Science: Rock Candy

 Hi there! 

Today I will be writing about how I made Rock Candy at home during lockdown. 

Aim: Make rock candy at home

Method: 

(Note: make sure you have a 3:1 ratio of sugar and water, I will be using 3 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water.)

1. Combine equal parts of sugar and water in a saucepan and heat.

2. Slowly add more and more sugar and mix until it doesn't dissolve any more. The water will start to look a little cloudy, this means no more sugar will dissolve. You can double or triple the recipe if you want, as long as a 3:1 ratio remains. At this point, you can also add flavouring or food colouring if you would like. Remove from heat and let cool.

3. Cut skewers to a desired size (which fits in the jar you will use), then dip them in water and then in sugar. Set them aside and allow to dry fully. 

4. Once the sugar-water mix has cooled down enough, pour it into jars (or whatever you are using). Once the sugar dipped sticks are dry place them in the jar. They must be fully dry, if they aren't, when you place them in the jar the sugar will dissolve. Also, make sure the skewers aren't touching the sides or bottom of the jar. 

5. Let it sit for a couple of days or as desired and you can eat the rock candy. Once you take them out, let them dry and enjoy!

Results:

Day of making:

Discussion:

When the water and sugar are heated together, it creates something called a 'supersaturated solution'. This means there are way more particles of dissolved sugar/solute than water/solvent is normally able to dissolve at a regular temperature. By stirring sugar in hot water, the sugar dissolves faster in the heated/fast-moving water molecules.

As the water cools down, the large amount of sugar particles remains in the supersaturated solution, meaning there's now more sugar than can actually stay in the liquid. This leftover sugar falls out of the solution as particles. They connect with other sugar particles and a rock candy crystal will start to grow. 

The sugar-dipped skewer is a key part in actually getting the crystals growing. The dried sugar acts as 'seed' crystals when you place it in the supersaturated solution. As all the sugar particles start to settle, they join together, forming crystals with other molecules of sugar. You can see this crystallisation happen on the sides and bottoms of the jar, and of course on the skewer. Until you take out the skewer, the molecules of sugar will continue to crystallise on the string and other crystals giving you rock candy.  

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed this experiment. Unfortunately, for me it didn't work on my first attempt so I tried again and it worked. However, crystals grew everywhere in the jars I used apart from the skewers which I found funny. Even if they didn't end up growing, I liked checking on the skewers everyday in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

Breaking News: Volcanic Eruption at Hornby High School!

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about a model volcano I made in Science over the past few days.  I tried to create a model version of a volcano in Hawai‘i, U.S.A. called Mauna Loa. This will be a mega blog post, featuring what should be 3 blog posts. This will be divided into three sections, here they are below: 

- Mauna Loa research

- Making the volcano

- Elephant toothpaste research

Mauna Loa research

Mauna Loa is located on the main island of Hawai‘i in U.S.A. It is the largest volcano in the world, it is classified as a 'shield' volcano because of its broad shape, similar to that of a shield. 

Mauna Loa is a special volcano, because it is the largest active volcano in the world. It has an elevation of 4,169m and is larger than all the other volcanoes on Hawai‘i combined. 'Mauna Loa' translates to 'long mountain'. The name fits the volcano brilliantly, since it extends 120km from the southern tip of the island to the eastern coastline. It is a certainty that it will erupt again. 

Mauna Loa last erupted in 1984, the eruption lasted from March 25-April 15. The volcano caused earthquakes up to a magnitude level of 6.6. The eruption started at 1:30am on 25.03.1984, luckily, a military satellite detected a strong infrared signal at the summit of the volcano. Minutes after this detection, residents reported seeing a large red glow at the top of Mauna Loa. Within a matter of days, the lava flow from Mauna Loa was 6km from Hilo city, the largest population on the Island of Hawai‘i. Luckily, it didn't reach the city, otherwise, it would have been catastrophic. 

