SCALE!! Have you ever wondered how many times smaller a cell is compared to a human being, or how much larger a redwood tree is compared to a building or even how far away our next closest star is (other than the sun that is)? These are tough objects to measure and compare without some means of making sense of either how small or large the units of measure are. Typically we can measure the size of an object directly. You can measure the height of a redwood and even the width of a cell (using a microscope). But how do we go about measuring the distance to objects whose light takes days, weeks and even months to reach us? In this case, scientists need to make comparisons and measurements using a scale. A scale makes large numbers and small numbers make more sense since they are compared to objects or situations we encounter in our day-to-day lives. For instance a typical redwood tree is about 60-70 times taller than an average adult human being. To imagine this, think of 65 adults standing on each others head, puts it into perspective a bit, right? So, scientists use similar schemes when they attempt to explain distances to far distant stars or sizes of particles smaller than even atoms. For this homework assignment I would like for you all to investigate scale using a few websites which will help you understand the sizes and distances we will talk about with space science (and other topics too). You will see a website for each part, check out the website and answer the questions which accompany the website. Good luck and have fun!

Let’s start with our solar system, check out this site http://www.scalesolarsystem.66ghz.com/#sun

1) About how many times more massive is the sun compared to Earth?

2) What can you tell me about the diameter of the Earth compared to Venus?

3) What can you tell me about the diameter of Earth compared to Jupiter?

4) What happens to the orbital velocity (speed) of each planet as you move farther and farther away from the sun? Why do you think this happens?

5) How far is Mars from Earth? Show how you figured this out.

6) How far is Neptune from Earth? Show how you figured this out.

Alright, on to our next exploration, this one is really cool. Check out this website http://htwins.net/scale2/ read the page the comes up and then click start to begin your exploration. Once the page loads up you will see a human being’s outline, a giant earthworm, dodo bird, etc... and near the bottom right-hand corner you will see a 100.0 . We will call the box surrounding all the objects your “field of vision”.

1) Name all of the objects you can clearly make out in your current field of vision.

2) What is the largest object within your current field of vision, what is the smallest?

3) Zoom in to 10-0.5 , what are the objects you can clearly see now? Name them all and tell me which one is the largest and which is the smallest.

4) When you zoom in to 10-0.5 you are looking at objects which are smaller than the objects you previously looked at. Your field of vision is about ⅓ the size it was before. If you were to zoom in to 10-1 what objects would you be able to see more clearly in your new field of vision? How much smaller do you think this new field of vision is compared to your first one (where you saw the human outline)?

5) Now zoom in to 10-3.5 , you are looking at a field of vision which is 3/10,000 the size of the first on (with the human). What objects do you see within your field of vision now?

6) Zoom in as much as you want and pick TWO smaller objects within different field of visions, name the object and tell us what the value for the field of vision is (i.e. 10-0.5 ).

7) Now let’s rock the other direction, towards objects which are larger than 100.0 . Let’s start back at 100.0 once we are there move to 100.6 (notice that the negative sign is gone!). Your field of vision is now about 4 times larger than it was before!! What objects are in your field of vision? Name them all.

8) Now zoom in to 101.4 , you are looking at a field of vision which is about 25 times larger than the 100.0 field of vision. What objects do you see now? Which is the largest and which is the smallest?

9) Now take a guess. If you were to zoom in to 103.9 what do you think you would see?

10) Zoom in to 103.9 and tell us what you see. Your field of vision is about 8,000 times larger now!!!

11) Now, zoom into 107.0 and tell us what you see. What is the largest object and what is the smallest object you can clearly see?

12) Finally, find a gigameter (you will see it if you keep zooming out). What is the value for your field of vision now? About how many times larger do you think your field of vision is now?

13) Sorry, one more, what was your favorite part of exploring this interactive website, what was the coolest thing you learned?

The magnetic compass is a pretty amazing invention when you stop and think about it. Obviously they have been put somewhat out of the limelight due to the invention and popularity of Global Positioning Systems (GPS). But if the batteries die, or the satellites fry, your handy, dandy compass will remain true... that is magnetic! But how does this humble tool work? Your job with this blog is to investigate some of the interesting facts surrounding the magnetic compass (by answering the questions found below the links). I have provided this list of websites for you to use (but you can use other if you wish):

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hiking/compass.htm

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/faqgeom.shtml

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/magnetic/timeline.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/magnetic-impact-on-animals.html

http://www.rmg.co.uk/explore/sea-and-ships/facts/ships-and-seafarers/the-magnetic-compass

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/science-channel/29775-what-the-ancients-knew-chinese-magnetic-compass-video.htm


Investigation Questions (these are meant to be answered in complete sentences and written in a way that another student could LEARN from your answers):

1) Investigate the history of the compass, and tell us in a few sentences who is credited with the invention of the compass, how they made the compass, what is was made from and what the compass was first used for.

2) Investigate how the Earth’s magnetic poles are involved in how a magnetic compass works. In a few sentences, describe how a magnetic compass works using what you have learned about our Earth’s magnetic poles.

