Volcanoes

 Krakatoa

Where is it? 

• Rakata Island, Indonesia

When did it last erupt?

• 2020, started in 1883

Damage it has done?

• Krakatoa has done a lot of damage to the places and people around it. 

• In 1833 Krakatoa first erupted. Ash fell on Singapore, Cocos Island, and ships as far as 6067 km west-northwest. Darkness covered the Sunda Straits from 11 a.m on the 27th until the next day. At least 36,417 people were killed, most people died from giant sea waves, and coastal villages were destroyed. When the eruption ended, only ⅓ of Krakatau remained above sea level and new islands formed from the magma spewing out of the volcano

• It had destroyed and formed lands while also causing havoc for residents and other countries.

How and when was it formed?

• Since Krakatoa lies along the Indian-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates its how it was formed. Because the two tectonic plates are dangerous at risk of high volcanic and seismic activity it's pretty common that one was made. It supposedly started/formed in 400 BC. 

Interesting random facts?

• the first eruption lasted one minute and 12 seconds 

• The 1883 eruption was the loudest sounds ever reported in the history

•  Records held that 165 villages and towns surrounding Kratatoa were destroyed and 132 more were seriously damaged 

• Karatoa had killed 30.000+ people

• in August 1883 was one of the most deadly colacine eruptions in modern history, it is estimated that more than 36.00 people died. the eruption also affected the climate and caused the temperature to drop over the world.

• Karatoa belongs to the ring of fire 

Pictures + Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGcbNn4Vk1w

Science - Wind Racers

Aim - To calculate the speed of a wind-racer 

Equipment
- Base Trolley

- Bamboo Stick

- Tape

- Newspaper

- Normal A3 paper

- Paint 

Method -

- Attach the bamboo to the base trolley with tape, add another bamboo stick big enough to fit your sail. 

- Draw on your Paper if chosen to

- If drawn paint the picture and cut them out, then paint one layer of the newspaper

- Attach your drawing to the layer of painted newspaper and let dry

- Attach newspaper with tape onto the bamboo stick that can fit sail in a V shape so it looks like a sail. 

Results -

Discussion -

As expected, our wind racer didn't go that far because of our sail. We didn't want to make it go the furthest but we wanted it to look the best. It was surprising to see that our wind-racer actually went forward on its own, then it had fallen down. Below are our distance, time and speed of our wind-racer.

Distance - 30cm

Time - 2.73s

Speed - 10.1 ms -1

Metal Carbonates and Acid

Aim
- To show that Carbon Dioxide is produced when a metal carbonate is used with acid.

Equipment 
- Two boiling tubes
- Delivery tube and bung
- Bunsen Burner
- Test Tube rack
- Wooden splint
- A bottle of acid (We used Hydrochloric Acid)
- Small amount of metal carbonate (We used small Magnesium strips)
- Test tube tongs
- Safety glasses

Method
- Light your bunsen burner
- Add a 'pea-sized' amount of the metal carbonate into one of the boiling tubes (We just put in one strip of Magnesium)
- Place this boiling tube into a test tube rack. Ensure you have the bung and delivery tube ready.
- Add 5mL of acid to the boiling tube and quickly insert the bung and delivery tube into the mouth of the boiling tube.
- Holding the other boiling tube with your tongs, capture the gas produced as shown in the diagram below.

- When you think the tube is full of gas, your lab partner should light a wooden splint.

- Carefully remove the boiling tube from under the delivery tube, taking care to keep it facing upright
- Insert the burning splint into the mouth of the test tube. 

Observations
- Gas was stored in the boiling tube that was being held, when the burning splint was inserted the flames were quickly put out by the carbon dioxide.

Results
- As we put in the burning splint we all noticed that the flames were slowly going out. This is how we found out that carbon dioxide was created. It was scary at first because we all didn't know what was going to happen but soon realised it was kinda fun.

Conclusion
- This Experiment was really fun, I would do it again but let more carbon dioxide rest in the boiling tube because the fire would've gone out really quickly because of all the carbon dioxide that was being contained. We first tried it out with limestone in the boiling tube that soon afterwards contained the carbon dioxide because it was supposed to boil up but that didn't happen. It was still fun and I would do it again if I had the chance.

