Term 3 Reflections

Well, term 3 arrives at a blink of an eye, the speed of a bullet train, impossible to run away. All the stress and tension start to kick in now....

I am from touching distance to my exemption, so close yet so far, if i flop in this term, it would hit me ten-fold compared to the first 2 terms. The feeling of being so close to my goal but then due to a small mistake, ruining the 8 months of work, would definitely land me in a severe state of despair. I calculated the marks i needed and due to my first 2 terms grade, i need at least a low A1 to be save. However, i know that complacency kills and should not be over-confident and over-optimistic. Therefore, i would need a plan:

Term 1's key to result: Passion!!!
Term 2's key to result: Time management!!!

TERM 3's KEY TO RESULT WOULD BE: nothing but --> HARD WORK!!

I realised now that hard work is indispensable for good grades, the subjects are rather challenging, a mixture of both physics and Biology. The components include:

1) Lenses
2) Colours of light
3) Ecology
4) Carbon Cycles

Lenses was one of the most challenging topics for the year for me as i could not grasp the key concept fast and well enough and had a whole lot of queries to clear. At one point of time i was so annoyed that i flung my books and notes into the dustbin and went to sleep.... (i picked it up the next day and continued) However my main point is that i was so caught up in my pursuit for good results that i forgot the main point of learning science which is the enjoyment i get from learning and not grades. The next few days, i cleared my mine and told myself to study with an inquisitive mind and not a incentive-driven mind. It works miraculously as i sat on the chair for more than 3 hours straight, learning efficiently as well!

The crucial day came, the results of my term 2 examination. This could either aid me in my road to exemption or bring my 8 months of accumulated grades down, if i do not do well, my aspiration from day 1 would be flushed instantly down the drain. Amazingly! I got 3rd in class again with another high A1!!! I was one of the most sensational feeling i ever felt! I learnt a lot from my mistakes like following the notes instead of my own "creativity" and be more careful in reading the requirements of the questions..

well ....... EXEMPTION HERE I COME :D

Science Centres

I believe we are have visited many different science centres in our lives, till today, i have visited a total of 3 different science centres and the experiences i received was amazing!I would like to talk about 1 innovation from each of the 3 different Science centres that i really like and want to share with you guys

1) Singapore Science Centre
2) Tokyo Science Center
3) Shanghai Science Center

1) Singapore Science Centre

This is perhaps the most common science centre we all have been to before but some of our innovation was really astounding. The Science Centre house more than 850 exhibits, mostly interactive; the largest collection devoted to science in the city. I would like to talk about the Singapore Omni-Theatre, which is an observatory and IMAX film theatre opened in 1977. The theatre consists of a massive hemispheric screen, twenty-three metres in diameter. This screen is sixteen metres or about five storeys high, and is made up of 376 pieces of vinyl-coated aluminium panels, covering a surface of 625 m². Stretching 180 degrees horizontal from wall to wall and tilted at a 30 degree angle to the horizon, the screen "wraps" over the audience to cover 80% of a hemisphere so that the images far exceed a person's field of vision.

This gave me a real unique experience and i can still remember the feeling of my first step into this omni-theatre, when the whole screen opens up and the as i walk up the stairs to my seat, the inclination made me feel like dropping all the way down. It was real scary but exhilarating!

2) Tokyo science centre

It was a family trip to Tokyo science center and i could not find or remember the technical term for that piece of innovation but i would gladly describe it to you. First and foremost, there is this house on one of the levels, from outside looks perfectly normal and floor parallel to the ground. However, when you step into this house, the sudden surge of gravity would unwittingly "push" you towards the left side and when you try to stand up and move towards the right, it was so hard that we gave up after our 10th attempt. It is like crawling against a greased pillar, no matter how hard i crawl, i will still slide and fall back! The most amazing thing is, there is no visible inclination of the floor and it seems like an ordinary and flat ground.
Gravity is simply so amazing!

3) Shanghai Science Centre
the exhibits include:
1) Spectrum of Life
2) Light of Exploration
3) Home on Earth
4) World of Robots
5) Human and Health
6) Earth Exploration
7) Light of Wisdom
8) Space Navigation
9) Information Era
10) Cradle of Design
11) Children's Rainbow Land
12) Animal Hall
13) Spiders Exhibition

However, the one innovation i remember was the virtual gaming world:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwQTW0b7vYg

As shown in this video, people are playing games with motion sensors, not just volleyball but a whole lot others like soccer, rowing, an adventure etc...
it seems just like a second xbox-kinect!

How wish i could revisit such places, it is an amazing experience and i think you shoudl visit them someday too!

