Wednesday August 27th, 2014

Today's quote: “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre

Today's Lateral thinking question: A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?

How to fit your body through a 3x5 card: The Big Squeeze

Review Your vocabulary list with definitions: Scientific Design vocabulary You will be quizzed on these words!

Today in class Introduction to the Scientific Design Process with focus on Criteria and Constraints. Students will use the 5 questions from yesterday, specifically question 2 and 5 to explore the criteria and constraints for designing and improving upon Van Helmonte's device

Questions to be able to answer from the video:

2. Describe the apparatus he built to test his hypothesis.

5. Get creative; since we know chloroplasts in plant cells can capture and store the sun's energy, discuss a device you might create that can use this as a power source. BE creative, don't worry if it doesn't make total sense.

The Scientific Design Process link:The Scientific Design Process

Video link: Ormie the Pig Wants a Cookie

Watch this video over and over!

Lab Safety rap

PM update

PM Update In class today we covered the definition of criteria which means the necessary information or specifications needed to complete a project or do something. Examples of criteria for building a car could be; what sized engine, what type of cr, what is the fuel efficiency supposed to be, how many passengers should it carry and what is my deadline? I pointed out that most researchers will ask for the criteria of a project BEFORE they agree to work on it. The second thing we need to know are the constraints, or the limits placed upon the project. For example cos t of the car could be considered a constraint, the working budget could be a constraint. Constraints are important because if you can't meet the goals or the constraints are too restrictive, you could be wasting your time. I also showed the Lab safety rap. Students were told to read over their scientific and experimental design handouts in anticipation of the project they will begin tomorrow.