The British Petrol, also known as BP oil spill is a huge event. This oil spill had affected many countries, animal and people. Thus, in this post, I am going to post my thoughts about this oil spill.
I find that the BP oil spill is very destructive. The oil spill first started with an explosion under the sea killing and injuring 28 people. Then, the oil led to pollute the waters of the sea, specifically, the gulf of Mexico first. If the oil pollutes the water, it will definitely affect the animals within the sea, killing them. If a huge amount of animals is killed quickly within a specific area, it will definitely affect the Eco-system. The oil will also affect us, humans. The fishes will get poisoned by the oil, killing it and when the fisherman captures the fishes for us to eat, we will get food poisoning, affecting us. Even if the oil is cleaned up, there may still be oil lurking beneath the surface of beaches and sea beds, affecting marine organism that burrow like hermit crabs, starfish etc. etc. The BP oil spill is so bad that it leaks 100,000 barrels of oil into the sea every day. It leaks so fast that within 3 days, it spread to 580 square miles, within 9 days, the oil spread to the Mississippi Delta.
This shows how quick it spreads, how deadly it is and how it could affect almost the whole planet. This is my thought about this oil spill.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Reflection on National Engineers Exhibition trip
I had recently went for the National Engineers Exhibition and I would like to reflect on what I learned there in this post. In the National Engineers Exhibition, there are three exhibits, featuring Space and Aviation, Sports Automobile, Robotics.
The very first exhibit, featuring Space and Aviation, shows us the technology used in space and aviation. The first thing that caught my eye was the Astrium-space plane. This Astrium-space plane is a passenger plane used to fly 4 passengers into space for 2 hours. The price for each person is 200,000 euro each which is about 600,000 Singapore dollars each person.
The second thing that caught my eye within the Space and Aviation exhibition was the technology of the astronaut space glove. The glove of an astronaut is one of the most important thing within an astronaut suit. It is also one of the hardest to make. The astronaut space glove is made of silicone-rubber fingertips and the glove is attached to the main suit using pressure seals. The glove consist of two layers, the first layer is made of black rubber and the second layer is made of extra-vehicle activity. The first layer was made to fit the hand and to give comfort to the astronaut. The second layer was to protect the astronaut from the nature of the space and the environment of the different planets.
The third thing that caught my eye within the Space and Aviation exhibition was the high altitude long endurance-unmanned aerial vehicle otherwise known as the HALE-UAV. It has a wingspan of 3.7m, wing area of 8683cm2, weight of 1.7kg+payload and contains 24 solar cells. This unmanned plane could fly for 5 hours. It is not very expensive and easy to assemble so it is easily mobilized on demand. This makes the unmanned plane very convenient and useful.
The second exhibit is the Sports Automobile exhibition. This exhibition showcases many different solar powered car and one of them which I saw was quite unique in its shape. It has a shape whereby the body is very flat and a small semicircle protruding out in the middle of the vehicle for the driver. This shape allows the vehicle to fully use the 403 solar cells on top of the car. The car uses Triple Junction Gallium Arsenide solar cells and each cell is able to produce 3 Matt. The solar-powered vehicle is 1.8 meter wide, 5 meter long and it also has an aerodynamic shape to overcome air resistance. It is made of 6061-T6 aluminum to increase the car's lightness and rigidity for extra speed and toughness.
The third exhibit is the Robotics exhibition. This exhibition showcases many different robots. I saw 3 kinds of robots, underwater robot, football player robots and overcoming obstacles robots. The underwater robot is able to function properly underwater and it is installed with an electromagnet to pick up and drop stuffs. The football player robot shown is a larger version of the usually made smaller version football player robot. Lastly the overcoming obstacles robots are able to navigate its way through a maze and get through to the end.
These are what I learned in this National Engineers Exhibition. This exhibition definitely introduced me to many new technology and made me more interested in the aspect of engineering.
The very first exhibit, featuring Space and Aviation, shows us the technology used in space and aviation. The first thing that caught my eye was the Astrium-space plane. This Astrium-space plane is a passenger plane used to fly 4 passengers into space for 2 hours. The price for each person is 200,000 euro each which is about 600,000 Singapore dollars each person.
