STUDY SESSION FOR FINAL

As a reminder, students, Mr. Hatfield is having a Study Session after-school today (Tuesday, Dec. 12th), in which we will review ALL the types of calculations likely to appear on the Final.

First come, first served.

POWER POINT: STOICHIOMETRY OF FLUIDS

Students: HERE are the Power Point Notes on 'Stoichiometry of Fluids' given in the first two weeks of Unit 4, the final unit of the Fall semester in Mr. Hatfield's Chemistry classes.   

This section of notes covers problems having to do with molar volumes of gases, limiting reactants and percent yield, molar concentrations and other properties of solutions.   A Study Guide based on these notes is available HERE in PDF form.

VIDEO: SOLUTIONS

Students can watch Paul Andersen's discussion of solutions and their properties as many times as needed here, on-line, in the video embedded below:




Students can also access the PDF version of the worksheet given in class, based on this video, HERE.

SYLLABUS, UNIT 4

This is the FINAL Unit of the Fall 2017 semester in Mr. Hatfield's Chemistry classes.  Major topics include:  reviewing past lessons on stoichiometry, applying stoichiometric principles to new problems involving fluids (liquids and gases) and introducing the rate of reactions.

POWER POINT: STOICHIOMETRY

Students:  HERE is the second group of Power Point Notes for Unit 3:

https://www.mediafire.com/?hyumweo1v43a2t6

The first set of notes can be found here:

A Study Guide based on both sets of notes will be made available in Tuesday's class, to assist students in preparing for Thursday's test.  You can download it as a PDF file here.

VIDEO: "STOICHIOMETRY"

Students, as with 'The Mole', I am making this Paul Andersen video available through the class blog.   Please watch as many times as you need:


The worksheet based on this video is available online HERE:

POWER POINT: THE MOLE

Students, you can find the latest Power Point Notes on Chemical Quantities and Moles HERE:




This comes at the end of four days of instruction, beginning on Tuesday the 17th, in which students were given examples of and practiced solving problems in which students do calculations with moles. 

At the end of Wednesday's lesson, they were given a Homework assignment, "Calculations With Moles." That item is available HERE.

STUDY HALL will occur Tuesday 10/24-Thursday 10/26 during lunch next week.     Students who have been assigned STUDY HALL must attend, or they will be treated as defiant.

Unit 3 began on Monday the 16th.  A new syllabus for that unit will be made available on Wednesday the 18th.

VIDEO: THE MOLE

Students:  here is Paul Anderson's video, as shown in Thurdsay's class, explaining the concept of the mole with helpful illustrations:




Student should use this video to complete a worksheet given in class, which is also available online HERE.

SYLLABUS, UNIT 3

Students, here is the Syllabus for Unit 3, which focuses HEAVILY on the mole, and the kinds of calculations that have to be repeatedly rehearsed for student success:

FLAME TEST LAB

If students were absent on the day we were guests in Mr. Diaz's classroom, they did not get to see the actual lab where we performed a 'flame test' on various ionic compounds.   

Here is a video that shows much the same sort of observations students made on Wednesday.   Unfortunately, we do not have Bunsen burners in my classroom, and so it is not practical to 'make up' the lab.   Watch the video, students, and compare it with observations that students who attended were able to make in order to understand the material:

POWER POINT: ELECTRON CONFIGURATION

Students, here is the Power Point for the second group of notes for Unit 2, on electron configuration, orbitals, models of the atom, and rules for electrons:

Students should use this along with the previous section of Notes to complete the Study Guide for next Friday's test (10/13), and along the way make sure that everything in the Study Guide does, in fact, appear in the notes in their Composition Book.

POWER POINT: PROPERTIES OF MATTER

Students: here are the Power Point Notes that covers material from Chapters 2 and 6.   You should use them along with the Study Guide 'Properties of Matter' (given in class on Monday, 9/25) to make sure that the notes in your Composition Book are complete. 

A second Power Point, with a separate set of notes based on chapters 5 and 7, will be provided later in the Unit. 

UNIT 2 SYLLABUS

VIDEO: THE BUNSEN BURNER

Mr. Hatfield has made a video to demonstrate the correct way to use the Bunsen burner.  Make sure you review this before you come to class on Tuesday, as we will be using the Bunsen burners in Mr. Diaz's classroom to perform the flame test lab.

