The rest of Term 2...
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Class
80:
Tuesday,
1/26/2021 Warm Up: A few review questions... 1. Where, in the United States, is there a famous transform plate boundary? 2. Which way does a comet's tail point? 3. What is the Sun's primary fuel? 4. What keeps planets from flying away from the Sun, and what keeps them from falling into the Sun? 5. What's the name of the Earth layer between the crust and the outer core? 6. What's the word for "turning from a gas to a liquid?" 7. When we see clouds, which of the following are we not seeing: solid water, liquid water, water vapor (gas). 8. Identify a science concept that has come up again and again this year. Today:
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Class
78:
Monday,
1/25/2021 Warm Up: A few review questions... 1. What's a synonym (another word) to describe density? 2. What color has the longest wavelength? 3. What color are the most massive stars? 4. Give one reason why the Earth is hot on the inside. 5. At divergent plate boundaries, are there rising mantle currents or sinking mantle currents? 6. What type of lava can be found in a volcano at an ocean/continent convergent plate boundary -- mafic, felsic, or both? 7. What's the difference between a meteor and a meteorite? 8. If the volume of an object increases, what needs to happen to that object's mass in order for its density to also increase? Today:
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Class
78:
Friday,
1/22/2021 Warm Up: There seem to be three common types of alcohol that I encounter: ethanol, methanol, and isopropyl alcohol. Do you know the difference? Article Today:
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Class
77:
Thursday,
1/21/2021 Warm Up: How does a hot air balloon work? As it heats up, what happens to each of the following characteristics of the balloon? Why? 1. Volume? 2. Mass? 3. Density? 4. Weight? Today:
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Class
76: Wednesday,
1/20/2021 Warm Up: A positive feedback loop occurs when an effect increases the cause that created the effect. A positive feedback loop causes change and instability. Negative feedback occurs when an effect decreases the cause that created the effect. Negative feedback results in stability. 1. Which of these is an example of positive feedback, and which is negative? A) A room gets hotter. The thermostat senses this and turns off the heater, causing the room to get cooler. B) The Earth gets hotter. This melts snow. As the snow disappears, the darker ground below is better able to absorb sunlight, causing the Earth to get hotter. 2. Can you think of another example of positive or negative feedback Air conditioning/refrigerants, methane, permafrost, and swamps Today:Today:Today:
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Class
75:
Tuesday,
1/19/2021 Warm Up: What is the greenhouse effect? How does it work? Today:Today:Today:
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Class
74:
Friday,
1/15/2021 Warm Up: A monsoon is a "seasonally reversing wind" that can cause changes in precipitation and weather in general. 1. The point of yesterday's warm-up is that oceans (water) has a higher specific heat than continents. What does that mean? 2. During which seasons will India's monsoons cause wet weather? When will they cause dry weather? Why? Today:Today:Today:
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Class
73:
Thursday,
1/14/2021 Warm Up: Suppose we shine equally powerful lights on a tray of soil and a tray of water. If there are equal amounts of soil and water... 1. Which one do you think will heat up fastest? 2. After we turn off the lights, which one will cool down fastest? Today:Today:
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Class
72: Wednesday,
1/13/2021 Warm Up: 1. Why does my ice cube sink? The graphs on the right show how water's density varies with temperature. How is water's varying density important... 2. For roads in Vermont? 3. In the rock cycle? 4. For fish? 5. With regard to global warming? Today:
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Class
71:
Tuesday,
1/12/2021 Warm Up: The diagram on the right shows how water dissolves table salt. Table salt is made of sodium atoms (Na) and chlorine atoms (Cl). It's formula is NaCl. In the diagram, sodium atoms are grey, and chlorine atoms are green. 1. What are the red dots in the diagram? 2. What are the white circles? 3. What part of a water molecule grabs sodium atoms? Why? 4. What part of a water molecule grabs chlorine atoms? Why? Today:
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Class
70:
Monday,
