Waving Properties: More Waves of Physics!

        Hiya, people! Yeah, I know we already talked about waves, but think about it...there's always new things to learn, even if you don't wanna learn them...like math. So now we're going to learn about wave properties. We're going to be learning about things that I don't know about, but to save you time, I'll look it up, and we'll both learn something with you doing absolutely nothing! Let's get started!

        So, my (sorta) friendly friends, let's start with some definitions:

• Frequency: is the amount of waves that pass a given point in a second. Measured in hertz.
• Wavelength: the distance a wave travels in one cycle. Measured by finding the distance between two crest or two troughs.
•  Amplitude: the distance between the midpoint of the wave and the crest.

Extremely Informative Picture That Must be Given a Reward for Giving Me a Break Which No Teacher Seems Willing To Do

        Now that that's done, how does the frequency of a wave change as its wavelength changes? Well, say we're talking about the speed of light, which, in fact, does change. If the wavelength is reduced, then the frequency has to increase to balance the speed of light. Another way to look at it is: the frequency of a wavelength changes with the wavelength depending on what happens to the wavelength. For example, if the wave length is doubled, the frequency is cut in half, and vice versa. It's actually very interesting if you think about it.

        Did you know that a wave with a large amplitude is more likely to damage your hearing than a wave with a low amplitude? This is because the larger the amplitude, the louder the sound, so it makes sense that the higher the amplitude, the more likely it is to damage your hearing. So Katie's music has a really high amplitude, because we can hear the music through her headphones!   

        SORTA 'FUN' FACT...KINDA...NOT REALLY...: The speed of a wave can be determined by the formula speed equal distance divided by time, or, more simply, speed=distance/time. P.S. The reason I said it wasn't a fun fact is because who wants math when learning science? 

        Now, have you eber gone to see fireworks on the fourth of July? And have you eber noticed that you always see the fireworks and then you hear it and it's like BA BOOM! Eber wonder why? Some of you might know this already, but even if you do, too bad. Okay, so the reason you see a firework before you hear it is because light travels faster than sound, at approximately...oh, 299,792,458 meters per second. The speed of sound is 340.29 meters per second. Light travels  almost one million times faster than sound, so it makes sense that it reaches you first, yes?

        Speaking of the speed of light and sound, why is it that sound waves travel at a different rate vs. another wave like light? Well, what do you know about sound and light waves? Sound waves are disturbances in the air, which, as you should remember, is made of atoms. Light, however, can travel though millions of miles of dead space...which has no atoms. Cool, yeah? Anyway, sound travels at a different rate than light because light is made up of electromagnetic energy that doesn't depend on the type of medium it moves through, unlike sound wave, which do depend on the medium, and that's what makes it a mechanical wave.   

       

        Another thing that I thought was interesting was the difference between sound and pure noise. Didn't know there was a difference? Well, I didn't either. Sound is incredibly important, and it is one of the five sense humans and animals use to determine the surroundings of a living thing even if you can't see. Sound is a vibration that travels through air and water. A lot of sounds are too high pitched or too low pitched for the human ear to hear. Almost everything creates a sound, even though we may not hear it. Sounds come in many forms: it can be from music, speech, and other things like film dialogue. A major thing to do with this is that we can increase or decrease the volume depending on our tastes with radio, television, movies, and other things made by man.

        However, noise is a horrible, irritating, and annoying sound, because in noise, different sounds are mixed together in a wild manner. It is really hard for the ear to create sense of the sounds that it hears from noises. If a person receives too much, noise can be deafening and extremely unhealthy for a person to what a lot of people call 'noise pollution.' Sound and noise are viewed differently, usually with sound looked at as something that causes pleasure. But when sound gets too loud or combines with other sounds, that's when noise comes in.   

       

        Here, I'm sorry for it not being as long and informative as usual. My classmate's, however, probably won't mind, and nor will the seventh graders. But you know, they don't have to read my blog...they're forced. Anyway, that be all, people. Thanks for reading, blah, blah, blah...there are links for my classmate's blog and other information down below, blah, blah, blah...sorry for the rudeness, but I'm not feeling well, and I'm dead tired. Again, sorry, and that's all. G'night.

