Tariq,+Wareesha


 * FLAKING AWAY**

Who doesn't know about rusting? From that old guardrail on the side of your local park to those ancient nuts and bolts lying around your house, rust is EVERYWHERE! My first encounter with rust occurred when I was in Pakistan trying to look through my 'attic' for old useless junk. And believe me when I say this: “That stuff was OLD!” Now how do I know that? Well, for one thing, that weird orange solid that clung to my old bicycle did not seem friendly at all. Also the sound it made when I tried to scratch it away was horrendous. Talk about being scarred for life! Now moving back to the topic at hand, I knew what rusting was and when it usually happens (when things get old), but I didn’t know that there were many different types of corrosion. When I researched it further I realized that there were at least 6 different types of corrosion, ranging from Galvanic Corrosion to Erosion Corrosion (it rhymes!). I noticed before, that old cars rust pretty fast and I suspected that it was due to the lower quality of products used in the car. What I learned instead was that rusting is a process that will occur to any and all kinds of materials if left to the mercy of nature. When the idea of using materials such as platinum and gold to make our everyday materials was introduced in this article, I was very amused. From my various experiences before, I know that gold is not something that is readily available to all (if it was, I would be laden with it). But also, I knew that it is very malleable which means that it can be molded very easily. If our cars were made out of gold, I wouldn’t be alive today! The force of any and all accidents would kill all victims involved and would provide no protection for the passengers. I have also previously learned about those ‘smart paints’ that are being introduced these days. But the concept of a car’s exterior ‘oozing’ back together is still a little far fetched to me. =)

Wareesha, I think you need to publish!!! This is great! 5 huge stars!! MW


 * POOL CHEMISTRY:**

The Central York High School pool was built in 2008. It carries 1/2 gallon of water and varies in depth from 4 ft to 13 ft (I don't think I will ever try the deeper end). When the pool was first built, the water used in it was just normal tap water. Mr. Miller did not think that the water used was brought in with a truck or from any outside source, but it scares me to think about the amount of time it must have taken to fill the pool with a normal tap. =) As to the measures that were taken to stabilize the pH of the very first 'water entity', Mr. Miller was not sure abouProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 the specifics. The pool in CYHS has been drained twice already and will be drained again during summer. Although the norm for pool draining is to wait 2 years before actual drainage, the pool at our school had to be drained right after it was first built. Mr. Miller believed that it was due to some faults that were found within the pool I was scared to inquire further). Then, last year it was drained again because of TDS (sounds like a disease!), which are Total Dissolved Solids and that can prove harmful if sustained for a long period. The reason for drainage this summer is again, due to the large amount of those TDS. The fact is that, the more people use the pool, the more TDS there will be.
 * 1. What measures are taken to stabilize the pH of water when the pool is filled initially? Is it just normal tap water that is used in the pool?**
 * 2. How many times do you get to drainProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 he pool? If not, then why?**

Well, just like anything else in our world, the CYHS pool also goes through a rigorous phase of harsh judgments. The Department of Health inspects the pool every year and tries to put their best efforts in shutting down our pool (just kidding, I am sure they don't). The inspection comprises of pool readings, life guard clearances, and pesticide licenses as the most important components. Then there are other small things that get inspected and are brought under severe scrutiny. The most interesting thing for me was the fact that the CYHS natatorium staff sends out a water sample every Wednesday for further inspection. So I guess we can all rest assured, the pool is as safe as any pool can be.%3Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 2Fp>
 * 3. Are there regular pool inspections for the Central York High School pool? What are the requirements?**

Wareesha,

I think you are right. The pool is very safe. It really didn't smell too bad in the pool area either although I think it was awfully hot and humid! 10 huge stars! MW
 * SALTING ROADS: **