Metals and Acids

Aim -To show that hydrogen gas is produced when a metal reacts with acid.

Equipment: 

- A test tube

- A boiling tube

- Bunsen burner

- Wooden splint

- A bottle of acid

- A piece of metal

- Safety glasses

Method:
- Light you Bunsen burner

- Add You sample of metal to your test tube. Add 2ml of acid.

- Carefully insert the boiling tube above the test tube containing the metal and acid (as shown in the diagram below).

- Hold the test tubes together for a few minutes, allowing time for the inverted boiling tube to fill with glass

- When you think the tube is full, your lab partner should light a wooden splint.

- Carefully, but quickly, tilt the boiling tube full of gas upwards and insert the burning splint into the mouth of the test tube.

Result - As gas was being trapped into the boiling tube we lifted it up and away from the other test tube containing the metal and acid, we then quickly put the burning splint into the boiling tube with the gas and heart a "Popping" like sound comes from the tube.

Discussion - For this experiment, we used Magnesium strips and Hydrochloric acid, it was really fun because we didn't expect the popping noise to be so loud. We figured out the longer we kept the metal, acid and boiling tube altogether and the stronger out solution was created an even bigger noise. It was really fun because at first we were all scared the test tubes would break but to our surprise it didn't.

Conclusion - This experiment was really fun to do as I had remembered we had done this in Year 9, it was a quick experiment but was still lots of fun because we wanted to see if we could create an even bigger pop, it worked well and was surprising  to hear. I would definitely do this experiment again.

Making Salts

Aim: To produce sodium chloride salt by carrying out a neutralisation reaction.



Equipment 
- Copper Oxide Powder
- Dilute Sulfuric acid
- 50mL measuring cylinder
- Two 100 mL beakers
- Bunsen Burner
- Tripod
- Gauze Mat
- Funnel
- Filter Paper
- Thermometer
- Spatula
- Evaporating Basin
- Stirring rod.

Method
- Add 20mL of sulfuric acid to a 100mL beaker. Heat the acid until it reaches 70℃. Turn off your Bunsen burner.

- Once heated use a spatula to add pea-sized portions of copper oxide to the beaker. Stir the mixture for 30 seconds.

- Repeat step 2 until no more will dissolve. Allow the beaker to cool.

- Fold the filter paper and place it in the funnel. Place the filter funnel into the second beaker.

- Make sure the beaker is cool enough to hold at the top. The contents should still be hot. You may need your teacher to complete this step.

- Gently swirl the contents of the beaker to mix, and then pour into the filter paper in the funnel. Allow to filter through.

- Rinse the beaker you used to heat the mixture previously, and then place it back on top of your tripod filled with 50-60 mL of water.

- Place the evaporating basin on top of the beaker and carefully pour some of the solution from the beaker into the evaporating basin.

- Gently heat the beaker until the solution in the evaporating basin has reduced by half.

- Leave the evaporating basin to cool. Once cool, move the evaporating basin to a warm place where it will not be disturbed. ( I.e a window-sill) and observe over the next few days. Blue copper sulphate crystals should form.



Observations
The copper oxide was black in powder form. Once adding it into the sulfuric acid it had reacted and changed colour to a gloomy blue tone. When burning the solution the solution started to crystalise and crystals began to form.

Results 
At the end of the experiment, the liquid that was still in the basin had completely evaporated and we were left with little crystals.

Discussion
The experiment went well. It was really fun and also time-consuming because we had to be very patient. When we first added the copper oxide the colour of the sulfuric acid had changed to a pool colour but as we added more copper oxide it had started to look like charcoal.

Conclusion
The experiment went pretty well. At first, we thought nothing would happen but then we noticed everything was starting to crystalise. It was cool to see the crystals forming but it did take a long time.

Science - Atomic Science - Atoms

This week for Science we have started learning about Atomic Science, this week we learnt about atoms. Atoms are the smallest particle that a chemical can have, the world is made out of trillions of atoms, including ourselves.