SuperSara's Blog

Katie's Blog

Logan's Blog

A Chapter with a Bunch of Information

Almost Everything You Need To Know

More Info Just In Case

  

Dive into Waves! Let's get into a wave of more physics!

        Hey, guys. The break is over, and now, it's time to get back to work. Now we're talking about waves. Sound waves, light waves, ocean waves, seismic waves, and even slinky waves! We're gonna be learning about the relationship between waves, matter, and energy, along with a bunch of other stuff. Okay, just a warning: I wasn't very happy with my grade in science. Know what that means? More information! Yippee! Yeah, my friends are gonna kill me.
        So, my friends, let's get started. During every waking sleeping moments in out life, we are attacked by waves. Most waves, however, collide with us, or even pass right through us, without us noticing at all. Light waves, sound waves, and ocean waves are not the same thing. However, they all do the same thing: transfer energy from one place to another.
        Actually, scientist divide waves into two categories. Mechanical, and electromagnetic. Mechanical waves are waves that need a medium to move through. They use matter to transfer energy. A medium is any kind of matter that is disturbed by energy, which, if you think about it, is quite a lot. Ocean waves, seismic waves, sound waves, and slinky waves are all mechanical waves.
        Example: Water waves have a medium of water molecules, and sound waves have a medium of either air, liquid, or solid molecules. Seismic waves travel through the ground, most often after an earthquake. Slinky waves have each loop as their medium.
        FUN FACT: One day, in the fifteenth century, Leonardo da Vinci observed a little something about waves: "Like the waves move made in a field of grain by the wind, where we see the waves running across the field while the grain remains in place." This means that while waves move, the medium does not.

        ANOTHER FUN FACT: Because sound waves need a medium to move through, and there's no mediums in space, this means that sound can't travel in space. That's why sound waves can't travel from satellites to Earth. So...those Sci-fi movies are lying.
        Slinky waves are actually really useful for imagining how mechanical waves look. Imagine that each slinky ring is an individual molecule. If you shake one end of the slinky, you notice that the kinetic energy moves from one slinky ring to the next, just like molecules. Mechanical waves may look like they're moving matter forward with them, but that isn't true. A molecule disturbed by a wave will eventually go back to the position is was in before the wave moved it after it passes on the energy to the molecules next to them, exactly like a slinky ring.

        Electromagnetic waves, however, do not need a medium to move through. Examples are radio waves, light waves, x-rays, and microwaves. Electromagnetic waves can travel through empty space, and that's why the light waves from the sun and stars are able to reach the earth, and are visible for mere mortals like ourselves. It's also why radio waves allow us to communicate from those in space, and spacecraft.   

        While electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves are different in a lot of waves, there's many similar waves they're measured. Now let's talk about transverse and compressional (or longitudinal waves).

• Transverse waves can be classified into mechanical waves, but electromagnetic waves are a special kind of transverse waves. It moves up and down and back and forth at right angles to the direction of the energy flow. Ocean waves and most of electromagnetic waves are transverse waves.

        The crest is the highest point of a transverse waves, and the trough is the lowest point. The distance between the midpoint of the wave and the crest is the amplitude. It's also the measure of much energy the wave is carrying. More energy means a greater amplitude, while less energy has less of an amplitude. The distance a wave travels in one cycle is a wavelength. You can measure the wavelength by finding the distance between two crests or two troughs.

• Compressional waves (or longitudinal waves) are mechanical waves which displace matter forward and backwards in the same direction as the energy of the wave. Vibrations caused by anything like a vocal cord or a drum head or breaking glass will push air molecules together, which forms a series of compressions throughout the air. These air molecules hit your eardrum, making it vibrate, and sending sound signals to your brain.          

        FUN FACT AGAIN: Light waves have everything to do with color. Without light, there's absolutely no color. Gasapers!

        Waves can be measured by their frequency as well. The frequency is the number of waves that pass through a given point in one second. It's measured in hertz (waves per second). Frequency is realted to wavelength, so I figured that even though it's not required to talk about it, I will anyway. A wave with a short wavelength has a high frequency, and a wave with a long wavelength has a low frequency.

