A Sinking Feeling

This week in O block we are going to take a look at some properties of water. The illustrations for this blog will be student made.


Water is a polar molecule; made of 2 hydrodgen atoms and 1 oxygen atom.


The oxygen atom shares electrons with the hydrogen atoms - forming a covalent bond.
Each covalent bond has two electrons in it. This bonding is not even between the oxygen and hydrogens; the oxygen has the electrons more often than the hydrogens. This makes the oxygen have a negative charge and the hydrogens a positive charge. Water is a polar molecule.


Because it is polar, water can do some very strange things. Today, our experiments are going to be on the idea of ice floating and surface tension.

Wednesday 0 block
Question 1 Why does ice float in water?
Question 2 Does ice always float?
Question 3 What does it matter to aquatic organisms if ice floats?


Question 1 Why do paperclips float? Because the surface tension pulls together and supports the paper clip.
Question 2 What happens to the ability of water to have surface tension when substances are
dissolved in it? The tension decreased.
Question 3 Why is surface tension important to aquatic organisms? So they don't fall into the water and get eaten.

Hypothesis: If different substances are put in water, then surface tension of water will decrease.

Control: water added

IV: Salt, vinegar, and soap

DV: If paperclips floated or sank.

Conclusion: Surface tension decreases when stuff is added to water.

Thursday 0 block
Question 1 Why do paperclips float? Surface tension supports the paperclip.
Question 2 What happens to the ability of water to have surface tension when substances are
dissolved in it? Surface tension weakens and the paperclip sinks.
Question 3 What does it matter to aquatic organisms if they can stay on the surface of water? They can stay up on top and stay away from predators.

Hypothesis: If soap is added to the water, then paperclips will sink.

IV: Soap

DV: Papercips floated or sank

Control: Water added

Conclusion: Adding soap to water decreases surface tension and paperclips will sink

Friday 0 block

Question 1 Why do paperclips float? Surface tension holds them up.
2 What happens to the ability of water to have surface tension when substances are dissolved in it? Decreases
Question 3 What does it matter to aquatic organisms if water has surface tension? so they can walk on it and avoid getting eaten.

Elephant Toothpaste

Tired of old science experimental design ideas, I went searching the internet and found a really fun page with lots of kitchen experiments that can be used to practice experimental design.

So this week we are going to make Elephant Toothpaste using the directions from this site: Reeko's Mad Scientist Lab.
Check out the site and the responses from the Bicology students this week.

O block Tuesday

First thoughts:Mrs J was crazy and didn't know elephants use toothpaste

Hypothesis:If I zap the yeast, then it will not bubble

Independent Variable:zapped yeast

Dependent Variable:speed of foam produced

Control:normal yeast

Constants:Amount of soap,peroxide,and yeast

Conclusion:The microwave yeast went slower

Final Thoughts



0 BLOCK FRIDAY

First thoughts: Pretty cool (Heather) I didn't know what to think. (RJ)

Hypothesis: If I cook (burn when Mrs. J does it) the yeast, then the process is slowed down and not as much foam is made.

IV: Cooked yeast

DV: Speed and amount of foam

Control: Natural yeast (no cooking)

Constants: Amount and type of soap, Amount of yeast, and Amount of hydrogen peroxide

Conclusion: Heat slows down the enzyme and reduces the reaction.

Final Thoughts: More fun than regular zero block.

First Blog

Welcome to Mrs. J's blog!
That's the short Mrs. J in rm 216 - not the tall Miss J on the back hall. We are going to use this blog to keep up with some of the things going on in O block for Bicology. (Because filling out lots of papers can be really boring.) Some of these entries will be written by me but many will be created by students. Go to the next entry to check out our experiment of the week and the student responses to it.