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Harry Potter to.....Ecology?

Science concepts can be applied to almost every book I have read in my life so far. But....what about ecology? Although Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling, is not a book about ecology itself, ecology concepts, such as symbiosis, and death rates, and more.

Parasitism can be applied to this novel. Parasitism involves one organism living in or on another organism and harming it. You see, Lord Voldemort has split his soul into seven; six times intentionally, and the seventh by accident. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry when Harry was one, Voldemort was blasted apart, not literally speaking, of course. Part of his soul attached itself to Harry, and has been living off of him for a while. Here is a quote directly from the book:

     "  'We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength,' said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut. 'Meanwhile the connection betwen them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth....' "

The book directly states that Voldemort's soul is a parasite in Harry's body. Voldemort's soul is one organism, and Harry, the other.

The second concept that can be applied to this book is death rates. A death rate is the number of deaths in a population at a certain time. There are two death rates in this book that are stated, as well as implied: the death rate of wizards, and the death rate of Muggles, or non-magical people. Ever since Lord Voldemort came back alive, the death rate has increased. More people die, mostly wizards, trying to fight Voldemort, or face his wrath, and Muggles, who Voldemort kills just for the fun of it. The number of deaths in the wizarding and Muggles populations at this time under Voldemort's power is ginormous, while in the previous, as well as coming years, it was not as large.

All in all, science concepts, even ecology concepts, can be applied to any book, if you just know where to look.

Mutualism

Trees that are found in my community.

The picture to the right is an example of mutualism in my community. Mutualism is the relationship between two species, in which both species benefit. While the ivy gets a place to grow, it also prevents the tree from getting eaten by other organisms. The ivy only embeds itself into the first layer of the bark, not causing any damage to the tree.

Limiting Factors In My Community

The picture to the right is an example of two limiting factors in my community. Grass is biotic, or alive, while rocks are abiotic, or non-living. They are both limiting factors. Both rocks and grass are shelter, and grass also makes a good food source. If there is not enough grass, then organisms may starve. If there is not enough rocks, then small organisms, like insects, may die out. These factors limit the environment and organisms around them. 

Storm Project

Here is the link to our website on tornadoes:

http://yellowscience.webs.com

Lit. Poems

"Feathers"

Max

Timid, reserved, and amiable

Who loves to listen to Liesel read

Who feels anxious about being discovered

Who needs whole-hearted words to soothe his mind

Who shares his dreams, his words, his heart

Who fears for the life of his new family

Who'd like to see the end of Nazi Germany

Who dreams of fighting the Fuhrer

Who ends up coming home

"Yellow"

By Death

Green is the field in which the bombs are dropped

Blue is the sky for which everyone looks

Yellow is flames

Effortlessly consuming a heap of books

Brown are the feathers that sit upon his head

Gold is the medal from the race

Yellow is the tear

That rolls down her face

Red is the blood that spatters the ground

Black is the cauldron of death churning

Yellow is the color

Of a newspaper sky burning

Is Mount St. Helens Going to Blow?

Mount St. Helens, a volcano located in Washington, has erupted a couple of times in the past six years. However, it was strangely solid magma that surfaced, magma that appeared as though it had been sitting around for the past decade or so. Scientists wonder when another colossal eruption will occur.

On May 19, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted- with devastating effects. The largest landslide in recorded history took place on the volcano's northern flank, sending steam and gases, not to mention ash and lava, spewing from the mountain. Over 10,000 local earthquakes occured before that massive event, slowly ramping up in scale.
Nowadays, people would prefer small eruptions like those of 2004-2008, where solid magma was found, rather than wait for this snoozing titan to blow its top again. "If the volcano goes to sleep for another 100-plus years," said Katharine Cashman, a volcanologist at the University of Oregon, "Then an explosive eruption would be more likely."

Today Mount St. Helens and the other Cascade Range Volcanoes remain a silent, yet eminent threat to the safety of us all.

