SORRY

Dear Mr Low,

I have changed the url of my science eportfolio. I decided to use Weebly to present my eportfolio as it will look better with it, instead of the blog.

I am sorry for the late notice! My Science Eportfolio website is http://nonubb.weebly.com/

Regards,

Yang Xinyi 1O4 (32)

My Reflections

As i progress into the secondary school science system, i get to learn much more things. My vision of science is broadened and many question marks can be explained with a scientific theory.

I feel that in order to ace in science, you must keep an open mind to it. Do not think that it is impossible and do not restrict yourself. Aim high, work it out. You must have great curiosity and interest in science too. Nothing is impossible. As long as there is a will, there is a way. Back then, did anyone even predict that Albert Einstein will be able to generate the formula E=MC2? No, when he was in school, he was often laughed at for being stupid. Now, no one will say he is.

Resilience is also a key factor. You can have a high IQ and great curiosity and creativity and interest, but if one failed experiment is able to cripple your courage and you give up, probably you have lost a very good opportunity to claim yourself the proud inventor of something spectacular. When other people come up with the idea later, you will definitely chide yourself, for being so foolish in giving up the golden opportunity. Dont live life of misery and regret!

Look at Thomas Edison, the inventor of so many items useful to the society. He had tried over a thousand times over an experiment before finally achieving success! Once, he carried out his experiment and almost caught a train with fire! He was given a tight slap on his face, what even worse was, he turned deaf from the impact of the slap. However, nothing hindered his path. He lighted up his way, just as he lighted up the world with his improvisation of the light bulb.

As he said, success is made up of 99% effort and 1% talent. If you got the IQ, the curiosity, the interest, do not waste it! Work hard, dare to aim, and with 99% effort, you can be guaranteed 100% success!!

Importance of Science

Science involves really intelligent activities carried on by humans to discover information about the natural world we live in. Science is so significant. Everything, everywhere, involves science. Even back in 10000 B.C. , cavemen had to figure their way to live, eat and respond necessary. In the morning, sunlight filters through your window pane. You can choose to sleep on, but time never stops for anyone. The sun sets, and man made lights illuminate the city. Science is beyond our control. It is so diverse that everyone on earth can contribute in one way or another, either by discovering things, or simply, keeping our environment clean.

Our body is a form of science most closely related to us. If we do not understand the needs of our body, we fall ill. Science is so important. Without the discovery of medicines, many lives are at stake. Everything we do, what we think, how to eat, sleep, how we feel, involves a complex system which forms our body. Everything simple involves science.

Keeping A Creature Alive

I tried out this experiment with my friends over the science eureka course.

1) We placed 2 table spoons of sugar into a beaker and dissolved it with warm water (using a stirrer)

2) We then added 5g of yeast into the beaker and continued to stir

3) Once the yeast and the sugar are fully mixed, we poured the mixture into a conical flask

4) We then stretched a balloon over the mouth of the flask, ensured that it is air tight, then left it there for 10 mins

What did we observe and why?

a) The balloon inflated

b) The yeast fed on the glucose and respired, exhaling carbon dioxide. However, this isn't totally why the volume of gas in the bottle increases and inflates the balloon. If you react a sugar with oxygen, you form as much carbon dioxide as the oxygen you started with. The carbon dioxide produced will be the same volume and the oxygen taken in, so there would be no increase in volume and the balloon would not inflate. So, yeast had another trick. If there is lots of food about in the form of sugar but not enough oxygen, the yeast can generate energy by breaking down the sugar into ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide. There is not much oxygen in the air above the bottle and even less in the water so the yeast breaks the sugar straight down to alcohol and carbon dioxide. This form extra gas of carbon dioxide, thus increasing the volume of gas and inflating the balloon.

We also learnt new terms Aerobic and Anaerobic.

Aerobic is breathing in the presence of oxygen.

Anaerobic is breathing without the presence of oxygen.

I Wonder?

I was amazed by the results. I did not expect yeast to be able to respire just like us! Although yeast may seem lifeless, it can even partially inflate a balloon in ten minutes!

AMAZING!

Circular Breathing

Circular breathing is a technique used by some musicians in order to produce a continuous tone without interruption. This is a technique that is very difficult to master, but once mastered, it is easily to be remembered and carried out.

These are the steps to carry out circular breathing:

1) Inhale fully

2) Exhale

3) When lungs are nearly empty, blow the last bit of air into your mouth (then your cheeks will inflate)

4) Blow out the air from your mouth (now your cheek's deflated)

5) Now very quickly, inhale through your nose while you blow the air out from your mouth

6) If you are good enough to do it, the process repeats and you can blow all the way!

Circular breathing is a really useful technique as it enables the melody to be continuously played. This can bring out the feelings of the listeners. For example, if the melody is really sad, it would not be appropriate if you take abrupt pauses here and there. With such a technique, you can enhance the feeling greatly.

Some musicians known to used Circular Breathing:

1. Evan Parker (a saxophonist)

2. David Murray ( tenor saxophonist and bass clarinet player)

3. Irvin Mayfield ( jazz trumpeter and composer)

Apart from using circular breathing to blow woodwind instruments, it can be used to sing as well. The steps are the same, but it is more difficult to perform circular breathing while singing as compared to blowing woodwind instruments.

So now i know, how those amazing singing legends are able to carry out such lengthy vocal performances without having to spoil the atmosphere.

Signing off,

Xinyi :)

Octopus

It started strangely. I dont know why but i developed a strong interest in Octopuses. I dont have it now, but i was pretty crazy about then.
I used to be so interested with octopus that everything related to this mysterious creature catches my full attention. I still remembered that i once hated dolhpins because they feed on small octopuses.
Octopuses are very intelligent. In fact, they are the 4th smartest creature, ranked on a chart planned by Animal Planet. They give both land and aquatic creatures tests for them to complete. For instance, they place the octopus in a mind-boggling maze and at the end of the maze is a crab. Well octopuses love crabs. The octopus, slowly found its way out, crawling out steathily. Once the distance closes up, the octopus straps it's amazing tentacles onto the crab, pulling it to it's mouth. It drills a hole in the crab's shell, followed by spitting poisonous fluid into the crab. The poison acts as a paralyser and it softens the crab's meat. Then, the octopus sucks the meat out of the crab. (kind of sick, but it doesnt eat or chew the crab).

I did not google or yahoo or search any website to complete this. It is totally based on my prior knowledge on this amazing creature :)

My Eportfolio!

Woo Hoo! I have created my Science Eportfolio! This is a platform for me to share my ideas, information, interesting stuffs about Science! There's A Long Way To Blog! :)