Periodic Properties

Periodic Properties

“Eventually all the pieces will fall into place, until then... laugh at the confusion,

live for the moment and know that everything happens for a reason.”

            All the elements on the periodic table were set where they are for a reason. Believe it or not (and I hope you do) there is a formula for the placement. The 118 elements have been ordered into their exact spots through many processes.
            Every one of the elements in the table are organized  in an order from lightest to heaviest. This means that the elements whose atomic weights are near the same number will be very close together on the table. This was discovered and made popular by Demitri Mendeleev. As for columns, elements that have matching properties will be in the same column.

            As a simple principle, one can say, “The higher an electron’s energy, the farther from the nucleus it is.” (Colorado¹) What is it talking about right there? It’s saying that the atoms get bigger as you add electrons to higher energy levels. This chart shows the size of the structure of the atoms:

          

(Colorado²)

            Now, as you look at this picture questions might start to form in your head. Now, ignore those and listen to what I have to say. There are two main parts that go into this periodic table; Groups (or Families) and Periods (or Series). Families are the vertical arrangement of elements. Series are the horizontal arrangement of elements. Focus on the latter one mentioned. Now, in the table there are seven clear series. From left to right they are: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, halogens, noble gases, the lanthanide series and the actinide series. They all have different properties that I won’t go into because our class was quite enough that this should only be one page long.

            But on a side note, there is also a thing called sublevels. To read through them there is: s sublevel, p sublevel, d sublevel, and the f sublevel. These sublevels run on a energy based system. Respect the system.

            As we look at the innocent periodic table of elements we start to see patterns. Patterns that could only have been created and thought up by a mastermind. So enjoy these patterns and the simplicity they bring to your life before the mastermind starts to control our brains with what they have created. The end. (Omniscient¹¹)







 

Sources

Ÿ  Colorado¹ - http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/periodic_table/atomic_structure.html

Ÿ  Colorado² -http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/periodic_table/periodic_properties.html#size

Ÿ  Omniscient¹¹ - http://www.TheResourcesOfMySarcasticMind_HopeYouDon’tGetMad.org

Curiosity, anyone?

Curiosity, anyone?

         Combining the forces of Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) the two have come out with something grand. In a big step for human kind a rover has been prepared to land on Mars. Launched November 26, 2011, the rover is scheduled to land at Gale Crater on Mars in mid-August 2012. This rover’s task is to establish whether or not the Red Planet is or ever was able to support life.
          Imagine how you would feel if you got to name a famous space rover made by world renowned programs? That’s probably how Clara Ma felt when her essay with the suggested name Curiosity won the Mars Science Laboratory naming contest. The twelve-year old wrote a paragraph that caught the eye of many. Ma wrote:

Curiosity is an everlasting flame that burns in everyone's mind. It makes me get out of bed in the morning and wonder what surprises life will throw at me that day. Curiosity is such a powerful force. Without it, we wouldn't be who we are today. When I was younger, I wondered, 'Why is the sky blue?', 'Why do the stars twinkle?', 'Why am I me?', and I still do. I had so many questions, and America is the place where I want to find my answers. Curiosity is the passion that drives us through our everyday lives. We have become explorers and scientists with our need to ask questions and to wonder. Sure, there are many risks and dangers, but despite that, we still continue to wonder and dream and create and hope. We have discovered so much about the world, but still so little. We will never know everything there is to know, but with our burning curiosity, we have learned so much. (NASA)

Since then, Curiosity has been a long-awaited mission for science nerds everywhere. The answers that this rover promises humanity are the answers to some questions that have been around for a very long time.
          Curiosity is substantially larger than Spirit or Opportunity (the Mars Exploration Rovers that came before it). This rover is about the size of a Mini Cooper which makes it nearly five times as large. It also weighs a hefty 1,984 pounds (1600 lbs. more than the previous rovers). With all the weight and bulk, this rover’s estimated maximum terrain-traverse speed is 90 meters per hour. Please note like I have that during track season not one of CCHS’s athletes ran a 100 meter sprint in more than 30 seconds. So this is probably super slow and painful to watch. Over Curiosity’s two year mission it is anticipated to travel no less than 12 miles.
            The landing spot, Gale Crater, on Mars was chosen out of a list of places because of the different attributes it has. Inside Gale Crater is a mountain rising 3.1 miles of layered rock. Since the mission is to look for any sign of possible life on this planet, one of the first things Curiosity will be doing is taking a look at a very dense and bright colored rock. This kind of rock is different from all other rock types inspected on Mars. It might just be a piece of an antediluvian playa lake deposit. The rocks from there will be checked for the existence of organic molecules. (Wiki)
          Of course this crazily weighted will need insane amounts of power and I honestly think I should get extra-extra credit for writing this paragraph. Through the natural decay of a non-fissile isotope (see why I should extra-extra credit now? *nudge nudge*) of plutonium-238 generators produce electricity. Heat is given off by the decay regardless of the time of year or day. The heat is then turned into the electricity used to operate Curiosity. This method is an extremely smart move for NASA and MSL. Pu-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years giving it a long time to produce energy. (EPA)
          If Curiosity gets the answers that we hope to achieve from this then this will be a major breakthrough. And even though I still can’t get over how super-duper slow this little (kind of big) piece of equipment goes I even hope the best for it. I hope this report this report cured your curiosity of Curiosity (good pun, ay?). So tune in August of 2012 if you want an update on what this little rover has to offer. 

Electromagnetic Pulse

Don’t Cut the Red Wire

            Can one these days possible imagine what life without technology would be like? Texting with cell phones and letting people across the world know that you just made yourself a PB&J sandwich through face book is a highly common and mundane thing nowadays. Most teenage kids (and probably a lot of adults too) would literally have a spaz attack if all the technology were to crash down. So we better start preparing by getting more psychologists because an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack can happen anytime.

            The world has had the knowledge to make an EMP attack happen for a while now. Actually, since 1945 it’s been known about. The United States first discovered this side effect (but almost overlooked it) when they were first testing nuclear weapons in the Pacific Ocean about 1000 miles away from Hawaii. The electromagnetic waves traveled far and blew out a couple electric streetlights and signal lights. It’s an invisible pulse from an nuclear blast that completely and permanently destroys electronic equipment over mass distances.

            Even my mother remembers the possibility of this attack and what it would do. In fact, when the power went of earlier today it was one of the things that had crossed her mind. And that’s not all surprising. She did grow up during the time when that was one of the biggest scares. In 1962, the Soviet Union executed a series of EMP-producing nuclear tests. Yeah, that’s pretty darn scary if I do say so myself. Even though before the U.S. did a test in space called the Starfish Prime (part of Operation Fishbowl, no joke). The Soviet’s came out more powerful and more damaging they were done over a inhabited large land mass and at a setting where the Earth's magnetic field was more intense even though the weapons they used were smaller.
            Fear. That’s the only thing keeping us safe from these attacks from other countries. Fear that we might be able to send something back seconds before our technology is crashed. And we all know that most people wouldn’t be able to handle living without their I Love Lucy re-runs.

Sources

Ÿ  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse

Ÿ  http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/emp.htm

Ÿ  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvu08Y9XJ0U