"COPING" WITH MR. HATFIELD'S TESTS

On Monday,  September 11th, Mr. Hatfield's students took their first test in Chemistry.  The first test can be thought of as a 'lesson' on what to do, and what not to do.  Until students see the test for themselves, and know what it is like, it's difficult to prepare for.  

So, many students will be disappointed and discouraged by their first exam.  But know this: if you learn from the experience, you will improve, and you will even get opportunities to improve your original grade.    

Students who earn a percentage score higher than that earned on the first test can not only expect to earn a higher grade, but they are eligible for grade change on their previous test.

To achieve that, students need to consider the following, using the anagram 'COPE'.

C....(ontent)

Students need to know what's on the test. 

To make sure that students know what content will be covered on the exam, they need to obtain and complete a copy of the Study Guide, which becomes available the weekend before the test.   At the same approximate time, Mr. Hatfield will make the notes and practice questions available on the class blog. The sooner the students develop the habit of comparing their Composition Book with these materials, the sooner they will improve!

O....(rganization)

Students need to plan their time. 

Students should consider forming Study Groups with fellow students, perhaps after school on the day before the exam. They earn points by attending, and get valuable feedback about what is likely to be covered.  Students need to consider using time on lunch or after-school on the day of their exam as needed to complete their test. Plan ahead, students!

P...(reparation)

Students need to provide evidence that they have prepared for the test. 

One way to do this is to attend Study Hall during lunch, before the next test. Another, powerful way is to make sure that they bring their COMPOSITION BOOKS  to class on the day of the exam. This should not only contain their completed notes, but their Lab Reports with examples of how to solve certain kinds of chemistry problems. Students who have these items completed will be allowed to use them throughout the exam. Bring evidence that you have prepared for the test, students, and you will be rewarded!

E...(ffort)

Students need to finish what they start. 

There is nothing more important than giving our best effort, all of the time. On an exam day, a good effort means that students attempt everything, even if that means they need to come back at lunch or after school. Show a work ethic, students, and you will not only do better on the test....you will do better in every aspect of your life.

PARENTS, ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENT TO USE THESE STRATEGIES TO EXCEL!


One way to improve O(rganization) and P(reparation)  is to use the SYLLABUS for each Unit.   With that in mind, here is the SYLLABUS (the schedule of major events) for Unit 2:

VIDEO: FIREWORKS!

Students who were in Mr. Hatfield's classes on Tuesday, Sept. 12th, watched a PBS video entitled 'Fireworks!'  Students who need to watch it again, or who were not present on Tuesday, will find the video embedded below in this post.

The worksheet for this video can be obtained HERE.

Students should pay careful attention to items from Chapter 5 (electron configuration) and Chapter 7 (ionic compounds):

HIDDEN FIGURES: SCORING THE ESSAYS

Most students have, at this point, submitted an electronic document containing an essay based on the film 'Hidden Figures'. 

 If you have not done this yet, students, make sure that you do so before the end of the current unit (this Friday, September 8th).

Since most of these items are electronic, they will be scored on-line.   Mr. Hatfield will use the following Rubric to score the essays:

Please note the importance of students doing their own work.   There is nothing wrong with using sources other than the film or the materials shown in class.   However, if such sources are used they must be acknowledged in a bibliography, even if they are not quoted word-for-word;  sources which are quoted, word-for-word, must be clearly shown with quotation marks.

As failing to do these things is commonly recognized as plagiarism, lacking in integrity, students who plagiarize not only lose points, but may be subject to discipline.

VIDEO: THE LIVES OF THE STARS

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The following episode of Carl Sagan's Cosmos, 'The Lives of the Stars', forms the basis of a student homework assignment given in class on Friday, September 1st.  






 This can be viewed on-line at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDD8TLU9J6c

FIRST LAB REPORTS DUE TUESDAY, SEPT. 5th

Chemistry KNIGHTS (that's YOU, students!):

Your first Lab Reports are due on Tuesday, the first day after the three-day weekend.

