Rocket Lab Report

Matthew Wong and Andrew Romero

Intro

The bottle rocket experiment demonstrates basic Newtonian physics. The rocket demonstrates real-life applications of many laws and formulas. Kinematics and projectile motion are applied in this experiment, as the rocket is a projectile launched in the air by the theory that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

The motion of the rocket can be found using kinematics. Acceleration = final velocity (vf) – the initial velocity (vi) / change in time (Δt). In addition, (vf)2= (vi)2 + 2ad. These equations calculate the rocket’s highest point, assuming initial velocity is 0 m/s and having measured vf. Final position (y) = initial position (yi) + initial velocity (vi) * time + (½)*acceleration*time2.

Moreover, this multi-stage experiment also includes impulse (i) and momentum (p). Impulse = Force*Δtime. Thus, because impulse is change of momentum, Δp = Force*Δtime. The second formula is p = mass*velocity. Combining the two formulas, m*Δv = F*Δt. F = (m*Δv)/(Δt) is the average force of the rocket.

Lastly, the rocket’s force and acceleration are caused by the pressurized air expelling water from the rocket, creating an opposite reactionary force. Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that every force has an equal and opposite force: pushing out the water pushes the rocket upwards.

Materials

• 2 x 2-Liter bottles
  
  
• Poster board
  
• Duct tape
  
• 10 feet of String
  
• Hard paper (construction paper or cardstock)
  
• 6-10 Cotton Balls
  
• Plastic bag
  
• Bubble wrap
  
• Trash bag
  
• Scissors
  
• Water: H₂O

Procedure

1. Measure and cut out 3 parallelograms for the fins of the rocket.
2. Take a soda bottle and unscrew the cap. This is going to be the part of the rocket that separates.
3. Cut the first bottle into thirds. The top third with the neck of the bottle is the head of the rocket.
4. Tape the fins evenly sticking out of the second bottle. Make sure they are evenly distributed.
5. Next, cover the fins with duct tape for decoration and to make them water-resistant.
6. Make a cone of paper and tape it around and onto the separate piece of the rocket (from step 3)
7. Cut 4 lengths of string of equal length out of a 10-foot string.
8. Take a trash bag and cut off the 4 edges, so that it becomes two squares. Put one of these squares to the side.
9. Cover the 4 corners with tape, for easy hole-punching.
10. Use something sharp to punch holes in the 4 corners.
11. Thread string through these holes, typing and taping the ends down to secure the string.
12. Tie the other ends of all 4 strings to the detachable head of the rocket. This is the parachute.
13. Cover the egg in bubble wrap, and place in a bag with 6 cotton balls.
14. Place the bag in the head of the rocket.
15. Put the head on the rocket, making sure to place the parachute so that the strings are not tangled.
16. The experiment begins: fill the rocket with about 20 mL of water.
17. Place rocket on launcher; making sure the head is on tight but not too tight.
18. Prepare to capture velocity with radar gun.
19. Begin video capture.
20. Pull string to launch rocket.
21. Record data and begin analysis.

Results

 0:08 seconds – showing rocket

• Time of acceleration = 0.28 seconds

• Time to apogee after exhaustion= 2.32 seconds

• Time to hit ground(roof) from apogee = 3.00 seconds

• Velocity = 75 kilometers/hour = 20.83 meters/second

• Mass = 1.2 kilograms

• Height of apogee = 88.87 feet

 

The Third Stage does not apply to this launch because the parachute was not released.

Conclusion

Looking back on this lab, we think our first mistake was not using the phrase, “it’s only rocket science” (instead of “It’s not rocket science.” Haha!). This lab was more than just a lab, it was a chaotic adventure which provided us with a challenge that no one else got, yet still unfortunately applies often to this world. If someone were to ask us, “why’re you still doing this lab? We finished it weeks ago,” we would reply, “well, it landed on the lower roof of the SLC and no one had the 5 minutes it takes to go up to the weight room, and return it to Ms. Roemer, which is what we were told was going to happen. When someone finally realized how easy the task was of retrieving the rocket, they threw it away.” Clearly, we weren’t very happy about the situation, which is something anyone can understand. Although we were upset, we had no excuse for our lack of initiative, this being our greatest flaw when doing this lab. Our lab was saved by high school student and expert-snapchatter Max, who put our first and last launch on his Snapchat story with the caption “They lost they rocket lol.” This video allowed us to find all the times we needed to calculate accelerations and essentially complete the whole lab.

