The Presentation

Hello FI8D!
Get your power point presentations done very soon.
Using the power point tool you will be able to create a presentation of about ten slides to get your audience more knowledgeable about your topic.
Many topics are: Is our society a consumer based society? Do we throw out too many items?
Get more informed and try to do as much work in class as possible. Please note that by only showing a slide you in fact are boring your audience. For further questions about this topic, please refer to Mr.Foster or fellow classmates.

The Great Debate!

There is a debate on Thursday SO BE PREPARED.


What do you need to do?:
Question people, ask questions similar to what they have purchased or why they have purchased an item. Did they replace it? You might want to even ask if job's make people bias, or maybe the community is a consumer based community. Get to the point ask questions about why they purchase everything! Good luck if you have any further questions refer to me at school or Mr. Foster, if you still have trouble read over the sheet and then if you STILL have trouble ask a friend or parent.

Systems, and a project.

Systems, and an individual project.

Remember everyone if you are having trouble understnading what I am saying please refer to my previous post if you STILL have trouble go to Mr.Foster early or after school, and everything will be dandy.

Ok so firstly here are some notes you need to remember.

-Undersired outputs are called side effects.
-All systems evolve when humans are impacting the system.
-An example of this is global warming.
-Human input may change the outputs and/or side effects

Good Effects that we do:

-Energy use reduction
- Hybrid Cars
- Sierra Club/ and WWF

Bad Effects:

-Water overus
-food waste
-cars and pollution
-Habitat destruction

These and good effect affect something called Global Climate Change.

Individual Project:
For those who missed the class you will be given a page with information on the porject which involves surveying people you know unless you really want to survey people you aren't familliar with, and so get the page tomorrow morning if you missed the class.

Systems: Open? or Closed?

What is a system? A system is a group of mechanisms that is used to do a function (lifting someting off the ground, or pulling snow off the ground, etc.In the world of systems we have learned about two. These are called open and closed. An open system means that at the end of the system there is a opening where a liquid, fluid or substance... pretty much anything, will eventually come out. Examples of this are: A car, because the exhaust comes out the back, the digestive system...if you know what I mean. Whatever comes in must come out, these systems never let the materials inside of them circulate.

Closed System:

This system has no start or stop button. These systems usually run in a circular motion allowing nothing to escape. An example of this is your body's ciculation. Heart pumps oxygen into cells, cells come back to get more oxygen, it is a continuous cycle.

Feedback:
The problem with any system is that without feedback you cannot know whether or not everything is going well. If you are at one end of a conveyor belt you can't see what's coming off of the other side, so it is wise to get FEEDBACK! You're brain is constantly getting feedback from the rest of your body.

The Five Simple Machines You Need To Know.

Hello FI8D!

In this blog I will be talking to you about two different simple machines.

(FOR LEVERS REFER TO A BLOG POSTED 2 WEEKS AGO)

The Wedge:

The wedge is similar to an inclined plane but is of course different. A wedge is usually used to keep something in place or separate two different objects. A door stopper is a wedge because it keeps a door from moving.
How do you find the MA of a wedge? divide the slopes length by its length at the end that is thickest.

The Pulley:
Do you remember when you were little, and maybe had a tree house? Well for me I would take a rope, attach something like a sandwich to the end of it and pull it up into my tree house, but a pulley is slightly different because instead of pulling the rope yourself you have to install a fixed pulley which is a way of saying a circle with a piece of metal that is attached.

If you are having trouble visualizing GOOGLE: FIXED PULLEY and it will be very easy to find on google images.

NO SCIENCE!

Hello Everyone,
Today we didn't have science class due to the RESPONSIBILITY ASSEMBLY. Congratulations to Hannah McMillan (sorry if I spell your name wrong). Remeber to try to go over your notes for any future pop quizzes. Review:
-MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE.

Important dates:
November 3rd: web outline+ materials (toy story project)
November 9th: Web outline+ technical drawing (toy story project)
November 17th: Calculation, research report, construction.

Hope you have a nice review of everything!

MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE- October 26th 2009

Mechanical Advantage a.k.a. (MA).

For an inclined plane : you find the length of the slope and divide it by the height of the slope.


So lets say the force you exert is 600
and the distance covered by an object you are pulling is: 1000(km)

MA= 6 over 10


To be honest, I need to have a further understanding of this topic, and the internet and my notes aren't great resources at the moment. So for further questions refer to Mr.Foster.

REMEMBER TO:
Complete all homework and come prepared to class.

Levers, and The Inclined Plane

First Class Lever:

No at first you think... how does this work? Look again can you figure out where the fulcrum is? Look at the leg that is touching the ice...we'll call this leg (F) the other foot which isn't on the ice will be called (R) for random. (F) is supporting the rest of the load (her body, from the end of her back to foot (R))... but where's the effort? Well before she started (which I couldn't get a photo of) she actually flung her arms from in front of her to beside her creating a pull that would make her spin. If you have any questions about this lever just ask me.

This is a second class lever. Ask yourself... where is the fulcrum? the Fulcrum is usually supports the rest of the lever. Now pretend that you are transporting some wood to your grandma's house where would you put the wood? In the basket, but is the wood going to exert and force and magically move itself to your grandma's house? no. So you need you effort. Its easier to lift than drag in some cases like this example so get your hands ready to lift. This is a second class lever because the fulcrum is in the far left the load is in the middle and the effort (YOU!) is on the side opposite the fulcrum.

Here is Julie, eating her delicious apple. Julie doesn't know that her mouth is actually a lever. It's in fact a third class lever. A third class lever occurs when the load is on the opposite side of the fulcrum and the effort is in between the two. The joints in Julie's mouth connect the upper and lower jaw together. Her teeth which are moving towards each other are touching her beautiful apple which is the load. The load in this photo is to the left of Julie's teeth meaning that the fulcrum is to the right of her teeth.

THE INCLINED PLANE:

This is simply a ramp but does it really make life easier? Well many people will agree that they would rather roll or slide an object than lift it. The resistance is gravity the force is YOU! and the object..well you can choose. How can you make it even easier to do this, while exerting less force? Make a longer ramp. Although you increase the distance you decrease the effort.... which for those people who don't like working well this is probably good for you.

Note Taking and Texbook Work-Class of October 9th

Hello!
Ok so on Day 4 of this week we went over information about notes and note taking.

Facts About Learning:

-You lose 47% of what you learned in 20 minutes.
-You lose 62% of what you learned after the first day.

Facts About Note Taking:

-It will be WAY easier to retain information if you:
-Turn off your cell phone, iPod, Radio, Computer, or anything that could potentially distract you during your studying or note taking.
-You need your absolute concetration, so move any objects thtat could potentially distract you, or that you might get bored of your work and use, toys...etc.

For those of you who weren't in class we read from pages: 414-434 (Science Textbook)

We are sadly no longer working on the levers project and will be working out of the textbook due to unsafe behaviour in the classroom.

Hello Everyone in class FI8D!
I am your new correspondent and although I haven't been to my class on Day 4 (that I will be rountinely reporting about) I must remind you that IF YOU DON'T SIGN UP FOR A JOB, it will be taken very soon. October 16th is when you can have two jobs! YOU NEED TO PAY YOUR RENT! So get moving...NOW.
Thanks, and be prepared for next class!
Evelyn

We have a new writer!