TWO Labs ("The Obscern-Tainer" and "More Flavor Or Less") will be graded.   They should be completely set up, next, completed with all required data, observations and questions based on the lab experience:

EMAILS AND DOCUMENTS

Many students are concerned.  They are not clear on how to complete their assignment "Hidden Figures", because they are having problems with electronic documents.   They may be unsure what software to use to create their document, or they may be unclear about how they should save their documents, or have trouble figuring out how to attach those documents to email.

This post attempts to address all of these problems.

Mr. Hatfield recommends that his students use the program Microsoft Word to create electronic documents.   This program is part of a group of programs sometimes called 'Microsoft Office', but more commonly-called Office 365.

Not only is Office 365 available on all FUSD-supplied computers, FUSD students can get up to five FREE copies for their home computer or mobile device.   However, some students are either not aware of this, or they do not know where to go to obtain their free software package.

So let's show you "where to go".   First, go to a search engine and enter this character string:

portal.office.com

This may take you right to Office 365.  But sometimes, instead, it takes you to your student account with OneDrive, and you'll see this screen:

If that happens, look in the upper corner, where it says 'Office 365', and click on that.   When you do that, you should definitely arrive at THIS screen:

Now, a key point about all of this, is that once you have a word processing program on your home computer, you need to be able to save and email the documents you create.   The GREAT advantage of electronic documents is that they can be easily reedited in any way you want without either destroying the original or completely re-doing the assignment!   So, on your home computer, dedicate a folder where you store your classwork, so you can easily find previous work when you need to edit it, or attach it to an email.

And as far as emailing goes....look for one of these:

OK, actually not a literal paper clip.  But virtually all email programs use a "paper clip" icon as a means of attaching documents to an email.   I'm going to share some screen shots of some of the most popular email services below to make that point.....

So, if you've created your document....and you know where it's at on the computer you're using...look for the word 'attach' or a 'paperclip' icon in your email, and click on that item.   A window will open that will allow you to select the location on your computer where you've saved your document.   Find your document, select it, and it should be attached to your email...

"BUT WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE EMAIL?"


Ah, but every FUSD student has free email through the district.

You just have to know how to access your email account.   This post tells you how to do that.

So...all of Mr. Hatfield student's should know:

• how to get FREE copies of 'Office 365'
• how to store and attach electronic documents
• how to access their FREE email through the district

THUS....there should be NO EXCUSES.   Students who don't complete their 'Twist of Fate' assignment may be assigned Saturday School, and there WILL be similar assignments in this course in the future, worth even more.

2017: UNIT 1 SYLLABUS

Students:

This is your first SYLLABUS of the Fall Semester.   In this course, a syllabus is simply a list of major assessments you can expect to find in the current unit, with due dates and point values, intended to help you manage your time and complete all your work.

VIDEO: "HIDDEN FIGURES"

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year, students!  We will spend the next 182 days of instruction studying the fundamentals of Chemistry.

A major focus of interest for chemists is pursuing all the different ways that matter and energy can be arranged.  Much of that knowledge can not be predicted in advance by any theory, but instead can only be determined by experimental investigation.   For this reason, Chemistry is an 'in-between science' focused tightly on the design, performance and analysis of experiments.  This emphasis on the experiment requires chemists to use math constantly:  in a sense, Chemistry is a math course with scientific application.

To help students understand the importance of math to science, and how mastering mathematics opens doors for tackling all kinds of problems, students will be asked to consider the true story of the West End Computer Section in U.S. space program, as shown in the film 'Hidden Figures.'   They will see how an unappreciated group of human 'computers' used their abilities to approach scientific and social problems, and how they did their part to achieve great things.

Here is a brief trailer for the film.  It shows an outline of the film's story:



Also, here is a short feature about the making of the film. In this feature, you will learn how author Margo Lee Shetterly, who wrote the book on which the film was based, grew up learning about the 'human computers' at West End, and how she became convinced that she needed to tell the story of women like Katherine Johnson and Dorothy Vaughn:

 

DAY 8: NOTES, POWER POINTS

***UPDATE***

The FINAL in this course will be administered after the break (11:05-1:55) on Wed., July 12th.  

NO HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER WEDNESDAY, ONLY CLASSWORK

Mr.Hatfield's 2nd-session Chemistry students took their third test today.   A class roster of 44 has now been reduced to 23 actively attending.   