The second thing that caught my eye within the Space and Aviation exhibition was the technology of the astronaut space glove. The glove of an astronaut is one of the most important thing within an astronaut suit. It is also one of the hardest to make. The astronaut space glove is made of silicone-rubber fingertips and the glove is attached to the main suit using pressure seals. The glove consist of two layers, the first layer is made of black rubber and the second layer is made of extra-vehicle activity. The first layer was made to fit the hand and to give comfort to the astronaut. The second layer was to protect the astronaut from the nature of the space and the environment of the different planets.
The third thing that caught my eye within the Space and Aviation exhibition was the high altitude long endurance-unmanned aerial vehicle otherwise known as the HALE-UAV. It has a wingspan of 3.7m, wing area of 8683cm2, weight of 1.7kg+payload and contains 24 solar cells. This unmanned plane could fly for 5 hours. It is not very expensive and easy to assemble so it is easily mobilized on demand. This makes the unmanned plane very convenient and useful.
The second exhibit is the Sports Automobile exhibition. This exhibition showcases many different solar powered car and one of them which I saw was quite unique in its shape. It has a shape whereby the body is very flat and a small semicircle protruding out in the middle of the vehicle for the driver. This shape allows the vehicle to fully use the 403 solar cells on top of the car. The car uses Triple Junction Gallium Arsenide solar cells and each cell is able to produce 3 Matt. The solar-powered vehicle is 1.8 meter wide, 5 meter long and it also has an aerodynamic shape to overcome air resistance. It is made of 6061-T6 aluminum to increase the car's lightness and rigidity for extra speed and toughness.
The third exhibit is the Robotics exhibition. This exhibition showcases many different robots. I saw 3 kinds of robots, underwater robot, football player robots and overcoming obstacles robots. The underwater robot is able to function properly underwater and it is installed with an electromagnet to pick up and drop stuffs. The football player robot shown is a larger version of the usually made smaller version football player robot. Lastly the overcoming obstacles robots are able to navigate its way through a maze and get through to the end.
These are what I learned in this National Engineers Exhibition. This exhibition definitely introduced me to many new technology and made me more interested in the aspect of engineering.
What I had learned in Term 2
I learned physics in term 2 as while and I am going to reflect on what I had learned. But because I learned a lot of things in term 2 and I am unable to address them all so in this post, I am going to focus on only 3 main points and they are: Density, elements compound mixture and separation techniques.
The first point is Density. Density is basically mass divided by volume. The equations is p = M/V. Where P = Density, M = Mass and V = Volume. Density is a measurement of which object floats or sinks within another matter. So, if the density of a rock is higher then the density of the water, the rock sinks in the water. Which means, the object with the higher density sinks and the object with a lower density floats. Density is useful because with density, we can make ships float, with density, we can make planes fly, with density, we could create a lot of other awesome inventions like floats, beach ball, etc.etc. That is why density is important.
The second point is elements, compounds and mixtures. A Element is made of atoms but they cannot split into 2 or more substances through chemical reaction and they are considered as 1 of the simplest matter. Each element has a given name and a chemical symbol like magnesium(MG). Currently, there have been 109 elements discovered whereby 92 occur naturally and the rest are man-made. Elements are classified in the periodic table whereby a vertical column of elements is called a group and a horizontal column of elements is called a period. A compound is 2 or more elements chemically combined together. Some examples of compounds are water, carbon dioxide, copper sulfate etc. etc. Compounds are chemically combined together, similarly, it needs to be chemically separated. The properties of a compound is different as compared to the properties of the elements that make up the compound. Lastly, a mixture is 2 or more substances not chemically combined together. Such examples are Milo, cream, sweet etc. etc. A mixture can be separated by physical means and it has the same properties as compared to the substance that make up the mixture. This is elements, compounds and mixtures.