Making the volcano

To (try) make a model of Mauna Loa, I used the following things:

- Newspaper (lots of it!)

- Cardboard box

- Glue mixture of flour, water and salt

- 750mL plastic bottle

- Paint

- Paintbrush

- Reference picture

Method: 

1. Print out a reference photo. After doing this, we were allowed to start building our volcano. I cut out a section from a cardboard box to make the base on which my bottle and volcano would sit. 

2. I made glue using flour, water and salt to stick my bottle to the centre of my cardboard. 

3. I gathered newspaper and started to rip it into smaller sections. Then, I scrunched them up into 'balls' and dipped them into my glue mixture and stuck them onto my cardboard. I made a ring around my bottle, and spread out from there. I started to pile up more scrunched newspaper, trying to make it narrower so my volcano actually looked like a volcano.

4. After a couple days of drying, I started to form my volcano a bit more. I did this by ripping up newspaper into strips, dipping them into the glue mixture and pressing them down on the scrunched up newspaper. I did this because I had to make a surface which would be easy to paint and look more realistic. I covered my volcano fully using the strips and let them dry. 

5. My final step of making the model of Mauna Loa was to do some painting. I used three colours: green, light green and white. I did do some mixing to create lighter versions of the green paints. Firstly, I painted the lower section of my volcano dark green, I started to fade it as it got closer to the halfway point since my reference photo of the volcano depicted it having an 'ombré effect'. Then I started to paint the upper section, using a mixture of white paint and light and dark green. I blended it with the dark green part and faded it as it got closer to the top for my next section. I made another green which was lighter than the previous for the last section of the volcano and used the same colours again. I painted the volcano using this colour until I reached the bottle. Lastly, I added white paint right around the bottle, and partially spread it down the sides of the volcano since I was feeling quite artistic at the time. 

Here is the end product of my volcano, before it erupted: 

Elephant Toothpaste 

Now that I had a volcano, it needed to erupt and look cool. I used elephant toothpaste to create my lava for my volcano. 

Aim: Make elephant toothpaste

Method: 

1. In a measuring cylinder, measure 30mL of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Pour it into a beaker. 

2. Put a couple drops of food colouring of your choice into the beaker with hydrogen peroxide. Also add a couple of squirts of dish soap. 

3. In the measuring cylinder, measure 30mL of water. Pour it into a SEPERATE beaker. 

4. Take two spatulas of potassium iodide and mix it with the water until fully dissolved.  

Results: 

Discussion:

As mentioned above, hydrogen peroxide is also known as H2O2, meaning it has two hydrogen (H) atoms inside it and two oxygen (H) atoms inside it, meaning its make-up would look like this: 

Hydrogen peroxide looks like normal water or H2O, but adding an extra oxygen atom onto it and turns into an oxidant. This hydrogen peroxide is extremely powerful and isn't sold to the general public because of this. 

The special ingredient in elephant toothpaste is the potassium iodide. It acts as a catalyst or something that speeds up a chemical reaction, in this case it was the hydrogen peroxide breaking down. When the hydrogen peroxide breaks down, it splits up into water and oxygen. The soap bubbles we see erupting from the volcano are filled with oxygen. When the bubbles start to appear, they also give off steam, meaning the elephants toothpaste has not only made bubbles, but an exothermic (heat) reaction too!

Conclusion:

I found this project so much fun! I had a blast getting to make my volcano and trying to make it look like Mauna Loa. My favourite part of making it was probably when I was painting it, I enjoyed mixing the colours to try make the most accurate colour match I could. 

I also enjoyed making the two separate solutions for the elephants toothpaste, I really enjoying doing experiments with chemicals in class and learning how certain ones will react with others. 

My favourite part of this project was seeing my volcano erupt. I felt really proud of myself for putting my work into it and it was really fulfilling seeing it finally erupt!