This article was a very good general recap of the different concepts we have already learned in class. I think it is a very good idea to introduce these simple-to-understand articles after our usual lessons because they help us all in understanding the hardest of the concepts in the simplest of the ways (And we all most definitely prefer the easier way). A very important point in this article was the explanation given about salting roads in winter and how everyday people apply laws of chemistry to survive in their lives (Take that science-haters!). The article explained that salt is used for two main reasons; for melting ice that is already on the roadway and to prevent ice from forming on the roadway. Now you might be wondering how salt, an everyday cooking component, can be used to melt heaps of snow. Well the fact of the matter is that table salt, even though applicable, is not as efficient a deicing agent as rock salt or halite. But the composition and structure of the any kind of NaCl still melts ice efficiently. This was another point discussed in the article. Salt, when mixed with water decreases the freezing point of the solution. This process, known as freezing point depression, in turn makes the road warmer than the air, thereby melting the first snow flakes and then later making a solution with that melted ice. (So the mushy solution we see on our roads in winter might look disgusting but actually saves millions of lives). A very good point that should be noted here is that salting roads does not work in areas where the temperature is below -20 ̊ C. This is because the temperature is already so cold that putting salt on them only wets the snow, not melts it. It is also important to know that salt is not the only thing that can be used to melt snow on roads. There are many other salts like magnesium chloride and calcium chloride that are much more environmentally friendly and easier to use. For my own research I know that other salt like Ammonium Sulfate, Urea, and Potassium Acetate can also be used to melt snow to an extent. The only thing I hope for is that this information should be taught in Driver’s Education Class, because this knowledge can turn out to be life-saving to many people who think that it is better to speed on the “pulpy” road rather than actually learning how harmful their choice can be. I thought that the most important point in this article was the record of advancement that scientists have made in finding ways to make our lives a little but more easier; even if it is something as simple as sprinkling salt on the roads. =)

Wareesha, Once again you are going beyond the call! Nice job! I particularly like the comments you made about doing your own research! 5 huge stars! MW


 * POLYMERS IN THE FIELD:**

So I started reading this article in class the other day, but right after reading the title I had to stop. Now you might be wondering how any student can have such a short attention span, but let me assure you, that was not the case (not saying that I don't have that problem). The reason I stopped reading, was because I couldn't, for the love of all that's dear to me, could remember what a polymer was. Now it is at these times that GOOGLE comes in very handy. Thankfully now I know that polymers are molecules which consist of a long, repeating chain of smaller units called monomers and that they are the largest and most diverse kind of molecules. Even though many people might be writing about the many good things that came out of this 'Astroturf,' I will not completely focus on that point of view. Reading this article has made me realize how little thing like these have changed our world. One thing that I found interesting as well as pertinent to our class was that science, even though progressing, is leaving many values and norms behind. Whatever happened to playing on the dirty and moist grass and sensing that green muddy smell? How can we still call it sports if we make so many changes to the way things **should** be done? But I guess progress can never face any limits. I will leave that topic and instead talk about the ever-lasting quality of this product. According to the article, the artificial turf can withstand most conditions for as many as 15-20 years and can be replenished (In my opinion it is the first step towards robotic takeover. First it's Astroturf, and then it will be Astro-Aliens. Just watch and wait =). The only bad things about it are that it gets very hot very quickly and that there is a potential threat for catching bacterial infection. The soil microbes that work to decompose nasty and unwanted little things are not found in this artificially made product (nature is still nature!), and thus this problem becomes a concern for players and coaches. At least the temperature problem is redeemable. By spraying it with water, the turf immediately drops down from its high temperature and becomes resistant to any sudden temperature changes because of water's heating capacity (Finally! Something I already knew!). Another thing I learned and found interesting was that this whole process is like a giant arts and crafts project. The article gave the analogy of a puzzle and I totally agree. I mean you are talking about putting colored grass (who did ever think about going un-green?) and actually 'gluing' the turf into place. It just makes me awkward to think how one day we might have no 'natural ground' to walk on. Now I don't know what you will say, but in my opinion we should just go back to our 'roots' and stick with our hand grown (with love of course), good 'ol, natural grass.

Wareesha, Funny and well-written as usual. I like your reference to google - this is the information age! 5 huge stars!! MW


 * EINSTEIN'S MIRACULOUS YEAR:**

Relativity? Universal Speed Limit? Photons? Atoms? Can you slow down a bit? But seriously, when I think about those things the name of Albert Einstein pops up into my head (I mean I am sure it will, from now on). But why is it, that this great funny hairdo guy is so famous in our //'relative'// world? The answer to this question lies deep within those mind-boggling papers that Einstein published beginning 1905. From this article specifically, I learned some very important points about Einstein and his work. When I narrowed them down, it came to this: the atomic theory, the photoelectric effect, and the theory of relativity. If I was asked to say just one thing about these three theories, it would be that each of these theories is more bizarre than the other. I mean lets start with the photoelectric effect. Who knew that light came in these small packages called photons or that each metal had its own frequency threshold for the photoelectric effect? Only a very determined and brilliantly-focused person could have searched on about the energy medium called 'light.' Moving on to the atomic theory. In our digitally enhanced and advanced world of today, non-believers of this theory might be ridiculed for their utter ignorance. But a 100 years back, this fact wasn't really known. It is because of the genius Einstein that we now understand composition of matter and its major components. I think that the the atomic theory was the most important point in this whole article. Because without it, we would still be scratching our heads over the //'probability'// of an atom's existence. Last but not the least is my personal favorite; the theory of relativity. Talk about bizarre! I always believed talks of time travel and black holes and monstrous space sharks waiting to eat us up (ok, so the last one was just in my imagination) as cultivation of science fiction. But reading this article has made me realize that there are a lot of things in and around our world that we don't know about, and the best we can do now is keep digging (hypothetically of course, one cannot possibly dig in space). So, I guess saying that the year 1905 was important for the advancement of science would most definitely be considered an understatement.