As part of her job description for the economic system running in our class, Evelyn will be writing the blog this year. Look for her exciting posts in the coming weeks.

As Evelyn begins Katie, Eric and Haley move on to bigger and better things. We wish them luck in their future endeavours.

Hope you enjoy the new writer!

Mr. F

FE7B, Math, Science and Fun!

Heya everybody! How's it going? Hopefully, it's going good. Now, as for class... in math we have started a new unit in measurement where we are learning how to find the volumes of 3D figures. But first, I promised that I would give instructions to drawing a 3D figure with two vantage points from the previous math unit.

Step 1: Draw a vertical line either above or below the horizon line. When drawing with one vantage point you use both vertical and horizontal lines, but when using two vantage points, you get rid of the horizontal lines and use only vertical.

Step 2: Connect lines from the top of the vertical line and the bottom of the vertical to both the vantage points. You should have four lines in total. Two lines from the top point of the vertical line and two lines from the bottom point of the vertical line.

Step 3: Start to make two sides of the figure. Connect the lines from the vantage points to the vertical line with...VERTICAL LINES! This makes the left and right side of the box. If this is too confusing: Connect both of the lines on the top of the vertical line to the lines on the bottom of the vertical line. Step 4: Erase the rest of the lines so only your two sides are left.

Step 5: Connect the two bottom points of the figure to the vantage points. They should meet and cross over each other at one point. That will make up the third side of your figure.

Step 6: Erase the extra lines and then you're done! Congrats! Here's what your figure should look like:

Here's also what you will soon be able to do!

Next blog I'll discuss different formulas to finding the area and volume of different figures.

Now as for science, we just recently got assigned a project...A video project! Each member in the class has to choose and endangered animal in Canada and create a movie on what's going on that's bad, and how we can fix those bad problems! Creative and Fun! Right? Now, recently in our heat and the environment science unit, we started learning about the heat part since we already know a lot about the environment part!

Here's some facts that should be known about heat:

1. Heat's scientific name is thermal energy.

2. Thermal energy transfers in one direction only- Hot to cold. Example: When you burn your hand on a hot pan, the heat from the pan is being transferred to your skin.

3. Feeling hot or cold depends on which the direction heat is transferring. For example: You put your hand in cold water, and your hand feels cold because it is losing thermal energy. You put your hand in warm water, and your hand feels warm because you are gaining thermal energy.

That's all for now. I'll blog soon!

Surface area of cylinders examples.

OK. So.

I was totally going to blog today about our new math unit figuring out the surface area of cylinders. But, I saw that Eric already wrote about that. So, I'm just going to show some examples of figuring out the surface area of a cylinder.

Let's say that the radius is 4cm and the height is 8cm. We need to find out the surface area for the complete cylinder.

The formula is:
SA = 2(πr²) + 2πrh
Now, we solve
SA = 2π(4cm)² + 2π(4cm)(8cm)
SA = 2π(16cm²) + 2π(32cm²)
SA = 2(3.14)(16cm²) + 2(3.14)(32cm²)
SA = 100.48cm² + 200.96cm²
SA = 301.44cm²
The surface area is 301.44cm².

Now, we have an example with an open-ended cylinder. Or, you could say, just the curved part.

The radius is 3cm and the height is 7cm.
The formula is:
SA = 2πrh (<- you will notice this is just the second half of the full formula)
SA = 2π(3cm)(7cm)
SA = 2π(21cm²)
SA = 2(3.14)(21cm²)
SA = 131.88cm²
The surface area is 131.88cm².

Just a note, you probably realized that I figured out how to do a squared symbol! On the keyboard, you press and hold Alt and then type 0178. Now, you can get ²²² (I'm very proud of myself for finding that...)

So, until next week.
-K

Cylinders and Water Systems Summitives.

Math
OK, good evening online community. So today in class we learned how to find the surface area of a cylinder. The fist step is to separate the 3d cylinder into many 2d diagrams. (look left)
After that you need to remember the formula for are of circles (r²)
The height of the cylinder acts as the length of the rectangle and the circumference would be the width of the rectangle.
So the formula would be SA=2(π r² )+2 π r h
the home-work assigned was pg.260 Q 1+2
in question 1 we where asked to find the curved surface area and in question 2 we where asked to find the surface area of the whole cylinder.
For question 1 you only do the 2 π r h piece and for 2 you use the whole formula.
Science
Recently in science we have satarted a new project for the water systems unit. I already explaned it in the last blog.

Current Events in FE8A

In these last few weeks we have been using Pythagorean theorem in math and in science we've been building electric cars, some worked better than others. Also we have got a new project with Foster money incorporated in to it.

In math, the basis of the Pythagorean theorem is: a²+b²=c², which says that a squared plus b squared is equal to c squared. In this case a, b, and c are all variables of side lengths, if you don't have c you can use the theorem to find it.
An example would be:
From here we would do:
a²+b²=c²
(5cm)²+(10cm)²=c²
25cm²+100cm²=c²
125cm²=c²
√125cm²=√c²
11.180339887498948482045868343656cm= c
11.18cm =c
Also remember to show all of the decimals shown on the screen then round.

In science we have a new project to create a machine that will draw ground water, represented by a 250g weight, from the ground and pull it up and down as many times possible in 2 minutes. The width of the hole is 10cm and the depth is 74cm. In this project we use our Foster money to buy supplies such as motors ($3000). This is going to be expensive.

Eric out

Math and Science.

So... Hey.

I haven't blogged in a while again... silly me. Life has been so busy lately! I'm trying though. So here I am sitting on the computer typing up a super cool blog that basically no one but Julia (haha) is going to read. Whatever. Here goes...

Last week/I think it was two weeks ago I talked about the Pythagorean Theorem that we are learning about in Math. Since then, we have basically just been practising using the theorem to solve word problems. Here is an example of a (simple) word problem:

Julia is making a birthday card for yours truly out of a piece of construction paper. The paper measured 30cm by 20cm. She decided to be unique and cut the paper in half and then staple the two pieces together. She decided to be even more unique and cut the paper in half along the diagonal, instead of right down the middle. How long would the diagonal cut be?

Well, first we need to draw a diagram.

->The image button works today! :)

Now I realize that it's a bad image, but just use your imagination.

Now, we list our givens and required.

a=20cm

b=30cm

c=?

And then the formula.

a2+b2 = c2 (<-once again, that means a squared plus b squared equals c squared)

Now, we solve.

(20cm)2+(30cm)2 = c2

400cm2+900cm2 = c2

1300cm2 = c2

square root of 1300cm2 = square root of c2

36.0555128cm = c

36.06 = c

The diagonal cut would be 36.06cm long.

It is all pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it.

In Science, we had our car race yesterday. And, I'm proud to announce, my group won! Our car was kept simple. Here is a diagram of what our car looked like:

We just had two gears, one master and one slave, so that no speed was lost due to friction. Our wheels were made out of Styrofoam balls, so they were all the same size and shape and they didn't wobble from side to side. And, our car was just the coolest in general. So it won. And you're jealous.

