Neutron Short Story

Once upon a time a teeny, tiny thing was discovered in 1932 by the English physicist James Chadwick, called a neutron.  The neutron is a particle found in almost every atomic nucleus (the tiny spec of matter at the heart of an atom). It has no electric charge and its mass is nearly 1,840 times that of the electron. Neutrons and protons constitute almost all of an atom's mass. They stick together because of the strong nuclear force to form all the different kinds of atoms. Like the proton and other baryons, the neutron consists of three quarks. A free neutron will decay with a half life of about 10.3 minutes but it is stable if combined into a nucleus. The neutron is about 0.2% more massive than a proton. A free neutron is radioactive. It undergoes beta decay to form a proton, an electron, and an electron-antineutrino. This is what happened to most of the neutrons created by the big bang.

Free neutrons easily pass through atoms, because they have no electrical charge.

Renewable Energy Source Paper: Solar Power

One particular renewable energy source that interested me was solar energy, especially since my Dad owns a company that develops solar power plants. Last year oil prices spiked to more than $140 a barrel before plunging along with the economy—a reminder of the dangers of tying the future to something as unpredictable as oil. Washington is underwriting massive projects to overhaul the country's infrastructure, including its energy supply. In his inaugural address President Barack Obama promised to "harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories." His 2010 budget called for doubling the country's renewable energy capacity in three years. Wind turbines and bio-fuels will be important contributors. But no form of energy is more abundant than the sun.

There are two main ways to harness it. The first is to produce steam, either with troughs or with a field of flat, computer-guided mirrors, called heliostats, that focus sunlight on a receiver on top of an enormous "power tower." The second way is to convert sunlight directly into electricity with (PV) panels made of semiconductors such as silicon. Each approach has its advantages. Right now steam generation is more efficient than photovoltaic—a greater percentage of incoming sunlight is converted into electricity. But it requires acres of land and long transmission lines to bring the power to market. Photovoltaic panels can be placed on rooftops at the point where the power is needed. Both energy sources share an obvious drawback: They fade when it's cloudy and disappear at night. But engineers are already developing systems for storing the energy for use in the darker hours. The optimists say that with steady, incremental improvements and with substantial government support, solar power could become as economical and efficient as fossil fuels.

I highly support solar energy as a renewable energy source.  Even with its disadvantages I think that within the years to come scientists can continue to research how to overcome them. Aiming to bring down costs and reduce the need for incentives, NREL's engineers are studying mirrors made from lightweight polymers instead of glass and receiving tubes that will absorb more sunlight and lose less heat. They're also working on solar power's biggest problem: how to store some of the heat produced during daylight hours for release later on. "In the Southwest particularly, peak loads are in the daytime, but they don't end when the sun goes down," said Mark Mehos, an NREL program manager. People come home from work, turn on lights and air conditioners. Before long they may be plugging in electric cars.

Solar Power Article

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/09/solar/johnson-text


This articles main point is to describe the benefits and uses that can come out of using solar energy.  It explains that wind turbines and bio fuels can also be helpful contributors but nothing is more abundant than the sun.  "If we talk about geothermal or wind, all these other sources of renewable energy are limited in their quantity," Eicke Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, in Freiburg, Germany, told me last fall. "The total power needs of the humans on Earth is approximately 16 terawatts," he said. (A terawatt is a trillion watts.) "In the year 2020 it is expected to grow to 20 terawatts. The sunshine on the solid part of the Earth is 120,000 terawatts. From this perspective, energy from the sun is virtually unlimited." The article also explains how the sun is harnessed for humans to use.  There are two main ways to harness it. The first is to produce steam, either with troughs or with a field of flat, computer-guided mirrors, called heliostats, that focus sunlight on a receiver on top of an enormous power tower. The second way is to convert sunlight directly into electricity with PV panels made of semiconductors such as silicon. The optimists say that with steady improvements and with substantial government support, solar power could become as economical and efficient as fossil fuels.

Nuclear Reactor Risk Assessment

Nuclear Reactor Risk Assessment

1.      According to the map, which other countries/regions have placed nuclear reactors in potentially dangerous areas? Name at least three.

Some countries that have potentially dangerously placed nuclear reactors are Mexico, Argentina, and India.

2.      What does this map tell you about the plant designers' assessments of earthquake risk? Do you think this assessment will change with this most recent crisis in Japan?

This plant’s designer was not as conscious as he should have been when it came to assessments of earthquake risks.  I think the assessment will change with this most recent crisis in Japan because they put a lot of nuclear plants in Japan which ended up becoming a catastrophe. 

3.      Which of these issues do you think is most dangerous and why? Find a reactor which is reporting that issues and say where it is located.

I think that the most dangerous issue out of all of these is Earthquake risk.  One place that a reactor is located with this issue is in South Carolina. 

4.      Compare the two maps; which US reactors are dangerously close to a recent Earthquake epicenter? Do you think that these reactors should be moved or shut down in light of what happened in Japan? Which reactor do you think is in the most imminent danger of being hit by a damaging earthquake? How do you know?

There are a lot of nuclear reactors located in California in the US, which is where a lot of earthquakes occur.  I think that they should use more caution when deciding where to put these reactors because what happened in Japan could just as easily happen in California.  The reactors in California and in other earthquake risk places should be moved. The reactors in California are in the most imminent danger because there are a lot of earthquakes there.

COLLEGE

One thing that is a main contributor to letting me into college is through the sports I play.  I play two sports, tennis and lacrosse.  Colleges look to see if you played any sports in high school because if you are good then that could be one way you can contribute to the school and get a scholarship.  Another thing that can contribute to me getting into college is my community service hours.  I volunteer at a lot of different organizations and get hours for different things that I do. The last thing that could contribute to me getting into college is my grades.  I have pretty decent grades in my classes which could help me get accepted.

