mini project 3: ice cream!

PHOTOCREDIT: Theresa Anselmo

today, we finally got to make ice cream! it was pretty tasty, but it tasted a little salty. here's how to make it:

1. get a plastic ziploc bag and fill it with 1 cup of milk.
2. add 2 spoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the milk.
3. zip the bag, leaving as less air as possible in there.
4. put the ziploc bag in a bigger ziploc bag.
5. add 2 spoons of salt and about 1 1/2 cup of ice in the larger ziploc bag.
6. close the larger bag and start to toss it around.
7. EAT!

Science:
the milk mixture can freeze to be ice cream because it get chilled cold enough. the salt plays a big role. it makes the ice melt faster by lowering the freezing point. salt makes the ice melt. when the ice melts, it will be salt water, and salt water has a lower freezing point then normal water.
"the ice melts until the temperature of the water reaches the freezing temperature of salt water at that particular concentration. " -WikiAnswers

CA Standard 7C

7C:Students know energy is released when a material condenses or freezes and is absorbed when a material evaporates or melts.

When something condenses or freezes, energy is released. A substance is really cold because the energy, such as heat was released. An example would be from liquid water to ice. When you put the liquid in a really cold environment like the freezer, the energy is released because:

1. the molecules get closer together.
2. the molecules move slower.
   

Liquid Water

















Ice(solid)


















Steam (gas)


















When something evaporates or melts, energy is absorbed. An example is from water to steam. On a really really hot day, if you pour some water on the hot concrete, the water will turn into steam (aka water vapor) because the water will absorb the heat from the hot concrete. When energy is absorbed:

1. the molecules in the substance get farther apart.
2. the molecules move faster.

So when energy is released the substance is cooler, and when energy is absorbed, the substance is warmer.
To remember this stuff, think about a group of friends. When they don't move that much, they get cold and huddle close together to share their body heat (released). When they do move a lot, they get hot and they would want to get further apart from each other (absorbed).

The video below shows how hot water can turn to water vapor in a cool environment.

review for final

this week we got back pages of the review packet to review for the final.
we also watched videos.
we did mini projects this week too.
one was with the water, oil, and food coloring.
it was really pretty.
the food coloring flowed down and created beautiful colors.
yesturday, mr. olson put mentos in diet coke.
the coke squirtted really high up and it was a mess, which is why it was done outside.

mini project 2: play-doh

PHOTOCREDIT: Theresa Anselmo

i made this play-doh kinda thing last friday. it was really interesting how some flour, salt, water, oil, and heat could combine and form such a fun substance. the food coloring is optional, but it does make it whole lot better! to make this, you:

1. put 1 cup of water, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 1 tablespoon, and some food coloring (optional) of oil in a bowl.
   
2. stir the ingredients over a low heat.
3. watch and stir about 5 minutes, so the liquid will thicken and turn into dough.
   
4. leave it in the bowl until it is cool enough to touch.
5. put it in a plastic bag to keep the dough from drying.
6. HAVE FUN!
   

Science
when you leave play-doh out outside overnight, it dries because the water in the dough evaporates. the water is responsible for the play-doh's pliability. making play-doh is also a reaction. it goes from liquidy to stretchy with the help of heat!

Mills Creek Canyon Trail Trip

on april 29, i went to mills creek canyon. i have to say that that was not the best trip i've been to. i walked like a bajillion miles in the slippery, muddy, and rocky trail. it was very tiring. i also slipped in the mud and almost fell if it wasn't for elly flan. the view was the only part that was enjoyable. if you want to go on this trail, follow my map below:

View Mills Creek Canyon Trail in a larger map
though the trip was not as fun as i thought it'll be, it was good excercise!

mini project: bending glass

PHOTO CREDIT: THERESA ANSELMO

i bent glass today! as u can see in the picture, it was a little bend around the end. the steps to bending glass are:

1. REMEMBER TO WEAR GOGGLES!
   
2. use a nail file to cut the glass.
3. when you create a sort of deep white line, face that side down and snap it with your nails.
4. hold the glass with the crucible tongs and hold it above the flame.
5. use another pair of crucible tongs to start shaping it when it gets hot enough.
6. the glass is going to be very hot, so set it aside for a while before touching it.
   

Science
glass at STP (standard temperature and pressure) is actually a liquid. therefore it is bendable and flexible. different glasses have different boiling points."Pure silica (SiO₂) has a "glass melting point"— at a viscosity of 10 Pa·s (100 P)— of over 2300 °C (4200 °F)"-Wikipedia.
when bending glass, you have to bend it slowly because glass is easy to break; it's brittle.

bending glass

this week, we bent glass.
i didn't do it but i watched people do it.
they used a nail file to cut the glass.
then they put it in the fire and bent it.
it was cool, besides when the glass broke.
the IProposeWe blog post was due this wednesday.
we now have to do some mini projects, which i don't get.
yesturday i tried to make a balloon with a tooth pick through it, but i failed :(