 I also enjoyed researching about Mauna Loa, it is a such an interesting volcano, which looks colossal. Knowing such a great volcano could erupt is shocking and makes everyday issues like not charging your phone or forgetting your lunch like specks of dust compared to what Mauna Loa could do. It basically brings you back to Earth in a sense. Overall, this project was fun beyond words and will always remember it!

Thanks for reading!

Science: Yr10 Project ideas

 Hi there!

Today I will be sharing what I am doing in Science as end of year projects. We are going to create two projects this term, I am going to create an exploding volcano and an Earth structure model.

I am going to create my volcano based off of Mauna Loa, a volcano in Hawai‘i, United States of America. I will need to create an accurate model of Mauna Loa, giving information about it. I will also need to create elephant toothpaste to create 'lava' flowing out of my volcano. I'll need to take pictures of my progress and give my method for how I made everything.

For my second project, I am going to create an Earth structure model. For it I am going to create the Earth, featuring all the layers and tectonic plates too. I will do a write-up of what I did to create my model, as well as some information about the Earth too. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: Solar & Lunar Eclipses

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about lunar eclipses and solar eclipses, something we have recently learnt in Science class.

Solar eclipse in Maba, Indonesia

A solar eclipse happens when light from the sun is blocked by the moon, preventing it from reaching earth. This creates pitch black darkness during the day, however it is only for a short period of time. The place where a solar eclipse happens will be completely dark. The last full solar eclipse happened on March 9, 2016. This eclipse was fully visible in parts of Indonesia and it was partially visible in Australia, south Asia, and east Asia. The next solar eclipse is supposed to happen on December 4 this year in Antarctica, while the next one in New Zealand is due to happen on 22 July, 2028. Below is a diagram of a solar eclipse:

 

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon is blocked by the earth and it disappears, as the sun's light cannot reach it, therefore, making the moon unable to reflect light. So, while it is night time and there is a lunar eclipse, the moon will temporarily disappear. The last lunar eclipse in New Zealand happened on 26 May, 2021. The next lunar eclipse in New Zealand is going to happen on 19 November, 2021, however it will not be a full eclipse, only partial. Below is a diagram of a lunar eclipse:

Thanks for reading!

Science: Volcano Research

 Hi there!

Kīlauea erupting on 26/10/2018

In Science class, we have started learning about Earth Science. Today I will be sharing my knowledge about Kīlauea, a Hawaiian volcano. 

Kīlauea is located on the largest island which makes up the islands, Hawai‘i. It is the southeastern most volcano on Hawai‘i. It is a shield volcano, it is called this because it looks like a broad volcano which looks similar to a shield. 

Kīlauea is special because it is home to Pele, the Hawiian volcano goddess. Chants and oral traditions tell of lots of angry eruptions of Pele after the arrival of the first European on the island, a missionary named Rev. From topography, it appears Kīlauea is only a bulge on Mauna Loa, so it was thought to be a neighbour and not actually a separate volcano. Research shows Kīlauea is a separate volcano which produces its own magma plumbing system, more than 60km below the surface. 

Not an image of the current eruption

Kīlauea is currently erupting, it started on the 29th of September 2021. There isn't any damage as the lava is still in the crater and only affecting one vent. However, this is good news for the scientists who research Kīlauea. The volcano summit colapsed in 2018, so it is the first time since the 2018 that lava has been seen at Kīlauea since then. 

Thanks for reading! 

Science: Hedgehog Research

Hi there!

Today I will be sharing my knowledge about hedgehogs. 

Hedgehogs or Erinaceus europaeus are animals that primarily live in forests. They are instantly recognisable due to their prickly spikes. They are mammals and are also carnivorous creatures, eating slugs and sometimes even rabbits. Their bodies can span 12.7cm to 30.5cm and their tails span 2.5cm to 5.1cm. They generally weigh around 400g to 1.1kg, according to National Geographic. They are nocturnal animals but don't spend a lot of time out at night. They will usually scavenge for food 2-3 hours after the sun sets, they do this again about 6 hours later. 