3) Investigate the use of compasses on ships at sea. Describe what methods people use on land and on ocean to find their way WITHOUT a compass. Explain why compasses were/are used instead of these other methods.

4) Investigate what “reverse polarity” is. Explain to us how the Earth can have a “reverse polarity”. What would happen to compasses? What would happen to living creatures? Make sure to EXPLAIN why.

5) Finally, what was the most interesting thing you learned from your investigations? Explain why.

You have had some time now to investigate the mass and volume of various materials (both solids and liquids), and now you have come to the crossroads where these two measurements meet... density! Maybe you have heard of the word, maybe you have not. You might even know what it means to be less dense or more dense, I would like to find out what you really know! Answer the following questions to the best of your ability, please use COMPLETE SENTENCES and your blog rubric.

 

1) What is mass?

 

2) What is volume?

 

3) Let's say you have an oddly shaped chunk of copper (in the shape of a star), how would you measure it's mass? How about it's volume?

 

4) If you cut the copper star in half, what would happen to the it's mass and volume?

 

5) What do you think would happen to the copper star's density if you cut it in half? Explain.

 

6) If your friend gave you a coin and he said that it was pure gold, how would you test his claim? In other words, how would you prove it is pure gold or not? Explain your process.

 

7) Is it easier to float on salt water or fresh water? Explain your answer.

 

8) Imagine this: Your bedroom is on the second floor of your house and it always seems to be extremely hot during the summer. The downstairs living room is always nice and cool, and you DO NOT even have air conditioning. Explain why your bedroom is always so hot.

 

9) Finally, look up any three of the following materials and find their densities. Include the name of the material, the density of the material (don't forget your units of measure) and the website where you found the information. Here is the list you can choose from:

Aluminum
Water
Gold
Copper
Iron
Diamond
Rubbing alcohol
Olive Oil

Good luck and take your time with the blog, it is a tough one!

Mr. Stark

The metric system is all around us and as you have all learned, everything is made of matter and therefore everything has mass. That includes solids, liquids and gases! For this week’s blog you will be working on a little scavenger hunt (much like our first scavenger hunt blog HW#4) and a little bit of metric conversions (practice makes perfect!). Follow the directions below:

Directions: For each of the following questions (there are 5), complete the following:
a) Find the answer using the internet, a book or any other resource
b) Give the specific location you found the information (for example, website, book title, etc...)
c) Complete the conversion for the answer you found

1) What is the mass of a full grown Blue Whale in kilograms? Convert that number to grams.

2) What is the mass of a Bumblebee Bat? Convert that number to kilograms.

3) What is the mass of a full grown Giant Sequoia tree in Kilograms (you might find this in tonnes, and one tonne is equal to 1,000 kilograms)? Convert this number into decigrams.

4) Find any object that has a mass greater than 1,000 Kg. What is the object and what is it’s mass in kg? Convert this number into milligrams.

5) Find any object that has a mass less than 5 g. What is the object and what is it’s mass in g? Convert this number into kilograms.

Directions: Answer the following questions (there are three) using the information you discovered above.

1) What is the difference in mass between a full grown Blue Whale and a Bumblebee Bat in grams.

2) Which is more massive (has more mass) a full grown Blue Whale or a Giant Sequoia?

3) What is the difference in mass between the object you found in question #4 and the object you found in question #5 in centigrams?

Part C- Figure out the answer to these two problems using metric units

 

1)      The power at Kassie’s house went out last night during the storm. While the power was out the temperature in the house went up 1.3 degrees Celsius each hour. The temperature was 26 degrees Celsius when the power went out. The power came back on four hours later. What was the temperature in the room when the power came back on? (Round to the nearest degree) 

 

2)      It must be hereditary, Devon decided. I am going to be tall, maybe even 2.3 meters tall. Since that doesn't sound too tall, he decided to tell people his height in decimeters. That would sound better. What is Devon's height in decimeters?

 

3)      Anthony has a pet spider and a pet guinea pig. The spider is 10 mm long and the guinea pig is 35 cm long. How much longer is the guinea pig than the spider (in mm)?

 

You have all done a fantastic job with our first big lab of the year, the missing tools of the scientist, now it is time we start talking about some of the units of measure used when we measure length. Follow all the directions below and try your best with this length scavenger hunt!

 

Directions: Below is a list of different metric measurements; your job is to find any object that fits that measurement. I would suggest that you write down all of the different measurements you need to find and then head out with your METRIC ruler to hunt down the objects. For Example, for 14 centimeters (cm) I would search around and measure different objects. I might find that my pen is 14 cm long; therefore I would write “the length of a Bic blue ink pen is 14cm” in the space provided. You can only use each object once!

