Zoe

3/24/11
==An analog signal is a signal that changes smoothly and it also changes over time. The signal can decrease or increase in a slow amount of time. A digital signal changes in jumps or steps, not smoothly. The difference between a analog signal and a digital signal is that an analog signal changes smoothly and over time while a digital signal changes in jumps or steps, not very smooth. Semiconductors are bad conductors but they conduct more than nonmetals. In electrical devices, semiconductors can be put together to make electrical components that control the electric current in a circuit. They act almost like a switch that. Diodes only allow current to flow in one direction. Because of this, diodes are used in electric circuits to control the circuit. They move the flow in one direction. Transistors act like a switch in a circuit. They can block the flow, make it greater or let it flow. In electric circuits, they act like switches. Integrated circuits are made up of solid-state components that are smaller than your finger nail. It is used in computers and other electrical devices. ==

= It is important to have electrical devices when going to Mars because they keep on track, keep you safe and control the ship. Without electronics, you would have no idea where to go. You would be lost in space without electronics. They keep you safe because they keep the oxygen in the cabin and the carbon dioxide out. Without these electronics you wouldn’t be able to breath. They also control the ship. If you didn’t have electrical devices, there probably wouldn’t be a ship. You couldn’t even get into space without electrical devices. =

Gabby A: Great Job Zo-Zo!

//Ms. Mc. - good general overview of electronics and a good start on how we might use electronic devices on a mission to search for life on Mars. Remember, we aren't sending people to Mars yet but you are right that when we do, we will need many electronic devices to maintain life (oxygen supply, temperature, food, waste disposal, etc.). You could have included a little more detail about how we might use electronic devices to search for signs of life on Mars' surface (i.e., rovers, lasers, cameras, etc.). 9/10 //

Entry #2 Rocket History
===Rockets have evolved so much over time. A rocket like device that was made was made in Greece by Hero of Alexandria. It worked by putting a sphere on top of a kettle of water. Below the water, was a fire which turned the water into steam. Then the gas traveled through the L shaped pipes and the gas left. But the real rocket was made by the Chinese. They took gun powder made from various ingredients and put them in a bamboo tube. When experimenting one day, bamboo tubes were filled with gun powder and launched on an arrow. Then they realized that the rocket could launch itself from the escaping gas. After the discovery, many other rockets were being made and used. The invention of rockets had gone everywhere and was mostly used for warfare or fireworks. A Russian Schoolteacher named Konstaintin Tsiolkovsky wrote in a report that a liquid-propellant fuel worked much better than a solid-propellant fuel. A man named Robert H. Goddard started doing rocket experiments. He knew that rockets worked better with liquid-propellant fuels and not solid-propellant because of Konstaintin Tsiolkovsky. After trying the right liquids and rockets, he finally made a liquid based rocket in 1926. The rocket only flew 12.5 meters but at that time, it was a huge success. Robert kept experimenting with liquid-propellant fuels and made bigger rockets that went very high and far. Because of this, he was called The Father of Modern Rocketry. === === The 20th century came and with that rocket societies were made all over the world. In Germany, a society called the Society for Space Travel made a V-2 rocket. By Germany, it was called the V-4. The V-2 rocket didn’t go as planned and the enemy took the unused V-2 rockets and the components used in it. This caused some of the German Scientists to leave. Some went to the United States while some went to the Russian Soviet Union. The Russian Soviet Union and the United States realize that rockets could be used for military devices. Both started doing experiments on rockets. The Russians made many missals which were made for astronauts to go into space and the first animal was sent into space from the Soviet Union. The Russians also made a satellite named Sputnik. Following that year, the United States also made a satellite named Explorer l. The United States made a space program named National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA. Many accomplishments were made over many years. Rockets have improved many a lot over the many years of science. ===

[[image:zcs_bambooarrow.JPG caption="Figure 2. Bamboo Arrow"]]
//Ms. Mc - Excellent summary of the history of rocketry and great drawings and explanations. Please label your drawings/photos with a figure # and title and check your spelling before posting. 14.5/15//

4/4/11 Entry #3 Rocket Simulation
media type="custom" key="8956138"
 * ==Click on green flag to start.==
 * ==Turn volume on.==
 * ==Press red button to stop.==
 * ==Enjoy!==