The good news is that some have raised their output in the course, and now have a passing grade.  The concern is that still too many students are failing to complete work outside of class, and thus are in danger of not passing the course.   With that in mind, here are more resources to help students 'up their game' .

FIRST:   Students received notes on reaction rates and equilibrium constants in class.   A copy of the Notes can be found HERE:

NEXT:  Students will be using a third Study Guide to complete the rest of their Notes, based  on material from Chapter 19.   They can download a copy of the Power Point containing those Notes HERE:

FINALLY:  Students were given a worksheet based on the following video, shown in class.   This worksheet is due tomorrow!

You can view the video, below:

It demonstrates the centrality of water to most acid-base chemistry, and explains how to calculate equilibrium constants for acids (Ka) and bases (Kb), and how to express those as pKa's or pKb's:

DAY 7: EQUILIBRIUM

Students:  here is Paul Andersen's video on 'Equilibrium', the final video worksheet this week:



There is also a link to where you can download a PDF version of the video worksheet, HERE.

The final unit comes next week.   Students can download a copy of the Power Point containing those Notes, over the weekend HERE:

DAY 6: ENTHALPY OF REACTION

Students began the morning session today by attempting the second test, which covered gas laws.   A very large number of students were not prepared, judging by their Composition Books. If students don't complete work assigned outside of class the same date it is assigned, they will fall further and further behind.

With that in mind, the  following video by Paul Anderson was introduced in class on Day 5 (July 5th).   It helpfully reviews some of the information already given in lecture regarding heat and the enthalpy of reactions. It also features a very handy, step-by-step demonstration of how to apply Hess's Law (a SUBTLE and advanced topic) to calculate enthalpies.




Students have an assignment based on that video, which is available HERE as a PDF file.

DAY 5: THERMOCHEMISTRY

Students today performed the 'Boyle's Law Lab' and the calculations based on it, which should include a pair of graphs.   This and the previous lab will be graded based on the completed Lab Report in student's Composition Books, during their . . .

TEST # 2, WHICH HAPPENS AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS, TOMORROW!

Students are reminded that they should have all the notes on properties of gases and gas laws in their Comp Books, which they are allowed to use during the exam.

AND, speaking of Notes . . . .

Here are the Power Point Notes for the next section of this course: Thermochemistry.  

In this you will find discussions of phase changes (again!),  heat transfer, the 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics, and problems to calculate energy (q) , specific heats and enthalpies of reaction:

Click here to download those notes.

DAY 4: COURSE UPDATE

Students took their first Unit Test at the beginning of this day of instruction.

This test focused primarily on review material from the first semester (periodic table, molar masses, moles and stoichiometry) that is required to understand other material in the course: gas laws, thermochemistry, equilibrium and acid-base problems. 

Calculations were thus confined to review material.  Calculations based on gas law problems will appear on Unit Test 2, which will be given on Day 7, July 6th.

UNFORTUNATELY, 12 STUDENTS FAILED TO ATTEND TODAY.   

• FIVE STUDENTS NOW HAVE MORE THAN TWO ABSENCES, AND WILL BE DROPPED.

• TWO STUDENTS NOW HAVE TWO ABSENCES, AND ARE AT RISK OF BEING DROPPED.

• THREE OTHER STUDENTS WHO FAILED TO ATTEND TODAY HAVE F's IN THE COURSE, AND MUST MAKE UP THEIR UNIT 1 TEST, WHILE DOING ALL THE REST OF THE WORK:  THIS WAS A BAD CHOICE, AND THEY ARE LIKELY TO FAIL  

DAY 3: CAN CRUSH LAB

Students present on Friday's class performed a lab that illustrates the effects of air pressure.   Many earned extra credit by bringing aluminum cans to class.  The data collected on their lab papers should be copied along with the setup information on those papers into their COMPOSITION BOOK.

What is students weren't present on Friday's class?  This video shows another group of students, doing essentially the same activity:




This LAB REPORT, inside their notebook, is what will be graded.   It will include a pair of drawings using colored pencils in which students attempt to explain what they have seen in class, and it will also feature their attempts to calculate the force involved in the lab. 

Those calculations can be summarized as follows:

DAY 2: VIDEOS FROM PAUL ANDERSON

Paul Anderson is a veteran high school teacher who has earned graduate degrees in science education and is widely-respected consultant on science curriculum and instruction.  

