yTeach Blog Assignment for

Please complete the yTeach lesson found at this link: Floating Bodies.

As you complete the lesson, answer the following questions and post your answers as a comment to this blog. Some of the yTeach lesson is a little bit above your grade level, but be patient and rewatch the movies if you need to, or look up words if you need to.

1. kg m-3 means "kilograms per cubic meter" and is a way of representing density similar to "grams per milliliter" or "grams per cubic centimeter". On the second yteach page, you are shown the densities of different objects, and the densities of different liquids. Under what conditions will the objects float?

2. What is Archimedes principle according to the video on page 3 of the yTeach lesson?

3. According to the video on page 4 of the yTeach lesson, what is the importance of the weight of the water displaced by an object?

4. On page 5B of the yTeach lesson, what is the volume of the cuboid if 1 cubic meter (m3 is equal to 1,000,000 cubic centimeters (cm3).

5. On page 7A of the yTeach lesson, you observe the affect of salinity (salt in the water) affects ocean vessels. Under what conditions do objects float the best?

Homework for March 13th

Your homework for Friday, March 13th is as follows:

Read Chapter 6, section 1. Then answer the following questions:

1. Explain why volcanoes are commonly found at the edges of Earth's moving plates.
2. Describe what effects pyroclastic flows have on people.
3. Explain why lava cools rapidly along a mid ocean ridge.
4. Describe the process that cause Soufriere Hills volcano to erupt.
5. If the Pacific Plate stopped moving, what might happen to the Big Island of Hawaii?
6. How do volcanologists predict when a volcano is going to erupt?

Homework for Thursday, March 5th

Read chapter 5, sections 2 and 3 from your textbook, then answer the following questions:

1.  Compare and contrast the movement of rocks by primary waves, secondary waves and surface waves.

2.  Explain why surface waves cause the most damage to property.

3.  Describe what makes up most of Earth's inner core.

4.  Explain why three seismograph stations are needed to determine the location of an epicenter.

5.  Why do some seismograph stations receive both primary and secondary waves from an earthquake but other stations don't

6.  Explain how you can determine if you live in an area where an earthquake is likely to occur.

7.  Compare and contrast the Richter scale and the Mercalli scales

8.  Explain what causes a tsunami.

9.  Describe three ways an earthquake causes damage.

10.  How are shock absorbers on a car similar to the circular moorings used in modern earthquake-safe buildings?  How do they absorb shock?

Homework for Monday, March 2nd

Read Chapter 5, Section 1 from your science textbook, then answer the following questions:

1.   The Himalaya in Tibet formed when two of Earth's plates collided.   What types of faults would you expect to find in these mountains?  Explain.
2.  In what direction do rocks move above a normal fault surface?
3.  Describe how compression forces make rocks move along a reverse fault.
4.  Why is it easier to predict where an earthquake will occur than it is to predict when it will occur.
5.  Why do the chances of an earthquake increase rather than decrease as time passes since the last earthquake?  Explain.

Homework for February 27th

Your Homework for Friday, February 27th:
Post your answers as a comment to this blog entry.

Part 1: Look up and define - using your own words - each of the following before moving on to Part II of the assignment:

1. Look up and define each of the following words:
a. Earthquake
b. Seismic wave
c. Oscillation
d. Seismograph
e. Propagate
f. Medium (as a noun)
g. Tsunami
h. Epicenter
i. Focus (as it relates to earthquakes)
j. Richter Scale
k. Subduction Zone.



Part 2: Follow this link (Anatomy of an Earthquake), explore the page, and then answer the following questions:

2. Which part of the world seems to have the most subduction zones?
3. Explain how a rift valley is formed.
4. Why are earthquakes caused by strike-slip faults often more destructive to humans than more powerful earthquakes in subduction zones?

Part 3: Follow this link (Make a Quake), create several earthquake scenarios, and then answer the following questions:

5. Which type of foundation is best for a building subjected to a magnitude 5-6.9 earthquake on loose soil?

Part 4: Follow this link (Transverse and Longitudinal Waves) and this link (Waves) to learn about the types of waves associated with earthquakes. You will need to understand this for section 5.

Part 5: Follow this link (Seismic Waves) to the first yTeach lesson, and answer the following questions as you complete the lesson.

6. Describe the type of ground motion created by:
a. P-waves
b. S-waves

7. Which type of wave is capable of reaching the most areas of the earth, longitudinal waves or transverse waves?
8. What is the difference between a 'Body Seismic Wave' and a 'Surface Seismic Wave'?
9. What is your final score for this entire lesson?

Part 6: Complete each of the following:

10. Find a website that shows photographs of Earthquake destruction. Describe the website, and copy-and-paste the URL into your answer.

11. Use an internet search engine to find out about the largest earthquakes of the last 200 years. Pick one and describe it. Be sure to include: When it happened, Where it happened (Country and Area or City), and it's strength on the Richter Scale.

Homework for Thursday, February 19th.

This homework is due before Monday, February 23rd.

Read Chapter 4, Section 1 and then answer the following questions:

1. Explain how Alfred Wegener used climate clues to support his hypothesis of continental drift.

2. Describe how rock clues were used to support the hypothesis of continental drift.

3. Summarize the ways that fossils helped to support the hypothesis of continental drift.

4. Why would you expect to see similar rocks and rock structures on two landmasses that were connected at one time?

5. Give an alternative explanation for why fossils of the same animal have been found on different continents. (This answer is not in your textbook).

Homework for Friday, February 13th

Here’s your homework for Friday, February 13th:

Part 1:

Go to this yteach.com lesson:

Energy Resources

Complete this entire lesson, then answer the following questions:

1. What produces the energy of the sun and where does it occur?
2. What is the source of energy for the wind?
3. Where are most of the earth’s reserves of oil and natural gas located?
4. Why is biomass considered to be a renewable energy?
5. How does a Sea Snake produce energy?
6. List two stores of chemical energy.
7. What is the type of acid that is used inside a car battery, and what is the metal that is used in a car battery? What is the chemical formula for the acid?

Part 2:

Go to this yteach.com lesson:

Copper and Titanium from Ores

Complete this entire lesson (you do not need to complete any of the sections which require calculations), and then answer the following questions:

8. What are the names of three copper-containing minerals?
9. Name three countries with large copper resources.
10. Is copper with 1% impurities suitable for most applications?
11. In the electorefining of copper, does the pure copper form on the cathode or on the anode?
12. How abundant is titanium in the earth’s crust?
13. What properties of titanium make it valuable?
14. How are the final impurities removed from titanium it is being refined?