The third point is separation techniques. Separation techniques are techniques used to separate compounds and mixtures. Such examples of techniques are filtration, evaporation, distillation, crystallization and electrolysis. Filtration, evaporation and crystallization are used to collect the solute. Distillation is used to collect the solvent and electrolysis is used to collect the elements from a compound. Filtration, evaporation, crystallization and distillation are used to separate mixtures and electrolysis is used to separate compounds. The filtration method is used by pouring the mixture through the filter paper and collecting the residue on the paper. Evaporation to dryness to is used by evaporating the mixture to dryness and collecting the residue afterwords. Crystallization is used by evaporating the mixture to a saturated solution before cooling it down slowly, turning the mixture into a crystal, collecting the solute afterwords. Distillation is used by creating a distillation set-up to boil the mixture and condense it to get the solvent. Lastly, electrolysis is just allowing electricity to pass through the compound and wait for the elements to separate from the compound.
These are what I learned in Term 2.
The first point is Density. Density is basically mass divided by volume. The equations is p = M/V. Where P = Density, M = Mass and V = Volume. Density is a measurement of which object floats or sinks within another matter. So, if the density of a rock is higher then the density of the water, the rock sinks in the water. Which means, the object with the higher density sinks and the object with a lower density floats. Density is useful because with density, we can make ships float, with density, we can make planes fly, with density, we could create a lot of other awesome inventions like floats, beach ball, etc.etc. That is why density is important.
The second point is elements, compounds and mixtures. A Element is made of atoms but they cannot split into 2 or more substances through chemical reaction and they are considered as 1 of the simplest matter. Each element has a given name and a chemical symbol like magnesium(MG). Currently, there have been 109 elements discovered whereby 92 occur naturally and the rest are man-made. Elements are classified in the periodic table whereby a vertical column of elements is called a group and a horizontal column of elements is called a period. A compound is 2 or more elements chemically combined together. Some examples of compounds are water, carbon dioxide, copper sulfate etc. etc. Compounds are chemically combined together, similarly, it needs to be chemically separated. The properties of a compound is different as compared to the properties of the elements that make up the compound. Lastly, a mixture is 2 or more substances not chemically combined together. Such examples are Milo, cream, sweet etc. etc. A mixture can be separated by physical means and it has the same properties as compared to the substance that make up the mixture. This is elements, compounds and mixtures.
The third point is separation techniques. Separation techniques are techniques used to separate compounds and mixtures. Such examples of techniques are filtration, evaporation, distillation, crystallization and electrolysis. Filtration, evaporation and crystallization are used to collect the solute. Distillation is used to collect the solvent and electrolysis is used to collect the elements from a compound. Filtration, evaporation, crystallization and distillation are used to separate mixtures and electrolysis is used to separate compounds. The filtration method is used by pouring the mixture through the filter paper and collecting the residue on the paper. Evaporation to dryness to is used by evaporating the mixture to dryness and collecting the residue afterwords. Crystallization is used by evaporating the mixture to a saturated solution before cooling it down slowly, turning the mixture into a crystal, collecting the solute afterwords. Distillation is used by creating a distillation set-up to boil the mixture and condense it to get the solvent. Lastly, electrolysis is just allowing electricity to pass through the compound and wait for the elements to separate from the compound.
These are what I learned in Term 2.
What I had learned in Term 1
I learned Physics in Term 1 and in this post I am going to reflect on what I had learned. There are a lot of stuff that I had learned in term 1 but I am going to reflect on 2 main points about what I had learned. That is: attitudes a scientist should have and the measurement of length.
There are 16 attitude a scientist should have and they are: 1)managing impulsivity, 2)listening with understanding and empathy, 3)persistence, 4)thinking interdependently, 5)meta cognition, 6)striving for accuracy, 7)applying past knowledge to new situations, 8)precision of language and thought, 9)taking responsible risks, 10)remaining open to continuous learning, 11)gathering data through all senses, 12)creating imagining innovating, 13)finding humor, 14)thinking flexibly, 15)responding with wonderment awe and 16)questioning and posing problems. I had learned number 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 16 within the 16 attitudes during term 1.