1/11/2021 Warm Up: 1. What will happen if I sprinkle pepper on the surface of some water and then touch the water with a soapy finger? 2. Why does this happen? 3. What if I covered a paper clip in soap and tried to make it float? Today:Today:
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Class
69:
Friday,
1/8/2021 Warm Up: 1. Which is more dense -- a steel paper clip or liquid water? 2. How can I make a paper clip float on water? 3. In order for this to work, does the paper clip need to be hydrophobic or hydrophilic? 4. Can I alter the paper clip to help it float? Today:Today:
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Class
68:
Thursday,
1/7/2021 Warm Up: 1. I have a glass of water with a piece of foam floating in it. The foam "wants" to move to the edge of the glass. Why? How can I make it stay in the middle? 2. Hydrophilic describes something that "likes" water. Hydrophobic things "dislike" water. Name something that is hydrophobic and something that is hydrophilic. Today:Today:
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Class
67:
Wednesday,
1/6/2021 Warm Up: What are gyres? What causes them? How can the concept of gyres help you draw ocean currents? Today:Today:
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Class
66:
Tuesday,
1/5/2021 Warm Up: 1. What are the Horse Latitudes? How did they get their name? 2. What is(are) The Doldrums? Where did the name come from? What's another name for The Doldrums? Today:
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Class
65:
Monday,
1/4/2021 Warm Up: 1. What types of air pressure are associated with dry and wet climates? 2. What type of air motion are associated with dry wet climates? Today:
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Class
64:
Tuesday,
12/22/2020 Warm Up: 1. When we make a cloud in a bottle, does the cloud appear when we squeeze or when we release? Why? 2. When winds pass over mountain ranges, which side of the mountains is wetter, and which is drier? 3. When winds pass over an ocean, which coast is wetter, and which is drier? Today:
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Class
63:
Monday,
12/21/2020 Warm Up: 1. This photograph from the 1960s shows a "paper boy" delivering newspapers from his moving bicycle. Where should the paper boy aim his paper if he wants to throw it on the doorstep of the house? Explain why. 2. Where does our weather usually come from, in Vermont? Today:
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Class
62:
Thursday,
12/17/2020 Warm Up: 1. Is it winter yet? 2. What is the definition of "desert?" 3. Where are some of the world's biggest deserts? Today:
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Class
61:
Thursday,
12/17/2020 Warm Up: In the diagram on the right... 1. When is water a liquid? 2. When is it a gas? 3. What causes each of the events in the water cycle? 4. Briefly revisit the class #15 warm-up? 5. Take a quick look at this week's air pressure and temperature? In general, will the air pressure be higher when the air is colder, or when it's warmer? Today:
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Class
60:
Wednesday,
12/16/2020 Warm Up: A better answer to the question about circulation in the upper atmosphere: 1. What would happen to the atmosphere if it were heated at area B and cooled at area A? 2. How would this result in pressure differences and winds? 3. On the surface of the Earth, winds blow from high pressure to low pressure. If the atmosphere were heated at B and cooled at A, there is one place where air would move from lower pressure to higher pressure. Where would that happen, and how does it happen? Today:
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Class
59:
Tuesday,
12/15/2020 Warm Up: Why does the bird keep drinking? Today:
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Class
58:
Monday,
12/14/2020 Warm Up: If I half inflate one balloon and 1/4 inflate another, what will happen if I connect the two balloons with a straw and let air flow between them? Today:
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Class
57:
Friday,
12/10/2020 Warm Up: Why are so many Vermont roads in bad shape? Today:
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Class
56:
Thursday,
12/10/2020 Warm Up: 1. What does the colorful diagram on the right represent? 2. What are molds and casts, and how do they relate to fossils? 3. What is petrified wood, and how does it form? 4. Why don't you want your camera on? [Note: I don't really care if you're not paying attention during a Meet. I just want to know if you're not paying attention, so that I don't waste everyone's time talking to you.]