Well I'm going to go now...

Bye!

Until next... time...

-K

Aren't worms simply delightful?

Like the title? It does bring back some vaguely familiar memories during science class. Oh, yes...it's coming to me now...wait for it...we talked about worms during our science class!!!!!! GAK!!!!!!! Even though this topic wasn't the most important part of science class, that knowledge will stick to me like gum on a shoe. So, I'll spare you five minutes of screaming and hyperventilating to discuss the parts of science class that are not as gory. Starting with the science quiz! Eek! That did not go over too well. Let's review, shall we? Class Fe7B was asked to list the environmental form and describe how energy is passed throughout it. Here's the form.Sun - Producers - Herbivore - Carnivore - Carnivore- Scavengers - Decomposers(Herbivores, Carnivores, and Carnivores are all consumers)
1. Sun-The sun produces sunbeams that provide energy for plants

2. Producers- Plants take in carbon dioxide, water and energy from the sun--plants give off oxygen and food. This process is called Photosynthesis.

3. Herbivore- These "vegetarians" consume the sugars produced by the plants which give them energy.

4. Carnivore- These "meat eaters" consume the smaller animals providing them with energy as well.

5. Carnivore- These other "meat eaters" are largest of the animals and consume the smaller carnivores to provide themselves with energy as well.

6. Scavengers- These animals find animals when they are abiotic and feed themselves on whatever is left. ( I know, I know, it does sound a bit gross)

7. Decomposer- The remaining parts (ew) decompose into the ground to produce rich soil for new plants to grow.

**Sorry if the diagram is kinda scary.

***I do not know what each animal is

**** The black box like creature is not a cow. It is a black box like creature.

Okay. As for math, we are doing geometry. Right now, we have learned how to draw 3-D boxes with 1 and 2 vantage points. Here are the instructions to drawing a 3-D box with only one vantage point. Next week, I'll give the instructions to drawing a 3-D box with 2 vantage points.

1. Draw a 2-D square or rectangle above or below the vantage point. It can be any size.

2. Draw a line connecting each of the edges of the square to the vantage point. Only 3 edges will be connected. One of the edges can only be connected by running a line through the square. You do not want that.

***Your drawing should look like this:

3. Connect these lines by drawing another perfectly vertical line parallel to the left side of your square. You decide how near or close you want to place this line.

4. Draw a horizontal line parallel to the bottom side of your box to meet the vertical line.

***Your box should look like this.

5. Erase the extra lines. Your final box should look like this:

Thanks for reading! I'll blog soon!

Pythagorean Theorem and some other stuff...

Hey everyone!

So I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a while... My Easter weekend was so hectic! But still fun! Because I got candy! :)

Anyways, we started a new unit in Math about the Pythagorean Theorem. Now, I know that seems like just some long words (or at least that's what it sounded like to me at first) but it is actually a very interesting theory that is quite relevant.

The theorem has to do with right-angle triangles. Basically, what it helps you do is find the length of the hypotenuse (or side opposite the right angle) as long as you know the measures of the other two sides. The formula is a2 ('a' squared) + b2 = c2. Here is an example triangle:

...Okay never mind the "Add Image" button isn't working...

Well, let's imagine a right-angle triangle that has one side (a) of the right-angle 3cm, and the other (b) is 4cm. We want to find out what the length of the hypotenuse is. So, we use the formula.
a2 + b2 = c2
Then, we solve it - you will notice that it is the same way we would figure out the value of a variable (c) in algebra.
(3)2 + (4)2 = c2
9 + 16 = c2
25 = c2
square root of 25 = square root of c2
square root of 25 = c
5 = c
The length of the hypotenuse in this triangle is 5cm.

**This formula can only be used to find the measures of a right-angle triangle.

In Science, we started a sub-unit on electric circuits, gear trains, batteries, motors, and all that kind of stuff. At the end of the unit, we are going to build a car that we are going to race. I was planning on showing you diagrams of the circuits we have worked on, but that darn image button isn't working. Oh well, I guess I will show you next week.

So..
Until next week,
-K

Fe8a Probability Review and Science

Throughout these last few weeks we have covered all sections of probability and for Fe8a our unit test will be on the coming Tuesday and it will cover Theoretical Probability and Experimental Probability which there formulas are TP= favorable outcomes/total outcomes EP= times event occurs / tries. In my last blog I explained both of these concepts in my last blog. Now for odds for and against, odds are expressed in a ratio of part to part unlike probability which is a part to whole ratio. so the formula for odds for is favorable out comes/ total outcomes-favorable so the ratio could look like this 3:4 and remember if the odds for are 3:4 you don't have a 75% chance. You would actually have a 3/7 probability or a 42.86% chance. In odds against is the formula is Unfavorable out comes/ total outcomes-unfavorable. Also the ratio of odds for is the same as odds against but the two numbers are reversed. So in the same example the ratio would be 4:3 and you would have a 4/7 or a 57.14% chance.

Recently in science we have been looking at making water drinkable there are many different ways, some of which we can use during a black-out. The main source of water we use is our tap-water the city water and the reason for this is that it is cheap and easy to get. Also there are pump filters that have little filter membrane that only water molecules can fit through. Next UV water filters filter water with UV radiation to kill any living organisms in the water. The last resort is to boil water on a stove or open fire this water is good for 30 minutes before it needs to be boiled again.

Eric out

Odds For and Against

Hello everybody!
So today is a Friday and we don't have school today! Hurray! And then we have Easter weekend off next week so that's 3 short weeks in a row! Yay!
In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite excited about that.
And I'm also excited because my birthday is on Monday! I like my birthday! Because I get cake!

Well. That was interesting. Now I will talk about school. Like I'm supposed to.

In Math class we have our unit test on Thursday about probability. Last week I talked about Theoretical and Experimental probabilities, and Eric talked about Tree Diagrams so I'm going to talk about odds for and against an event.

So, let's say you are flipping a coin 3 times, and you want to find out the odds for getting two heads and one tails, in any order.
First, you would draw a tree diagram and list out the possible outcomes. I will skip the tree diagram part, because I would have to do that in Paint and then attach it and quite frankly I'm too lazy to do that.
Anyways, the possible outcomes are:
HHH
HHT
HTH
HTT
THH
THT
TTH
TTT
The ones in red are the favourable outcomes (two heads, one tails).

Now, odds are expressed in a part to part ratio in lowest terms.
Here is the formula.
Odds For = favourable outcomes : total outcomes - favourable
Then, we substitute in the numbers.
Odds For = 3 : 8 - 3
Odds For = 3 : 5
And we would take down to lowest terms if it was possible, but it isn't in this case.

Now we can do odds against getting more than one tail.
Here are the possible outcomes again:
HHH
HHT
HTH
HTT
THH
THT
TTH
TTT
The favourable ones are in green (more than one tail).

Here is the formula.
Odds Against = total - favourable : favourable ( <-- you will notice that it is the reverse of Odds For)
Now, we substitute in.
Odds Against = 8 - 4 : 4
Odds Against = 4 : 4
And then take it to lowest terms.
Odds Against = 1 : 1

So, that is how we figure out odds for and against an event.