        Well, that's it for this blog. I hope you learned something...I know I did. I know it's a shorter blog than normal, but after all, it's about quality, not quantity. My classmate's blogs are below, as are some links and a video SuperSara likes. So, thanks for reading my blogs folks! Buh bye! 

Information on Waves
More Information on Waves
SuperSara's Blog
Katie's Blog
Logan's Blog

        

Hello 2012!

        Hi, guys! Long time, no see. This is a kind of informal blog, so if you were expecting something education, sorry to disappoint. Doubt you guys were expecting something education, though, since only people who are forced read this blog. Welcome to 2012, the Year of the Dragon!

        Hope you don't mind, but I'm gonna talk about my Christmas break. The first week was interesting, especially since I got out on Wednesday. It was Thursday, and I woke up at about two o' clock. It kind of stunk, because my sister usually walks back from school, and she came back before I woke up. I got out of bed, and went to go on the computer. I stayed on until my parents and brother got home, then ate, read, and went to bed. The next day, Friday, I made sure to get up early to have some alone time. After I got up and changed and did all the things you do in the morning, I colored with Sharpies for a little while, a habit I picked up from Kevin. Then I read, went downstairs on the computer, and watched NCIS until my sister got home. Then I had to endure this really cheesy movie called The Last Song. She'd read the book and wanted to watch the movie. She got obsessed after that. 

        The weekend was bland; I did what I usually do. Get up, read, go downstairs, play a little on the computer, walk 'round the neighborhood, watch a little TV, go in the basement with my brother and play sword fighting and archery, and perhaps volleyball and table tennis. Then I eat, color and draw, read more, and go to bed.

        The second week was my favorite. I got my sister to wake me up when she woke up, so that I could be by myself. I did what I do. Go on the computer, watch TV, read, color, draw, play games. I apologize for being boring, but siriusly, this is my life. I do more than this...yeah, not really. You may ask why I don't go out with my friends. Answer: I don't have a phone or a Facebook, and I'm not on my email really much anymore, so they have no way of contacting me...well, at least I think that's the reason. There may be some deeper meaning, but who knows? Anyway, I was alone, which was just the way I liked it. But I got obsessed with NCIS, Law and Order, CSI, and all those other crime shows. so I got a bit paranoid. I always had two wooden swords and two Nerf guns right beside me. Imagine my sister's surprise when she opened the door and a bullet ran past her with her sister standing at the door with a wooden sword!

        The last couple of weeks were the same. Computer, TV, books, walk, eat, sleep, Sharpies, paper and pencil....same routine. There weren't really any changes, but oooooooh! Wait, wait, wait, wait! Guess what I got for Christmas! Guess! Guess! Guess! C'mon, guess! Okay, okay, fine. I got....

        That's right! Nothing! Not even coal! Ha ha, no, siriusly. I got nothing. Don't ask, 'cause I really don't feel like answering. But since I'm telling you about my break, I guess I must. *sigh* Okay, so I don't celebrate Christmas. I used to. But since my sister stopped believing, we stopped celebrating. Oh, well. Stinks for me. I don't really mind, though. So, yeah, I didn't spend Christmas Eve eagerly awaiting my presents under the tree. I didn't wake up early on Christmas Day, run downstairs and rip open presents, exclaiming happily at what I received, and thanking my parents or Santa for what I got. I didn't spend the rest of the day playing with my new toys, or laptop, or games, or electronics. I didn't sit drinking hot cocoa and watch Christmas movies with the family. Hmm...when I put it like that, I'm kinda depressing myself.



        

        There were a lot of highlights of 2011. Last school year's highlights was Kenneth getting us in trouble...how many times, was it? Two? Three? I don't really know. Another highlight was going to Rock Eagle. I remember when we tried canoeing. Mrs. Crimminger and Mr. Sellers did well, as did Katie and Celine. Azira and I did okay, but we both got really irritated. We couldn't navigate the dumb thing. It came to the point where we put down the paddles and declared, "You know what? This is a great place to die. I think we'll stay here." We also got really mad at each other, 'cause Azira kept splashing water on me in her attempt to paddle, and I, to retaliate, splashed her back. Anabel and Lizzy, at one point, hung on to our canoe and we guided them for a while before kicking them out. Kate and Aubrey didn't even make it a couple feet. They crashed into shore, their canoe half in and half out of the water, and were chased away by a goose. Good times.

