Chemistry

A) Elements & Compounds

Pure Substance- made up of only one kind of matter and has a unique set
of properties, such as Colour, Hardness, Boiling point, and Melting point. A
pure substance is either an element or a compound.
Element

a substance that cannot be broken down into simpler substance by

chemical means
cannot be broken down further chemically
only 117 observed elements
represented using symbols

Eg: Gold (Au), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu)

Compound

a pure substance that contains atoms of two or more elements

chemically combined together
can be broken down chemically to simpler elements
many examples of compounds
represented using formulas.

Eg: Water H2O (elements of H & O), Salt NaCl (elements Na & Cl), Vinegar
C2H4O2 (elements of C, H & O)

Pure
Substances
Elemen

Compoun
ds

D) Structure of the atom

I am proud of understanding the topic of the atom, and how it is structured.

Atoms are made up of 3 subatomic particles, protons, electrons, and
neutrons. Protons carry positively charged particles with the relative mass of
1836 and are located in the nucleus. Protons have an electric charge of
positive 1. Electrons carry negatively charged particles with a relative mass
of 1 and are located in the energy levels surrounding the nucleus. Electrons
have an electric charge of negative 1. The neutral articles in the nucleus of
the atom are called neutrons. Neutron has a relative mass of 1837, electric
charge of 0, and is located in the nucleus. The nucleus makes up almost all
of an atom's mass or weight. Atoms always have as many electrons as
protons. Atoms usually have about as many neutrons as protons. Adding a
proton makes a new kind of atom. Adding a neutron makes an isotope of that
atom. The atoms of each chemical element have a different nucleus. An
atom of hydrogen has one proton and no neutrons. An atom of nitrogen has 7
protons and 7 neutrons. Heavy elements, such as, uranium, have a large
number of protons and neutrons. Uranium-238 has 92 protons and 146
neutrons in its nucleus. The electrons are restricted to orbits with only certain
energies. Electrons can jump from one energy level to another, but they can
never have orbits with energies other than the allowed energy levels. The 1st
energy level can only hold 2 electrons, the 2nd can hold 8 and the 3rd can hold
18.

Ecology

A)Nutrient Cycle
The nutrient cycle is the process of moving a nutrient from the abiotic
part of an ecosystem to the biotic part and back again. There are 4 types
of nutrient cycles such as the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle,
and oxygen cycle.

Water Cycle
In the water cycle, water is continuously moving
throughout the biosphere. The Sun warms the
surface water, and it evaporates into the
atmosphere where it becomes a form of gas,
water vapour, which then cools off and condenses
to form clouds. This condensation may fall as
rain, hail, snow or sleet. When these form of
water fall to the ground, they will run off the
surface into streams or rivers. They will also seep
down through the soil into ground water which
may flow into large lakes known as aquifers and
may flow into wetlands or oceans. Some water
can be taken up by animals and plants through
the soil. Water vapour can also be released back
to the atmosphere through the plants
Carbon Cycle
This is a biogeochemical cycle in which carbon is
exchanged between 4 reservoirs, biosphere,
geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere on Earth.
The movement of carbon exchanges between these
spheres is through chemical, physical, geological
and biological process. These exchanges of carbon
are vital to sustain life on earth. The important
processes are photosynthesis and respiration.
Photosynthesis occurs when plants and algae use
the sunlight to convert water and carbon dioxide
into carbohydrates and releases oxygen into the
atmosphere and stores the carbon in the biomass.
Respiration occurs when animals, fungi or bacteria
consume the plants and algae and release back the
carbon dioxide into through this chemical process.

Nitrogen Cycle
Humans and plants need nitrogen to obtain
amino acids which are the building blocks to
proteins needed to promote growth.
However, nitrogen in the atmosphere cannot
be use directly by plants and animals. It has
to be converted into ammonia by nitrogen
fixation process. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria live
freely in the soil and water which plays the
role of conversion. Once nitrifying bacteria
convert ammonia into nitrites and then
nitrates, plants can absorb them through the
roots. Animals receive nitrogen by eating the
plants and release ammonia as by-products in
the wastes. Bacteria and fungi in the soil
break down the ammonia in the wastes and
convert it back to nitrites and nitrates
whereby the plants can absorb again.

Oxygen Cycle
Oxygen is needed for all organisms to create
energy.
Animals and plants form the oxygen cycle. When
plants absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
and release oxygen through photosynthesis,
animals breathe in oxygen and release carbon
dioxide back into the atmosphere.

E) Invasive species is defined as a non-native species that can cause harm to the
local ecosystem once they have been introduced due to human activities.
These invasive species compete with native species and can reproduce much
faster and have no natural predators in the ecosystem to control the growth.
The following are two examples:
Kudzu Japanese vine species and was introduced to North America to prevent
soil erosion. It is an extremely fast growing species and competes with native
plants for nutrients and sunlight. It can also destroy farm lands and can cover
hydro poles, houses, etc.

Asian Tiger Mosquitoes Southeast Asian

mosquitoes with black and white striped
legs. It can carry viruses, such as, Dengue and West Nile. They live and
reproduce in car tires due to the moist condition of rain sitting in the tires
being left outdoors. They have been
widely spreading in the recent decades
throughout the world. Most mosquitoes
feed during dawn and dusk but these Tiger
mosquitoes feed 24 hours a day.