Until next week,
-K

Math for FE8A

Math
In class last week we started off with experimental probability and theoretical probability. These are both ways of finding the probability of a chance of winning a game or losing to friend in Rock-Paper-Scissors. A good example of this flip a coin four times and record the outcome and see if the out come is HHTH (Heads Heads Tails Heads). First we should make a tree-diagram this will include all possible outcomes.

From this data we can tell that there are a total of 32 outcomes. Only one is the one we want, the favorable outcome, which is HHTH. The way to find relative frequency is favorable over possible in this case the fraction is 1/32 you can leave the probability as a fraction or you can change it to a percentage. The way you do that is you make the fraction a decimal(divide denominator by numerator) and multiply by 100. The result is 3.12% The relative frequency is 1/32 or 3.12%.
The other way is experimental probability so flip one coin four times and record the outcome, do this four times.
1st htth
2nd ttht
3rd hthh
4th tthh
To find experimental probability we do occurrence over trial so that would be 0/4 or 0%.
Usually theoretical probability works better.
Eric out

Math And Science in FE7B

What an absolutely mar-vell-ous March break! I went skiing in the great province of Quebec, which is the reason why I missed three days of school. So . . . um . . . oops! Annnyyyywwwwaayyyy, since it's a new term, class FE7B is starting new subjects in both math and science! Firstly with math, we are starting the unit of Data Management and Probability!! We are able to role dice, throw paper cups and all that jazz! In the first part of the unit, we had to make tree diagrams to find all of the possible outcomes for different experiments. Here is an example of a problem we may encounter.

At a clothing store there is a sale that any customer can buy 1 pair of shoes, 1 pair of shorts and 1 tee-shirt for $30. There are 5 different coloured shirts-red, blue, purple, yellow and green. There are 3 different coloured shoes-orange, silver and cream. There are two different coloured shorts-gray and taupe. What are all the possible outcomes that customers can buy?There are 30 possible outcomes.

Also, with probability we have been taught how to find a Relative frequency when conducting an experiment through Experimental probability. For example: If you roll a die 10 times and if the 3 side appears 2 times, you can use experimental probability to find the relative frequency of the 3 side.

EP= A favourable 2

_______________ = _____ =

TOTAL 10

.20%

As for science, our new unit is about heat in the environment. I do not have much info on what work we've done but I do have info on what work we will be doing. In this unit class Fe7B will learn about how the Earth is organized and what it was like before us humans arrived and changed everything. How have humans affected heat on the planet and what was the heat like on the Earth before we came? Hopefully, all of these questions will be answered soon!

Ill blog soon!

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while...

Hi everybody!

So I haven't written in a while. The week before the break was so hectic I just couldn't find the time before I left... and then obviously I was away last week. And yesterday was crazy. And I am about to go to basketball so I will try to do this quickly. But enough with the excuses.

In Math we have started a new unit: Probability. So far we have learned about Tree diagrams, possible outcomes, theoretical probability, and experimental probability. This unit really applies in life, as we can use it the same way we would use percentages. If there is a survey going on, someone could guess that 15 our of 45 girls would say purple or pink is their favourite colour. So using the theoretical probability formula, we can find the TP of a girl having the favourite colour pink or purple.
TP= favourable outcomes / possible outcomes
= 15 / 45
= 0.3333
= 33.33%
The theoretical probability of a girl saying their favourite colour is pink or purple is 33%.
So now, we can predict that if we interviewed 150 girls, 33% of them would say pink or purple is their fave colour. That would equal 50 girls. That is the theoretical probability.
Then, let's say, you interviewed said 150 girls and 37 of them liked pink or purple. That would be an experimental probability. So, let's use the formula.
EP= times event occurs / tries
= 37 / 150
= 0.2467
= 24.67%
In this situation, the experimental probability of the event happening is 24.67%.
So, that is the difference between TP and EP. TP is a guess; how many times an event should happen. EP is how many times the event actually does happen.

In Science we started a new project on how much water our household uses. I will tell more about that next week.

I got to go now. My mom's yelling for me to come.

Until next time I blog (probably Wednesday but you never know...)
-K

Fe8a math and science

Math
Last week was the week before march break and during that week we looked at probability. One example of what we did was the making and presentation of our "how many blades of grass are there in Glenview's field" poster. For this activity we had to our estimating and in some cases, geometry skills.the way me and Nathan solved it was we cut our diagram in to shapes we knew how to solve the area of like a square, triangle and rectangle. We were also allowed to use the internet to find facts on how any blades of grass are in one meter and from there you go on to solve the answer.
Science
during the last week we took more notes which covered mostly the same material that I discussed in my last blog. Also we took a look at Google earth to see the tributaries of the don river and one of them is just behind our school that leads all the way to the lake. Also one important thing to think about is when you put salt on your driveway in the winter you are actually salting the lake.
Eric out
-see you next week.

Water Systems, Algebra and Probably Probability

During the past week in FE8A, we covered water systems in science and word problems, with algebra, in math. Also, after the break, we will be finished algebra and we'll start a new unit about probability. Our unit test will be tomorrow, March 9th, and will count on our third term report card.

Science: Water systems

(same picture as Mr. Foster)
The system seen above is the water system. In the water system there are a lot of different things happening.

1. There is the evaporation of water over the body of water, which is condensing and precipitating back into the body of water.
2. Water evaporates off of the land. Although land does not usually have water on its surface, there is water within the soil and the porous rocks.
3. Transpiration is when the plants release water vapor. This usually happens in rain forests, which contributes to the almost constant rain.
4. Small bodies of water are also part of the water system. They are there because of the displacement of land and because of the level of the water table. Water evaporates off of these smaller bodies of water, like any other body of water.

Math: Algebra - Word Problems

Algebra word problems are solved using the GRASP method, which includes: Given is your let statement it tells the reader what the variable is like A, B, or C. Required is the translation of the question into a equation. Analysis the way you will solve the equation.
Synthesis the answer tho the question. Proof the answer to the question in a statement.

Example
Mary bought 3 lambs for $15 how much was each lamb?
1. let N represent 1 lamb
2. 3n = $15
3. 3n/3 = $15/3
4. n=$5
5. one lamb was $5(not very realistic)

Eric out
see you

Math And Science In Fe7B

Hello everybody! Happy spring is just around the corner? Well, that is not the case for me. Personally, I wish SUMMER was just around the corner. Well, back to work in Fe7B! We have just finished our math unit on Patterning and Algebra! Now, we were just given a math assignment due tomorrow. The question is: How many pianos are there in the city Toronto?? Using an estimated guess, my group calculated that there are 212 000 pianos in Toronto. Hopefully, we aren't too far off! But, how does one start to tackle this problem? It is not very difficult. First think, where are pianos found? Most commonly they are found in homes, schools, and music stores. Take into consideration that pianos are very expensive and probably are not very common throughout all of Toronto's areas. Also, the population of Toronto would be helpful and useful when trying to estimate the number of pianos. You definitely do not want to guess that there are 10.5 million pianos in Toronto when he population is much less. Not very likely! Also, if you think that there are approximately 3 people in every household, you could divide 3 from the population of Toronto to find the total number of households in all of Toronto. After that, you can then guess how many households have pianos (possibly 1 out of every 4 homes) and then divide your number of households by 4 to get your total number of pianos throughout all the homes in Toronto! This math question helps students make more accurate and educated estimations in math!

