Science Reflection of Learning

Dear mom and dad, it’s hard to believe but the first semester is almost over. This semester in science I did a lot of assignments where I got to learn various things such as the Pendulum Lab Summative, Metric Unit Prefixes, Hot Water Problem, Hot Water Lab, and finally Flame Out Worksheet. I’m going to write about a few things I learned during the assignments.

Content Knowledge

One of my favorite units was Metric Unit Prefixes. As you know in science, there’s a lot of converting and calculations going on when analyzing data, so understanding metrics is a basic content/core knowledge that I had to know. Learning it, I’d really benefit from it because we use metrics on a daily basis. Whether it’s in math class or I’m building something.

Creativity

My recent summative was about pendulums. When making the swing base, I decided I ‘ll use two ring stands and tie a string across to make the pendulum base. The problem came up when I realized with a thin not sturdy string, the data could be affected from the string shaking or tearing apart. On top of that my scientific question was if the length of cord affects the return angle. My partner and I were reassured that by using a phone, we’ll be able to measure the pivot point, but turns out both of us hadn’t brought our phones. So it was up to me to think of an idea which was using a metal rod stuck in a ring stand as the pendulum base, which was a much more sturdier. I also measured the angle by attaching an upside down protractor to the pendulum and replaying the release of the pendulum again and again till we were confident that the precise length was a certain degree. It wasn’t the most accurate way of measuring, but I was proud of my quick and efficient thinking and creativity.

Critical Thinking

My last assignment was about testing the time it took to reach the maximum boiling temperature of pre-cooked water compared to just tap water maximum boiling temperature time. After finishing the assignment, I realized that our data was far behind compared to other people’s data and doesn’t make any sense. That’s when I started using my critical thinking. I had to be detailed in everything I did, and compare it to tap water boiling experiment. Later on, I realized that I made three huge mistakes. The first was not knowing which bunsen burner I used, or how high I put it at. Second, changing the position of the thermometer when I couldn’t see the numbers on it from the clasp. Lastly, using a new wire mesh which gives less heat off compared to the used one I used with the ceramic all burnt. Even though I did get it wrong, I was still happy I knew what I did wrong so I could do better next time.

Collaboration

Talking about the tap water maximum boiling temperature experiment, during the trial there was a part where you needed to mark the temperature of the boiling water every 30 sec. It wasn’t easy because you had to quickly make a data table, and keep on switching through different tabs to see the timer and the temperature of the water. So what I did was with the help of my partner I told him to tell me when every 30 sec passed and I would mark the temperature down than share the results with him. This just made the experiment much easier to conduct, and I was happy we collaborated together for our benefits.

Communication

My very first assignment with my partner was testing the burning of the candle time in a big jar and a small jar. This started after two weeks of school started, so I wasn’t very close to my partner. During the experiment, I had questions of how to conduct the test, and we were kind of doing our own things. So I built up confidence and told him my plans on how to carry out the experiment. He agreed with me and helped me with the test in parts where I didn’t really know such as why we needed the clay (to block the gap in the beaker). Communicating with each other we got the experiment done quickly, and I was very proud of myself.

As you can see, I learned a lot this semester, and if you want to see the work I did here are some links to my assignments.

1) Hot Water Lab Inquiry Lab This assignment was testing how long it takes to heat 100 grams of water to its maximum boiling temperature.

2) Hot Water Problem This assignment was testing if pre-cooked water heat to its maximum temperature faster than uncooked water.

3) Flame Out Inquiry Document This assignment was testing how the burning time of a candle is affected by different volumes of air?