Remember: cm = centimeters m = meters mm = millimeters 

 

1. 14 cm  

2. 1.5 m      

3. 25 mm   

4. 80 cm   

5. 1000 mm 

6. 100 cm   

7. 1 m    

8. 30 cm   

9. 2 mm   

10. 25 cm   

 

Questions: Pick the correct answer and write the word on the blog

 

11. If I wanted to measure the length of a football, what metric unit would be best?

meters

centimeters 

millimeters

 

12. If I wanted to measure the width of my fingernail, what metric unit would be best?

 meters

centimeters 

millimeters

 

 

13. If I wanted to measure the height of a water bottle, what metric unit would be best?

 meters

centimeters 

millimeters

 

 

14. If I wanted to measure the distance from the Mr. Stark’s room to the lunch room, what metric unit would
      be best?

meters

centimeters 

millimeters

 

15. If I wanted to measure the distance from our school to Boston, what metric unit would be the best?

Kilometers

Meters

Centimeters

Millimeters

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the metric system! We will be using the metric system throughout the entire school year and I am sure you will all be using the system for the rest of your lives. Let's jump right into the metric system with a scavenger hunt of sorts. You are going to be using metric measurements such as these:

• Length = Meters
• Mass = Grams
• Volume = Liters

You will find 9 metric challenges below and your goal is to find the answer to each of these challenges using your metric skills and an internet connection... lets begin! Please make sure to label each answer with the appropriate number and don't forget your units of measure (for example "200 meters"). Also, for each challenge, please include the exact website you used to find the information (remember "google" is not the website, nor is "bing"). It should look something like this:

1) 1,899,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Kg - http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2002/DavidEngel.shtml

By the way, that is the mass of Jupiter!!

Here are your scavenger hunt challenges:

1- Find the length of a soccer field in meters.

2- Find the length of a Boeing 787 airplane in meters.

3- Find out how many seconds it takes for a rain drop to fall from a cloud to Earth's surface.

4- How many seconds can a person hold their breath underwater?

5- What is the volume, in milliliters (mL), of a gallon of milk?

6- What is the volume of Lake Michigan in cubic Kilometers (Km3)?

7- What is the mass of a White Rhinoceros in Kilograms (Kg)?

8- What is the mass of a Liter (L) of Water in grams (g)?

9- Find an interesting metric measurement you would like to share with us.

Good luck and have fun with this assignment (if you find any cool links or videos please share them with the class!) Find an interesting metric measurement you would like to share with us.

Mr. Stark

Welcome back! You all did a fantastic job last week completing your homework and I think that we all learned what is expected of you for these blogs (if you have any questions about the requirements, check out the blog rubric posted under the “documents” icon). For this week, you will be continuing your basic science skills by working on basic research skills. You will be using the websites discovered by your classmates during the previous blog (HW#2). Follow the directions listed below and please make sure to label everything clearly. Good luck!

 

1)      Please pick any site from the list of 20 sites found on the “6^th grade Links” page. You can look through as many as you like before choosing one that interests you, or you can pick your favorite number between 1 and 20 and just go with it.

A)    What number site did you pick?

B)     What is the exact webpage for this site (copy it directly from the address bar and paste it into the blog)?

C)    What is the name of the website the article is found on?

D)    What is the title of your article?

E)     Who is/are the author(s) of your article?

F)     When was the article written?

 

 

2)      Now we need you to read through the entire article and answer these questions.

A)    What is the main idea of the article?

B)     What are two things you enjoyed about the article?

C)    What type of science does the article involve?

 

3)      Finally, follow these directions to complete the assignment. Find a second article that discusses the topic you have chosen (i.e. if your article was about a new type of fish that glows, you would look up a second article that is about the exact same fish).

A)    What is the exact webpage for your article?

B)     What is the title of your article?

C)    Who is the author?

D)    When was it written?

Welcome to your first blog for Mr. Stark's science class for the new school year! Make sure to use your blogging rubric to ensure that you have made no mistakes and you have included all the required details to get full credit.

For this blog you will be completing two tasks; one is telling us a little about yourself and the other is finding an interesting science article on the internet (please read through it to make sure it is school appropriate). Follow the simple steps below and good luck!

 

1) Put your first and last name (spelled correctly) in the proper location on the blog, it should be a box that says "name"

2) Use a working email (your own, a parents or the one provided you) in the space labeled "email". Your email WILL NOT be displayed on the website

 

3) In the body of the blog tell us these three things (please label them clearly on the blog as 3a, 3b and 3c):

     a) If you were stuck on an island in the tropics (bummer right?) and literally had only the clothes on your back
        and an endless supply of fresh water, what three things would you want with you and WHY?

     b)What season is your favorite and WHY?

     c) What are your first impressions about the start of the school year?

 

4) Lastly, your final goal is to do a little research. You need to scour the web to find a current event having to do with science that you find interesting. It can be a news article, a publication, online magazine etc... just follow the steps below once again labeling everything clearly (i.e. 4a, 4b, 4c etc...).

 

    a) What is the website of your article?

    b) What type of science does your article discuss?

    c) Why did you find this article interesting? (you must find at least one thing)

 

Thanks!

 

MR. S