As for science, we are soon going to finish up our unit in science on pure substances and mixtures. We have recently been given a science assignment. The objective is to design how you would construct a science procedure of mixing the solute salt with the solvent water. You have to control variables, meaning, keeping everything constant, except for what you are trying to find. Besides the assignment, we just learned about maple syrup and sugar. Both are processed similarly. Example: Both are boiled to dilute the water and create a different substance. Also, both are filtered during the process. Most importantly, the raw materials create a variety of products. For example: Sap can create maple syrup and maple sugar. Also, sugar can and sugar beets create plain white sugar, brown sugar, and molasses. I guess you learn something new everyday!

That is all for now! I'll blog soon!

New Things in Math and Science!!!

Hi guys.

So I'm sorry I didn't write yesterday... Although I'm pretty sure I don't any avid readers who would be too upset about that... Anyways.

In Math we had our Algebra Unit Quiz and now we are starting on third term Algebra: word problems. This is just like translations, except we have to solve the equation. There are four steps to solving a word problem.
1. Write your "let" statement
2. Write the equation
3. Solve the equation
4. Write a statement answering the question

So, here are some examples of one-step word problems and answers.
Q: Mary will be 31 years old in 14 years. How old is Mary now?
A: Let c represent how old Mary is now
c + 14 = 31
c + 14 - 14 = 31 - 14
c = 17
Mary is seventeen years old.

Q: 7 times a certain number is 56. What is the number?
A: let x represent the number
7x = 56
7x / 7 = 56 / 7
x = 8
The number is eight.

Now, here is an example of a 2-step word problem.
Q: David spent $12.50 at the candy store. He spent $5 on a bag of Gummy Bears. He spent the rest on 6 chocolate bars. What was the cost of one chocolate bar?
A: Let q represent the cost of one chocolate bar
$5 + 6q = $12.50
$5 - $5 + 6q = $12.50 - $5
6q = $7.50
6q / 6 = $7.50 / 6
q = $1.25
One chocolate bar costs $1.25.

In Science we started a new unit on water systems. We learned about the water cycle a few days ago. In the water cycle, the water starts out in the ocean basin, as the water always wants to take the lowest possible position. When the sun shines down on the water, it evaporates and turns into water vapor. As it rises up, the vapor cools and condenses into droplets. These droplets create a cloud suspended in the air. As more and more droplets join the cloud, it basically becomes a saturated mixture with the air. When it reaches that saturation point and no more droplets can be added, the water goes to the bottom of the cloud. (Think of when you add Kool-Aid mix to water. When you hit the saturation point, all of the extra mix is at the bottom of the glass.) These droplets then fall as precipitation. The fallen water either goes directly back into the ocean if the cloud hasn't moved, or it goes onto the Earth. The water then becomes surface run-off and runs into a river or stream that eventually leads back to the ocean.

Something I was thinking about was why rain isn't salty if it comes from saltwater oceans. The answer to this is something we learned in grade 7 when we learned both about pure substances and mixtures, and heat. When the salty ocean water is heated and turns into vapor, only the water has hit its boiling point. The salt hasn't, and therefore doesn't change states. So the vapor in the air is freshwater. That is why we can use it for tasks such as watering plants.

I have to go now, so...
Until next Wednesday
-K

The Advantage of Technology in a Class

In a our classroom we we don't just read and do questions from the textbook we push it to the max all out awesomeness with hands on work and cool technology like smart technology tools. It offers much more understanding and application of what we learn through note-taking. Hands-on work also offers for the user to become more friendly with tools (IE: dustless cutters back-saw and much more)

For example the Smart technology tool like the Smart board, document camera and senteo (clickers) All of these tools help us in math and also science with implementing our topics in new way to get a better under standing and let us expand on our thinking. The smart-board, mostly used for lessons of math and science and the occasional web surfing for examples in science. The smart document camera is used for taking digital pictures of paper with designs or plans, the most recent use of the camera was in 2008 for the golf ball transport machine when we showed our designs of the machine on the smart-board and took ideas from each one to come up with one big machine.Next senteo clickers often used for math quizzes of the multiple-choice variety. That is how the smart Technologies help us in our class room.

In addition hands on work is a very lucky for us to have because we where the only classes that made a Rube Goldberg while the other classes where doing questions out of the text book. Hands on work also lets us get more comfortable with the tools we and also if we got into the trades section of work we will already know how to use a lot of tools. Next hands on work helps us apply the concepts we learned taking notes. that is how hands on work helps us in our class room by applying concepts and showing them in different ways to fully under stand.

In conclusion I think that hands on work and cool Smart technologies offer learning in a way that is more fun and easier to understand.
Eric out
see you next week.

Algebra and Other Stuff

Hey everybody!

So, tomorrow is our final quiz on this algebra unit for term 2! Hopefully everyone in FE8B has been studying hard - I know I have!
Some things that we have learned for the final quiz are doing 2 step equations, and then how to solve equations that have different terms in them. For example: when the variable is the numerator or denominator of a fraction, when there are variables on both sides of the equal sign, and when we have to break brackets with variables in them. Here are some examples of each.
When the variable is the numerator of a fraction:
x/2 + 3 = 7
x/2 + 3 - 3 = 7 - 3
x/2 = 4
2(x/2) = 4 (2)
x = 8
check:
(8)/2 + 3 = 7
4 + 3 = 7
7 = 7
-> In that equation, I first moved the whole integer (+3) from the left side to the right by undoing it on the left, then doing the same function to the right side. Then I multiplied the fraction by 2, as that was the denominator, and did the same to the other side. The two 2s cancel each other out, leaving me with x=8. Then, I checked and it worked out.

When the variable is the denominator:
4/x + 6 = 10
4/x +6 - 6 = 10 - 6
4/x = 4
x(4/x) = 4(x)
4 = 4x
4/4 = 4x/4
1 = x
check:
4/(1) + 6 = 10
4 + 6 = 10
10 = 10
-> In that equation, I did the same as in the previous. So in the 4th line I multiplied the 4/x by the denomitor (x) and did the same to the other side. The two x's cancel each other out on the left side, giving us 4=4x. Then we divide each side by 4 (the coefficient) so that we get 1=x.

When there are variables on both sides of the equation:
3x = 5 + 2x
3x - 2x = 5 + 2x - 2x
x = 5
check:
3(5) = 5 + 2(5)
15 = 5 + 10
15 = 15
-> In that, all we have to do is cancel the integer with the variable on one side, and do the same function to the other side. That's how we got 3x-2x on the left side.

Finally, when there are brackets to break:
2(3 + x) = 10
6 + 2x = 10
6 - 6 + 2x = 10 - 6
2x = 4
2x / 2 = 4 / 2
x = 2
check:
2(3 + 2) = 10
6 + 4 = 10
10 = 10
-> In that equation, to break brackets what you have to do is multiply the number outside the brackets by each of the ones inside the brackets separately. Then it is just like any of the equations above.

