the Champions League on tv soon to come in February. Anyway, that's all I have for now, and hopefully I do well in school.

Like Dissolves Like

Dissolving is to make a solution by the means of breaking up and mixing different particles or elements.
Click here to learn more about dissolution.


LIKE DISSOLVES LIKE
"The Like Dissolves Like" rule explains which kinds of solutes will dissolve in which kind of solvent. Basically, polar solvents will dissolves polar solutes and nonpolar solvents will dissolve nonpolar solutes. ;)
So what exactly does "like dissolves like" mean?