We were very proud of our rocket, for it was insanely durable and was very slick, all thanks to the hours that were put into it. Even though the parachute did not release, the rocket launched over 80 ft. high, only adding to the greatness of the rocket. The only changes we would make to the rocket is whatever changes were needed for a successful release of the parachute. Another thing we could have done is prepare for the worst. If we had assumed that it would take this long for us to complete the rocket, we would have been back on our feet before we even fell. We should have presented the Snapchat video to Ms. Roemer the day the launch happened, allowing us to have finished the lab about two weeks earlier.

        Personally, we took a lot more out of this lab than just perfecting my ability to solve for acceleration, distance, and force. we took away a life lesson that we can guarantee will apply to the future of my academic life. Sometimes, a situation may shift so that the simple 1,2,3, process of getting through it no longer applies, and you need to improvise. Use any resource you have, for there’s no restrictions as to what may help out your situation, which in this case was the lab.

Last Day of Biology Honors 2014-2015

I really enjoyed this course. I actually loved learning about real world issues from Mr. Wong. As I sit in class right now, I see that I will miss this class next year. I feel like Mr. Wong is an awesome teacher, and I will miss his lessons. I learned many lessons during the two semesters of this class. I learned biology, but I also learned something more important: 

Always try your best

It doesn’t matter what grade you get

It matters what you learn.

Study biology because it is irrelevant.

Music and art and literature are adventures for the soul. That’s why you study biology.

We study things because it is relevant, but study biology because it is irrelevant. 

Study biology because it is beautiful, because you have an unquenchable thirst for learning. 

So, learn biology.

Thank You Mr. Wong!

Matthew Wong

My edublog link

Before I started this blog, I was using edublogs. I didn’t really think that edublogs was too good, so I switched to the full WordPress. Here is the link to my edublogs site.

Biology | Just another Edublogs site: Edublogs Matthew Wong

Ecology of Bellarmine

Introduction

In Mr. Wong’s 2015 2nd semester Bio Honors Class, we had an activity to investigate the ecology of Bellarmine. We were sent to find things in each of the categories. It was actually really exciting to try to find and identify different animals, plants, insect, and levels of the food web / food chain.

Methods/Materials

With an iPad, a phone, a camera, or with anything that can take photos, we were instructed to look for organisms that fall in the categories provided by Mr. Wong.

The categories are:

• Producer
• Primary consumer
• Secondary consumer
• Tertiary consumer
• Decomposer
• Herbivore
• Carnivore
• Omnivore
• Threatened species
• Endangered scpecies
• Non-native species

There was also one non-biological category:

• Pollution source

Specimen and info

• Producer – Grass (Poaceae): The grass at Bellarmine is used to cover the space in between paths in the Quad. The space between buildings is mostly filled with this kind of plant, grown on hills, flat grounds, and in other kinds of environments. The football field is filled with artificial turf, which is made to mimic grass.
  • 
• Primary consumer – Earwig (Forficula auricularia): Earwigs dwell in dark, damp place, but they sometimes emerge during the day. They live in nearly any small, dark spaces or crevice. Often, these insects may be found on ceilings or walls of homes.  These little creatures are herbivores, but some of the other species of earwig may be parasitic to bats. On campus, these insects live where there is enough water and not much sunlight. For example, such a place would be behind a bush, under some leaves, in between the slabs of concrete that make up the patio, and inside many classrooms.
  • 
• Secondary consumer – Chicken(Gallus gallus domesticus): Chickens live on the farm next to the Bellarmine soccer field. They are omnivores who often dig for insects, seed, and even snakes, mice, and lizards. Their natural habitat is on the ground in areas with trees. They may sometimes fly for brief periods of time to jump over fences, into trees, or down from trees. On the Bellarmine farm, the chickens have a nice place to stay. They have land with many plants that leave seeds everywhere, and there is a tree right above their dwelling place.
  • 
• Tertiary consumer – Dog(Canis lupus familiaris): Dogs are mostly domestic animals. They are carnivores and live in homes with people or in their backyards. On campus, dogs may show up after school or before school. Sometimes, during school, people walking their dogs may pass through campus. Dogs do not live on campus however.
  • 
• Decomposer – Earthworm (Acanthodrilidae): The earthworm lives in the soil, wherever there is a great amount of moisture. They sometimes live in muck and water soil. Whenever Some of the species of earthworms were introduced to the americas accidentally by European colonists.
  • 
• Herbivore – Earwig (Forficula auricularia)
  • (See above)
• Carnivore – Dog(Canis lupus familiaris)
  • (See above)
• Omnivore – Human (Homo Sapien): Like the chicken, Humans are omnivores. Humans live in buildings, which are usually structures with walls and roofs. Some humans enjoy living outdoors in a tent, but some may live on the streets. These are called “homeless”. On Bellarmine campus, the humans stay in the school buildings for most of the day. Moving from building to building, they cross the grass and go under the shade of trees.
  • 
• Threatened species – Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba): Ginkgoes were very common all over the world until many of the species went extinct all of a sudden. the last remaining ginkgoes were found in two provinces in eastern China. Since then, many have been cultivated around the world. Now, there is one growing on Bellarmine campus. It grows by the Carney science building, and is located diagonally in front of the balcony of where Mr. Wong’s room is. Mr. Wong and Mr. Flowers are shown in the photo of the ginkgo specimen.
  • 
• Endangered species –  Bakersfield cactus (Opuntia basilaris): This kind of cactus, in the upper center of the photograph, is found in the deserts of southwest United States. Such deserts are the Mojave, the Anza-Borrego, and the Colorado deserts. It is protected by the California government and is an endangered species. On the Bellarmine campus, on the farm across the street, there is a planter box for cacti. One of these cacti is an endangered species. It is planted in a sandy planter box. There are only about 37 of this species left in the wild. 
• Bakersfield Cactus
• 

• Non-native species – Invasive Ivy (hedera) This kind of Ivy is also known as Canarian Ivy. As other kinds of ivy, it grows from a vine and branches out, using whatever area it can cover as a support. It is native to the Canary Islands south of Spain and is native to north Africa. On the Bellarmine campus, it can be found on the wire fence in the parking lot near O’Donnell Hall. It uses the wire fence as a support to grow its vine, which sprouts leaves.
  • 
• Pollution Source – San Jose International Airport (2.4 mi from Bellarmine): The airport is a source of exhaust from jets and planes. As jets and planes burn Diesel fuel, it creates lots of pollution in the air. This burning of fuel results in global warming.
  • 