I am interested in finding out how these invasive species can decrease or harm the
biodiversity in the ecosystem aside from carbon pollution.

ELECTRICITY

A)Electric circuits
Electrical circuit was a topic I had some difficulty in. I know the symbols very
well and how to identify the circuit; however, calculating the voltages,
current, and resistance was more challenging. I understood it more by
practicing with more examples and working on some practice sheets.
Two types of electric circuits

Series Circuits:
An electric circuit in which the components are arranged one after
another in series
Only has one path where the electrons can flow
If path is interrupted, the whole circuit cannot function
Current is the same in all parts
Adding more resistors, increases total resistance and decreases
current
Adding another bulb to series, makes all the bulbs dimmer
Electrons use up all potential difference going around a series circuit no
matter how many loads
A string of Christmas lights use series circuits
Parallel Circuits:

An electric circuit in which parts are arranged so that electrons can

flow on more than one path.
Junction points are where the circuit divides into different paths or
where paths combine
Adding a new pathway with more resistors does not affect the
resistance in any other path
A break or interruption in one path does not disturb the other
Adding an extra resistor decreases the total resistance of circuit
Most electrons will follow the path with the smallest resistance
value. Therefore, the amount of current is greater on the paths with
the smaller resistances.
Each electron has the same amount of energy, and electrons must
expand all their energy on the path they are on
Potential difference across parallel resistors will always be the same,
even if the resistor values are different
A chandelier and all appliances are in parallel circuits to main
supply

Electrical circuits are typically shown as a diagram with special symbols used
by engineers and designers of electrical circuits. These symbols make it
easier to plan and to analyze it before constructing.
Rules for drawing a circuit diagram

Always use a ruler to draw straight lines for the wires.

Make right angle corners to have a rectangular diagram.

Electrical safety is very important to study and have

knowledge of because it can be extremely dangerous
and life threatening if electricity is mishandled. Every
electrical appliance presents a risk of electric shock,
burns or even electrocution. Human body can be a
conductor too and can possibly be the pathway of an
A)Electrical
electric current safety
if exposed to electricity.
A fuse is a safety device that has a metallic conductor
with a low melting point compared to the circuits wires.
If the current gets too high, then the metal in the fuse
melts and the flow stops.
A circuit breaker is similar to the fuse but it does not
melt the metal. However, when the wire heats up, it
bends and triggers a spring mechanism to turn off the
current flow. Modern buildings use breaker panels while
some older homes and apartments tend to have fuse
panels.
The three prong plug is another safety addition to the
electrical plugs. The third prong connects the device to
the ground wire of the building. This ground wire sends
unwanted energy to the ground. Instead of the current
travelling through the body and shocking the user, it
sends it down to the ground.
The GFCI of ground fault circuit interrupter is in some
electrical devices and appliances. It is an added safety
feature that detects a change in current and opens the
circuit to stop the flow. In the event of appliance getting
wet while it is in use, the GFCI opens the circuit and
stops the flow and decreases the chance of injury on the
person.
Safety examples: Exhaust fan or heater fan should
never be installed above or near the bath tub, hot tub or
shower. Light switches in bathrooms should be grounded
to allow stray voltage a path to the ground.

ASTRONOMY

A) The Sun is a medium size star in the solar system which comprises of
92.1% hydrogen and 7.8% helium and the rest are carbon, oxygen and
iron. It is believed to have started shining 5 billion years ago and
projected to shine for another 5 billion years or more. This hot ball of
gases at its core where nuclear fusion happens measures about 15.6
million Kelvin in temperature. The outer surface is called photosphere
and it measures about 5800 Kelvin. Due to the fact that the Sun is not
a solid body, it rotates differently at its equator and its poles. It takes
25.4 days to rotate once at the equator and about 36 days at the
poles. The small region above photosphere is chromosphere and the
outermost layer of chromosphere is corona which has a temperature of
1 million Kelvin. It can be seen during solar eclipse.

C)The Big Bang Theory

I really enjoyed learning about the Big Bang Theory in the Astronomy unit
due to the fact that I was attracted to this title when I started watching
the Big Bang Theory show. However, the actual Big Bang theory is very
different from the show. The science version is much more interesting and
mind-boggling and theorizes on how the entire universe was created.
This theory is established from the findings of astronomers and
cosmologists. The theory suggests the expansion of space in the universe
and not the sudden explosion of a tiny matter concentrated with high
intensity of energy. From the big bang, a result of a formation of 4 types
of forces, electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and
gravity. It believed that in the beginning of time, these forces were
unified as one.
A Belgian priest named Georges Lematre was the first one who suggested
the big bang theory in the 1920s when he theorized that the universe
began from a single primordial atom. Later, this idea received more
attention by Edwin Hubble's observations that galaxies are speeding away
from us in all directions, and from the discovery of cosmic microwave
radiation. Found throughout the universe, the cosmic microwave
background radiation is thought to be leftover light from the big bang.
This may be evidence to that supports the theory of the big bang.