The measurement of length is the second main thing I learned in term 1. Length could be measured through equipments and during term 1, I learned how to use 3 different equipments to measure length and they are the meter rule, vernier caliper and micrometer screw gauge. The meter rule was quite easy to use, I just need to put it parallel to the item I am measuring and look on the scale. The vernier caliper is a bit harder to use. I must first move it back to zero to check for any zero error before measuring the item. I first place the end at the top of the item and then slide the mini ruler attached to the vernier caliper to the other end before reading from the scale. I feel the micrometer screw gauge is the hardest to use because I first need to screw it back to check for any zero error before measuring. I then need to place the item in between the 2 rods before screwing until the item is tightly secured between the 2 rods before reading off from the scale. The hard part about this equipment is that I have to gauge how tightly I need to secure it.
These 2 things are what I mainly learned in term 1.
There are 16 attitude a scientist should have and they are: 1)managing impulsivity, 2)listening with understanding and empathy, 3)persistence, 4)thinking interdependently, 5)meta cognition, 6)striving for accuracy, 7)applying past knowledge to new situations, 8)precision of language and thought, 9)taking responsible risks, 10)remaining open to continuous learning, 11)gathering data through all senses, 12)creating imagining innovating, 13)finding humor, 14)thinking flexibly, 15)responding with wonderment awe and 16)questioning and posing problems. I had learned number 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 16 within the 16 attitudes during term 1.
The measurement of length is the second main thing I learned in term 1. Length could be measured through equipments and during term 1, I learned how to use 3 different equipments to measure length and they are the meter rule, vernier caliper and micrometer screw gauge. The meter rule was quite easy to use, I just need to put it parallel to the item I am measuring and look on the scale. The vernier caliper is a bit harder to use. I must first move it back to zero to check for any zero error before measuring the item. I first place the end at the top of the item and then slide the mini ruler attached to the vernier caliper to the other end before reading from the scale. I feel the micrometer screw gauge is the hardest to use because I first need to screw it back to check for any zero error before measuring. I then need to place the item in between the 2 rods before screwing until the item is tightly secured between the 2 rods before reading off from the scale. The hard part about this equipment is that I have to gauge how tightly I need to secure it.
These 2 things are what I mainly learned in term 1.
Reflection for term 3
During Term 3, I learned Biology for Science. I will be reflecting about my performance for term 3. I will be reflecting on 3 things, my grades for that term, my interest in Biology and my attitude during that term.
My grades for term 3 is 75/100. It is an A1. Even though it is an A1, I am not that glad to get this grade because I have deproved significantly from term 2 to term 3. My term 2 grade was 84 but this term my grade is 75. It was a deprove of 9 marks. I might have been complacent due to my marks in term 2 resulting in such marks. After getting such grades, I learnt my lesson and will not be complacent. I will try my best for my End Of Year Exams and strive for Exellence.
I am not very interested in Biology as it requires me to memorize the different parts of the living thing which I am bad at. Maybe being not interested in Biology caused me to have deproved as compared to last year in terms of grade but even so, I will try to raise my interest in Biology so that I will not repeat such mistakes again.
I feel that my attitude for this term was also quite good in terms of studies, being able to hand up my work on time, do well for my homework, listening in class and getting all the information I need. But I think what I did not do well in term 3 was that I did not revise my work because I was complacent causing me to be unable to score during my test. Even though my grades were deproving, I will not let myself feel depressed rather make this a lesson for me to learn and not repeat the same mistake in the End Of Year Exams
My grades for term 3 is 75/100. It is an A1. Even though it is an A1, I am not that glad to get this grade because I have deproved significantly from term 2 to term 3. My term 2 grade was 84 but this term my grade is 75. It was a deprove of 9 marks. I might have been complacent due to my marks in term 2 resulting in such marks. After getting such grades, I learnt my lesson and will not be complacent. I will try my best for my End Of Year Exams and strive for Exellence.
I am not very interested in Biology as it requires me to memorize the different parts of the living thing which I am bad at. Maybe being not interested in Biology caused me to have deproved as compared to last year in terms of grade but even so, I will try to raise my interest in Biology so that I will not repeat such mistakes again.