Today:
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Class
55:
Wednesday,
12/9/2020 Warm Up: The diagrams on the right show some rock layers in two different parts of the world. 1. What do the buried fish, snail, plant, bug, and human represent? 2. Which layer is probably older, Layer S (in diagram A) or layer H (in diagram B)? 3. Which layer is probably the oldest of all? Why? 4. Which layer is probably the youngest of all? Why?
Today:
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Class
54:
Tuesday,
12/8/2020 Warm Up:
Today:
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Class
53:
Monday,
12/7/2020 Warm Up: The diagram on the right illustrates the "Rock Cycle." In the rock cycle, there are three types of rocks: igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Based on this diagram... 1. How is an igneous rock made? 2. How is a sedimentary rock made? 3. How is a metamorphic rock made?
Today:
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Class
52:
Friday,
12/4/2020 Warm Up: In 1904 scientists discovered that the Earth's magnetic field has reversed in the past. At times in the past, our Magnetic North Pole has been the South Magnetic Pole. Magnetic materials in magma align with the Earth's magnetic field, but when the magma hardens to form rock, those magnetic materials are stuck that way forever. In the 1960s, scientists studying the ocean crust near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge discovered the pattern of rocks shown in the diagram on the right. The alternating bands of crust have opposite magnetic directions, and they make a symmetric pattern on opposite sides of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. What do you think the scientists concluded from this discovery? Today:
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Class
51:
Thursday,
12/3/2020 Warm Up: 1. What is the winter solstice? 2. When is the winter solstice? 3. Why is the winter solstice significant? Today:
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Class
50:
Wednesday,
12/2/2020 Warm Up: An archaeologist dug up a coin that was dated 500BC. Immediately, the archaeologist knew it was a fake. How? Today:
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Class
49:
Tuesday,
12/1/2020 Warm Up: 1. What would each of these features look like from a satellite view? A. Continent/Continent Convergent B. Continent/Ocean Convergent C. Continent/ Continent Divergent D. Ocean/Ocean Convergent E. Ocean/Ocean Divergent F. Ocean Hotspot G. Transform boundary Today:
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Class
48:
Monday,
11/30/2020 Warm Up: 1. Let's sketch one continuous diagram with all of these plate boundaries and features... A. Continent/Continent Convergent B. Continent/Ocean Convergent C. Continent/ Continent Divergent D. Ocean/Ocean Convergent E. Ocean/Ocean Divergent F. Ocean Hotspot 2. Which type of plate boundary are we missing? Why? Today:
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Class
47:
Friday,
11/20/2020 Warm Up: 1. When did the scientific community first accept the theory of Plate Tectonics? 2. What was Pangaea? 3. What evidence first convinced the scientific community that Plate Tectonics was a valid theory? Today:
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Class
47:
Thursday,
11/19/2020 Warm Up: We have learned about 2 types of volcanoes -- Composite Volcanoes (a.k.a. Stratovolcanoes) and Shield Volcanoes. 1) Where do composite volcanoes form? 1 2 3 4 2) Where do shield volcanoes form? 1 2 3 3) What other kinds of volcanoes are there? Today:
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Class
46:
Wednesday,
11/18/2020 Warm Up: 1. At what type of plate boundary(ies) might each of these eruptions have taken place? 2. What is the difference between magma and lava? Today:
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Class
45:
Tuesday,
11/17/2020 Warm Up: 1. Which lettered item on the right is not a plate boundary? 2. Name all of the plate boundaries in the diagram on the right. 3. Which of the convergent plate boundaries will be subduction zones? 4. Why won't the other convergent plate boundary be a subduction zone? Today:
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Class
44:
Monday,
11/16/2020 Warm Up: 1. How are the items on the right similar? How are they different? 2. In the bottom picture, what makes the "diapirs" rise from the ocean crust in the subduction zone? Today:
