Friday, October 21, 2011

"The Elements"

We watched a video in Chemistry class yesterday, called "The Elements." I found it very interesting. It gave a history of some of the elements, and explained some advances in chemistry. I liked how it focused on one element at a time and gave interesting facts about each. I found it thoroughly enjoyable. There was nothing I disliked about it.

My three favorite elements are silicon (because it is used in electronics), gold, and neodymium (because it is used to make very powerful magnets). My three least favorite elements are arsenic (because it is poisonous), uranium, and plutonium (because they are used in atomic bombs).

Thursday, October 13, 2011

FSA Format

F=S=A is a way to show work while using a formula. It is short for Formula=Substitute=Answer. Here is an example of FSA in action:
Volume=Length x Width x Height= 5.15cm x 4.23cm x 2.36cm = 51.4 mL
I feel that FSA is a good way to organize work and easily figure out what to do next while solving a complex problem.