How do Hedgehogs show M.R.S.G.R.E.N.? 

Movement - Hedgehogs show movement because they can move from one place to another easily with their 4 legs. They also have claws that help them grip the ground.

Respiration - Hedgehogs do use respiration. They can turn the food they eat into energy. 

Sensitivity - Hedgehogs can sense changes to their environment, for example, they are able to sense when it is night or day and use this to decide when to go scavenging. 

Growth - Yes, hedgehogs do grow. They start very small, but as mentioned above they can grow up to 30cm or so. This doesn't just apply to their body, their spikes grow with age and their brains develop to help them have a better chance of survival.

Reproduction - Hedgehogs reproduce, they are considered endangered in Britain.

Excretion - Hedgehogs urinate and get rid of stool often. 

Nutrition - Hedgehogs eat other animals to live and grow.

Adaptations 

Prickly spikes - The spikes of a hedgehog help it repel predators. When a hedgehog becomes frightened, it will use its strong back muscles to curl up into a ball, keeping its underbelly tucked and safe while its spikes are poking out. 

Colour - The colours of a hedgehog's spikes and fur help it blend in with its environment, therefore making it difficult for predators to spot them. This also helps them to prey on animals too. 

Poison protection - Hedgehogs can make special saliva which makes them immune to certain things which are normally poisonous. They sometimes lick their spikes to spread the poison as a form to protect themselves from predator attacks.

Claws - The claws of hedgehogs are very strong, making them good for digging. 

Predator and Prey Relationships

Hedgehog and the Weasel - In this relationship, the hedgehog is the prey and the weasel is the predator. The weasel has adapted its technique over time and has become quite masterful over time. 

Hedgehog and the Slug - In this relationship, the hedgehog is the predator whereas the slug is the prey. Hedgehogs will use their pointy snout and great sense of smell to sniff out slugs to eat them. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: Animal and Plant Cells

 Hi there!

Today I will be sharing my knowledge between the difference of animal cells and plant cells. 

Here is an image of an animal cell:

Cytoplasm - Cytoplasm is a jelly-like material which surrounds all the cell parts inside of the cell membrane. Cytoplasm was considered to be a fluid-like substance. However, after recent research it is similar to glass-like liquids. 

Nucleus - The nucleus is a part of every cell. The nucleus is a 'storage unit' which holds the chromosomes, DNA and genes of the animal. 

Cell membrane - The cell membrane is a thin layer of protein and fat which protects and keeps all of the cell parts inside. It helps support the cell and give it integrity. 

Mitochondrion - Mitochondrion or mitochondria (plural) is a rod-shaped organelle. They are called the power house of the cell, because they play a crucial role in releasing energy. 

Here is a plant cell:

Cytoplasm - Cytoplasm does differ from an animal cell. As mentioned above, cytoplasm is a jelly-like material which fills a cell and protects and supports organelle in the cell.  

Nucleus - Every organism has a nucleus, plants aren't excluded from this! The nucleus stores chromosomes, DNA and other genetic material.

Cell membrane - The cell membrane is still a thin layer of fats and protein which encase the organelle of a cell. It makes sure everything in the cell doesn't leave and become damaged. 

(Cellulose) cell wall - The cell wall is the outmost part of a plant cell. It gives the cell structure, as opposed to an animal cell which doesn't have much integrity. It separates the exterior environment from the organelles in the interior of the cell.  

Mitochondrion - Look above for description. 

Permanent/large vacuole - The term 'vacuole' means 'empty space'. In a plant, a vacuole cell quite large, taking up to 80% of the cell up. The vacuole stores nutrients to feed the plant, it expands and shrinks regarding if it has enough water. We can see this in the form of a plant drooping and looking lifeless (vacuoles are shrinking) or a plant which looks full of life (vacuoles are expanded). The vacuole also help give structure to the cell. 