       Another memorable thing at Rock Eagle was the campfire. We sang Spongebob's Campfire Song Song, She Sat on a Hillside, Mother Goonie Bird, and There Was a Tree. Then Lester, our guide, led us in a song called I'm Singing in the Rain. We roasted marshmellows, and then, when the fire was dying low, we told scary stories. Celine and Kate, the wimps, had the bajeebers scared out of them. Mr. Sellers was the one who got them riled up, and he had a lot of fun doing so. I was the one who threw a rock in the lake that scared the death out of them, and Lizzy was the one who snuck behind them and made them jump a mile high. You should've seen how fast they ran out of the area.

         The most memorable part, though, was what happened at night. We showered, brushed our teeth and hair, and got ready for bed like any other night, except this night was spent with our friends. We were sent to bed. The teachers turned off the lights, then went to their own respective sleeping areas. Of course, us being kids, we didn't go to sleep. Who would? You're with your friends at night. There were four bunk beds in the room, and every girl that had a bottom bunk chose a top bunk to sit on. So there were two girls on each top bunk. What were we doing? We were telling secrets. Each one of us, minus a few, spilled our secrets to the rest of the room. We each learned a bit more about each other...well, at least the dark side. It was very interesting. We all agreed that what was said in that room would stay in that room.

        Unfortunatly, my friends do not understand the concept of secrets: You keep it to yourself. Because when the door opened, all of us that were supposed to be on the bottom bunks leaped from the top to the bottom. I hit my stomach on the edge of the bed and flopped to the floor. The rest of the girls faked sleep. Celine pretended to wake up and said in a groggy voice, "What? What happened?" Mrs. Crimminger laughed and told us that she knew we were awake. The rest of us stopped pretending to sleep. Mrs. Crimminger admitted to eavesdropping on us just outside the door. The girls who had revealed their secrets were horrified. But luckily for them, Mrs. Crimminger promised not to tell. She told us to go to bed for real, and this time, we did. The next morning, we packed, did one class, and left. But our fun didn't end there! We went to The Varsity and had a blast.

       
        Now, Mr. Sellers wants me to do a New Year's Resolution.

         Ha ha, I love that picture. It's a great comic, too. Anyway, my New Year's Resolution is to exercise more, and to become a vegetarian, because do you realize how many animals we kill a year? Not pretty numbers. Since I wanna make you feel bad, let's dredge up some numbers, shall we? Now, as not to depress you too much, I'll only do chicken, pigs, and cows, since that is most of the meat we eat.

• Cows: 1.12 cows are killed in America per second.
• Pigs: 3.68 pigs are killed in America per second.
• Chicken: 287 chickens are killed in America per second.

        This number is staggering. Do the math. There are 86,400 seconds in a day and 365 days in a year. That means that in a year:

• 35, 320, 320 cows are killed in America
• 116, 052, 480 pigs are killed in America
• 9, 050, 832, 000 chickens are killed in America.

      That's and 2008 summary, and that doesn't include other animals, such as rabbit, ostrich, and frog, nor does it include other countries.This is solid fact. I didn't know it was this bad until I researched it for my high school essay. Now, I'm determined to become a vegetarian. And excerise more. I also want to do well in high school, and voulenteer at an animal shelter.


        I refuse to show you pictures of them dead. These are real creatures that have feelings too. They eat, sleep, love, trust, live, and die just like the rest of us. More often than not, however, they do not die of natural causes. They are killed or die of disease. This is a serious problem, and rest assured that I will do another blog post about this. Well, that's my New Year's Resoution. What's yours?


        So, that's it for this blog. It's a new year, and who knows? Maybe this will be our last. That is, if you believe in 2012. I don't, but hey, there's always a chance. Last year we made a lot of memories. We went to Rock Eagle, Kenneth got us in trouble, everyday at school, summer camp, the new school year....yeah, lots of great memories. But those are in the past. Now it is time to create some new memories.