His videos are part of the reason why he is in high demand, and we will be using his short, information-rich and fast-paced videos in instruction. 

Typically, students will be given a video worksheet.  Some items are things that can be completed by simply watching the video and 'filling in the blanks';  others require students to apply the knowledge to solve a problem, complete a diagram or answer a question in complete sentences that refer to the original question.

Here's STOICHIOMETRY, shown in the morning before the break:


The worksheet based on this video is available online HERE:

Here's GASES, shown after the break:

2nd SUMMER SESSION, DAY 2: STATES OF MATTER

 Here are the Power Point Notes from Chapters 13 (introduced today) and 14 (covered on Day 3):

Students have been given a Study Guide to facilitate quickly acquiring all of the notes.   This is an assignment and must be completed by Monday morning.  

MORE IMPORTANTLY:  All of the notes in the Study Guide must be neatly transferred into the student's Composition Book, which will not only be graded at the end of the session, but which students are allowed to use on their tests.

STUDENTS HAVE A VERY HIGH INCENTIVE TO HAVE THEIR OWN COMPOSITION BOOK AND THEIR OWN CALCULATOR.

2nd SUMMER SESSION, DAY 1: LET'S GET STARTED

Students in the second session of Chemistry met for the first time with Mr. Hatfield, and received an outline of the session, which appears below:

Students also were expected to complete a video worksheet based on a Standard Deviants video that reviewed measurement concepts from the first semester of Chemistry:



There is literally no time to waste! Students have already reviewed a week's worth of material, and there are four assignments in ATLAS already that should have been submitted!

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 11: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

This is it, students: the final day of the 1st session.  Don't quit, the end is in sight!

On this final day, we will begin immediately with the Lab "Production of SrCO2", which you should've already set up in your Composition Book.   The precipitate produced in this lab will be cured in a drying oven during the morning, and while we are waiting for that to determine our final data points, we will rehearse stoichiometry problems involving MOLARITY.

Any outstanding work from prior to the final day must be handed in by the 10:45 Break on Tuesday, no exceptions.

Your FINAL will be given after the Break.   Like the previous tests, it will contain a multiple-choice section graded on a SCANTRON and a series of Calculations.

The test is comprehensive for the session and includes the following (use the links!) :

CHEMISTRY AS A SCIENCE

PROPERTIES OF MATTER

ATOMIC STRUCTURE

CHEMICAL QUANTITIES AND MOLES

STOICHIOMETRY

SOLUTIONS

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 10: NOTES, VIDEOS

Students: HERE are the Power Point Notes on 'Stoichiometry of Fluids' given in the first two weeks of Unit 4, the final unit of the Fall semester in Mr. Hatfield's Chemistry classes.   

This section of notes covers problems having to do with molar volumes of gases, limiting reactants and percent yield, molar concentrations and other properties of solutions.   A Study Guide based on these notes is available HERE in PDF form.

Students, here is the video shown in class, in which Paul Andersen demonstrates limiting reactant and percent yield problems:




The worksheet based on this video is available as a PDF file HERE.


Students can watch Paul Andersen's discussion of solutions and their properties as many times as needed here, on-line, in the video embedded below:




Students can also access the PDF version of the worksheet given in class, based on this video, HERE.

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 10: MAPPING STOICHIOMETRY

Students, these are the Power Point Notes given in class which introduce the technique of 'mapping the equation':

This technique is complimentary to the fractional setups which we have been practicing for weeks, setups that allow chemists to convert units via cancellation:

Mapping the equation is very helpful in solving more complex, real-world problems in which the order of operations is important:

In these sort of problems, you should map the equation FIRST, then use the map as clues on how to set up the order of your fractional terms.  

Considering the mapped equation above, let's imagine that we are given 72 grams of hydrogen gas (H2), and we want to know how many grams of ammonia (NH3) can be produced in this reaction . . . .

The map tells us that after we write down the given amount as the first term, the second term should use the molar mass of hydrogen gas (2.02 g/mol), expressing it as a fractional term.   The third term, the mole ratio, we get from the balanced equation:  it tells us that for 3 moles of  on the reactant side, we should have 2 moles of  on the product side.   Finally, to convert from moles to grams, we use another molar mass, the molar mass of ammonia (17.04 g/mol ).