Analysis/ Discussion Questions

1. Define and differentiate between ecology and environmental science and discuss the
   Bellarmine campus in the context of both.
   • Ecology is the study of the relationships between the environment and the organisms that live is the different environments. Environmental science is the study of the environment and its problems, including not just biology, but other sciences as well. They are different because environmental science does not include the study of the interactions between the organism their habitats. Environmental science is the study and analysis of the actual area itself and not the connections of the ecosystem.
   • The ecology of Bellarmine is actually very complex. Students travel around campus all day long. The trees provide shade for the students, and in turn, the humans take care of the plants and trees.
   • The environment of Bellarmine is full of grass, tree, and plants. During the day, birds are the most common animals in sight because there is quite a high level of human activity. There are slabs of concrete on the floor, creating a path between buildings. Often, the soil and grass are soaked because of the sprinkler system.
2. Define and describe any population, community, ecosystem, biome and aquatic zone that you
   find on campus; and discuss the biotic and abiotic factors that contribute to that ecosystem.
   • The most obvious populations are grasses, trees, and humans. The trees are highly visible because of their height. The grasses are visible because of their overwhelming number. Humans have the most visible population and community because they are everywhere on campus from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.
   • Across the road from Bellarmine’s main part of campus, there is a farm, which is its own ecosystem. Although it does not have its own way of procuring water, humans take care of the life in it by bringing water. It has plants, trees, insect,and chickens. However, in the farm, there are many invasive weeds. For the most part, they overgrow the non-weed plants.
3. Construct and discuss a food chain, a food web, and an ecological pyramid based on the
   trophic levels that you observe.
   • Using the organisms that I found at Bellarmine, I can construct a rough food chain.
     • 
   • The earwig consumes grass, and is eaten by the chicken.
   • On the farm, the chicken is killed and brought to the supermarket.
   • The owner of the dog buys some chicken and gives it to the dog to eat.
   • The human probably will not eat the dog, as this is not China.
   • When any of the organisms in the food chain dies, the earthworm will break down the remains.
   • The nutrients from the broken down remains will nourish the grass.
   • Here is the structure of this food chain.
     • Quaternary consumer – human (omnivore, consumes other consumers with lower trophic level and producers)
     • Tertiary consumer – dog (carnivore, consumes  secondary consumers and primary consumers)
     • Secondary consumer – chicken (omnivore, consumes primary consumers and producers)
     • Primary consumer – earwig (herbivore, consumes plants and plant foliage)
     • Producer – grass (autotroph, converts sunlight)
     • Decomposer – earthworm (heterotrophic, reduces dead organisms)
4. Investigate and discuss any endangered, threatened, and invasive species on campus.
   • Bakersfield cactus (Opuntia basilaris) is an endangered species in southwest United States. It is located in the farm across from Bellarmine. At the time that this species was listed on the California endangered species list, there were only 37 left in the wild.
   • Ginkgoes are a threatened species. They were once wiped out in the wild with two remaining regions in China with ginkgoes. Today, there is only one species left, but it has been cultivated by many cultures. So, it is no longer endangered. 
   • The invasive Canarian Ivy is present in the parking lot of O’Donnell. It considered invasive because it covers as much area as the plant can sustain. Also, the plant reproduces and grows at an alarmingly fast rate.
5. Define pollution, and describe and discuss the various types that you observe on campus.

• Pollution is filling the environment with unnatural amounts of unhealthy waste products.
• Cars, trains, construction, and airplanes pollute the environment and leave the ecosystem unhealthily unbalanced. I see littering every day and I try to save the environment from being wasted by cleaning up trash that cannot be decomposed. I believe that if everyone tries to help the environment, pollution would not have such a heavy effect on our world today.

Conclusion

I think that the Bellarmine environment is healthy because we are all humans for and with each other. The ecosystem and the organisms in the ecosystem need us to help keep the world healthy. Therefore, we must save threatened and endangered species and prolong the life of the ecology of the Bellarmine campus.

Meiosis, the Movie

Project

In this partner project, Kevin and I created a stop-motion movie of Meiosis out of pictures and an editor. Mr. Wong helped us with the actual picture taking part. I used windows movie maker to create a step-by-step video, and I uploaded it to YouTube.

What is the function of meiosis?

Meiosis is a process that germ cells undergo to create reproductive cells, called gametes. Gametes are haploid cells, which have half the number of chromosomes of normal somatic cells in your body (those are diploid). Because you start out from two gametes, one from each parent, you end up with the normal amount of chromosomes. This combines genes and fulfills the total number of chromosomes that you have. The main reason that meiosis is carried out is to create genetic diversity.

What events promote genetic variation during meiosis?

Crossing over and independent assortment promote genetic variation. Crossing over is the trading of genes between two of the chromosomes. Matching regions on the chromosomes switch from one to another, resulting in two chromosomes that have parts from both of the original chromosomes.