In Science we started a new unit on water systems. We learned about how most of our water on the earth is polluted, to deep to get, or is salt water. Did you know 97% of the Earth's water is salt water? I didn't know that before today. Anyways, I will report more on that next week as we get more into the unit.

Until next Wednesday,
-K

Hi everyone.
Well, since it was a loooong weekend and I was sick yesterday, I only have one day to report on (today). Luckily, we did lots of math today! And I didn't write about math last week so let's talk about math!
So we have been learning more about integers and algebra. We have gotten into solving equations with variables and simplifying expressions.
To solve and equation with a variable:
There are two methods.
The first is to add the opposite integer of the coefficient to each side of the equation.
ex: x+2=34
x+2-2=34-2
x=32
check
2+(32)=34
34=34
The second is to divide each side by the coefficient.
ex: 4x=24
4x/4=24/4
x=6
check
4(6)=24
24=24

To simplify an expression:
You put all the integers with the variable together and use distributive property.
ex: 3x+4y-5y+x-2x+7
=3x+x-2x+4y-5y+7
=2x-y+7
*In that expression you can't use distributive property, as none of the integers have a common factor. An example with distributive property:
2x+6y-4y-8x+10
=-6x+2y+10
=2(-3x+y+5)

That's all for now!
Until next Wednesday,
-K

How Do Scientific Equipment Help Students Achieve Academic Excellence?

There are many ways hands-on activities can help middle school students with their learning’s! First of all, using equipment in class can help stimulate one’s brain. Instead of simply reading out of a seemingly boring textbook, students can now challenge themselves to higher academic levels by exciting their minds and by looking forward to new classes. These activities in science help students strive for excellence throughout their classes. Secondly, using equipment in class can help students with developing both physical and mental skills. For example: When tearing a triple beam balance, students are able t strengthen their eye coordination by noticing if the scale is set to zero. Thirdly, these activities can help students be more prepared for problems involving mixtures and pure substances in the future, even if the problem is small. For example: For breakfast one day you want to make a smoothie with water, but are worried that your smoothie powder will not make a homogeneous mixture, and instead will have lots of different properties! You could think back to experiments that were previously conducted and have the knowledge to identify whether the powder is soluble in the solute water. What if the powder has very large individual particles and appears to have a rough texture? This could make the powder difficult to attract itself to the water! All of this previous knowledge comes in handy. Lastly and most importantly, these skills that the students have developed can be applied to all different subjects throughout their academic career and follow through with them throughout their lives as well. To truly achieve academic excellence, one must be able make connections with previous knowledge to new knowledge. By having the ability to conduct experiments with scientific equipment, students are able to not only develop skills like problem solving and the ability to work as a team, but can take those skills and use them towards the future.

Students across the district should be very grateful for the opportunity to create a better academic future!

Ill blog soon!

Math And Science

Hello Everybody! I hope all is well! In Fe7B, I know for a fact that all is well because we have just started a new Unit in math! Patterning and Algebra. This great unit is a great challenge for the brain! Right now, we have been focusing on problem rules. For example: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. This rule is: Start at one. Add one number to each term every time. Also, we have been trying to find patterns within terms of patterns to find the next term in that one pattern. Here is an example of what class Fe7B has been exposed to:
99 x 11= 1089
99 x 22= 2178
99 x 33= 3267 - Find the next 6 terms in the pattern.

In these terms, we can see that the thousands digits are increasing by one each time. We can see that the hundreds digits are increasing by one each time as well. Also, the tens digits are decreasing by one each time. Finally, the one's digits are decreasing by one each time as well. We can now figure out the next six terms in the pattern.
99 x 44= 4 3 5 6
-1 -1 +1 +1
99 x 55= 5 4 4 5
-1 -1 +1 +1
99 x 66= 6 5 3 4
-1 -1 +1 +1
99 x 77= 7 6 2 3
-1 -1 +1 +1
99 x 88= 8 7 1 2
-1 -1 +1 +1

As for science, class FE7B has been continuing with our experiments. But,have now recently have reported how our hypothesis were related to our observations. Here is an example of two powders that Fe7B experimented with:
With the unaided eye Powder Number 1 appeared to be consisted of thick and large individual particles. The attraction between the particles was very strong due to the size. When mixed with water, the powder particles were able to attract each other much easier causing the attraction of the water to be minimal. This then caused the strongly attracted powder to clump and become heavier than the water, sinking to the bottom of the test tube. Also, a new form of matter was formed by the trapping of air particles with the liquid. The mixture had three properties causing itself to be heterogeneous.
With the unaided eye Powder Number 2 appeared to be consisted of small, thin and smooth individual particles. The attraction of particles was very weak due to the size. When mixed with water, particles held no attraction to each other and quickly became attracted to the water. This caused the powder to separate evenly throughout the mixture and dissolve after one minute of shaking. The mixture had only one property causing itself to be a solution or a homogeneous mixture.
I'll blog soon!

A Short Post

Hello.

This post may be short because I just got home a few minutes ago and I have to go out again soon, so I'm sorry in advance.
Anyways.
In Science we did the testing of our Hydraulic/Pneumatic Transport System Things yesterday. Overall, it went pretty well. No one in my class made anything that did the entire task, but there were many intelligent and interesting concepts. It was a bit chaotic, but we learned a lot. And now, we get to go back, take what we learned, and redo our systems to (hopefully) work better a second time. I think that by doing this, we learn a lot more than we would be just reading a textbook and taking some notes. We got to see exactly how to use Simple Machines and Hydraulic/Pneumatic Systems to move a load from point A to point B. We put the theories we learn from the textbook into use. If we didn't do that, they would just stay as words on a page to us, not an actual concept that works and moves in real life. In my past years, Science has just been textbooks, notes, and tests. Doing Science this way, getting actively involved, is much more engaging and challenging. I don't know how I could survive Science any other way now that we have done it like this.

And now I have to go so...
Until next Wednesday,
-K

Integers

Hello everyone
In Math we have started a new unit on Algebra and Integers. We have just been working on Integers so far. But what are integers you may be wondering? Well, an integer is simply just any positive or negative number. It can be a fraction, decimal, or whole number. Some other key terms we have learned are opposite integers and a zero pair. Opposite integers means that they are the same distance from zero on a number line. For example, -3 and +3. Opposite integers are also zero pairs because when added together they equal zero.
We have learned so far how to add and subtract integers.
To add integers with the same sign, you just add the numbers together and keep the same sign.
ex: (+4) + (+6)
=(+10)
To add integers with a different sign, you subtract the smaller value number from the larger one and then take the sign from the larger value number.
ex: (+5) + (-13)
=(-8)
To subtract integers, you switch the second integer from negative to positive or vice versa and then add the two together. Then, you follow the same addition rules as I stated above.
ex: (+3) - (-7)
=(+3) + (+7)
=(+10)

(+8) - (+2)
=(+8) + (-2)
=(+6)
So, that is what we are doing in Math. Have a good week!
Until next Wednesday,
-K

