Fire Resistance

 In science we were tasked to research about fires an fire proofing.

How do bushfires start and why has climate change made them more common?

Bushfires are caused by heat, mainly they're started by humans but the can naturally be started by lightning or rocks falling and creating sparks. Climate Change dries out materials and creates a warmer environment that allows fires to last longer and become more dangerous.

What are three ways to fireproof your house if you were in a fire risked area?

1. Wool. Wool is naturally flame resistance and only smolders rather than melting, dripping, and sticking making the material safer. By changing carpet, curtains, and bedding can prevent quick fire spreading. Wool also produces less smoke than other materials.

2. Drywall. A drywall made of gypsum and water between two sheets of paper is hard to burn as gypsum has a high burn point and the water would take a lot to evaporate. The paper will still burn though.

3. Fire resistant wood. it is possible to purchase fire resistant wood that can slow the spread of fire.

When something burns it combusts, sometimes it can be incomplete combustion, what's the difference?

When something incompletely combusts it doesn't have enough oxygen to completely create carbon dioxide so instead produces carbon in the form of soot and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is poisonous, colorless, and tasteless.

The Story of Se

 Se was a young rock in the town of Sedimentary. One day it was stormy and windy and Se ran away from home into the storm. A long, lost time later, tattered and worn, he fell into a stream headed to the sea. A while later he was rescued, the long journey had made him bigger. His mom decided to move to metamorphic and the heat and pressure of a new place changed him and hardened him. He was also bullied and he ended up being stone cold shutting people out. After many years he found a lover and she melted his heart and made him soft again. Then she dumped him, the effects lasted a long time, and he became stone cold again but he had happy memories in the town of igneous.

AKA. He changed rock type. THE END. 

Volcano Project

For science we are creating a baking soda and vinegar volcano.

Aim: we want to make a stratovolcano.

Hypothesis: if we we mix baking soda into water would it still react to the vinegar. Otherwise I believe one would need a larger quantity of baking soda to make the reaction bigger.

Equipment: baking soda, vinegar, pre-prepared volcano, and any extra elements.

Method:

1. create volcano

2. paint volcano

3. research reaction

4. do experiment

5. blog

..................................................................................................................................

Results: 

Discussion: 

Rube Goldberg Machine

In science we split into groups to make pieces to a Rube Goldberg Machine, a machine that runs by itself once started (activating different components). Using the few materials of lego, string, popsicle sticks, and cardboard I created the starting component of the machine. By pushing on a pump pistons rose to allow a marble to be tipped out of a cardboard tube into a tunnel of popsicle sticks leading to the next component.

Velocity Equals Distance Divided By Time

In science we have been looking at forces of motion, a.k.a. speed and stuff. We created land speeders to look at speed using the formula of velocity equals distance divided by time. The distance was 9 meters and the time was 11 seconds meaning the speed was 0.8181818182 ms-1. We may have been able to make it go faster with a larger sail.

Throw The Egg From Up High

Today in science we had been tasked to remove the fall damage from an egg by means of insulating it. We surrounded it with foam and soft stuff, wrapped it in bubble wrap, and stabbed with skewers to make legs. Then we added a parachute, all in all the egg lived. Now the complicated bit (ask your father) the egg had a weight of 400N while the egg and lander weighed 1053N using the method of F=ma (force = mass x acceleration).

Golden Coins

In science I was given permission to conduct an experiment of my own accord based off an experiment we did in class around giving a 10c piece a gold coating.

Aim: To test which New Zealand unused and modern coin contain copper.

Equipment: Beaker, Bunsen burner, Tripod, Heatmat, Cold tap, Sodium hydroxide, Zinc powder, NZ coins, Gauze mat.

Method:
1. Heat coins in sodium hydroxide until steaming, then turn off bunsen burner.

2. Add zinc powder and stir for a while until water starts clearing and the coins should be silver, clean coins.

3. Hold coins in fire, desired result is a gold sheen, cool in water.

Results:

New Zealand 1c - yes
New Zealand 2c - yes
New Zealand 50c - yes
New Zealand 5c - yes
New Zealand 10c - yes

New Zealand old 10c - no

New Zealand 20c - no
New Zealand half penny - not really
American 1c (bc I had one) - yes
Air Force Museum flat pressed 10c - yes

Observations:

There is a golden colored alloy called brass, brass consists of zinc and copper. The coins with copper in them would combine with the zinc powder to cause the coins to be coated in brass.