Also, Independent assortment is another way that genetic diversity is developed. Chromosomes during Metaphase I align to the center line, but depending on the order that they are lined up, there can be different genetic combinations.

What causes non-disjunction?

Non-disjunction is when chromosomes do not detach from each other or do not do so correctly. Spindle fiber connection, strength, and operation are all important. If one goes wrong, one daughter cell could end up with 1.5 chromosomes and the other with 0.5. Also, ignored failures to checkpoints cause non-disjunction in cell division.

Panda bears have 42 chromosomes compared to 74 chromosomes found in most bears. How could this occur? Explain in terms of non-disjunction.

Pandas may have been descended from a bear who had an issue with its gametes, one of the gametes being non-disjuncted. It may have ended up with half the number of chromosomes in both of the gamete cells from both the mother and the father. Then, the error caused it to reproduce and that may have started the species of pandas, having 42 chromosomes.

How could this lesson be improved?

This lesson could be improved by making more labs or adding more experiments relating to actual observation. I would like to be able to see separate slides with a microscope that contain different stages of meiosis. We should do an experiment similar to the mitosis cells, but this time, with germ cells and gametes, which are different from somatic cells because they can be diploid and haploid.

Cancer blog report

Interveiw

I interviewed a person who had thyroid cancer. She had survived this cancer and had been cured of it. 3 years ago, she was diagnosed when her doctor found out that she had a “cold nodule” in her thyroid glands, which means it was a useless lump which couldn’t produce the thyroid hormone. Some of her original symptoms were lumps in her neck and discomfort when moving her neck. She was worried about it after getting the results from a fine-needle biopsy. She felt scared and went through depression and anxiety. If I had this kind of cancer, I would be afraid that I wouldn’t be able to talk to my family or would go through trouble breathing, just like her fears.

She said that because she is the mother of 3 girls and 1 boy. it was especially hard for her during her treatment. Her treatment was using radioactive iodine. Radioactive iodine kills off rumors, but makes you radioactive so you have to be isolated from everything because you were radioactive. She went through four days of isolation and had to stay away from her family and friends.

Her lifestyle changed when her doctor told her that she needed to intake less iodine. She had to reform her diet to contain food with less iodine. She gives advice to other women: make sure the people you are consulting know what they are doing and make sure you understand your own sickness.

She now exercises daily and has a resolution of staying healthy. She said, “I am grateful to survive to see my children after the isolation, and I am happy that I could support them and help them grow up. I had originally thought that cancer meant that you were going to die, but because mine was detected at stage 1, I found out that there were others with a worse situation than mine.” She had misconceived cancer to be fatal, but she learned more about it and found out that she was lucky.

I later reflected on what she had said. I thought about it and came to a conclusion. If she had cancer and considered herself to be lucky, I was even luckier because I had never had it. I felt good about that conclusion and resolved to be more grateful for everything.

Research
1. tissues and organs affected
Thyroid cancer affects the thyroid gland, a butterfly shaped gland in the neck area. It affects the production of the thyroid hormone that regulates the energy use in the body.
2. causes
A certain main cause is not known, but excessive radiation to the head and neck increase the risk of developing a cancer in these glands.
3. role of the cell cycle
The cell cycle helps the thyroid gland develop and maintains it. It replaces dead cells. But, when there is an error in the genetic code, it may cause the repairs to go haywire, and many cells will grow and there will be a tumor.
4. treatment
Radioactive iodine, radiation, surgery, chemotherapy, or other common kinds of treatment.
5. prevention
If less iodine is consumed, then the rate of cancer probability will lower in a person who is prone to thyroid cancer.
6. incidence in the U.S.
Thyroid cancer is a rare form of cancer and is easily detected in early stages.
7. epidemiology
Middle-aged women at about 45 to 55 years of age are most prone to this disease. The five-year survival rate of patients with thyroid cancer is 97.7%.