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Class
43:
Friday,
11/13/2020 Warm Up: 1. If I boil some water and some spaghetti sauce, which one will splatter more? Why? In the graphic on the right illustrating convection currents... 2. What causes the rising currents? 3. What causes the sinking currents? 4. What causes the sideways currents? Today:
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Class
42:
Thursday,
11/12/2020 Warm Up: Why do the blobs in a lava lamp rise and sink? Today:
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Class
41:
Wednesday,
11/11/2020 Warm Up: Can you identify any of these locations on Earth? Do you know how they formed? Today:
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Class
40:
Tuesday,
11/10/2020 Warm Up: 1. What is the hottest planet? 2. Why is it so hot? 3. Rank the planets according to their hottest and coldest temperatures. 4. How hot and cold does the Moon get? Today:
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Class
39:
Monday,
11/9/2020 Warm Up: See Class #38 Today:
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Class
38:
Friday,
11/6/2020 Warm Up: 1. The flag of Pakistan is, in my opinion, an excellent flag. But it has at least three unrealistic aspects. Can you find them? 2. On a related note, there are three misteaks in thi sentence. Can you find them all? Today:
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Class
37:
Thursday,
11/5/2020 Warm Up: No warm-up today. Let's get right to business. Today:
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Class
37:
Wednesday,
11/3/2020 Warm Up: 1. If you heat something up, what happens to its volume, density, pressure, and temperature? 2. If you compress something, what happens to its volume, density, pressure, and temperature? 3. How are these situations different? Today:
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Class
36:
Monday,
11/2/2020 Warm Up: We've talked about two different ways in which pressure is created, but we never compared them explicitly in our notes. So... 1) When you microwave a sealed container, pressure builds up in the container. What causes that pressure? 2) What causes the pressure inside the Earth? 3) If you have a sealed 2-liter bottle full of air, how can you quickly increase the pressure in the bottle, just by using your hands? 4) Which of the examples above is different from the other two? Why? Today:
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Class
35:
Friday,
10/30/2020 Warm Up: Soon we will be able to see Orion in the southwest sky after dark. 1. Can you find two connections to Harry Potter in the figures on the right? 2. Can you find a red supergiant in the photos? Today:
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Class
34:
Thursday,
10/29/2020 Warm Up: This was the class #7 warm-up, but I forgot to discuss it. 1. What would happen if you made a hole through the center of the Earth, and you jumped in? 2. If you made it all of the way through, where would you come out? (antipodes map)
Today:
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Class
33:
Wednesday,
10/28/2020 Warm Up: Riddles totally unrelated to Earth science... 1. How much dirt is in a hole that is 1 foot deep, 2 feet long, and 2 feeet wide? 2. How many 4 cent stamps are there in a dozen? 3. Daddy bull weighs 1,000 pounds. Baby bull weighs 100 pounds. How much does Mama bull weigh? 4. Pat was standing outside with no umbrella, no raincoat, and no hat, but not one hair on his head got wet. How is this possible? 5. An ancient device allowed people to see through solid walls. What was the device?
Today:
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Class
32:
Tuesday,
10/27/2020 Warm Up: The picture on the right shows an explosion. This explosion shares some similarities with the Big Bang theory of the Universe's formation. 1. In the picture, which bits of matter are traveling fastest? How can you tell? 2. One result of this explosion is the movement of bits of matter. What are some other results of this explosion?
The expansion of the Universe after the Big Bang was not like the expansion after the explosion above. It was more like the expansion of the surface of a balloon. 3. If we drew some waves between the coins, what would happen to the wavelengths as the balloon expanded?