Plastic

What is Plastic?
- a material, synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products
- classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis, such as condensation, polyaddition, and cross-linking


Toxicity:
- insolubility in water and relative chemical inertness
- plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives
example: plasticizers like adipates and phthalates
- compounds leaching from polystyrene food containers had found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens

Advantages of Plastic:
- production is easier as it is a synthetic product
- available in large scale
- cheap
- may exhibit better characteristics compared to natural resources

Disadvantages of Plastic:
1) Environment
- non-biodegradable & does not decayed with natural microbes
--> molecular bonds that make plastic so durable
- reduces the fertility of the soil & weakens the roots of plants
- may lead to soil erosion
- limit and destroys the asthetic beauty of the surrounding
2) Organisms
- as plastic is poisonous to health, organisms feeding on it will be affected
- produces a lot of carbon monoxide(poisonous! and hard to spot!) when burnt

Case study:
1) Great Pacific Garbage Patch
- It extends over an uncertain area, estimated 700,000 - 15,000,000 square kilometres ( some say twice the size of America!!! )
- characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre
- formed gradually as a result of marine pollution gathered by oceanic currents
- plastic abundance was 335 000 items km2 and 5.1 kg km

Effects:
- plastics end up in the stomachs of marine birds and animals, and their young, example: sea turtles and the Black-footed Albatross
- causing hormone disruption in the affected animal
- fish are then consumed by humans, resulting in their ingestion of toxic chemicals
, entire food chain affected
- facilitate the spread of invasive species that attach to floating plastic in one region and drift long distances to invade other ecosystems
- affected 267 species worldwide


As the generation of people today is mostly educated, we all are mostly well aware and measures have been introduced.

Measures:
1) recent increase price of plastic
--> sharply rising cost of petroleum, raw material use to form plastics
2) recycling plastic
3) reduces usage of plastic
4) continue to raise awareness in public
5) use biodegradable plastic instead
6) convert into biodegradable plastic


Case Study:
1) Singapore: How S'pore deal with toxic waste like Plastic
- Recycling Week and the monthly "Bring Your Own Bag" Campaign
--> discourages the excessive wastage of plastic bags
- Voluntary packaging agreement signed by the food & beverage industry in 2007
--> reduce waste generation (plastic packaging)
- Dealing with hazardous substance like plastic
--> well-managed and controlled through strict regulations administered by NEA
--> NEA controls the movement, storage, use and disposal of hazardous substances and toxic industrial wastes to ensure that they do not become a threat to our environment.
- Emphasis on recycling materials such as plastic which is non-biodegradable, also
produces toxic gas when burnt/incinerated

Endangered!

ENDANGERED SPEICIES!!!!

The term 'endangered species' = a population of organisms at risk of becoming extinct because it is
1) few in numbers
2) threatened by changing environmental
3) threatened by predatory parameters.

---- Conservation Status -------
1) Extinct
- Extinct
- Extinct in the wild
2) Threatened
- Critically endangered
- Endangered
- Vulnerable
3) At lower risk
- Conservation dependent
- Near threatened
- Least concerned

------ Reasons contributing to endangered species ------

1) Inability to maintain an animal's ecosystem
2) Pollution
3) Human Activities
4) Climate Change

Example:
The coqui frog in Hawaii. It has its “nocturnal singing” which reduces the value of homes and prevents hotels from using rooms near forests. Hawaiians have proposed eliminating the frog, and several wildlife managers want to release a pathogen to kill the frogs.

------ Importance of maintaining endangered species --------

We should save them due to --> “Aesthetic & Moral justifications"

1) providers of products and services essential to human welfare
2) value of species as indicators of environmental health or crucial to the functioning of ecosystems --> Indicate welfare of the overall environment and ecosystem
3) Scientific breakthroughs --> Provided research that resulted in scientific discoveries
4) Source of art and entertainment
5) Provide products such as medicine for human well-being

Example:
The scrub mint. It has been found that the scrub mint contains an anti-fungal agent and a natural insecticide

Green Technology

Definition of "Green"

- Conserve the environment
- Reduce negative impacts to the environment
- Sustainable development

Scenario:
Green Technology in Chinatown and how it can be incorporated into the surroundings, stalls and environment.

Observation:
- Not much energy (light energy) used in DAY
- Most Green tech --> Lower efficiency
- People’s mindset --> NOT want to sacrifice efficiency for Green tech
- Method must be realistic --> applied by the public

Possible Green technologies:
1) Energy conservation/ green energy
- Solar Panels
- Energy saving light bulbs & appliances

2) Reducing waste
- Biodegradable and recyclable disposable utensils
- Placing of recycling bins at strategic locations

Solar Panels:
- Solar panels generate electricity using light energy
- Works on the principles of the Photovoltaic effect
- Uses semiconductors to absorb solar energy, knocking out electrons in the silicon atoms
- Current technology only has up to 20% efficiency
- Can convert 20% of the light energy into electrical energy

Usage of Solar Panels (advantages) :
- Renewable energy --> Eco Friendly
- Abundance of Solar energy in day