I feel that my attitude for this term was also quite good in terms of studies, being able to hand up my work on time, do well for my homework, listening in class and getting all the information I need. But I think what I did not do well in term 3 was that I did not revise my work because I was complacent causing me to be unable to score during my test. Even though my grades were deproving, I will not let myself feel depressed rather make this a lesson for me to learn and not repeat the same mistake in the End Of Year Exams
Reflection for term 2
During Term 2, I learned Chemistry for Science. I will be reflecting about my performance for term 2. I will be reflecting on 3 things, my grades for that term, my interest in Chemistry and my attitude during that term.
My grades for term 2 is 84/100. It is an A1. Even though it is an A1, I have deproved as compared to last terms grade. But if I look at the average, it seems that this terms average is lower as compared to last terms one. Maybe it is because the test is harder for this term that might have caused me to deprove. Even though I scored 84 and got first in class, I will continue to do better and strive for a better grade.
I am interested in Chemistry because Chemistry is interesting. The different elements really interests me. Like I have a lot of questions on Chemistry when I started learning for example: What is Chemistry, How do we create elements, how small is an element, Can we in some ways split the elements to get atoms? etc. etc. It is because of these questions that got me really into and interested in Chemistry and I will continue with such questions to find out more.
My attitude during term 2 was quite well I guess. Same as term 1, I am able to cope with both my cca and my studies. I am able to hand up my work on time provided that it was done well. I listen closely in class and asked questions. I am basically proud of myself this term but I know that I must not be complacent or my grade might get worse so I will try to keep it up.
My grades for term 2 is 84/100. It is an A1. Even though it is an A1, I have deproved as compared to last terms grade. But if I look at the average, it seems that this terms average is lower as compared to last terms one. Maybe it is because the test is harder for this term that might have caused me to deprove. Even though I scored 84 and got first in class, I will continue to do better and strive for a better grade.
I am interested in Chemistry because Chemistry is interesting. The different elements really interests me. Like I have a lot of questions on Chemistry when I started learning for example: What is Chemistry, How do we create elements, how small is an element, Can we in some ways split the elements to get atoms? etc. etc. It is because of these questions that got me really into and interested in Chemistry and I will continue with such questions to find out more.
My attitude during term 2 was quite well I guess. Same as term 1, I am able to cope with both my cca and my studies. I am able to hand up my work on time provided that it was done well. I listen closely in class and asked questions. I am basically proud of myself this term but I know that I must not be complacent or my grade might get worse so I will try to keep it up.
Reflection for term 1
During Term 1, I learned Physics for Science. I will be reflecting about my performance for term 1. I will be reflecting on 3 things, my grades for that term, my interest in Physics and my attitude during that term.
My grades for term 1 is 85/100. It is an A1 and I am glad to have this grade. I knew this was a good grade but I wanted to do better and therefore placed a target of 88 and more. Even though I scored quite well, I know I cannot be complacent therefore I try to not be complacent the next term and strive to do better.
I am actually quite interested in Physics but I feel that Physics is quite boring because it is only using equipments to measure length or time. Even though it is boring, I still study Physics, draw graph, practice. Maybe because I do so that I manage to get such grades. I will strive to study harder and raise my interest in Physics.
I feel that my attitude during term 1 was quite good because I manage to balance my CCA and my studies well. I was able to hand up my work on time, provided that I do it quite well. During class, I paid attention and manage to get all the information I need.
I am glad I am able to be able to do such good work within term 1 and I will keep it up.
My grades for term 1 is 85/100. It is an A1 and I am glad to have this grade. I knew this was a good grade but I wanted to do better and therefore placed a target of 88 and more. Even though I scored quite well, I know I cannot be complacent therefore I try to not be complacent the next term and strive to do better.
I am actually quite interested in Physics but I feel that Physics is quite boring because it is only using equipments to measure length or time. Even though it is boring, I still study Physics, draw graph, practice. Maybe because I do so that I manage to get such grades. I will strive to study harder and raise my interest in Physics.
I feel that my attitude during term 1 was quite good because I manage to balance my CCA and my studies well. I was able to hand up my work on time, provided that I do it quite well. During class, I paid attention and manage to get all the information I need.
I am glad I am able to be able to do such good work within term 1 and I will keep it up.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)