This week we started our eighth grade science final. Our class was split into three groups of four, each assigned to take forty pictures demonstrating what we had learned in science the past three years. After we took our pictures we had to write a short paragraph about our chosen topic. We each chose topics the were interesting to us. Here are some topics i chose. I chose to review on rabies, scoliosis, the trumpet fish and the eye. The picture of these topics were pretty fun to take, especially the rabies one where I had my friend pretend that she was infected. After we started our finals, we started another traditional task of the eighth grade class, making chairs. Each year for the past couple years each class member makes a chair and decorated them with scenes or some picture of a memorable item, event or word. Some are inside jokes with funny hidden meanings that only our class will get. These chairs enable us to take home a keep a little memory of our time as eight graders at the pathfinder school, and they give us a place to rest as we climb the stairs to the next step in our lives. Schools almost out!!!!

-Mady

Pictures show in order: The mouth (Jadyn), genetics (me and my twin), drugs (me and McLean), inertia (me), scoliosis (me), and a beautiful group picture showing friendship (Jadyn, Avery, Mclean, and me)

(I am in the red, green, and grey depending on the day)

This week is our annual show called tapestry. Each year the eight grade class(Me) chooses the theme. This year we decided to do a circus theme. We will be showcasing our baby animals, illusionist, and acrobats, at the Opera House in Down Town Traverse City, on May 3rd. We have tigers, mimes, genies, clowns, and lion tamers. Our songs very from oldies, such as the Monkeys theme song, to new hit songs, such as Circus by Britney Spears. Be ready to be amazed by are stellar acts, and our outstanding vocals. Not to mention being knocked out of your seats by our awesome costumes. We also will have displays of famous circus stars through the ages, such as Jules Leotard, or the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Its a family friendly show, that gives every age something to sing along too. Welcome to the Crazy Berzerkus Calamitous Circus!!!!

This week in science we worked on finishing up our roller coaster models. We finally finished building and were ready to move on the next step of the projects, answering questions on energy changes through the ride.  We had to explain the types of energy changes the marble went through as it rolled down the track and went through, around, and over obstacles. Here is the energy changes the marble goes through as it rolls through a loop: When the marble reaches the beginning of the loop there is kinetic energy, and as the marble reaches about the middle, the kinetic energy has now changed to potential energy, and as the marble reaches the end of the loop the potential energy has changed back into kinetic. The next energy change the marble goes through is when it rolls up a hill: As the marble goes over the hill, it begins as high kinetic energy, and as it gets closer and closer to the peak it loses the kinetic energy, and turns into potential. When is reaches the top the marble is pure potential energy, then gravity brings the marble down the hill and the potential energy turns back into kinetic and the marble goes through the rest of the track.  Finally the marble reaches the final energy change on the track, the turn: When the marble goes through the turn the momentum keeps it on the track and it is pure kinetic energy. And that my friends and fellow scientists, are the major energy changes the marble goes through as it rolls around the ride. Thanks for reading…

-Mady

P.S. I will get a real picture of our roller coaster when it is finished. 🙂

This week we had our Terra Nova tests, so we did not do much in science. However, we were assigned to look up and explain the definition of our physics vocab. Here is my definition of acceleration…

Acceleration – the rate at which velocity changes; an object accelerates if its speed changes if its direction changes or if both speed and direction change

When I run, I often accelerate when I speed up for the finish. Another example is when a car changes speeds in a certain direction, such slowing down at a stop light or speeding up at a green light. Your car also accelerates when you change direction, or go around a bend even if you do not change speeds. 

I am using this knowledge of acceleration to help build the roller coasters that we have been working on in science for the past week. My group is almost done with our roller coaster and I can not wait to post a picture when it is complete. I’ll keep you posted…

-Mady

This week we were assigned to build roller coaster models. First Shane spit us up into groups, and gave us our budget for the build. Each group received 10,000 dollars (fake money of course) to put to good use while building the ride. Each roller coaster has to enable a marble to go up/down one hill, around one turn, through one loop, and the ride has to come to a safe stop. We have to use our prior knowledge of physics to complete these task. How much momentum will we need? Where is the potential energy highest? Where and when does the roller coaster accelerate? So far my group and I have made two loops, for which we needed a lot of momentum. We also have on turn and a hill, which also require momentum to work. We are still designing the safe stop to are roller coaster and finishing of the rest of the tasks that I have not mention. Next week we will continue building them and I will keep you posted on our project!!!! See you next week…

