2-3 B Chem Class

Earth Day

2009-04-27T20:00:00.002-05:00

To me, Earth Day is just another reminder to our society and planet that we must find an alternative fuel source in order to reduce our carbon footprint and the damage that is being done to the ozone layer. As scientists continue to find and build cars that reduce the use of gasoline, they are not addressing the initial need to find an alternative and effective fuel source that is economically abundant and productive. All that is occurring is a delay in which we as a global community are delaying the inevitable, one where fossil fuels are no more and the destruction of the ozone layer leading to other ecological disasters. In turn, society will then be forced into a time of disaster, with no way to travel in leisure or transport goods that we all have become reliant on. So scientists, start working to solve the problem, not to avoid it.

Motivation

2009-03-16T08:30:00.002-05:00

For me, the motivation to learn chemistry is found in the relation of applicable studies to real life situations. In aspects such as stoichiomietry, I understand the purpose of finding balanced equations and utilizing them for the basics of pharmaceutical needs. By seeing the point of each section we're learning, I gain an extrinsic motivation to learn anything that I believe will help others and lead me to gain an advantage in life. Whenever we're studying such things for pure observation or just because we can however, I feel no real need or motivation to understand the subject or unit. This is the basis of my motivation (and lack of) in the study of chemistry.

What is the purpose of Grades?

2009-02-18T17:36:00.003-06:00

The awe inspiring speech that is posted on Mr. Grdinic's blog is very eye-opening and posts a good argument against the emphasis that society and school forums put on trivial things such as grades. While grades do give a general idea as to a person's understanding of the materical at the time, they do not take into account the many factors that can appear in a student's life and have an affect on their score and outcome. What should truly be influenced and revered is the child's understanding and retainment of the information, to the degree that the subject and aspects of the subject have become second nature. So much emphasis is placed on a student's grade and test results that unneeded stress is added onto their lives, leading to more psychological problems and an imbalance to a person's life. When a person's life is constantly revolving around one aspect, they come to hate that one thing which they spend the most time upon, which is why you don't here many students being enthusiastic about attending school or the end of summer vacation. A balance is needed like in any diet, and the wording and ideas that were immersed in the article of Ms. Gallagher's is extremely insightful and better explains my own beliefs.

Science and Politics

2009-02-18T17:20:00.002-06:00

In general, science and politics go hand in hand, with the interests of the governments and the government's well-being providing funding and research into underdevoloped areas. Politics also play a role in morality and ethics in some scientific fields, such as stem cell research and abortions. In my personal opinion, politics and science should be kept separate, with governments barring some life-saving ideas and treatments that could benefit the world as a whole. In most cases where political parties are completely against ideas such as abortions, most of the time, the politicians themselves don't actually give a damn about the topic. Politics uses science in order to appeal to the general public's own beliefs and twist them for their own benefit and to gain popular support. However, the government should continue to fund and develop science departments and fields to help mankind reach their potential since most individuals or even groups of individuals are not able to gather even a fraction of what government funding can provide. While not easy to maintain the balance that I wish were reality, I still hope that a fine line between government interference and gains in science is drawn so as to further increase humanity's development.

Nuclear Power

2008-12-22T11:30:00.002-06:00

In theory, nuclear power is a reasonable alternative to things such as gasoline and electricity by the fact that it is more efficient and typically environment friendly. However, the process of creating nuclear energy create a harmful by-product known as "spent fuel." Spent fuel is a higly radioactive and dangerous waste that every nuclear powerplant produces. A combination of uranium, plutonium, and curium, the process of disposing the spent fuel has been a hotly debatable topic amongst scientists. While it is true that the toxic product could somehow seep through and cause genetic mutations that the earth has never seen before, the total radioactive waste produced by one nuclear plant is significantly less than that produced by a fossil fuel plant.

At the moment, France has used nuclear energy as a supplier, leading to it having the cleanest air and cheapest electricity in Europe. It also reprocesses its nuclear waste at the moment, which leads to less radiocative waste that needs to be disposed. While it is neccessary for the human population to determine a way to safely dispose of the waste, the evidence shown by the use of nuclear energy has many more pros than cons. Ergo, we should continue to focus our efforts on the safe production of nuclear energy, the energy of the future.

Quantum Mechanics

2008-12-08T16:29:00.004-06:00

Quantum Mechanics is a scientific subject that is so difficult to grasp, even those who have been taught at M.I.T. or teach at M.I.T. lack sufficient knowledge on the subject. The most diffciult concept to the ideas relating to quantum mechanics were the different results that came from the double slit experiment. When unobserved, the particles formed a wave pattern when passing through the slits, in a much similar fashion as to waves of water passing through two slits. However, when scientists tried to observe how this was possible, the results went back to the expected pattern in which the particles hit the target in a double line pattern. This topic has confused scientists for years, and is most likely related to the fact that the detector somehow interferes in the pattern that the particles travel in when being placed close enough to observe. Also, compared to the macroscopic world, particles are much more difficult to understand due to their size and speed at which they travel at.

Another "interesting" aspect of quantum mechanics is the way the study relys upon probability, when as a student I've been taught to be as accurate and specific as possible. From another point of view, it is basically a study that is used to explain the unexplainable. In my opinion, this theories created in quantum mechanics suffice for now, but are inefficient and will be replaced when scientists have more results and information to work off of.

Did you know? Youtube

2008-12-04T16:40:00.007-06:00

The presentation had many figures that seem astounding when first glimpsed, but the more in depth a person thinks, the less astounding it becomes. For instance, the fact that only 25% of the "genious" person variety in India surpasses that of the entire United States seems like a crazy discrepancy when first viewed. However, when taking into account that the population of the United States this year is an estimated 306 million and the population of India is an estimated 1.148 billion, the gap becomes that much shorter. The probability that India would have a larger group of geniuses far exceeds that of the USA, and while there still would be a gap between the two, it wouldn't be as noticeable such as when not taking into account the ratio of the populations. Also, some of the facts relating to technology weren't that astounding considering society is now expanding and making advancements, something that humans have done since the beginning of their creation. Obviously new jobs will be invented for the new discoveries and inventions humans create as they increase efficiency and proficiency in society. With new jobs comes new titles, and with new titles come new words, which is why the language is growing as well. As we have outgrown outdated terms such as "Thou, ist, and hie," that were found everywhere in Shakespearean times, new generations also seek out to establish themselves away from those of the former, as witnessed in the idea of growing up. While some of the other facts were interesting, they were merely footnotes that weren't really worth delving into.

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2008-10-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

Don't know what this is for, so I'm just typing this.