Chloroplast - Chloroplast is the organelle which makes green plants green. It is responsible for photosynthesis and are found in the leaves of a plant. 

Thanks for reading! 

Science: Genetic Disorders - why do they occur?

 Hi there!

Before lockdown, in Science class we were learning about Genetics and Evolution. Since we are now in lockdown, our learning is a little different. I decided I would make a post about genetic disorders. 

What is a genetic disorder?

A genetic disorder is a disease caused by mutation or change in a person's DNA sequence.

Why do genetic disorders occur? 

Genetic disorders don't just occur one way. You can actually inherit genetic disorders from your parents. Some don't show up right away when you're  born but instead appear when you are in adulthood. Most of the time, inherited genetic disorders show up when you are born. Some genetic disorders people inherit from their parents are: 

- Huntington's Disease 

- Cystic Fibrosis 

- Haemophilia

Some genetic disorders can occur because of errors in DNA replication, or environmental factors like: radiation exposure, cigarette smoke, some chemicals and ultra violet rays. These factors can cause changes in the sequence of DNA, the mutations can then lead to genetic disorders. 

A human's genome, or complete set of genetic instructions is like a recipe book. However, unlike a recipe book, our genome can change. The changes can affect the bases in DNA (adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine) or a chunk of DNA. Sometimes it can even affect chromosomes too.

Our DNA provides special codes to make protein or large molecules made from amino acids. These molecules are mostly responsible for controlling functions in our bodies. But, when a part of our DNA is changed, it can alter the protein code it makes too. This means the protein is affected and can sometimes stop functioning. 

Depending on where the mutations happen, they have little to no effect on the person, or they can greatly alter the makeup of cells in our body, leading to a genetic disorder.

Thanks for reading!

Science: The Ethics of Cloning

 Hi there! 

Today I will be writing about the ethics of cloning (as you can tell by the title). I will discuss how a clone is made, the ethics of cloning, and my opinions on some situations where cloning might be used. 

How do you make a clone?

To make a clone of any person, (let's use Leonardo da Vinci (L.d.V.) as an example) you would first need one of L.d.V.'s skin cells (all 46 chromosomes) and secondly, an egg cell (23 chromosomes) from a donor. Thirdly, the nuclei from both of the cells would need to be removed using a micropipette. Next, the nucleus of L.d.V.'s cell (with all 46 chromosomes) would be inserted into the donor egg cell, meaning the egg cell now has all the instructions to make Leonardo da Vinci. The egg is then surgically inserted into the same egg cell donor's womb. Finally, 9 months later a perfect genetic clone of Leonardo da Vinci is born. 

Ethics of Cloning

Ethics are behaviour's people have regarding right or wrong. Everyone has their own beliefs around ethics, take for example pineapple on pizza. Some people believe putting pineapple on pizza is wrong, whereas some people believe it's right. We could view this as an ethical dilemma. 

Personally, I think cloning is an ethical dilemma, some people think cloning is good, but when the thing being cloned is changed they might begin to think otherwise. This is also vice versa.

There are two sides to cloning, the positives such as being able to make copies of just about anything. But, there are also negatives, such as the reasoning behind a clone, for example, cloning strong, abled people for armies, knowing the people they clone don't have a say. 

Below, I'll put some cloning scenarios and my opinion on them. Just remember, people will all have different answers when it comes to cloning, no answer is right or wrong. Even scientists have been debating cloning for years!

Scenario 1: Cloning should be used to replicate extinct animals

I think that cloning shouldn't be used to replicate extinct animals. As much as it would be amazing to see Megalodons or Moa they wouldn't survive very long, as the environments they once lived in have completely changed. 

Scenario 2: Cloning should be used to staff armies

I think that cloning shouldn't be used to staff armies because it takes away the rights humans have. A person should not have the right to choose whether or not they join the army or any other defense force taken away from them automatically. 