Equipment
-1 Piece of card
-30cm of string
-Blue tac
-Two different coloured beads for Protons+ Neutrons

Method
- Pick an atom from 3-10 on the periodic table
- Find out how many Protons, Neutrons + Electrons it has
- Grab Equipment
- Roll the blue tac into a ball
- Stick P+N beads to blue tac
- Cut out rings from paper
- Draw Electrons onto rings
- Create a label
- Tape string to back of the paper so it can hang

Today we were tasked to create a model of an atom using blue tac, beads, paper, string and tape. It was hard at first because I didn’t really understand what it would look like but after a while, I figured it out. I first chose my element, which was carbon. Next, I figured out how many protons and neutrons were in the element. I found out that there 6 protons, 6 electrons, and 6 neutrons. You can find this out by looking at the numbers on the periodic table.

The number on top of the symbol is the atomic number, while the number at the bottom is the mass number. The protons and electrons are both the atomic number while the neutron is what is added with the protons to create the mass number. For example carbons atomic number is 6, this means that both the protons and electrons are 6, so something plus 6 must equal the mass number which is 12. 6 plus 6 equals twelve so the neutron must be 6.



After I figured this out I stuck 12 beads, 6 one colour, 6 another colour to the blue tac. I then cut out two rings from the pieces of paper to act as the “shells” of the atom. Net I drew in the electrons on the shells. In the first shell, there can only be two electrons so I drew two electrons on. In the next shell, you are able to have eight electrons, so I added in the rest of the electrons I needed to add in, which was four. I then created a label so then anyone looking could tell what it was. I then stuck string to the back of the rings, and the ball of blue-tac so then it could hang all together without falling off.




After making the atom we were asked what we would have to do to create an ion. An ion is a charged atom which either has a positive or negative charge. Protons have a Positive charge while electrons have a Negative charge. To figure out the charge you must check how many electrons are in the last outer shell. For carbon there are four electrons, you must then decide whether to take off the four or add six more electrons. You choose which one would be easier to do, in this case, it is easier to take away the four electrons. If you take out four electrons there are now more protons, which means it is now has a positive charge. You then add the number of electrons you have taken out to the positive charge. This means that a carbon atom has a positive charge of 4, it is normally written as a +4 charge.

Cloning

What is the process of cloning?A skin cell containing 46 chromosomes is taken from a male specimen. An egg cell (which contains only 23 chromosomes) is taken from a female specimen. The nuclei are taken from both cells by a micropipette. The skin nucleus from the skin cell containing all 46 chromosomes is inserted into the egg cell. The egg cell now has all the instructions to clone the male specimen. The egg cell is then surgically inserted into the female specimens womb. Nine months later a clone of the male specimen is born.
 


When could cloning be used for good?Cloning could be used for good by helping recreate some animals or creatures that are or are already extinct. it can help humans understand creatures that we were too late to discover.






When could cloning be used for bad?Cloning could be used for bad by forcing animals or people to have children. it could damage organs fatal for survival and lead to death. You could also use it on a creature, fail and create a deformed or mutant version of the creature.




Do you think cloning is a good idea? Why/ why not?I don't think cloning 

Smoking

What does smoking do to your body?

When you start smoking things start happening immediately, over 5000 chemical substances enter your body and tissue. Tar, a black substance that comes off of smoke goes into your mouth and into your body. When it goes in your mouth it sticks to your gums and teeth, it then starts to turn your teeth black. After a while the tar soon starts to stick into your teeth and start decaying the gum and enamel so that teeth start to fall off. It also starts to damage the nerve ends in your nose so that you won’t be able to smell as well as you used to.

 When smoke goes to your lungs it  can increase the likelihood of infections,chronic diseases. Two chronic diseases are called bronchitis and emphysema. This all happens when smoke damages the cilia, multiple tiny hairlike structures that's job is to keep your airways clean from anything that can harm your body.  Smoke soon travels towards your alveoli, tiny air sacs that speed up the absorption of oxygen between your lungs and your blood. Carbon Monoxide crosses your alveoli and into your bloodstream, slowly pushing off oxygen and placing itself onto hemoglobin. Hemoglobin are red blood cells that carry iron and oxygen from the lungs, into tissue and also carry carbon dioxide from tissue back to the lungs to be let out.

The bloodstream carries Nicotine, a poisonous substance found mainly in tobacco and smokes towards the brain. It triggers the release of dopamine, endorphins and other neurotransmitters to create pleasurable feelings and sensations towards your body, this is what makes smoking highly addictive. Nicotine and other chemicals from smoke cause the constriction of blood vessels and damage to their delicate lining, restriction of blood flow. This leads to thickening of blood vessel walls and cause blood platelets to become stickier, which will increase the possibility that blood clots will form. This can soon lead up to triggering heart attacks and strokes, which can potentially kill you. 