Hey Everybody! I hope all is well, especially since Winter has hit a breakthrough!! It is now turning dark at 5:30, NOT 4:30!!! Hopefully, I am not the only one celebrating. Now, back on topic, I will talk about our new units in both math and science! For math, firstly, we have started a new unit in fractions and decimals. Learning great skill sets, class Fe7B is able to add, subtract, multiply and divide not only decimals, but fractions as well. You may think dividing and multiplying decimals is hard but, the process is really quite simple. When multiplying decimals, the easiest way to find your product is by making your decimals whole numbers. For example: 3.4 x 7.8 can be 34 x 78. Afterwards, when you find your product, you have to divide it by 100 since you moved over the decimals by two place value spots. This is the final step. 34 x 78= 2652 divided by 100 = 26.52. When dividing decimals, the process is similar to long division with regular numbers. The one difference is that the divisor has to be a whole number and whatever you apply to the divisor, has to be applied to the dividend as well. For example: 12.9 divided by 3.9. In this division question 3.9 has to be a whole number by shifting the decimal over to the right. This means that the same applies to 12. 9. The new question is: 129 divided by 39. Here is a picture of the long division work:

As you can see, the answer is 3.307 which can be rounded to 3.31. The decimal is put after the place value spot of the 9 in 129. This is just like any other long division problem.

As for science, we have really gotten into experimentations involving substances and mixtures. In class, FE7B has started an activity involving experimentation. How will four solutes react with the solvent water? We first made hypotheses for all four powders. Then, we were able to start conducting our experiment. There needed to be a list of materials.

• water
• glass rod
• experimental powders
• graduated cylinders
• test tubes
• Florence flask
• funnel
• Safety glasses
• Test tube rack
• triple beam balance

Procedure: What steps will you take to make an experiment that will give you results that support your hypothesis?

1. Put on safety glasses or goggles. Tie back hair, consider safety before anything else.
2. Gather materials and equipment.
3. Put four test tubes into test tube rack.
4. Measure 20 mL of water using the graduated cylinder and put it into one of the test tubes. Repeat this procedure with the other 3 tubes.
5. Using the triple beam balance, measure 2 grams of each substance and place into each test tube
6. Place thumb over top of test tube and shake for 1 minute.
7. Make observations. Look for not dissolved solute at the bottom of the test tube. Look for particles suspended throughout the mixture and any other reactions between the solutes and the solvent.
8. Clean up and put away your materials and apparatus.
9. Draw conclusions

That is basically all that FE7B has covered so far. I'll blog next week!

Go Math!

Hey everyone!
In Math, we have been learning about fractions, decimals, and percents as I have mentioned in past my posts. But, how does all this come into play in our real lives? Well, it is actually very relevant, especially decimals and percents.

For example, let's say we're going shopping. We are at the CD store, and there are two CDs we are deciding between, let's say the David Cook CD and the David Archuleta CD. The DC CD is originally $25, but you get 15% off. The DA CD is originally $30, but you get 25% off. Which one is cheaper?
Well, it would look like the David Archuleta CD is cheaper, as you get 10% more off. But let's see how that turns out when you calculate it.
For the DC CD:
15% is equal to 0.15. So when you multiply $25 by 0.15 we should get what 15% of $25 is. That comes out to $3.75. Then we subtract $3.75 from $25 to get $21.25, our new price.
For the DA CD:
25% is equal to 0.25. So when you multiply $30 by 0.25 we should get what 25% of $30 is. That comes out to $7.50. Then we subtract $7.50 from $30 to get $22.50, our new price.
We just figured out that the DC CD is cheaper than the DA CD by $1.25.
So then what CD do we buy? The David Archuleta one, obviously! David Cook isn't even worth $21.25. ;-)

Percents and decimals also come in handy when calculating things such as tax on an item, how much tip to give you server at a restaurant, and many more. So, this was a very useful unit to learn, as it will definitely become relevant in our lives.

Until next Wednesday,
-K

Lots and Lots of Science in FE8B

Hey
So, we learned about our summative in Science. I was right, we are making a hydraulic system. What we have to do is transport 4 cans of toxic liquid from a factory onto the back of a truck. I know this sounds impossible, but we are actually just moving 4 film canisters of water from one side of a desk to a cardboard truck Mr. Foster made on the other side. However, we can't touch the canisters, we have to be well away from the "toxic" area, and just use controls to move the canisters. We can use either hydraulic systems (liquids) or pneumatic systems (gases). Yesterday, we did a workshop to give us an introduction on how these systems work.
First, what we had to do was take two 20mL syringes and attach them with 5 cm of plastic tubing. Then, we put the plunger on one syringe at 20mL (all the way open) and the other plunger all the way down. Then we pushed on the syringe that was open and observed what happened. The other plunger was pushed out to about the 19.5mL mark. I think the reason that the plunger wasn't pushed out exactly the same amount is because the air in the tube was compressed a bit before it exerted the force on the plunger, therefore taking up a lesser volume, but I'm not sure about that.
Next, we set one plunger at 20mL and the other completely in. We pushed as hard as we could on the plunger that was out, but then held the other in place so that it couldn't move. We could push the plunger in to the 5mL mark before the tube connecting the two syringes fell off. This is because the air compressed, but I guess it only could to a certain point and then found a way out of the container, as compressed fluids are always trying to do.
Then, we repeated the two experiments but had a 50cm piece of tubing connecting the syringes instead of 5cm. We had the same results for the first experiment. But, for the second we could press the plunger all the way in. I think this is because there were more particles and a certain amount of force, so there was less pressure than fewer particles and the same amount of force. However, this could have also been because we had different people pushing the plunger in and prevent the other from moving, so something may have varied with that. This could have skewed our results.
We then filled our system with water, and went back to using a 5cm tube. When we pushed on the one plunger, it moved the other plunger exactly the same distance. I guess this is because water is incompressible, so no force was lost compressing it. When we prevented the other plunger from moving, nothing happened; we couldn't push the plunger in. This is because water is incompressible, so we couldn't push the particles together.
The final thing we did was put one 20mL syringe at one end of the system, and a 10mL syringe at the other. We put the plunger in the 10mL syringe out all the way and pushed the 20mL syringe's plunger in all the way. When the system had air in it, the plunger on the 20mL syringe moved out a shorter distance. But, that was just an illusion because it actually moved the same volume of air we pushed in (10mL) but on the larger syringe, it didn't look like it because it was a shorter distance on the syringe scale. This was because the 20mL syringe was wider than the 10mL one. When we did the same thing except with water in the system, the results were the same.
So, that is what we have been doing in Science. I can't wait for our summative - I'm quite excited about it!
Until next Wednesday,
-K

Science and Math - FE8A

Hey everyone!


Science
This week in science we watched two Bill Nye movies covering Friction (the force of rubbing, often transferred into heat) and Simple Machines (covered in earlier posts). Both of these topics will applied in our in our summative. Our summative will be mostly on our fluids unit that is what we have been studying for the last few weeks. Like Katie said in her last blog it must be something dealing with hydraulics.
Math
Currently in math the class was taught how to add and subtract fractions. For adding and subtracting you need to find a common denominator and then proceed to adding/subtracting the fractions. To find a common denominator, you sometimes need to multiply both the numerator and denominator of the fraction you wish to change to make it the correct number. For example, 2/10 + 2/5. You need to multiply the top and the bottom of the second fraction to get the denominator of 2/5 to be 10. Once you've multiplied by the correct number to get the same denominator, you can go ahead and add the fractions. Ex. 2/10 + 2/5 -> 2/10 + (2/5)x2 -> 2/10 + 4/10 = 6/10


Until next time,

~Eric

Math And Science

Did I ever mention that blogging is really quite fun? Especially, when class FE7B has started new units in both math AND science! Well actually in math, we are almost finished our unit on Ratios and Rates already. Ratio: The comparison of two quantities. Rate: The comparison of two quantities with different units of measurement. Unit Rate: A rate with the second term being only one unit. For example 10km/h. We have been learning how to convert and compare all of these ratios and rates. Here is a problem that class FE7B could encounter in this unit.

Sheila ran 3km in 15 minutes. Stacy ran 4000m in 20 minutes. Stacy said that she ran faster than Sheila did. Is Stacy right?
The first step is to convert these rates into the same unit of measurement. IF we know 1000m = 1 km then we also know that 4000m= 4km.
The second step is to convert both rates into their simplest form. 3 divided by 3 equals 1, so 15 divided by three equals 5. What ever you do to one term, is applied to the other term as well. 4km divided by 4 equals 1 and 20 divided by 4 equals 5.
The rates are both 1km/5 minutes.
So, the answer is: No, Stacy is not right. Both Sheila and Stacy ran the same speed.

For science we have really gotten into the unit on pure substances and mixtures. Not only has class FE7B been learning very valuable note taking skills, but we have been connecting previous knowledge to newly learned information. Here are some key words that we have learned.
Heterogeneous- A mixture with two or more different sets of properties. Homogeneous- A mixture that's parts all have the same composition and properties. Pure Substance- Materials whose properties are not a blend, but are all the same. All of the particles are identical and the properties are effected by particles.
An example of a homogeneous mixture is kool aid mix with water
An example of a heterogeneous mixture is oil and vinegar
An example of a pure substance is gold.

That is basically all of what class FE7B has covered. I'll write next week!

Hi!

In Science we have been learning all about fluid pressure. Next Science class (which I think is tomorrow...) Mr. F will tell us about the summative assignment we are doing for this unit. So far we know that it has something to do with hydraulic systems and building something, so I'm guessing we are building a hydraulic system. Hydraulic systems are systems that use fluids under pressure to create movement. An example of one of these is a barber's chair. The air in the raising/lowering device is under pressure. When you press on the pedal, it opens up a hole at the top of the container the air is in. When a fluid is under pressure, the particles will all rush out quickly and with a lot of force if a hole is opened. So, that is what the air does. That force is applied to the chair, pushing it upwards. That's an example of a hydraulic system. I can't wait for our summative!

In Math have learned how to multiply fractions, and soon we will learn how to divide fractions and how to turn a fraction to a decimal and back again. I will keep you updated.

Until next Wednesday,
-K

A Math-Science Sandwich From FE8A

Mom song
The song above is very funny i think every one would like it.
Science
This week in science we learned about pressure in fluids. One thing that was a large topic during one class was the way in which your ear worked (if you are in grade 8 would would have seen a picture of my face on the smart-board) and what happens when you are sick. Also we talked a lot about the circulatory system which relies on pressure entirely. The reason is when the heart is beating it acts like a pump that draws in blood and after the heart has pumped enough blood the valve shuts and blocks off the blood flow. On the second beat that blood is pushed into the 2 large veins in your body, that branch off in to smaller veins and those veins into smaller ones. A cool fact: it takes 16 minutes for all the blood in your body to circulate your body once.

Math
This year we stared the unit: Fractions and Decimals. this unit so far consists of reducing fractions, adding, subtraction, mixed numbers, improper fractions and we have yet to start the decimals unit.

See you next time.
-Eric

My first blog in 2009!

Hey everybody!

Well, there has been only three days so far after the break and, let me tell you, we have already done so much! It's a bit of a contrast to over the holidays where I did next to nothing... But anyways here is what we have been learning in math and science.

We have only had one science class so far, but it was definitely an memorable one. To introduce our new part of the fluids unit, Mr. Foster did an experiment for us. He balanced a meter stick half on a desk and half off of it. On the side that was on the desk, he put three pieces of newspaper. He then said we had to make a prediction to what would happen if he got a metal bar and hit (hard!) down onto the side of the meter stick hanging off the desk. Our choices were:
a) nothing would happen
b) the meter stick would split the newspaper in half
c) the meter stick would break where the paper meets the wood
or d) the paper would be lifted up
I personally chose answer d) because I was thinking of the meter stick like a first class lever, in which case the load (the newspaper) would be lifted. I wasn't counting on Mr. Foster whacking the meter stick as hard as he did; I thought it would be a more smooth, slow movement.
But no, Mr. Foster hit the meter stick like it he wanted to kill it. Everyone in the class was so surprised at the huge "BANG" that was made. I think my heart skipped a beat I was so surprised!
So, what actually happened was c). The meter stick split in half where the paper had been sitting on it. And this was because of pressure (our new sub-unit). There was a ton of air particles in the room exerting a great amount of force on the large surface area of the newspaper so even though Mr. F whacked the meter stick with all his might, it was next to nothing compared to the air particles on the paper. So the force that Mr. F exerted on the meter stick went to where the paper met the wood, breaking it in half.
Overall, it was a very interesting experiment (as petrifying as it was at the time) and we learned a lot from it.

In math we started a new unit on fractions. Right now, our sub unit is on how to add and subtract fractions. We have learned about converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and back again, adding mixed numbers, adding improper fractions, and just adding normal fractions. I can't wait for the rest of the unit!

Until next Wednesday,
-K

2009 Blogging

Happy New Year! I hope everybody had a great vacation and are ready to work! Class FE7B has already started new units for both math and science! So far in math, we just recently were told that we will be starting a new unit about Ratios and Rates! A ratio is a comparison of two different numbers and are used in everyday problems and I'm sure this unit will help us all with simple mathematics skills.
Here is a problem that could occur involving ratios.
Francis decided to have a garage sale of all her old toys when she was younger. In total she had 12 dolls, 6 rubber balls, one yo-yo, and 1 set of paintbrushes. By the end of the garage sale Francis had only 3 dolls and 2 rubber balls. Francis wants to know how many items she sold.

We can use ratios to figure this problem out.

Francis had 20 items in total. She sold her yo-yo, her paintbrush set, 6 of her twelve dolls, and 3 of her 6 rubber balls. In total, she only has 9 items left of the 20. We can present this ratio as a part to whole. 9:20. In total, she sold 11 items with 9 items left over. We can present this ratio as a part to part. 9:11.
Ratios are fun and are used everyday! Class FE7B is very excited to see what we will learn in this unit!

As for science, we have only begun our unit on pure substances and mixtures so I will tell you readers next week about what we learned. Here is a safe website on pure mixtures and substances for anyone who wants to learn more about this unit. http://www.chem4kids.com

Have fun and I'll write next week!