Scenario 3: Cloning should be used to harvest organs for people who need them

I think that cloning shouldn't be used to harvest organs for people who need them. Like Scenario 2, people should be allowed to decide if they want to donate their organs. They shouldn't be 'bred' to give other people organs without consenting they'll do it first. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: Famous Scientist Research

 Hi there!

In Science, we were tasked with researching a famous scientist. After a long debate with myself, I have finally chosen to research about: Charles Darwin. 

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on 12 February, 1809. He died on 19 April 1882 in Kent, England.  

Darwin was famous for his book, 'On the Origins of Species' which he released in 1859. He gathered information to publish it after going travelling for 5 years across the world to different places. 

The book explained Darwin's ideas about evolution, however this caused a lot of controversy in the non-scientific community of the early 19th century. The evidence he gathered is seen as conflicting with some religious beliefs about creation of creatures on the world and the world itself. 

Darwin is also famous for studying the wildlife on the Galápagos Islands, a cluster of islands on the equator almost 1,000km west of Ecuador. While on the island, he noticed that the finches on the different islands were similar to each other, but not exactly alike. He noted that each bird had a variation in size, beak and claws. 

Darwin concluded that the islands were so distant from the mainland, that the finches which arrived previously to the islands had changed over time. Darwin ended up with almost 30 years of research and studied hundreds more plant and animal species. He made his theory of evolution by natural selection public in 1858. Nowadays, evolution by natural selection is the foundation of modern biology, accepted by scientists all across the world. 

Two random facts about Charles Darwin:

- He and Abraham Lincoln, former U.S. President were born on the same day.

- In Zimbabwe, there is a mountain named 'Mount Darwin', after him. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: DNA Extraction Experiment

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about an experiment I conducted in Science.

Aim: 

To find DNA from Kiwifruit

Method: 

1. Mush half a kiwifruit (discard skin) in a ziplock bag with a splash of water and a small teaspoon of salt. 

2. Strain the solution through a cloth into a beaker.

3. Add a squirt of dishwashing liquid and stir.

4. Pour into a test tube.

5. Place the test tube in a beaker filled with WARM water.

6. Leave for 10 mins.

7. Slowly pour 5mL of methylated spirits down the side of the test tube. 

Results:

Discussion: 

Here is a diagram explaining:

An adult human can contain 50 trillion to 100 trillion cells, all of them (apart from red blood cells) contain a nucleus. A nucleus can be thought of as 'the control centre' of a cell, since it contains special instructions which tell that cell how to function. 

These instructions are positioned on chromosomes. Humans have 46 chromosomes in every cell in their body, one half (23) coming from the mother and the other half (23) coming from the father. 

DNA structure

Chromosomes are made up of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecules. A section of DNA gives instruction for specific characteristics. Hair colour is a good example of a characteristic, otherwise known as a gene. The scientific way of describing what DNA looks like is a 'double helix' however an easier way to remember is a twisted ladder. 

DNA is made up of simple repeating units which are called nucleotides. A nucleotide is made up of a sugar, a phosphate and a base.  Here is an example:

There are four different nucleotide bases which are found in DNA:

- Adenine (A)

- Thymine (T)

- Cytosine (C) 

- Guanine (G)

Since they are made up of different chemicals, not all of them are compatible with each other. An easy way to remember what bases go together is: Curly letters go together as do straight letters. This means that A and T go together and G and C go together. (Note: C and C cannot go together, same applies to G and G)

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed this experiment. I found it quite fascinating that the kiwifruit mixture separated into two sections after adding the methylated spirits to the test tube. Next time, something I think would be interesting to look at is the kiwifruit DNA under a microscope to see all the formations.

Thanks for reading!

Science: Wind Racers

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing a blog about wind racers in Science as a part of our Forces and Motion unit. This will be a joint blog post with the other people in my group. 