Wareesha, Thank you for another entertaining and well-written post! You would do the library council proud with this piece! 5 amazing stars! MW


 * ANCIENT GREEK AND CHEMICAL TERMINOLOGY:**

So what exactly is Greek language? Well, what I understood from the article, was that it is one of the languages that gave birth to many other languages, including the one that we speak everyday and which is commonly known as; English! Now, at first I thought that Greek was going to be another language plopped on my already fried brain, but then I realized that it is not just //anything//, but rather //something// that will help me become "a successful AP Chem student." I think the most important thing I learned was that Greek is the origin of so many English words we use in our everyday life and of course, in Chemistry class. I have come to think of it as the "Latin of Biology" (the nomenclature and other important terms in Biology are mostly comprised from Latin) and it makes me proud to see that us Chemists are not settling with just one language either! Way to go Chemists! Another very important thing I learned was that 36 of the elemental names have derived from Greek. Elements such as Hydrogen, Xenon, Barium, and Oxygen; the ones we know of and work with everyday in Chemistry. (How come nobody mentioned that before? =) I also noted how most of these names were inspired by the place they were found in. For example, Lithium, another name for stone, was discovered in the compounds in the mineral world and was thus named so. Another one, Beryllium, got its name from the gem "beryl," that actually bore the element. Now the names of these elements were still fair game with me, as they were discovered in the Greek era. But what boggled me the most was when I realized how common chemistry words such as, "Homo," "Iso," "Kilo," "Poly," and "Thermo" are derived from Greek. And guess what? Those five are not "it!" There are many lists that mention the countless English words and how they were generated from Greek! I feel like I have been betrayed. But don't worry. I know that the power lies in the prefixes and suffixes and I will make sure that I have memorized them (or at least looked over them), by the time we are done from this class (that's a long time from now, so no worries =) Yet I still feel like its a shame that the deserving originators were never applauded for their language in our educational system until this time! I guess all I can hope for, is that science does not come to a time where effort is forgotten for the sake of the end result.

Wareesha, A well written and entertaining post. I enjoy reading your commentaries. Don't lose sight of the prompt however - be sure to identify VIP's and the MVP! MW


 * AN INVISIBLE FIRE:**

First of all let me tell you how refreshing it was to have to read an article that was written in a story-like format. On that note, though, I had to wonder about the kind of person who uses "Industrial Laundry Rust" to remove a paint stain and not only that, but he chooses to ignore the warnings! I mean, I can understand the agony stains cause, but you don't need to fish out the "small bottle from that dusty shelf in the basement" to clean your clothes. Unfortunately for William Turner, that rust remover was made up of hydrofluoric acid which is so deadly that it can damage your deep tissues without leaving a trace of damage on the skin. I actually never heard about anything deadlier other than sulfuric acid. It is also very deadly because as an uncharged molecule, it can easily slip through the fatty surfaces of membranes. From then on, it goes through the stratum corneum, epidermis, and dermis (After reading this I actually felt my hand itching uncontrollably, but I am sure that it was just the after-effects of reading this) :). I already knew that a fluoride ion can hold an electron more strongly than any other ion can. But I didn't know that it is the fact that here, these electron-hungry-fluoride can latch onto calcium and magnesium and leave hydrogen to wreak havoc on its own by pairing with enzymes that keep the pH in our blood and tissue stable. And without enough free calcium and magnesium, nerves fail and cell membranes collapse. When our doctor found that his patient needed calcium, he used "Bier's Block" to basically detach his arm from the rest of his blood circulation (Clever, right?). The doctor used a catheter to infuse calcium directly into his radial artery. And within two hours of this treatment, Mr. Turner was back to normal, away from the ripping jaws of possible disability. Now let this be a lesson to all of us gravy-pouring-mud-splashing-and-paint-spraying people. DO NOT EVER IGNORE "OFFICIAL" WARNINGS (and if you really want to, at least read them first). :)

Wareesha,%