Waves

     In science class, we are studying waves. Recently, we did two projects involving a jump rope and a Slinky. Our first assignment was to flick the jump rope back and forth every second. When we did this, the waves we created were large, yet slow. Then we had to flick the rope twice a second. This significantly sped the waves up, but made them decrease in size. Our second experiment was when we took a Slinky, pulled a few coils to the side, and let go. This created a wave that bounced back when it reached the other side. We then had to pull a few coils in towards ourselves and let go. This made a wave that didn't bounce back. Finally, we had to flick the Slinky from side to side, which created waves that bounced back.

Eodromaeus

     Scientists have discovered a new dinosaur which they have dubbed Eodromaeus. This dog-sized dino weighed approximately ten to fifteen pounds and was four feet from snout to tail. It had serrated (steak-knife like) and long, sharp claws. It also had grasping fingers and could run at about twenty miles per hour. This dino's bones were found in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, more specifically, in the valley of Ischigualasto. For more information, go to http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=176114
 

Lit. Poems

"Changed"

Kenny

Smart, kind, and thoughtful

Who loves "Yakety Yak"

Who feels depressed about the bombing

Who needs family to get along

Who shares his dinosaurs

Who fears the "Wool Pooh"

Who'd like to see the bombers get caught

Who dreams of the day when he's not bullied

Who ends up a completely different person

"Collier's Landing"

Whirl Pool

Rapid, dangerous

Swirling, rushing, pulling

Deadly, violent, safe, calm

Resting, sitting, rippling

Still, quiet

Lake

Dinosaurs around 700,000 years after mass extinction?

In the university of alberta, researchers determined a fossilized hadrosaur femur bone to be 64.8 million years old. This means that the dinosaur was alive around 700,000 years after the mass extinction, believed to be caused by a massive meteorite. Colleagues used a new dating method called U-Pb, which reads the uranium levels in fossils. Normally, bone doesn't have any to a little ammount of uranium, but durring fossilization, the bone is deposited with materials such as uranium. Once fossilization is complete, the uranium starts to deteriorate. In this way, U-Pb can read the uranium levels and date the bone.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110127141707.htm

Tough glass?

       A new type of glass has been created and tested that is stronger and tougher than steel. It has been tested and developed at the U.S. Department of Energy. "The new metallic glass is a microalloy featuring palladium, a metal with a high 'bulk-to-shear' stiffness ratio that counteracts the intrinsic brittleness of glassy materials" (*). This glass becomes more compact when stressed, making it bend instead of breaking(*). This means that for dangerous jobs or experiments, people can be safer when standing behind this glass. In conclusion, this new glass is a great invention and will make the world a better place.


For more information, go to...

(*)ScienceDaily 10 January 2011. 11 January 2011
        http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110121709.htm.