Rock Identification Lab

Igneous Rock:
This rock I identified as igneous is mostly gray with red, green, and shiny silver spots. There are two different types of igneous rocks, intrusive and extrusive. Intrusive igneous rocks cool slowly because they crystallize below the Earths surface. This causes large crystals to form, like in the picture below.  .

Metamorphic Rock:
This rock had several thin layers parallel to itself which is why I identified it as a metamorphic rock. There are two types of metamorphic rocks, foliated and non-foliated. Foliated rocks have a layered appearance that is formed by exposure to heat and pressure.

Sedimentary Rock:
I noticed the fossil in this rock and concluded that it is a sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rocks form at a temperature and pressure that do not destroy fossil remnants.

Rocks

 In class today we learned about rocks and the three different types, Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. Dr. Klett gave each of us a rice krispies treat, a butterfingers, and a piece of peanut brittle and asked us to classify each of these as a type of rock. The peanut brittle is melted together, which is an example of igneous rock. The butterfingers has several thin layers (foliated) inside of the chocolate, which is a great example of metamorphic rock. The rice krispies treat can represent a sedimentary rock because it is a bunch of bits and pieces glued together. This was a great representation of the different rocks in a fun and unique way.

Crystals and Crystal Growing Activity

We began learning about minerals and crystals in class this week, but for this blog we are focusing on the crystals. A crystal form is a set of crystal faces defined according to their relationship to the crystal axes. Crystal forms look like 3D objects, like cubes or pyramids.
In my group we grabbed 5 sponges, 3 pipe cleaners, and one piece of charcoal. We broke the charcoal down into smaller pieces to spread it out on our plate. We then poured 2 tablespoons of water, 2 table spoons of the bluing solution, and 2 tablespoons of salt on the objects on the plate. We didn't think it was enough solution for the size of our objects so we used the same amount of solutions over again, doubling the original recipe. We had two different types of salts, fine grained and larger grained. We separated them on to the different sections to see if the reaction would be different. There was no reaction to begin with but we put it on the windowsill to let sit for a few days.

 We checked our crystal formation on Thursday and our plate had a little bit of formation. The most formation appeared on the sponges. Other groups plates had a lot more, but they also added a lot more solution to theirs. We then added 10mL of water, 10mL of ammonia, 10mL of bluing, and 5 mL of salt to the plate and put it back on the windowsill.

Fossils Experiment

Today we talked about fossils and made a do it yourself fossil dig sites in groups.

A fossil is the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.

Our task is to create a matrix and determine which plaster/sand mixture is the best. My group and I did 3 different ratios, 25mL Plaster/75 mL Sand, 50mL Plaster/50mL Sand, and 75mL Plaster/25mL Sand. We added water to each mixture until we made a solution that had a pancake batter like consistency. Below is a picture of the 3 cups. Inside of the solutions is a shell for us to find later.

After letting the solutions dry for a week, we used hammers and chisels to find the shells that were hiding. Cup 3 was the best solution, which had 25mL plaster and 75mL sand. It was easy to break the solution up and my group partner just had to use her hands to find the shell. This would be great for young kids because they wouldn't have to use tools to break it apart. On the other hand cup 1 and 2 were much harder, and it took my other group partner and I a while to find the shell, having to use hammers and chisels. This would be hard for an elementary student get the shell, but it would also be dangerous giving a 2nd grader a hammer.

This was a great activity and I can not wait to do this in my classroom.

How Much Money?

If you had $100, how much would go towards the Sun compared to all the other things in the solar system in mass?

Out of $100 I think the Sun would take up about $35. The solar system is huge and all the other planets that are in it take up $65.

The actual sun is $99.85 of the $100, which means the sun makes up 99.85% of the mass of the whole solar system. That was a huge surprise to me, and I still can not believe it.

What have the Astronomers ever done for us??

Aristarchus(310-230BC)

Aristarchus was an ancient Greek astronomer and mathematician and is well known because he presented the first known model that the Earth revolved around the sun,"central fire," placing the sun in the center of the universe. Along with the revolution around the sun, he concluded that the Earth rotates on its axis.  He also placed all the planets around the sun in the correct order, including distance. Aristarchus devised a system which got him values of the size and distance of the moon. Later, more modern Greek astronomers refined his methods and got very accurate values.

References: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristarchus_of_Samos

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aristarchus-of-Samos

A Private Universe

We were asked in class to model the relationship between the Earth and the Moon. I drew my earth about 20x larger than my moon, but did not account for the distance between them. After Dr. Klett checked all of our drawings he drew it on the board, and the actual earth is about 5x larger than the moon, but the distance between them is very far, about 230,000 miles. Next time I will know to account for both relationships, size difference and distance, when asked to model something.

We started watching a video called "A Private Universe" and it was about different misconceptions with the earth, our moon, and the sun. Dr. Klett asked us the questions during the film and below these are my responses.  

We were asked what are the reasons for the seasons. I believe there are seasons because of the different ways we face and rotate around the sun. This is why the seasons are opposite on the south side of the equator. In the video college graduates were interviewed and they all believed, just like a lot of other people, that the reason for the seasons has to do how close and far the earth is from the sun, which is completely wrong. Our distance from the sun never changes as we go around it. The earth is tilted, which means the earth is hit with direct and indirect lights.

The reason there are different phases of the moon has to do with its positioning with the earth and the sun. As the moon makes its way around the earth we see different parts lit up based on where the sun is. People understand that, but it is hard for people to know what the different phases are and where exactly they are.

It was very interesting to see all the misconceptions for students and how different people learn these things, from a teacher or on their own.