Turnow,+Cody


 * Einstein's Miraculous Year**

I have always been intrigued by the work of Albert Einstein. From reading this article, I learned that 1905 was sort of a coming-out party for him. An article was published containing Einstein's scientific work on the photoelectric effect, brownian motion, and his special theory of relativity. His work transformed the world of science and revolutionized how we think of the universe. (VIP#1)-At that point in time, scientists had little understanding of the structure of atoms, as well as the inner workings of the photoelectric effect. (VIP #2)- In Einstein's photoelectric effect, he explained that when light interacts with matter, it should not be thought of as a wave, but rather as a system of particles. He also explained the idea of threshold frequencies, the point when photons can be emitted. (VIP #3)- Einstein made significant advances in atomic theory in his brownian motion experiment, where he calculated the size of an atom. He did this by suspending dust particles in liquid and calculating motion. I can't even begin to fathom how one would go about observing and making those types of calculations. (MVP)- Einstein's most well known work is definitely his theory of relativity. You don't have to be an astrophysics major to recognize E=MC^2. In Einstein's theory of relativity he showed that as you approach the speed of light, time and space are compressed. He showed that time and space are "relative" states. Overall Einstein made many invaluable contributions to science, and it all began with his 'miraculous year' in 1905.

Cody, Nice summary! All points are well developed in this post! 5 stars! MW


 * Polymers In the Field and Track**

This article gave an overview on the uses for polymers in sports, specifically in playing surfaces. I learned that the first artificial turf was developed in the 1960s by Monsanto Industries, who is now a leading agricultural biotechnology corporation.I was interested to learn in this article that when it was no longer possible to grow natural grass in the Texas Astrodome, artificial turf was placed in it, which is how it received its name. The article also stated other uses for artificial surfaces, such as tennis courts and sometimes childrens' play areas. The article went into detail on how artificial turf is installed. First a large amount of soil is dug up, then a water retention basin is put in, and on top of that two feet of gravel are laid down before the turf is put in. The turf is made of a rubber/latex material that has holes in it for water drainage. Tracks are made from virgin rubber, and endure a process called vulcanization to give it its stable shape. It was interesting to hear that rubber needed to be vulcanizedProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 oxy-Connection: keep-Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 ive Cache-Control: max-age=0 or it keep its shape. The article then went on to explain a major pitfall of artificial turf, heat retention. This definitely tied in with chemistry class, as it deals with thermochemistry. Apparently spraying water on a field before playing on it can help lower temperatures significantly. The article even mentioned the heat capacity of water, which we dealt with this year in chem. I found the end of the article to be odd, because it makes the point that artificial surfaces to not have decomposition properties that help get rid of the bacteria in saliva, blood, and food spills. Overall a very informative and interesting article.

Cody, A very nice synopsis! Good job! 5 stars. MW


 * Salting Roads**

Salting Roads was an article that mainly explained how and why salt is used to melt ice on the roads during the winter season.(VIP) What makes salt so useful is its ability to cause freezing point depression, when the freezing point of a solvent is lowered. (MVP)The reason this happens is because Na+ and Cl- ions become solvated in water, and the ions are not included in the crystal framework that forms when ice freezes. The organization of water molecules to form a crystal requires more energy in a solution, hence a lower temperature is needed for this phase change.(VIP) I found it interesting that when ice crystals first begin to form in solution, they are made of only pure h20, and this process can be used to purify salt water. I had never heard of this technique before, I was only familiar with distillation.(VIP) I also felt an important point made in the article was that freezing liquids in all solutions takes more energy, not just solutions made with water. Lastly, the article mentioned that in extremely cold climates, they don't even bother to use salt because the temperatures are below the depressed freezing point of the salt water solution. Overall I thought the article gave some great insight as to how salt does its job, and why it plays such an important role in keeping our roads safe.

Cody, Good job! I think you hit the main points! 5 stars. MW


 * Pool Chemistry**

1. Why do excessive amounts of cyanuric acid interfere with the disinfection process and how can it cause chlorine lock? I did not ask Mr. Miller this question for obvious reasons, and I did not find a clear answer from my readings. I did find that adding certain stabilizing chemicals causes rises in cyanuric acid levels, which leads to chlorine lock. Chlorine lock is characterized by a cloudiness in the pool, from the formation of a precipitate. Apparently the only option once chlorine lock occurs is to drain the pool. 2. Are there any drawbacks to using bromine in swimming pools besides its cost? This topic did not come up in our tour with Mr. Miller, but through some research I found that bromine is not only more expensive than chlorine, but it also proven to be somewhat more carcinogenic. On the plus side, bromine is more stable in water, easier on the eyes, and more effective at killing bacteria.

3. What is the biggest issue you find with controlling chlorine and pH levels in the Central York Natatorium?

From our tour I deduced that the pH levels of our natatorium stay relatively stable, except for few instances where vomit and/or other bodily fluids are involved. Mr. Miller also mentioned that our pH levels are also kept a bit lower that pools like the YMCA, which see a higher volume of swimmers on a daily basis. It was comforting to hear that our pool was easier to keep chemically balanced in comparison to other public pools.

Cody, Good job! I'll assume your research is correct on the answer to #1. :) 10! MW


 * Flaking Away**

What I knew

1. Before reading this article, I was aware that iron is naturally oxidized by oxygen in the environment to form rust. I've seen this on my vehicle, as well as my bicycle and on various household items.

2. I also knew that most cars are made of steel. It seems that today most metal objects are made of steel rather than iron, because of its increased strength as well as durability and resistance to rust. I think I would be a little hesitant about riding a roller coaster at Hershey Park that was just made out of iron.

3. Thirdly, I knew that salt speeds of the rusting process, although I was never sure why. My dad always reminds me to wash my car frequently in the winter because of the salts collected on it from the roads, and this article has put science behind his solicitations.

What I learned

1. From reading this article, I learned that steel is made of components of iron, carbon, and small amounts of other ingredients like manganese. I knew that steel contained iron and carbon, but I didn't know that it contained other metals. The article also stated that steel is not homogeneous, which I did not know, and found interesting.

2. After reading this article I learned that the process where iron is turned into rust, involves two parts. In the first part, iron is oxidized and becomes iron (II) hydroxide. This then reacts with oxygen to become iron(III)oxide. I had never the process on this level, I thought iron just went directly to Fe2o3.

3. The last thing I learned from reading this article is that salt acts as a catalyst for the rusting process by dissolving in the water to increasing its conductivity, and enhancing its ability to transfer electrons. This explained to me why salts on the roads help rust cars. From this fact I also assumed that iron in distilled water would not have a greater affinity to rust.

Cody, Well done. I like the way you catalogued your response! 5 huge stars. MW