SUMMER SCHOOL DAY 9: STOICHIOMETRY

Students:  HERE is the second group of Power Point Notes for your Unit 3 test on Monday:

https://www.mediafire.com/?hyumweo1v43a2t6

The first set of notes can be found here:

A Study Guide based on both sets of notes will be made available in Thursday's class, to assist students in preparing for Monday's test.  You can download it as a PDF file here.


Students, as with 'The Mole', I am making this Paul Andersen video available through the class blog.   Please watch as many times as you need:


The worksheet based on this video is available online HERE:

SUMMER SCHOOL,DAY 8: CHEMICAL QUANTITIES (THE MOLE)

Students, you can find the latest Power Point Notes on Chemical Quantities and Moles HERE:






Students:  here is Paul Anderson's video, as shown in class, explaining the concept of the mole with helpful illustrations:




Student should use this video to complete a worksheet given in class, which is also available online HERE.

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 7: 'FIREWORKS' VIDEO

Students who were in Mr. Hatfield's classes on Wednesday, June 21st , watched part of a PBS video entitled 'Fireworks!'  Students who need to watch it again, or who were not present on Thursday, will find the video embedded below in this post.

The worksheet for this video can be obtained HERE.

Students should pay careful attention to items from Chapter 5 (electron configuration) and Chapter 7 (ionic compounds):

FLAME TEST LAB

If students were absent on the day we were guests in Mr. Hanna's classroom, they did not get to see the actual lab where we performed a 'flame test' on various ionic compounds.   

Here is a video that shows much the same sort of observations students made on Wednesday.   Unfortunately, we do not have Bunsen burners in my classroom, and so it is not practical to 'make up' the lab.   Watch the video, students, and compare it with observations that students who attended were able to make in order to understand the material:

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 6: ELECTRON CONFIGURATION

Students, here is the Power Point for the second group of notes,on electron configuration, orbitals, models of the atom, and rules for electrons:

Students should use this along with the previous section of Notes to complete their Study Guide for tomorrow's test, and along the way make sure that everything in the Study Guide does, in fact, appear in the notes in their Composition Book.

SUMMER SCHOOL DAY 6: "LEWIS DOT DIAGRAMS"

Here's a video shown in class on Tuesday, June 20th, in which Paul Andersen explains how to do Lewis dot structures, which are used to keep track of the number of VALENCE ELECTRONS in the representative elements:

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 5: PROPERTIES OF MATTER

Students: here are the Power Point Notes that covers material from Chapters 2 and 6.   

Students will be provided a second Power Point tomorrow covering material from Chapter 5, in order to complete their Study Guide ("Properties of Matter") that includes all of the notes for Wednesday's test.

SUMMER SCHOOL DAY 5: "NAMING COMPOUNDS"

Here's another Paul Anderson video that is sure to help students fill in the gaps in their understanding, on how to name both IONIC and COVALENT COMPOUNDS:

SUMMER SCHOOL DAY 4, VIDEO: "THE LIVES OF THE STARS"

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The following episode of Carl Sagan's Cosmos, 'The Lives of the Stars', forms the basis of a student homework assignment given in class on Friday, July 16th.   


The entire episode is available for students to watch HERE: https://youtu.be/eg1C3zq0ZrQ

SUMMER SCHOOL, DAY 3: "CHEMISTRY, THE BASICS"

Parts of this video were shown in class on July 15th, a day that Mr. Hatfield was out of class and students had a substitute teacher.

The sections of the video shown in class dealt with measurement (metric system, significant figures) and stoichiometry.   I'm making this available here so anyone who was absent that day can review it, or (if present) watch it again.   These topics will crop up on a weekly basis for most of the year.

SUMMER SCHOOL DAY 2, VIDEO: COSMIC VOYAGE

Summer School students viewed a 36-minute IMAX video in class on Monday and Tuesday, and should've already completed a worksheet based on part of the video. The film, 'Cosmic Voyage', was made in 1996 for the Smithsonian Institute and was clearly inspired by a classic science education film called 'Powers of Ten', originally produced in 1977 by the husband-and-wife team of Rae and Charles Eames.