Today:
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Class
31:
Monday,
10/26/2020 Warm Up: The diagram on the right is called an H-R (Hertzsprung-Russell) Diagram. An H-R diagram groups stars in a variety of ways. What are some ways that stars are grouped on the diagram? Today:
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Class
30:
Friday,
10/23/2020 Warm Up: 1. Do this: hold a tennis ball on top of a basketball and drop them to the floor together? See what happens. 2. Guess why it happens. 3. Watch this video to find the answers and to see how this relates to supernovas. Today:
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Class
29:
Thursday,
10/22/2020 Warm Up: How can you demonstrate static electricity with ordinary clear tape? Good YouTube demo Today:
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Class
28:
Wednesday,
10/21/2020 Warm Up: 1. Why don't these diagrams have color? 2. Which of the pictures on the right represents a main sequence star? 3. Which represents a red giant? 4. Which represents a white dwarf? 5. Explain how you can tell which is which. 6. Explain why the helium and the fusing hydrogen are located where they are.
Today:
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Class
27:
Tuesday,
10/20/2020 Warm Up: The diagram on the right shows the life cycle of a star like our Sun. What's wrong with the diagram? Today:
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Class
26:
Monday,
10/19/2020 Warm Up: What was the hottest temperature ever produced on the Earth's surface? What produced that heat? Today:
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Class
25:
Friday,
10/16/2020 Warm Up: 1. How can you generate "static electricity" using a balloon? 2. How does static electricity work? 3. How is the concept of static electricity related to the Solar System's formation? 4. How can we relate static electricity to nuclear fusion? Today:
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Class
24:
Thursday,
10/15/2020 Warm Up: 1. What will happen if I spin a water balloon using a drill (as shown in the photo on the right)? 2. Explain why. Video Today:
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No class or Meet on Wednesday, 10/14. Mr. Stapleton is proctoring the PSAT. |
Class
23:
Tuesday,
10/13/2020 Warm Up: 1. The first diagram on the right shows four hydrogen atoms that combine to make one helium atom. What looks wrong? 2. E = mc2 is a famous equation. What do each of the letters in the equation represent? 3. Why does the sun shine? Why does it really shine?Today:
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Class
22:
Thursday,
10/8/2020 Warm Up: What is a mirage? What causes mirages? Today:
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Class
21:
Wednesday,
10/7/2020 Warm Up: The Universe is expanding. We know this because of the Doppler Effect. When we look at stars in distant galaxies, we see a _________ (blue-shift or red-shift). Today:
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Class
20:
Tuesday,
10/6/2020 Warm Up: 1.What are we seeing in the top picture on the right? link 2. How is this related to stars twinkling -- and planets not twinkling? 3. If you're standing next to a race track, what do you hear as the cars pass you?
a. Their pitch changes from high to low. b. Their pitch changes from low to high. c. There is no change in pitch. Today:
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Class
19:
Monday,
10/5/2020 Warm Up: Did you know that you have a two blind spots? Lets find them! Today:
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Class
18:
Friday,
10/2/2020 Warm Up: See picture Today:
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Class
17:
Thursday,
10/1/2020 Warm Up: Your assignment was to measure the altitude of Polaris. 1. What altitude would Polaris have if you lived at the North Pole? 2. What if you lived at the equator? 3. How can we find the altitude of Polaris (here in Essex, VT) without going out and looking at Polaris? 4. Sadly, in 12,000 years, you won't be able to use the Big Dipper to find the North Star. Why not? future and past pole stars Period of Earth's precession. Today:
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Class
16:
Wednesday,
9/30/2020 Warm Up: The diagram on the right shows a basic refrigeration unit. I have circled the compressor and the expansion valve. In this system, a substance called a refrigerant, moves through the pipes. 1) What happens to the temperature of the refrigerant when it is compressed? 2) What happens to its temperature when it is allowed to expand? 3) In which direction is the refrigerant flowing through the pipes? 4) Can you guess the purposes of the fans and radiators? Do you know what a radiator does? Today:
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Class
15:
Tuesday,
9/29/2020 Warm Up: 1. What are clouds made of? Why don't they fall? 2. How fast will a piece of chalk fall?
