LEVERS from SIMPLE MACHINES

Trebuchets, or catapults were used in Middle Ages to breakdown castles and great big walls of fortresses.  Often times winning the big battles of enemies, these leverage machines were created in a style of  either counter weighted or counterpoised.  Before gunpowder became popular, trebuchets were the powerful tools to be wreckoned with! (get it?? wreck the castle?? Purposeful misspelling..ha-ha).  Flinging an object that can weight up to 350 lbs. is bound to do much damage.  Taking over fortresses and defeating the enemy was the name of the game back then.
You may be thinking..."What does this have to do with Science?"  Well, simple machines were used for so many advances of human kind that we just couldn't skip the infamous lever.  Naming some simple levers in our homes, we see that objects like tweezers, bottle openers, tab on a can of soda, some doorknobs (our storm door) have made our lives much more efficient and less stressful. (unless you accidentally pop the finger ring of a soda can off; been there! done that!)
Here are some pictures of Austin making a homemade counter weighted trebuchet out of balsa wood, wood glue, matchbox, rubber band, and round pencil.  He found that the counter weights needed to be increased (double to triple amounts) to get better propulsion of his object across the room.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Today we learned the fascinating journey of what particles of food (aka :bolus) take down the human body.  Did you know that the small intestines, as skinny as they are, are also 23 feet long??  Did you know that the large intestines are 5 feet long and have very powerful muscles?? 
We did home experiments that tested what our gastric acids do to created chemical breakdowns, with toilet bowl cleaner, Tums, red cabbage water, and gloves.  Really cool color changing events took place in front of us.  Here's a video from Bill Nye about digestion:

CARBON DIOXIDE & ENERGY!

Energy & Combustion!  

Experiments with carbon dioxide needed to create energy included breath blowing our hot breath on mirrors to see the carbon dioxide from our bodies, providing a chemical reaction of vinegar and baking soda in a container to allow the energy flow into a balloon and blow it up on it's own!  Then finally, combining carbon dioxide to infiltrate purified, boiled  red cabbage water into a new shade of color. Enjoy the pictures :)

New You Tube Videos ...Geology (3 parts)

I posted a new video series link on the bottom of the blog.
Check it out and let me know if you can't view it, I'll send you the link directly if you can't.

Field trip???

Hey Guys! I just got information about this possible field trip:
Special Events for the Opposition of Mars
On March 3, 2012, the planet Mars will be in opposition. When this occurs, the Earth and Mars are unusually close to each other, so our view of Mars improves. The BSU Observatory is hosting four special events to view Mars in the week leading up to the opposition:

•Monday, February 27th at 6:30 pm
•Wednesday, February 29th at 6:30 pm
•Friday, March 2 at 6:30 pm. Please also join us before the viewing on this date for indoor, family-friendly astronomy activities and snacks.
•Saturday, March 3 at 6:30 pm. (If Friday does not run due to clouds, the activities will be moved to this date).

Let me know what you think.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology- Cambride MA

IMG_1620, a photo by ersirois on Flickr.

Geology Study

Today, my 3 students began the study of geology. Our science experiments needed much time overlap today, so we videotaped the ongoing process of the experiment. Keep posted to find out what happens to the mineral,alum powder when we let it settle in water. Look for the video link in a few days.