'Cosmic Voyage' approaches the idea of using the metric system, which is based on powers of ten, to explore the question: "What is really large, and really small?" The film first zooms out from an acrobat's ring in St. Mark's Square in Venice, the place where Galileo first trained his telescope on the heavens.


Through 23 powers of ten, we leave first the Earth, then our solar system, then the Milky Way Galaxy behind, until we reach the limit of modern astronomy, where we can see images from about 13 billion years past.


Reversing course, the video then zooms in on drop of water in the Dutch town of Delft, where Antonie Van Leuuwenhoek first trained his early microscope to discover the hidden world of microbes.



As we zoom in on a paramecium, we penetrate its cell nucleus, then zoom in on a molecule of DNA.


Within that molecule is a carbon atom, and the world within that atom is mostly empty space! Within the atom, the atomic nucleus contains virtually all of an atom's mass, made of particles called protons and neutrons. These, in turn, are formed from even smaller particles called quarks.

The film continues with a discussion of the search for a fundamental theory in physics through the use of particle accelerators like Fermilab, along with an overview of the likely "recent" events that led to our sun, our solar system, the Earth and life itself.

Here, presented on YouTube, is the first segment (Chapter 1) of the film who wish to review the material or share it with others. As the narrator (Morgan Freeman) intones, 'we are all travelers on a voyage of discovery!' Chapter 2, and Chapter 3 can be assessed at YouTube directly or by clicking on the hyperlinks 

SUMMER SCHOOL, 1st SESSION: FIRST DAY

The first set of Notes for Mr. Hatfield's Summer School Chemistry Class are now available on-line, here:

The topics of the notes include the relation of chemistry to mathematics and other sciences, what makes chemistry distinctive in terms of its content and practice, the nature of science, scientific method ("O.H.E.C.K."), atomic theory and the periodic table.

Students should download the Power Point Notes to make sure that their notes are complete, as from time to time their composition books containing their notes will be inspected and graded.

Below is an outline of the 11-day session:

POWER POINT: NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY

Students:

This is the FINAL set of Notes for the Spring semester!   The end is near, congratulations!

Your FINAL will be based on these notes, Chapter 25, and material from previously-taught chapters related to the atomic nucleus (Chapters 4 and 5):

You can click on the image above or THIS LINK to download the notes.

POWER POINT: CARBON, THE SHAPE OF LIFE

Students:

The first week of May ends with a Unit Test on Friday, May 5th!

To help students prepare, please find the Power Point Notes HERE, along with a PDF of the Study Guide based on those notes HERE.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY VIDEOS

In Monday's class, we talked about the difference between organic (based on carbon) and inorganic (based on some other element) molecules.   Life, of course, is based on organic molecules.

We explained that there are four major classes of carbon-based compounds used by living things:   carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids.

Each of these compounds is made of individual 'building blocks' called MONOMERS.   The monomers are linked together with covalent bonds to make large chains called POLYMERS, and the process of making polymers is referred to as POLYMERIZATION.

Here's a video from Bozeman Science, with animations, that gives some nice background on monomers and polymers:




Carbohydrates are carbon-based macromolecules based on C, H and O.  They are polar and readily dissolve in water.

A simple sugar by itself, like glucose, is termed a monosaccharide, and serves as a 'building block' (monomer) to build a larger chain of many molecules called a polymer. In the case of carbohydrates, the polymer made from many monosaccharides linked together by dehydration reactions is called a polysaccharide.

Examples of polysaccharides made of glucose include cellulose, glycogen and starch.   Each of these glucose polymers are biologically important. 




 Finally, here's yet another video by AP Chemistry teacher Paul Andersen, this on the class of macromolecules called PROTEINS.   



 PROTEINS often are used to build extremely useful and specific molecules called ENZYMES:


 

SYLLABUS, UNIT 7

Students, here is syllabus for the current unit, which began BEFORE Spring Break in the third week of March and will end AFTER Spring break, on the fourth week of April.   Notice that we will transition from ACIDS and BASES  (material completed in class before today, April 5th) and will be moving to ORGANIC chemistry, the study of chemical compounds based on the element CARBON.

* * * UPDATE * * *

Due to SBAC testing in block schedules on Tuesday 4/25 and Thursday 4/27, the Unit Test is being moved to Thursday, May 4th.