Avid Weekly Response "Reach for the Stars"

         Although many students may find the Pogils annoying and a waste of time, I believe that they are worth the time spent on them and that they do in fact help in learning the material.  The part of the Pogils that I found most useful was the background info at the beginning of the packet.  If you read this before you start answering the questions and completing the work then you can do the work easily and without many problems.  Another thing I enjoy about the Pogils is that you complete them as group work.  I enjoy working in groups more and I find that using everyones input on the subject versus only your own makes it easier and more useful when you complete the work. The least useful part of the Pogils are that some of the questions are confusing and the teacher isn't allowed to help or give you answers so you don't know how to do it until we go over it after. One way I would improve these activities is by allowing the teacher to play a larger role in the completion of these packets. 

AVID Weekly Article Repsonse

            The last time I made a difference in the lives of more than one person was pretty recently.  In the beginning of this year I wanted to get a head start on my volunteer hours and get as many done before the end of the year as possible. My friend told me about a homeless shelter that she had been going to for a while, where she helps the people there by cooking and serving them food once a week.  I decided to give it a try and went with her one week. When I got there I helped cook the dinner that was being served that evening.  Soon after when the food was ready my friend and I brought the trays of food out to the people at the shelter.  As we were serving food the people kept thanking us continually and were so grateful of what we were doing.  Ever since this happened I go there weekly and serve the homeless.  I believe that this has impacted the lives of many and made a real difference for some of these people who do not have enough money to buy a home or food.            

            If we don’t start producing graduate and doctoral students interested in the field then the advancement of science as a whole will go downhill.  There will be no new discoveries or ideas if we don’t have more people that are willing to contribute to this.  It is essential for people from each generation to go to school for some field of science, become educated with it, and eventually add some advancement to the world. 

1ST QUARTER GRADE REFLECTION

In all honesty I am not happy with my grade this quarter. I feel like I could have done so much better. I thought I understood the material but when it came to taking tests and quiz's I did not perform well.  Also I don't know why, but I am not doing well on the smart response mini quiz's either.  I hope that next quarter I improve a lot more.  I'm doing well keeping up with homework and the blogs but I just need to do better on tests.

TECHNOLOGY ARTICLE RESPONSE

Online textbooks have many advantages as well as a good amount of disadvantages.  One of the many advantages that they have is that if a textbook that you have is available to be used online then it saves you from having to lug it around school all day and add extra weight to your already heavy backpack.  All you have to do is get out your computer, access the book, and eliminate all of the hassle.  In the article it states, “In theory, the benefits of electronic textbooks seem clear and compelling.” Another major advantage of using a textbook online is the amount of money it saves you.  Most textbooks these days start at around $80 and get even more expensive.  Kids spend hundreds of dollars for college textbooks.  If you use these books online they are free.  Also, using online textbooks helps out the environment.  It saves trees and paper use.  In addition to this it also gets rid of photocopier use.  One disadvantage to using online textbooks is that, “Recent studies suggest that printed books continue to have important advantages over digital ones.  Not only do they accommodate a wider array of learning styles, but they also encourage more attentive reading and study”. Many can agree that at times eBooks or online textbooks can be distracting while trying to read.  For example on the Kindle there are many bells and whistles that draw the readers attention away from the words.  In the article it says, “People also tend to be more easily distracted when reading from screens.  There’s always the temptation to click on a link, check email, monitor Facebook activity or play a quick game of Angry Birds.”  I definitely find technology useful to my education.  I am a very visual learner.  Seeing things like movies, pictures, or playing interactive learning games really help me learn and comprehend the information that is being taught.  Using technology in your education appeals to all learning styles.  I also think that many students find that by using technology to help teach that it makes it more enjoyable and fun as opposed to just sitting at a desk and reading a boring textbook.  

Densities of Different Liquids

If these liquids were in a container together the honey would be on the bottom , the soy sauce would be in the middle, and the olive oil would be on the top. These 3 liquids were all able to separate into layers because of their varied densities.  The honey would be on the bottom because it was the most dense out of the others, having a density of about 1.36 g/cm3. The olive oil would be on the top because it was the least dense out of all 3 liquids, and it had a density of about .92 g/cm3. One more factor that could contribute to these liquids separating into layers is the fact that they are not mixable with one another because of different materials or substances that they are made of.

BP Oil Spill

The BP Oil spill was handled pretty successfully.  One way that BP is handling the spill well is by giving jobs to the unemployed to help clean up the spill.  This is killing two birds with one stone in the sense that they are employing un-employed people and also getting rid of the spill at the same time.  Beach cleaners are being paid $18 an hour and supervisors are being paid $32 which is actually a pretty decent amount of money.  Given the circumstances BP has done the best job they can in cleaning up the oil spill and getting the enviorment back to normal.


http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/08/smallbusiness/bp_hiring_unemployed/index.htm

Academic Achievements Sophomore Year

There are many things this year that I would want to achieve academically this school year.  One thing I would like to try to improve on is the amount of time I spend studying and preparing for quizes and tests. Last year I didn't spend as much time on this which resulted in lower scores that could have easily been improved just by 10 or 20 minutes of review.  Another thing that I would like to achieve or improve academically this year is to actually ask teachers questions if I have them.  Last year I realized that I didn't put in the effort to see a teacher if I didn't understand material or if I had a question about something.  I could better understand what we are learning if I do this.  The last thing that I would like to achieve academically is getting mostly A's and some B's in all of my classes.