-Mady

This week was the 2nd annual gutter car derby, put on by Newtons Road. Now, you may be wondering what exactly a gutter car derby is? Well let me tell you… To compete in the derby you must make an original 3D printed car of your design. My car was had a very aerodynamic shape of a wedge, and small wheels and a compact body. After you created and printed your car, you had to assemble it and test to see if it actually worked. We had to print our car twice in order for it to run smoothly. We also had to catalog all are mistakes, strengths, our design plots, and what we learned while we made our cars. Finally we got to compete and race against other cars. The gutter derby took place in our gym on march twenty second. There were a ton of  cars and a ton of people all there to witness our “future”. The gutter derby was made up of twenty five matches, each car was in about three. We won all three of ours in speed and distance, but sadly only made it to the finals for speed. In the end our car was awarded second in the fastest car category and we won best design!!!!! YEAH!!! Another one of our classmates won distance with his car, making a new record. Overall it was a great experience and I can’t wait to see all the other cars designed after us!!!! See you after spring break…

-Mady

This week in science we learned about smoking and how it affects your body. Cigarettes and other tobacco products cause and worsen diseases such as, lung cancer and heart conditions. It is also the leading killer in preventable deaths each year, killing about 438,000 people per year, not to mention all the animals smoking kills too. Plus smoking doesn’t just burn holes into you body, it also punctures your pockets. It cost the USA billions of dollars each year and the tobacco industry also spends billions of dollars to advertise these horrible products they are selling to the people. Thousands of young people start smoking each day, and I want to be the generation to stop it. Here is the truth…

One in every five deaths in the United States is smoking related.

Cigarettes are responsible for more deaths in America than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs put together.

On average, someone who smokes a pack or more of cigarettes each day lives seven years less than someone who never smokes.

Cigarettes contain about 600 ingredients. When they burn, they generate more than 7,000 chemicals.

Smoking increases risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, and poor eyesight. It can also weaken your sense of taste and sense of smell.

That is just the beginning of the problem smoking causes. Imagine what you would find if you did some research. Also it is always good to remember “The more you say no to smoking the easier it gets!”(My friend, Jadyn) Let’s stop it once in for all.

This week we learned about cellular respiration, breathing rate, heart rate, carbon dioxide production, and the chemical reaction in your cells to create energy . To enhance our understanding of respiration we did a really cool lab. We were assigned to find out our breathing rate, heart rate, and carbon dioxide production while we were resting as well as when we were exercising. The first task we did was the co2 production. To figure that out we filled a beaker with 20ml of water and the placed 10 drops of bromthymol blue solution, which turns yellow when it chemically reacts to co2. We then exhaled into the beaker through a straw and timed how long it took to change color. It took my partner 56 sec. when resting and 45 secs when exercising. The next task was breathing rate. We counted our breaths for ten seconds and then multiplied it by six. My breathing rate average was 28 breaths per minute while resting and 35 while exercising. The final task was fining out our heart rate. We took our pulse for ten seconds then multiplied it by six, so pretty much exactly the same as breathing rate but different variable. My heart rate average was 70 beats per minute while resting and 96 beats per minute while exercising. Over all I learned a lot a had a ton of fun!!! If you every need a lab for cellular respiration then look this on up!!!! Have a great weekend and see you next week…

-Mady

I’m the one in the hat…

This Thursday we had our annual science expo! Each grade, fifth and up, have a different presentation they present at the science expo. The fifth graders made these amazing cars that were propelled forward by the force of a mouse trap going off. The sixth graders did a wax museum project were they dressed up as a famous scientist like Jane Goodall, Isaac Newton, or Silvia Earle. Then as Isaac Newton or whatever the other scientist of their choice, they would write a script that included their live story and there scientific feats! They all did a really good job and all their skits were very informative. The next grade, seventh grade, did a very unique project, in fact all their projects were different form one another. They were assigned to create their very own experiments. There was an experiment about birds and their attractions to colors, a couple about vegetables and the amount of voltage in them, and a really cool one about different woods and their amount of smoke and air pollution. Finally their was the eighth graders (me) and the hover crafts. The hover crafts were great, the lines to ride them were all the way down the gym. Over all, every grade did an amazing job on their projects and presentations! Thanks everybody for making it a great last science expo for the eighth grade class!!! Amazing Job!!! See you next week…

-Mady

 sorry the picture is a little blurry-we were in motion!!!

This week we began to make our hover crafts. The making of the hover crafts is an eighth grade tradition and it has been going on since I can remember. Each year the eighth graders are given the task of creating the crafts without any instructions or hints other than what we observed from the several hover crafts that had been made in the past years. After we finish making them, we present them at the annual Science Expo held at our school on February 23, It’s really fun!!! Anyway, Shane (our science teacher) splits us up into groups of three, and then sends us on our way. My group had a great start. We had good measurements and soon finished the base. Our hover craft was doing great until we tried to blow it up. We had way too much pressure pushing at the plastic bubble ( the thing that makes the hover crafts hover) and the bottom cap kept blowing off. We began to add holes in the plastic to in able the air to ease out and not cause the pressure that is messing up the whole craft. Since that discovery we have been adding holes t the bubble, hoping that we could figure it out. Sadly we are still working on the pressure problem, but when we figure it out I’ll let you know!!! Talk to you next week…

-Mady