Aim: To make the fastest or most creative wind racer

Method:

1. Research different types of wind racers and land yachts

2. Choose a design 

3. Choose materials for wind racer

4. Start making wind racer and make adjustments if necessary.

Results: 

Wind racer I designed

Discussion:

There were 4 forces acting on the wind racer. But before we talk about this we need to learn what a "force" is. A force is a push or pull movement that is measured in Newtons (N), after Sir Issac Newton. You may be wondering, how is force measured? Here is your answer! Forces are measured by using a newton meter, they also have a size and direction too. Here is a diagram of the four forces:

Forces come in pairs, support & gravity/weight the first pair. The second being push/thrust & friction.

Let's see this on another wooden block: 

Weight/gravity force:

- The block is exerting a force on the table in the downwards direction due to it's weight (gravity's effect on it's mass). Therefore, it's called the weight force. 

Support force:

- Since the block isn't moving, the table is also exerting a force which is equal to the force on the block in the upwards or opposite direction. This is called the support force  (or the reaction force). 

In this picture, imagine someone is pushing the block from the right. 

Push/thrust force:

- The person is exerting a force on the block towards the left. This force can be called a push/thrust force. 

Friction force:

- Friction between the block of wood and the table resists the push/thrust force. So, it is called the friction force. 

NOTE: the size of the arrows is used to show the relative size of the forces.

You can't see a force, but most of the time you can see the effect of it/what it does. Forces make stationary things move or speed up and make things already moving slow down, change their direction and their shape. 

Forces are normally put into two groups, contact forces and non-contact forces. 

Contact forces: 

- Occur when the object transmitting force is in contact with the object experiencing the force. (e.g. A screwdriver being used to open a tin of paint or a foot pushing down on the pedal of a bike.)

Non-contact forces:

- Gravity or magnetism, neither requires contact between objects experiencing force. (e.g. Moon travelling in orbit around Earth or Electromagnet picking up metal)

As mentioned above, there were four forces acting on the wind racer. The weight/gravity force kept the wind racer from floating up into the air, and the support force kept the wind racer from being crushed into the ground. Push/thrust from the leaf blower kept the wind racer moving and the friction force eventually slowed the wind racer, as there was no wind to catch on. 

Conclusion:

Yes, my wind racer worked, it travelled a total distance of 2-4 metres, something I definitely wasn't expecting to happen, as I started to second guess my design and all the things which could go wrong when we raced it. Next time, I would research more and make multiple designs. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: Nail Corrosion

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about the experiment I did in Science class as a part of what I am studying, Metallurgy. 

Aim: 

To investigate how different things make iron nails corrode. 

Method: 

1. Get a test tube rack and six test tubes. 

2. Place an iron nail wrapped in tinfoil in the first test tube. 

3. In the next, place a nail inside fill it up with water until it covers the nail, then place a layer of oil on top of the water.

4. In the third test tube, place the nail inside, then put a small spoonful of Calcium Chloride powder and place a bung (test tube plug) on top of the tube. 

5. In the fourth test tube, place water inside the tube, approximately enough to cover the nail once it is placed, next mix in a couple of spoonful's of salt and mix it until dissolved, then place the nail. 

6. In the fifth test tube, place a nail covered in nail polish inside. 

7. In the last test tube, place a nail inside and cover it fully with water. 

8. Leave it undisturbed for at least 3 days.

Results/Observations:

Here is a photo of my test tubes, right after I set them up:

Here are photos of the test tubes after leaving them alone for about 5-7 days:

Left to right: tinfoil, water+oil, calcium chloride + bung, salt water, nail polish, water 

Left to right: tinfoil, water+oil, calcium chloride + bung, salt water, nail polish, water 

Discussion:

In order for iron corrosion, or rusting to occur there must be two things present, water and oxygen. When either of these is removed, no rusting can happen. Iron doesn't need to be under water to rust because majority of the time there is some water in the air. There is also always a small amount oxygen that has been dissolved in water too. Salt speeds up rusting, that is why there is more rusting on iron in coastal areas of New Zealand, not inland. 