Metal Gases

In science we put metals in acids and bases to see the gases they produced with the help of fire.

The first gas tested for was hydrogen doing the pop test, a burning splint inserted into a test tube full of hydrogen to produce a pop sound. By adding a strip of magnesium to a test tube containing acid and holding a bigger boiling tube over top you can collect hydrogen to pop. But note the chemical reaction in the test tube will heat up.

The second was oxygen, adding magnesium dioxide to hydrogen peroxide, a base, created oxygen. The oxygen was tested for by placing a recently blown out splint in the test tube to see if it would relight.

And finally third was carbon dioxide in what i like to call the smother test. Adding together acid and a metal carbonate will produce carbon dioxide, which can be tested by inserting a burning splint. If the splint goes out you have carbon dioxide, it smothers flames and is used in fire extinguishers.

Magic With Acid

In science we did a couple of cool experiments relating to acids and bases, crystals, deadly rain, you know the fun stuff.
We first did the making of copper sulfate crystals by dissolving copper oxide in hot sulfuric acid, pouring the mixture through filter paper into a beaker, and then putting it in a evaporating basin above a beaker containing boiling water to let it evaporate a bit. The next day we came back and some crystals had grown:

The dark blue things are the crystals.
Then afterwards we looked at the formation of acidic water from the burning of nasty fuels, fuels which have harmful fumes that float into the sky. When the fumes get high enough they will follow the condensation and precipitation steps of the water cycle. The rains acid increases the amount of acid in the rivers and oceans and with a high number of hydrogen ions from it dissolving steal away nutrients and break down pieces of the ocean. It must be a shame to know that all this happened because of humans like you and me conveniencing ourselves.

Pretty Chemicals

T'was a splendiferous couple of experiments we did in science:

Experiment one, the creation of indicators, we used different things to make indicators of whether a liquid was an acid or a base. We used beetroot, cranberry juice and alcohol turmeric. T'was a smashing success, here are the results:
Beetroot, Acid: crimson, Base: yellow-orange.
Cranberry juice, Acid: pink, Base: green.
Turmeric, Acid: yellow-yellow-orange, Base: orange.

Experiment two, the indicator rainbow (I have PICTURES!!!), we used different amounts of bases and acids to make a range of colours. Blue for base, red for acid, green for neutral. Here are the pictures:

A Failed Experiment

The first science experiment out of lockdown, woo, just kidding, oh dear, it failed. We tried to make oil of wintergreen and ended up with not oil of wintergreen. The end result was supposed to be some white crystals instead we got a brown liquid. We put the methanol and salicylic acid into the boiling tube, added the sulfuric acid and put it in the water bath over the bunsen burner but got the balance wrong. We would of succeeded if the teacher hadn't messed up the amounts, we could have done it with the right balance. Oil of wintergreen is used in heat muscle rub.

Kiwifruit DNA Extraction

Yesterday in science we were smashing up kiwifruit to extract the DNA from it:

Aim:
To extract the DNA from kiwifruit.

Materials:
Test tube, ethanol, dish soap, salt, kiwifruit, snap lock bag, mortar & pestle, cloth for straining.

Method:

1. Squeeze kiwifruit insides into the mortar and crush it into pulp.
2. Open bag and put cloth over opening, pour pulp in.
3. Squeeze the liquid into the bag, add dish soap and mix.
4. Add salt and mix.
5. Pour liquid into test tube and add ethanol.
6. Wait and the DNA will separate from the cells.

Observations:

It looked like a stringy thingy blobby thingy.

Blood Vessels

Your blood is a crucial part of your body, it is important for functioning. It carries oxygen and fights the diseases and germs. Your blood contains four main cells white blood cells, red blood cells, plasma, and platelets. Your blood is about 54% plasma, 45% red blood cells, and approximately 1% white blood cells and platelets. They all have their own functions and uses. The white blood cells are the cells that fight germs and diseases, they are like the first responders on the scene of a car crash, there are other things that fight diseases as well. Platelets on the other hand ar the things that stop you from bleeding to death by forming blood clots. Plasma is what transports things like CO2, nutrients, and hormones to your cells. Red blood cells are what carry oxygen around your body, they contain haemoglobin which grabs the oxygen. Those are all the main blood cells in your body. They're separated when your donating blood since they only need the red blood cells.