Mitosis Lab Report

Introduction  and Objective

In Mr. Wong’s 7th period bio-honors class, we did a lab experiment on the processes of mitosis and the different phases as seen under a microscope. The objective of this experiment was to calculate the percentage of cells in each of the phases of mitosis.There were two different slides, one of onion root tip and one of whitefish blastula. The slides were each placed under a microscope and observed. The stages were counted, and the percentages were calculated.

 Experiment Question

What is the frequency of each of the stages of mitosis? Is time in each stage a factor of how frequently the phases appear?

 Hypothesis

If the percent of phases is calculated, the percent of cells in interphase will be the greatest because cells spend most of mitosis in interphase. The results will show that the most cells are going through interphase and that interphase takes the majority of the time of mitosis.

Materials

• Microscope from Mr. Wong’s lab
• Onion root tip microscope slide
• Whitefish Blastula microscope slide
• Camera

Procedure

1. Set up microscope.
2. Put in Onion root tip slide.
3. Observe the magnified cells.
4. Take a picture using camera.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 using Whitefish blastula slide.
6. Take a picture using camera .
7. Open pictures and count cells in each stage of mitosis.
8. Calculate percentage of each phase
9. Calculate the percent of time spent in each stage

This is how I counted each of the cells.

Results

The picture of the Onion root tip contains more than twice as many cells as the whitefish blastula, so my results contain 2 fields of Onion root tip and 1 field of Whitefish Blastula. Interphase was the most common phase. In addition, blastula have a smaller division scale than root-tips; root-tip cell samples contain many more cells than blastula samples. However, they were observed at the same magnification power. So, it shows that far more onion cells were observed.

Onion root tip slide:

Whitefish Blastula slide:

The time in each stage was calculated with this formula:

Percent of cells in stage   x   1440 minutes   =  minutes of cell cycle spent in stage

A Pie graph with the percentages and cell counts:

Analysis

3A.

1. Why is it more accurate to call mitosis “nuclear replication” rather than “cellular division”?
   1. It is more accurate to say that the nucleus is being replicated, rather than saying that the cell is being cleaved into two pieces. The nucleus is replicated rather than cut in half; thus, the term “nuclear replication” is more accurate than “cellular division”.
2. Explain why the whitefish blastula and onion root tip are selected for a study of mitosis.
   1. Blastula and root tips are where the creation of new cells happens. That is where the cells split and is where nuclear replication is the most frequent.

3B

1. If your observations had not been restricted to the area of the root tip that is actively dividing, how would your results have been different?
   1. The total number of cells in mitosis would have been lower, thus lowering the sample size. The accuracy of this experiment depended on the sample size because it is dealing with cells. Also, It would be harder to find the phases that were rarer than Interphase.
2. Based on the data in the Table, what can you infer about the relative length of time an onion root-tip cell spends in each stage of cell division?
   1. A cell spends nearly 70% of its time in cell division in Interphase. Then, after preparation, it goes through Prophase for about 15% of the time in cell division. Next, it spends 3% in Metaphase, 10% in Anaphase, and 5% in Telophase.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this experiment was successful. The hypothesis was correct. Interphase took up 60% of the time in nuclear replication, having a much higher count than all of the other phases. All of the observations went smoothly and the data was recorded well. The entire experiment taught me about Mitosis and the length of different phases in cell division. Root tips and blastula are where cells most actively divide and form new cells. According to my experiment of 250 cells, I learned that it takes nearly 24 hours to full replicate one cell. If mitosis did not happen in this fashion, who know what may have happened to early cells and organisms? Clearly, this experiment provided self-information, exploration, and insight into the study of cells and nuclear replication/mitosis.

Factors Affecting the Activity of the Enzyme Catalase.

Introduction  and Objective

In Mr. Wong’s 7th period biology honors class, we did a lab experiment involving the exothermic reaction between the enzyme catalase and hydrogen peroxide. The objective of this experiment was to measure the difference in product oxygen from the previously stated reaction. There were filter paper dots soaked in catalase and immersed in hydrogen peroxide inside of a reaction chamber. The chamber was placed underwater and the bubbles of oxygen were collected in a graduated cylinder. The amount was measured and the results were analyzed.