Information/Image from:

http://www.livescience.com/environment/what-if-mount-st-helens-100517.html

Aquarium Field Trip Facts

So, our unit has recently been to the aquarium, where we explored the enchanting world of marine and marine-related animals. Here are a few facts I learned solely at the aquarium:

* Caribbean Seahorse
-father lays eggs and gives birth
-chooses one partner for life
-Hippocampus reidi
* Blue Chromis
-shy, loyal fish
-lives in groups
-usually populates crevices
* Megalodon
-ancestor of Great White Shark
-extinct for about 2 million years
-275 teeth layered in about 6 rows
* Moray Eel
-powerful jaws
-rows of sharp teeth
* Garden Eel
-ducks, bobs, and waves to escape predators
* Rays
-electro receptors around mouth to detect nerve impulses from prey hidden in the sand
-gill slits on bottom
* Sharks
-stream-lined bodies
-uses tail for swimming
-cartilage skeletons
* Loggerhead Turtles
-can reach up to 500 pounds
* Roughtail Stingray
-irregularly-arranged spines along midline
*Cassiopeia frondosa
-jellyfish that drifts upside-down
* Blackcheeked Lovebird
-15 to 16 years=lifespan
-Over 330 species of parrots
* Piranhas
-razor-sharp teeth
-strong jaws
* Axolotl
-hatches from eggs
-never matures into salamander, remains like larvae
* Mudskipper
-fish with leg-like fins used for skipping, hopping, or jumping on land

From land to sea, animals are always beautiful.

Is Air There? Lab

In the lab, Is Air There?, I learned about air pressure. Air pressure is the pressure exerted by the atmosphere. At a lower altitude, the air pressure is higher, and at a higher altitude the air pressure is lower. In this lab, I had to tie a plastic bag around a jar and push down on the bag, as well as pull it up. The air pressure is higher inside the bag, because it is at a lower altitude, and the air is denser and warmer than outside of the bag.
If a balloon traveled up through the atmosphere, and if it started at a low altitude with high air pressure, it would shrink. However, if a balloon were at a high altitude, with low air pressure, then it would expand, because of the difference in pressure of the gas inside the balloon and the gas outside the balloon. If conditions are favorable, then it will rise more in the atmosphere and eventually burst from the heat.

Temperature Interactive Response

When I completed the temperature interactive, on http://funphysics.jpl.nasa.gov/adventures/temperature-game.html, I learned a couple of things.

C=degrees Celsius F=degrees Fahrenheit K=degrees Kelvin

Boiling Point: 100C 212F 373K
Death Valley: 56C 134F 324K
Human Body Temperature: 37C 98.6F 310K
Room Temperature: 20C 68F 293K
Freezing Point: 0C 32F 273K
Mars: -63C -81F 210K
Antarctica: -89C -128F 183K
Saturn: -145C -229F 128K
Space: -270C -454.54F 2.70K
Liquid Helium: -271C -455.76F 2.17K

Greenhouse Effect Reading Questions

1a. List three forms of radiation from the sun.
-visible light
-infrared radiation
-ultraviolet radiation

1b. Which form of radiation from the sun has the longest wavelength? The shortest wavelength?
Infrared radiation has the longest wavelengths, and ultraviolet radiation has the shortest wavelengths.

2a. What happens to most of the sunlight that reaches Earth?
Most of the sunlight that reaches the Earth is held by the atmosphere.

2b. What percentage of incoming sunlight is reflected by clouds, dust and gases in the atmosphere?
About 25% of incoming sunlight is reflected by clouds, dust, and gases in the atmosphere.

2c. Why are sunsets red?
Sunsets are red because the light from the sun passes through a greater thickness of the atmosphere than when the sun is higher in the sky. More light from the blue end of the spectrum is removed by scattering before it reaches your eyes. The remaining light contains mostly red and orange light. Therefore, sunsets look red.

