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Scientific Method
Notes from Janice’s Desk I read a review about author Rebecca Stead and it brought back memories of a public speaking seminar I attended. The review as well as the seminar pointed out that the newspaper is a great place to find topics for novels and/or speaches. Other similaritie of the two are: Prepare yourself […]
Slaves to the Clock
Notes from Janice’s Desk I wake during the night to go to the bathroom (I drink lots of liquids). Generally I go back to sleep, but today the clock said 5:30 am. I decided to stay up even though I felt a bit sleepy. This decision cranked up my brain and as usual it started […]
Archeology
Notes from Janice’s Desk Archeology is the study of human culture by analyzing stuff that people left behind. Junk from garbage dumps of the past are treasured artifacts today. From these finding, scientists piece together how they think the people lived, worked, and played. I wonder what archaeologists in the far future will find in […]
II. Pressure: Density
Notes from Janice’s Desk Writing about air pressure reminds me of bumper cars at an amusement part in Germany. It was one those traveling groups who had set up their rides in a field. There were no rules, and American soldiers from a nearby Army base were demonstrating how not to drive the cars. Check […]
Ratios
A ratio is the relationship between two amounts. A ratio can be expressed as a fraction. What comes to mind is icing cupcakes. If I use one cup of vanilla cake icing to ice 4 cupcakes, and one cup of chocolate icing to ice 2 cup cakes, which cup cakes have more icing on them, […]
Inertia
What is the difference between these science terms: inertia, mass, weight? Inertia measures how difficult it is to move an object. Mass measures how much material is in an object. Weight measures the force of gravity acting on an object. Often times referred to how heavy an object is. Problem: Compare Freddie (a small stuffed toy) […]
Sparklers
We in the United States are making preparations for a July 4th celebration. This always brings thoughts of family picnics followed by firework displays. In some areas fireworks are not allowed except by professionals who prepare brilliant, colorful displays. While in other places, even small children are allowed to participate in this pyrotechnic event. If […]
Mnemonics
The human brain can more easily remember meaningful information. This explains why kids can sing every word of a song they like but have a difficult time learning information for a math or science test. But then there are lots of things we might be interested in and cannot seem to have instant recall on […]
Density
You can easily describe and/or calculate the density of substances if you understand that density is nothing more than a ratio comparing two quantities. The things being counted may vary but all densities are ratios that compare the quantity of a substance in a specific volume (or area). Densities can be demonstrated using paperclips and […]