 Experiment Question

How will the number of dots soaked in catalase affect the amount of oxygen that comes out of this experiment? Is there a pattern to the change in the amount of produced oxygen?

 Hypothesis

If the number of dots increases, the amount of catalase will increase; therefore, it will increase the amount of oxygen outputted from the reaction chamber. The results will show that the lined up graphs will have different average lines.

Materials

• Safety goggles
• 50 mL lab beakers
• 10 mL and 50 mL graduated cylinders
• Fresh 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
• Bucket of water
• Catalase solution
• Punched out pieces of filter paper
• Reaction chamber (with one-hole stoppers)
• Hole stopper
• Stop watch

Procedure

1. Clean all containers thoroughly
2. Measure all the required fluids carefully
3. Soak 10 filter paper disks in catalase and let them sit
4. Conduct the actual experiment
   1. Take one of the disks and stick it to the wall of the reaction chamber.
   2. Add 10 mL of hydrogen peroxide to the bottom of the reaction chamber and make sure it does not touch the disk.
   3. Stopper the chamber with the stopper and a glass straw.
   4. Fill one of Mr. Wong’s white tubs 2/3 of the way full with water.
   5. Submerge a graduated cylinder in water and remove all air from it.
   6. Turn it over so it is sticking out of the water upside-down but is still filled with water (do not allow the mouth of the cylinder to come out of the water
   7. Put the reaction chamber into the water, placing the glass straw’s opening under the graduated cylinder.
   8. Flip the reaction chamber 180° so that the H2O2 comes into contact with the disk.

   

   9. Measure the volume of the oxygen every 30 seconds.
5. Repeat all the sub-steps in Step 4 putting 2 disks into the chamber instead of one.
6. Repeat all the sub-steps in Step 4 putting 3 disks into the chamber instead of one.
7. Repeat all the sub-steps in Step 4 putting 4 disks into the chamber instead of one.
8. Record all of the data into the chart in Mr. Wong’s worksheet.

Results

The results provided information that the number of catalase molecules available to react with hydrogen peroxide affected the reaction speed.

The results showed that the volume of the gas increased as the disks increased in number.

			M	I	N	U	T	E	S
# of disks	0	0.5	1	1.5	2	2.5	3	3.5	4	4.5	5
1	0	0.4	0.8	1.2	1.4	1.6	1.8	2	2.4	2.6	2.8
2	0	1	2	2.8	3.2	3.5	3.9	4.2	4.7	5.1	5.4
3	0	0.5	1	2	2.5	3.5	4.5	5	6	6.5	7
4	0	1.5	2.6	3.8	4.5	5.2	6	7	7.5	8

 

 

Analysis

1. Does the action of the catalase change through time? Explain your answer.
   1. Yes, the action of the enzyme catalase changes over times. I created linear graphs in addition to the segmented statistics graph. The slope of the lines increases, which means that the speed of the reaction increases exponentially to an extent. If the action of the catalase was the same, the lines would have the same slopes. They would be the same but with higher statistics. If the difference was additive, then the lines would all be parallel.
2. Based on these data, how does enzyme activity vary with concentration?
   1. Because the disks were all soaked in the same amount of catalase, the speed of the reaction increased. In other words, The number of machines that break down hydrogen peroxide was increased, and the amount of hydrogen peroxide was kept constant. That means the process is faster. However, if there are too many enzymes, they may “compete” for the right to break down substrate and the process will slow down. In the results, that point was no reached because the line was not vertical. When the line becomes vertical, then it has reached the limit for  quickness of reaction. In my results, I found that the one with the most dots started lower than the others but sped up faster. So, it is proven by the results that the amount of contact and the amount of enzymes affect this experiment greatly by decreasing and then sharply increasing the results.

