Component 2: Reflections on Science Performance and Experiences Term 1

Termly Science Performance

My target for term 1 is at least a B3 as my science has never been my strong subject. My plan to achieve my target is to work hard  and revise on the science concepts I have learnt. For class tests, I need to improve on my calculations and presentation of work.

Measurements

The objective of this lesson it to learn how to use and read the measurements on a micrometer screw gauge and vernier calipers.

This lesson was carried out in the lab.

From this lesson, I have learnt how to use two new measuring instruments, the micrometer screw gauge and the vernier caliper.

I did not really enjoy this activity because the numbers on the instruments were quite small and I had trouble reading them. I also had trouble with the decimal places and cm and mm.

Pendulum

The objective of this activity is to find out the relationship between the length of the pendulum and the time taken for one oscillation.

This activity was carried out in the science lab.

I have learnt from this activity that the shorter the length of the pendulum, the shorter the time taken for one oscillation.i also learnt that the safest way to conduct this experiment is to release the pendulum at a angle of 10 degrees any more than that, the pendulum may swing out of control.

I liked watching the pendulum swing back and forth the most as it felt hypnotic.

Bunsen Burners

The objective of this was to learn the right way to use the bunsen burner during practical work.

This activity was carried out in the science lab.

I have learnt the correct use of the bunsen burner and when the air hole is opened, a non luminous flame will be formed and when it is nt, a luminous flame will be formed. And when the air hole is fully opened, strike back may occur as the flame will bun at the gas jet.

My favourite part of this activity is using the bunsen burner and watching the flame burn and feeling the heat on my face.

Component 1:Issues in Teaching and Learning Science Term 1

I have faced many problems in teaching and learning science and the most serious problem I face is the understanding of science concepts. I try to solve this problem by clarifying the concepts with my classmates that do understand them or asking my parents and siblings. I found this very useful as I can communicate with my friends and family members easily.

I have learnt how to plot graphs, scientific methods and basic laboratory orientation.

These knowledge and skills are useful are  very relevant in the real world. For example, graph plotting is useful if you need to plot statistics for your company. You will need to know what type of graph is the most useful for which type of data. As for the scientific methods and basic lab orientation, they will be useful if I were to go into the research industry.

I have also learnt about the Rorschach test and how it uses ink blots to test subjects' perceptions of  them they are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It has been employed to detect underlying thought disorder, especially in cases where patients are reluctant to describe their thinking processes openly. I have also learnt about Moore's law which is the observation that, over the history of computing hardware , the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. Lastly, I also learnt more about the SI units and how they are used and why we use them.

SI Units

SI Units

The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is the world's most widely used system of measurements, used in both everyday commerce and science. It comprises a coherent system of units of measurement built around seven base unit , 22 named and an indeterminate number of unnamed coherent derived unit, and a set of prefixes that act as decimal-based multipliers. It is part of the International System of Quantities

The standards, published in 1960 as the result of an initiative started in 1948, are based on the meter -kilogram-second (MKS) system, rather than the centimeter-gram-second (CGS) system, which, in turn, had several variants. The SI has been declared to be an evolving system; thus prefixes and units are created and unit definitions are modified through international agreement as the technology of measurement progresses and the precision of measurements improves. The 25th CGPM meeting in the fall of 2014 will change the definitions of some base units, particularly the kilogram.

The driving force behind the development of the Système international was the diversity of units that had sprung up within the CGS system of units and the lack of coordination between the various disciplines that made extensive use of units of measurement. 

The system has been adopted by most countries in the developed world, though within English-speaking countries, the adoption has not been universal. In the United States metric units are not commonly used outside of science, medicine and the government; however, United States customary units are officially defined in terms of SI units. The United Kingdom has officially adopted a partial metrication policy, with no intention of replacing imperial units entirely. Canada has adopted it for most governmental and scientific purposes, but imperial units are still legally permitted and remain in common use throughout many sectors of Canadian society, particularly in the building trade and railway sectors.

Moore's law

       Moore's law is the observation that, over the history of computing hardware , the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years. The law is named after Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation, who described the trend in his 1965 paper. His prediction has proven to be accurate, in part because the law is now used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development. The capabilities of many digital electronic devices are strongly linked to Moore's law:Processing speed, memory capacity, sensors and even the number and size of pixels in digital camera. All of these are improving at roughly exponantial rates as well. This exponential improvement has dramatically enhanced the impact of digital electronics in nearly every segment of the world economy. Moore's law describes a driving force of technological and social change, productivity and economic growth in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The period is often quoted as 18 months because of Intel executive David House, who predicted that chip performance would double every 18 months (being a combination of the effect of more transistors and their being faster).

Although this trend has continued for more than half a century, Moore's law should be considered an observation or conjecture and not a physical or natural law. Sources in 2005 expected it to continue until at least 2015 or 2020. However, the 2010 update to the  International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors predicted that growth will slow at the end of 2013, when transistor counts and densities are to double only every three years.

Rorschach's Test

Rorschach's Test

Hermann Rorschach

 

          The Rorschach test , as its name suggests, was created by a Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach. The test is also known as the Rorschach inkblot test, the Rorschach technique, or simply the inkblot test) The Rorschach's Test is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning. It has been employed to detect underlying thought disorder, especially in cases where patients are reluctant to describe their thinking processes openly.There are ten official inkblots, each printed on a separate white card, approximately 18x24 cm in size. Each of the blots has near perfect bilateral symmetry. Five inkblots are of black ink, two are of black and red ink and three are multicolored, on a white background. After the test subject has seen and responded to all of the inkblots, the tester then presents them again one at a time in a set sequence for the subject to study: the subject is asked to note where he sees what he originally saw and what makes it look like that . The subject is usually asked to hold the cards and may rotate them. Whether the cards are rotated, and other related factors such as whether permission to rotate them is asked, may expose personality traits and normally contributes to the assessment. As the subject is examining the inkblots, the psychologist writes down everything the subject says or does, no matter how trivial. Analysis of responses is recorded by the test administrator using a tabulation and scoring sheet and, if required, a separate location chart.

Hermann Rorschach

 Hermann Rorschach was born on 8 November 1884 and died on 1 April 1992 at a very young age of 37. His birthplace is in Zürich, Switzerland. His expertise is in Psychiatry ,psychometrics. He is known for the Rorschach Test.

Science is really amazing, who would ever think that a few symmetrical inkblots can be used to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning.