Class Response: Global and Local Winds

All winds are caused by the uneven heating of the earth's atmosphere, however there are more than one kinds of winds. There are global winds which include the doldrums, the horse latitudes, the trade winds, the polar easterlies, and the prevailing westerlies. Then, there are local winds. The doldrums are located at zero degrees latitude, or the equator. There is very little wind here and so it makes it difficult for the sailors to travel in these parts. In fact, many actually get stuck in the doldrums. Also, horse latitudes are where the sailors needed to heave their horses off of their boat because they weighed them down too heavily when they ran out of food. Moreover, the trade winds are good for sailors, they are steady with clear skies. Contrarily, prevailing westerlies are stronger winds, and the polar easterlies are cold and steady winds. Unlike local winds however, all of these winds blow in a certain direction. Although, they do not blow from north to south or east to west directly, they are slightly curved corresponding to the rotation of the earth on its axis. This is called the coreolis effect. This is what makes local winds different from global winds; the fact that they can blow in any direction as apposed to global wind which blow in specific directions.

Class Response: Kites

This month during science class we are learning about wind. What better way to strate how wind works than to experience it hands on with a kites experiment?And so, that is just what we did. After we had made our kites, we went outside and tried to fly them. Unfortunately, all our attempts were fruitless. At first, i just concluded that there was no wind that day and left it at that, however after learning more about wind I can understand why there was no wind. For instance, wind is caused by the uneven heating of the earth's atmosphere, and so that is why there is a lot of wind by the beach. In fact, since the water is so close to the land on the beach, a lot of sea breezes and land breezes are formed. That is because the water is not as hot as the land, so as the hot air over the land rises, the cool air over the sea comes in to replace the old air. This is an example of a sea breeze. Unfortunately for us, we were not at the beach where we can experience such a breeze, and at that time the air around us was equally heated so there was no need for the air to move about, therefor causing no wind.

30 years ago..(Social Studies)

Thirty years ago we didnt have computers and that made a big impact on our lives. We use the computer for many things today, in fact i am using a computer right now to complete an assignment where as thirty years ago it would have been done on paper. We also use computers for research and thirty years ago we would have had to go to the library. Computer's final purpose is entertainment, which really keeps us occupied when we have nothing to do. For example I can listen to music on a computer, or watch videos and share pictures on a computer. Thirty years ago people would have had to find other means of pastime. I'm sure glad someone invented the computer!

30 years ago..(Social Studies)

Current Events: Possible Cure For Diabetes?

There are so many people with diabetes, at least 170 million globally. This prodigious number is expected to double by the year 2030. Why can't anyone stop this epidemic? Thanks to researchers at a US company, maybe now we can. Human stem cells transformed into nearly normal insulin producing cells when implanted into mice. For their research, the researchers used embryonic stem cells, a very powerful kind of stem cell. Diabetes is so dangerous because in both type one and type two diabetes the body is unable to use insulin properly or produce enough to regulate glucose(sugar) in . One hope for this new stem cell discovery is to replace the insulin producing cells. This is a reasonable solution because diabetes destroys insulin producing cells in the pancreas area. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for diabetes, and to the hardships of its victims.

INFORMATION FROM: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23259462/

Class Response: Matter

Currently in science class we are learning about matter. Matter is anything that has mass and volume such as a box, this computer, and even air. Not everything is matter however. Things like electricity, and light are not considered matter. Since all matter has mass and volume, all matter also has density. The formula for density is mass/volume. Equilibrium is when matter has no force acting upon it, therefore it is still. If so, then the object is in a state of equilibrium. Also, there are four phases of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Plasma has the highest energy and solid has the least energy. Matter can also change phases. When matter changes from liquid to gas it is called evaporation. Not all liquids evaporate at the same temperature however, for example cooking oil at room temperature. In this case, molecules "do not tend to transfer energy to each other in a pattern sufficient to frequently give a molecule the 'escape velocity'" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporation
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/equilibrium

Current Events: New Animal Found! A Giant Rat!

When researchers went to Indonesia they found a giant rat and possum that are new to science. These animals were found in the Foja Mountains. This rat is said to be about five times the size of an average city rat! The new found possum however, is described as one of the worlds smallest marsupials. To find a new species in the twenty first century is a very rare and exciting ordeal. The part of the jungle that these animals were found in is said to be the "lost world" because so few humans have ever been there. It can be presumed that in that same stretch of the jungle, there are hundreds of new species to be found. "It is comforting to know that there is a place so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature." says Bruce Beehler, and I agree. To think that even with all of the powerful industries cutting down forests to make paper, wood, and space, it is nice to know that there is one unskathed area of land that remains untouched. http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/17/giant.rat.ap/index.html