Luckily, rusting can be stopped, or at least slowed down. The most obvious answer is to keep water and oxygen away from each other, but then we would not be able to use iron. So, the following are used to protect iron from rusting over:

- Paint. Paint is used because it coats the iron, protecting it from moisture and oxygen.

- Zinc. Coating iron with zinc, or galvanising it prevents rusting too. The zinc forms an impenetrable surface cover of zinc oxide which resists rust. 

- Grease. Grease is a sticky, water-repelling substance that also stops oxygen from reaching iron. 

The nail wrapped in tinfoil showed little rusting. It still had rusting because there was moisture trapped inside as well as some air too. 

The nail which was cover with water and then a layer of oil had little rust on the nail, but lots of rust coloured speckles next to the layer where the water and oil met. 

The nail with the calcium chloride powder and bung on top didn't show any rusting. This happened because it had not access to water or oxygen. 

The nail with salt water had rust around the nail, as well as some rust floating at the top too. 

The nail with nail polish didn't show any signs of rust. This happened because it was coated, so the oxygen and water couldn't reach it. 

The nail in regular water showed the most signs of rust. It had lots of rust on the nail and lots of speckles of rust floating around in the water.

Conclusion: 

This experiment worked, I was able to see the effects of corrosion on iron nails with different substances. Next time, I would like to test more substances and they corrode iron nails to widen my knowledge. I really enjoyed this experiment, it was a change having to wait for the results, rather than knowing straight away. 

Thanks for reading!

Science: Oxygen

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about two experiments I did in Science where we tested for Oxygen. 

Experiment 1: Making a Metal Oxide 

Aim: To make a metal oxide and observe the difference in the properties of the product compared to the reactants.

Method: 

1. Light your Bunsen burner.

2. Hold a piece of magnesium in scissor tongs. Ensure you are holding onto the very tip of the magnesium. 

3. Place the other end of the magnesium into the Bunsen flame (at the top of the blue flame).

4. When the magnesium begins to burn, do not look directly at it, as the light emitted can permanently damage your eyes. 

Results:

Discussion:

Like most Science experiments, there is a chemical equation. For this experiment, the generic equation is:

Metal + Oxygen ---> Metal Oxide

So, for this experiment the chemical equation was: 

Magnesium + Oxygen ---> Magnesium Oxide

From this equation we learn that when a metal reacts with oxygen it produces a metal oxide. Also we learn that when a substance burns, the burning process is actually reaction with oxygen, So when you are burning something you're actually adding oxygen to it. 

Conclusion: 

The experiment worked, we successfully added oxygen to a metal and created a metal oxide. I would like to try this experiment with different metals and see if the results will be different. 

Experiment 2: Testing for the Presence of Oxygen

Aim: To carry out a test for the presence of oxygen gas (O2).

Method: 

1. Light your Bunsen burner.

2. Add manganese dioxide to the boiling tube and place it in your tube test rack.

3. Add 2mL of hydrogen peroxide.

4. Light a splint and let it burn for a while.

5. Blow the splint out and insert the glowing embers into the mouth of the boiling tube. 

Results: 

The hydrogen peroxide and manganese dioxide bubbled together, when the glowing splint was placed into the boiling tube it reignited. 

Discussion:

The chemical equation for this experiment was:

Metal + Hydrogen Peroxide ---> Oxygen

For the experiment I conducted, the chemical equation was:

Manganese Dioxide + Hydrogen Peroxide ---> Oxygen

The end outcome will still remain as oxygen. So, when we place a recently blown-out splint into a tube where oxygen is being produced the splint will reignite. The splint reignites because fire requires two "ingredients" to come alive, air and oxygen. Because of this the splint had the perfect environment and ignited again. 

Conclusion:

The experiment worked well, I really enjoyed it and I wouldn't do it any differently. 

Thanks for reading!