Many chemicals inside cigarettes can trigger mutations in your DNA which can become very harmful, most times it can create cancer. Additionally, other ingredients like arsenic and nickel can disrupt the process of DNA repairing, causing the body’s natural ability to fight many cancers to decrease heavily. 

Long term Effects?

Some long term effects of smoking are multiple types of cancer. Some examples are Lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, collateral cancer, liver cancer and more. It can cause you to have shorter breath, damaged eyesight and weaker bones.  It can make it harder for females to become pregnant and for males it can cause erectile dysfunction which equally makes it very hard to have children.

Benefits of giving it up?

Almost twenty minutes after smoking your heart rate and blood pressure begin to normalise. After twelve hours the carbon monoxide levels decrease, increasing the blood's oxygen carrying capacity. After a day of quitting heart attack risks begin to decrease as blood pressure and your heart rate normalizes. After two days your nerve endings responsible for smelling and tasting start to recover and heal, allowing you to smell and taste better than when you were smoking. A month later your lungs become healthier, allowing you to slowly breath normally. After weeks your cilia start to recover and in nine months they are restored, increasing resistance to infections. After a year of quitting your heart disease risk plummets to %50 and blood vessel function improves greatly. After five years a chance of clot forming decreases heavily, and a risk of getting a stroke continues to reduce itself. After ten years the chance of fatal lung cancer decreases by %50, probably because the body's abilities to repair DNA is restored. Fifteen years later the probability of developing coronary heart disease is almost the same as a non-smoker.

Is vaping any better? 

Vaping is actually almost exactly the same, if not worse than smoking as it puts nicotine straight into your lungs and bloodstream. Even if it doesn’t include  the smell of smoke or tar like regular cigarettes it is still pretty bad, especially if you use flavoured ones. Many chemicals that can cause cancer are in the vapor that is released from vapes. Some chemicals can actually get stuck in the deepest parts of your lungs, this includes formaldehyde, heavy metals and particles. Some flavours like cinnamon can actually cause inflammation of cells in your lungs. 

In an one milliliter bottle of vaping e-juice, it contains around 100 puffs or hits. This the equivalent to 10 cigarettes or half a pack of one.

Heart Attacks

What causes a Heart Attack?

A heart attack is caused when blood vessels that supply blood back to the heart are being blocked, preventing oxygen to getting towards your heart. If the blood flow from your coronary arteries are blocked it starves your heart of oxygen and heart cells begin to die from the lack of oxygen.

How do you know you are having a Heart Attack?

Some of the main symptoms towards heart attacks are chest pains, Pain sometimes around your body. You also may sweat, have short breaths, feel fatigue and become dizzy.

How do you prevent a Heart Attack?

Some ways to help prevent a Heart Attack are to quit smoking if you do, control your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, exercise regularly, be a healthy weight, control your diet, don't stress as much and try not to drink as much. It won't immediately stop you from having a heart attack but it can help reduce the percentage a bit. 

Heart Details

Your heart has two sides, one is thick while the other is thin. The thick side produces blood for your whole body, whereas the thin side collects the blood from your veins and capillaries. Your heart also has fat, which is a thick white substance that your body is also covered in. Your heart mainly consists of cardiac muscle cells (or Myocardium). Valves control the blood flow in your veins. On the top of the heart there are two holes that are called the Aorta and the Superior Vena Cava. The aorta carries blood around your whole body and the Superior Vena Cava carried De-oxygenated blood towards your heart to be oxygenated.

Lamb Heart Dissection 

We were given the chance to dissect a lambs heart because we were learning about how the heart works. The first thing we did was create a little covered table for the heart and wore gloves. We then were given the heart and a scalpel, scissors and tweezers to help dissect the heart. We then cut up the heart and looked at the veins, cartilage and muscles. At first we thought it was a pigs heart and then realized that it was a lambs heart.The difference between a lambs heart and a pigs heart is how close it is towards a humans heart. A pigs heart closely resembles a humans heart with how it looks and where all the holes are.

^Lamb Heart^

^Pig Heart^