3a. What happens to the energy from the sun that is absorbed by Earth's surface?
The energy from the sun that is absorbed by the Earth's surface (both land and water) is turned into heat energy and warms the Earth.

3b. How might conditions on Earth be different without the greenhouse effect?
Conditions on Earth would be different without the greenhouse effect because then there would be no solar heat, and the Earth would freeze. It would be too cold for living organisms, and we would die.

Popcorn Lab (Heat Transfer)

Radiation is the transfer of heat energy through empty space. Radiation was demonstrated in the popcorn lab, when we placed a bag of popcorn in the microwave. We put the popcorn in for 1 minute and 30 seconds, and the heat from the microwave was transferred to the popcorn kernels. The atoms in the popcorn kernels moved faster and faster, because of the heat, and therefore, they popped. In radiation, the heat transfers from warmer to cooler substances. So, the popcorn was cool, before it was in the microwave. Once the microwave was on, however, it kept getting hotter, due to the radiation.

Giant Redwood Trees Survive With Fires

Redwood trees are ancient. They carry ancient tails of turmoil. Now, however, scientists have proven that giant sequoia redwoods in California's western Sierra Nevada were ravaged with fires. This had taken place from 800 A.D. through 1300 A.D.
Scientists dated fire scars, or assigned time periods to marks made by fires, in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park. You see, one sequoia redwood can live for more that 3,000 years.
The Medieval Warm Period, from 800 to 1300 had the most fires in these years that were studied. It is not well known about the Sierra area being warm, but the slopes sure were fiery. In this situation, there is a very distinct relationship between forest fires and drought. Droughts are warm, and especially dry.
Scientist predict that climate change will make the trees live in a warm, dry environment. Also, other studies found that not enough coastal fog in California could disrupt these ancient trees.
To read more, go to:
http://www.livescience.com/environment/giant-redwood-sequoia-trees-fires-100318.html

The Civil Rights Movement With Some Math

The Civil Rights Movement can connect to math in many ways. Once the Civil Rights Act was passed, and segregation was illegal, around 35% of Southern black students attended integrated schools and 10% of the total African- American student population attended schools with whites (Grossback). However, only 5% of adult blacks were registered voters (Dunn 89). Therefore, in the summer of 1960, The Mississippi Summer Freedom Project took place. About 1,000 volunteers, mostly Northern white college students, helped educate blacks to pass literacy tests and fill out voter registration forms. By August, 1964, over 80,000 blacks were taking part in the campaign (Dunn 89, 90, 92), and then by the summer of 1967, more than 1/2 of eligible blacks were registered (Grossback). Soon after, when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 6, 1968, there were riots in 46 cities. In conclusion, many aspects of the Civil Rights Movement can relate to math.

Works Cited:

Dunn, John M. The Civil Rights Movement. San Diego. Lucent Books. 1998.

Grossback, Barry and Chase C. Mooney. "Civil Rights Movement". Encyclopedia Americana. 2010. Grolier Online. 13 Jan 2010. http://go.grolier.com/

7/8 Research Task- Civil Rights Movement

For the research task of 2009-10, my topic is the Civil Rights Movement, which is best known for it's non- violent protests led by many different fathers of freedom.

You may be thinking that the Civil Rights Movement has been over-taught in our years of education. It all started in math one day when we were reading articles that provided a broad overview of all the topics. I came across a sentence in the Civil Rights article that said something like this:

"The amendment that declared equality among people was basically ignored. "

My interest was sparked. Therefore, I have decided to research the Civil Rights Movement. As I progressed into my research, and was buried deeper and deeper in facts, immersed in notes, I learned a few key things:

1. Martin Luther King wasn't the only one who devoted his life (literally) to the Civil Rights Movement.

2. White supremacists did not only include the Ku Klux Klan, but a council called the White Citizens' Council (or something like that, anyway).

3. There were many different councils that tried to promote integration and equality, like NAACP, S