   

3. Based on these data, how does substrate concentration affect enzyme action?
   1. There will be more collisions of enzymes and substrate molecules. Then, the reaction will occur faster. The enzymes will speed up because there will be more substrate molecules colliding with them and it is easier to find something to react with.
4. Based on these data, how does temperature affect enzyme action?
   1. When enzymes are heated, the act faster, but if they are heated too much, they will become denatured enzymes. They will not work if they become denatured. (We did not do this part of the experiment in class)
5. Summarize the general conditions necessary for effective enzyme action. Are these conditions the same for each enzyme? Why or why not?
   1. There must be a standard temperature, maximum surface area, enough enzyme, and enough substrate. Each has a delicate part in the functionality of an enzyme. Each enzyme must have its specified conditions unless the experiment is to kill the enzymes. Each enzyme is slightly different, but they all need about the same conditions to function and survive.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this experiment was successful. The hypothesis was correct. All of the trials with more than one disk was visibly greater than the trial with one disk. All of the trials went smoothly and the data was recorded well. The entire experiment taught me about reaction systems. There are enzymes that react with a substrate. The speed can be increased by increasing the amount of enzyme, the amount of substrate, or the temperature. However, all of these have their limitations. they all need to be within a certain amount limit. If there are too many or too few, the reaction of the enzyme will not function. Clearly, this experiment was one of much learning.

 

Interstellar

The science parts of Interstellar that had the most impact on me the illustrating of the theory of gravitational time dilation and the depiction of black holes and wormholes. The theory of gravitational time dilation states that as things increase in strength of gravity, the faster time gets. In the movie, the impact on heavy gravity on time and the way that the producers depicted it was ingenious and touching. It showed a father being out-aged by his daughter. When Cooper returned to earth, his daughter had out-aged him so much that she was nearly dying. That was meant to be very touching because “no parent should have to watch their child die.” [Interstellar 2014]

In addition, the description of the wormhole completely fascinated me. I realized that shortcuts through folded space can be created if technology is advanced enough. The idea that wormholes turn 3D space into 2D is really fascinating to me. The example of a paper and a pen and a shortcut in the movie impressed me and sparked an idea in me. I went home to learn more about wormholes. I later found out that the movie’s scientific realities were nearly in reality, save for 200-300 years. The wormholes in Interstellar had an impact on me just like the theory of gravitational time dilation.

In conclusion, the movie changed the way I look at space travel. I now see long-distance space travel as a possibility in the future. This movie also impacted my appreciation for our planet earth and emphasized the importance of using our resources wisely. If we do not, the lack of resources and the pollution might drive us to search for a new home on the other side of a wormhole.

Compound Microscope Lab

Mr. Wong’s 7th period bio honors class did an experiment using microscopes and slides. The experiment was based on different views of the same objects, normal and closer. We used newspaper letter, thread, and cells. The objective of the lab was to analyze different perspectives and resolutions for different objects.

Hypothesis
My hypothesis was that the objects would reveal much more detailed objects and components at the microscopic level and that each of the objects would have qualities not visible without the microscope.

Procedure
We set the microscope and slides up to view the letters e, c, and o on the microscope. The letters were soaked in water. We took pictures, and recorded our findings. Next, we looked at 3 differently colored strings: red, green, and black.


Afterwards, We looked at cheek cells. We needed to scrape some from the inside of our cheeks and then put the on the microscope slides.

Results
These are images of each of the things that we looked at.
Letters:

String:

Analysis
The letters revealed that the ink that is apparently solid on paper is just a combination of areas of ink. The inherent qualities in each layer of complexity emerge even when looking close, and when dissecting the systems through microscopic view, the qualities disappear. For example, the ink splotches became a letter which is readable in the English language.

Conclusion.
This experiment was very successful, and it taught me that each layer of everything is made of smaller this that would mean nothing without the larger whole. I learned that when meaningless parts come together, meaning emerges. Clearly, when things are put together but dissected at microscopic level, emergent properties emerge and can be analyzed.