Today:
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Class
14:
Monday,
9/28/2020 Warm Up: 1. I forgot to point out that the Fall Equinox happened on Tuesday. What is the Fall Equinox? What's important about it? 2. What kinds of cars don't have spark plugs? What is the purpose of a spark plug? 3. There are all kinds of thermometers. We (all of us) often use water as a thermometer. Explain. Today:
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Class
13:
Friday,
9/25/2020 Warm Up: 1. Why can't we "see our breath" right now? 2. When we do see our breath, what are we actually seeing? 3. I made a video showing how I can make my breath visible at will. Can you tell how I did it? 4. I forgot to point out that the Fall Equinox happened on Tuesday. What is the Fall Equinox? What's important about it? Today:
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Class
12:
Thursday,
9/24/2020 Warm Up: 1. I have a peeled, hard-boiled egg that's a little too big to fit in a milk bottle. How can I get it to go in without destroying it? 2. If I can get the egg inside, how do I get it out? 3. Can you think of any other solutions to #1 or #2? Today:
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Class 11 Re-do:
Wednesday,
9/23/2020 Optional Google Meet @ 8:05. I will be re-doing yesterday's Google Meet for anyone who missed it (since the recording from yesterday didn't have sound). |
Class
11:
Tuesday,
9/22/2020 Warm Up: 1. What will happen if I put a balloon over a flask of water and then boil the water? 2. What will happen if I put the flask on ice? 3. Will the balloon behave differently if I put it on after the water is already boiling? 4. What will happen if I inflate a balloon, tie it off, and then place it in cold water? 5. Why does all of this happen? Today:
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Class
10:
Monday,
9/21/2020 Warm Up: 1. An iceberg is floating in a lake. What will happen to the water level if the iceberg suddenly melts? Why? 2. Does the weight of an object (e.g. a rock, a boat, an ice berg) change when you put it in water? Explain how you know. 3. What does change when you put something in water? Why does the weight feel different? Today:
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Class 9:
Friday!!!!,
9/18/2020 Warm Up: Why do raisins "dance" when you put them in carbonated water? What is carbonated water? Today:
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Class 8:
Thursday, 9/17/2020 Warm Up: The bottle on the right contains a "cartesian diver." The diver dives when the bottle is squeezed, and the diver rises when the bottle is released. Why does this happen? Today:
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Class
7:
Wednesday,
9/16/2020 Warm Up: 1. What would happen if you made a hole through the center of the Earth, and you jumped in? 2. If you made it all of the way through, where would you come out? (antipodes map) Today:
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Class
6
Tuesday,
9/15/2020 Warm Up: 1. Find Polaris (the North Star) in the picture on the right. 2. Why might Polaris be harder to find tonight? 3. Suppose you went out last night and looked at the night sky, and it looked like the picture on the right. What time was it? Follow these directions for telling time with the Big Dipper.
I just learned that the Big Dipper isn't a constellation, it's an asterism.
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Class
5:
Monday,
9/14/2020 Warm Up:
Today:
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Class
4:
Friday!!!!,
9/11/2020 Warm Up: 1. According to this diagram from Wikipedia, on what date are we closest to the Sun? 2. Is this diagram correct? 3. Seasons on the Earth are not the same length. In Vermont, which of our seasons would you guess is the longest? Which is the shortest? Orbit Simulation Today:
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Class
3: Thursday,
9/10/2020 Warm Up: 1. Which way does the Earth turn? How can you tell? 2. What would happen if it suddenly stopped turning? Would the effects be different in different places? Today:
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Class
2 Wednesday,
9/9/2020 Warm Up: Can you guess what the white circle is supposed to be?
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Class
1: Tuesday,
9/8/2020 Warm Up: 1. Suppose you hold an object at arm's length and use it to cover up the moon. How large does the object need to be to perfectly cover up the moon? Quarter sized? Dime sized? Something else? 2. What if you wanted to cover up the Sun? What object would be just the right size?
Today:
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