Old and New Materials

From looking at the picture of the samurai sword and the picture of silk, never in a million years would you think that they are similar. Its not exactly the physical aspect of these two things that makes them similar, it’s the chemical make-up of these two objects that make them alike.

Both the samurai sword and the silk have been around for hundreds of years, differences is that we have only recently found spectacular ways of using silk. In the TED video by Flo Omenetto we learn that you can take the cocoon of silk and using reverse engineering to go back to being a water and protein gland. And from this you can use silk in multiple ways from a coffee cup to fixing a fracture in a bone. Then there’s “Secrets of the Samurai Sword” made by heating and mixing iron and carbon, that later can be heated again to be molded. Pretty cool right?

Two different things you might say, but not exactly. Both are proven to be durable, the samurai sword can be brittle but it can also be flexible. Put these two types of metals together and you have the perfect samurai. The silk can be a solid but if you want, it can also dissolve. Point being, both can be shaped or used the way you want them to.

 

3 Questions 9/20/13

1. This week I have completed my enchilada fundraiser for choir, the enchilada dinner was a success! I managed to workout everyday this week and improve on my time for the 2 mile. I passed my driving test, now I have my provisional and I am one step closer to getting my full license.

2. Recently I learned that it really doesn’t pay to procrastinate. All procrastination gives you is stress, bad grades, unhappy parents and taken away privileges. I also learned that when it comes to sports, what the mind believes, the body can and will achieve.

3. I plan on getting caught up in chemistry, for reals this time! I plan on supporting our football team for the homecoming game and go to homecoming with my friends. I plan on making the best of my week and get over all obstacles, so that i may have a stress free weekend.

Smaller Than An Atom…

What do we know about atoms already? Well we know that they are composed of subatomic particles; protons, neutrons and electrons. Atoms contain a nucleus that is made up of protons and neutrons. The electrons are found in the electron cloud located on the outer portion of the atom. We know that protons have a positive charge, the electrons have a negative charge and that the neutrons remain neutral and have no charge. The atom is held together by an electromagnetic force. For a tad more about how atoms are broken down read the article

How exactly did we figure this out? Credibility on first studying the subject could go to Botanist Brown for discovering the things in particles which we now call atoms and Albert Einstein for being the first to describe them using mathematics. They came up with simple rules called Brownian Motion. Although they were the first to study the subject, they still didn’t exactly know everything about atoms. Throughout the years after Einstein and Brown, other scientists such as Dalton, Rutherford and many more helped create the model of the atom that we use today. They successfully did this by conducting experiments, gathering information and using what they already knew. Pretty cool huh? Imagine living in a world not knowing what an atom is, seems bizarre if you ask me.  

 

My Passion

I am passionate about quite a few things in life. I am passionate about my family, track, staying fit and succeeding in everything I do. My family is such a big part of my life, not only for supporting me throughout the years but for teaching me important things along the way. Thanks to my family I have become the person that I am today and its a true blessing. I am passionate about track, its just one of those things that I enjoy doing and I want to put my whole heart into it. The feeling I get before running a race or before long jumping is unexplainable. Playing sports gives me something to be proud of and a chance to make others proud. Staying fit is a passion of mine. It seems a bit crazy at my age but it makes me feel good about myself, I could care less about what others say but what you see in yourself is whats going to keep you moving forward. Lastly being successful, in everything I do, its important that I give it everything I have. In school especially, I want to go somewhere and be someone after high school. If I don’t strive to do the best I can then I wont be able to achieve my goals in life.

3 Questions 9/8/13

1. This week I have completed my lab on separating mixtures, as well as my lab notebook so that it may be turned in. I retook my U.S History test and finished the assignments I missed in my English class the days i was gone. I finally got to go to my first Mayfield football game for this season, and it was quite exciting!

2. Recently I have learned that you should never, ever miss a whole week of school. It will put you very behind and if your anything like me, you will be very stressed. Also that scientific equations are not my forte, I should start taking out the math notes because I was lost a couple of times.

3. I plan on getting caught up on everything in my classes. I plan on pushing myself during this weeks workouts and actually remember to put on bug spray for once. I plan on getting my truck fixed because i miss driving terribly!