Limitations:
- Roofs in Chinatown do not face the sun
- Solar panels need direct sunlight to function
- Roadside stalls do not need lighting in the day
~ Most of the stalls in Chinatown are roadside stalls
~ Do not need much electricity in the day
- Expensive
~ Takes around $480, 000 to build a 50 Kilo watt hour system
- Around 10 years to breakeven
- URA allows solar panels to be placed only on the rear roof
~ Decrease of area available for solar panels

Therefore:
1) Solar panels are not practical

2) Electricity generated and not used would be wasted
Can be channelled to the power grid for cash
However in the night more money is needed to draw the same amount of electricity
Batteries cannot be used to store energy due to their low capacity and short lifespan

Energy Saving Lights:
- Energy saving lights are called Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)
- Produce energy by running an electrical current through argon gas.
- Five times more efficient than incandescent light bulbs
~ Incandescent lights produce light by running a current through a metallic filament
~ However it is inefficient as energy is also being converted into heat energy

Usage of Energy Saving Lights :
-Reduces energy uptake
-Widely available
-Additional costs
~ Shop owners might not be willing to invest

Viability of Energy saving light bulbs:
- Advantages outweigh disadvantages
- Short breakeven point
~ The breakeven point of an appliance is the period of time it takes for it to save an amount of money equal to its additional cost.
~ It takes 50 hours for a CFL to breakeven
~ Eco-friendly

Biodegradable and Recyclable Disposable Utensils:
- Roadside food stalls use disposable cutlery
- Most disposable utensils are harmful to the environment
~ Non-biodegradable
~ Styrofoam plates are poisonous
- Biodegradable and recyclable utensils would reduce negative impacts to the environment

Limitations to Recyclable Disposable Utensils:
- Added cost
- Not widely available

An example of a Recyclable Disposable Utensil --> Corn Starch Disposable Cutlery
- Uses the polymer like structure of corn starch to make disposable cutlery
- Heat resistant up to 220 degrees F
- Takes around 120 days to decompose instead of 100s of years for conventional disposable cutlery

Recycling Bins:
- Recycling bins promote recycling
- Makes it more convenient
~ Sorts out trash beforehand
- Easy to install
- However locations have to be picked wisely to maximize capabilities

Conclusion:
Each method must has its own advantages and disadvantages, more importantly we should start with ourselves and do a part for OUR earth and OUR home, facing global warming and severe pollution as the saying goes, "Prevention is better than cure!"

Moon

Report of the MOON

Every night, lying on my bed, I would occasionally look up into the sky and observe the moon. My first impression of the moon is that it is very rough and have a lot of craters. The moon does look very rough even from my house.


Evidence of hypothesis:
- It is the largest crater on the Moon and the largest known crater in the Solar System. At 13 km deep, its floor is the lowest elevation on the Moon.



- The other major geologic process that has affected the Moon's surface is impact cratering, with craters formed when asteroids and comets collide with the lunar surface. There are estimated to be roughly 300,000 craters wider than 1 km on the Moon's near side alone.

-The lack of an atmosphere, weather and recent geological processes mean that many of these craters are well-preserved. While only a few multi-ring basins have been definitively dated, they are useful for assigning relative ages. Since impact craters accumulate at a nearly constant rate, counting the number of craters per unit area can be used to estimate the age of the surface.
Other pictures




Conclusion:
-Because the moon surface is rough, the light rays will be reflected diffusely!

Oil spills and its danger!

What does oil do?

Oil is a product that we often use to keep warm, can cause hypothermia in marine animals. As oil mixes with water, it forms a substance called "mousse," which sticks to feathers and fur.
example:
A bird's feathers are filled with air spaces that act as insulation and keeps the bird warm. When a bird gets coated with oil, the feathers lose their insulating ability and the bird could die of hypothermia.

Effects of oil spill:

The effects of an oil spill depend on a variety of factors, including the weather and other environmental conditions, the composition of the oil and how close it gets to shore. But here are some ways an oil spill can impact marine life

1)Poisoning and Internal Damage
Animals can be poisoned or suffer internal damage from ingesting oil. Effects include ulcers and damage to red blood cells, kidneys, liver and to the immune system.

2)Increased Predation
Oil can weigh down feathers and fur, making it difficult for birds and pinnipeds to escape from predators. If they are covered with enough oil, birds or pinnipeds may actually drown.

3）Decreased Reproduction
Oil spills can effect the eggs of marine life such as fish and sea turtles

4）Fouling of Habitat
Oil spills in the can effect ocean habitat, both offshore and onshore.

AN EXAMPLE OF A SEVERE OIL SPILL!!!
- The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill

The oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled an estimated 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound. Hundreds of thousands of birds, fish and animals died right away! The Exxon Valdez oil spill is considered one of the worst human-caused marine environmental disasters ever to occur.