[[image:zcs_labeledrocket.JPG width="498" height="515" caption="Figure 1. Labeled Rocket."]]
When the rocket is going to be launched, the rocket mount keeps the rocket motor in place for a successful flight. The launch lug and fins keep the rocket’s body tube sturdy and makes the rocket fly straight up. Once the rocket motor is lit, the recovery wadding keeps the recovery system from getting burnt. The nose cones air resistance makes the rocket faster when blasted off. When the rocket has reached its apogee, the recovery system brings the rocket down to land safely. // Ms. Mc: Good definitions and labels. The Motor Mount also is inside the rocket (-1/2). The nose cone reduces the air resistance acting on the rocket with it conical shape (-1/2). 19/20 //

4/18/11 Entry #5 Analysis Write-up

**THE STUDY OF LAUNCHING ROCKETS ** **ZOE SHEITMAN ** **CARYACADEMY ** **4/17/11 ** In the 7th grade science class, the class did a science experiment on launching rockets. The purpose of this experiment was to calculate trigonometry on the rockets’ heights and angles. When the rocket was on the launch pad, the forces acting on the rocket were gravity which was pushing the rocket down. When the rocket lifted off, thrust was pushing the rocket up and gravity and a small bit of air resistance was pushing the rocket down. During the powered flight, the rocket had thrust pushing forward and gravity and air resistance was acting down on the rocket. Once the powered flight had finished, the rocket would coast and gravity and air resistance was working to pull down the rocket. At the apogee, the rocket had gravity acting down on it. It was hypothesized that the lighter rockets would fly farther than the heavier rockets because of gravity pulling the heavier rocket down. It would take more thrust to overcome gravity in the bigger rockets because of their greater mass. In this experiment, the masses in the rockets varied. Most of the rockets’ masses ranged from 44 to 45 grams. The rocket that weighed 41.5 grams was the lightest rocket and the heaviest rocket was 46.9 grams. These numbers can be found in Figure 1. When a rocket reaches the highest peak of the flight, this is called the apogee. After the apogee, gravity overcomes the rocket’s thrust and the rocket comes back to earth. All of the rockets’ apogee varied. The highest apogee was 119 meters with a rocket weighing 44.4 grams and the lowest apogee was 62 meters that weighed 46.9 grams. The other rocket’s apogees ranged from 82 through 93 meters. This information can be seen in Figure 1. In this experiment, there was no relationship between the apogee and the mass of the rockets. Throughout the data, the data points were very different and there was no pattern seen. Also, there is no clear upward and downward trend. In Figure 1, there is a cluster of apogee points that range around 80 to 90 meters not depending on the

masses.  The hypothesis for this experiment was that the heavier rocket mass wouldn’t fly as high as the light weight rocket. In general, the hypothesis was not correct. The heaviest rocket did go the lowest, but the lightest rocket didn’t fly that high either. The highest rocket that did fly was a rocket that weighed 44.4 grams and flew 119 meters as seen in Figure 1. The majority of the rockets did fly around the same height. Many things could have gone wrong in this experiment. When the rockets were being built, the safety system and motor could not have been put in correctly into the body tube. While painting, the rocket could have been over or under painted causing the weight to differ. At launch, the motor could have failed and the rocket would have needed a re-launch. Any of these things could have affected the experiment.

Entry #6 4/26/11
====A quark is matter that makes up protons and neutrons. There are 6 different types of quarks but two make up the protons and neutrons. This is seen in Figure 1. ====

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">[[image:zcs_moonandearth.png caption="Figure 2. The Moon Being Pulled to Earth"]]
The Moon was made and was floating around in space. When the Moon got into Earth's gravitational pull and now it rotates around us. This is seen in Figure 2.

// Ms. Mc: Need to have more detail in your answers. What are the 6 types of quarks and what 2 are in protons and neutrons? (-1). Didn't describe where the matter came from that made up the moom (-1). Be sure that you explain what the figures are (figure 1 isn't a quark) (-1). 7/10 //

Entry #8 5/6/11 Lego Mindstorms Programming Code
===<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The purpose of this challenge was to make the robot drive in a course by following the programming. The robot had to drive forward, turn, drive forward, turn backwards, go backwards, turn in two circles, make a smile face and applause. ===