Big Al

This is Big Al. He is the mascot of the week. He is also University of Alabama's official mascot. I googled up some pictures of him and drew him, using the pictures as a model. I think I will alternate element of the week and mascot of the week.
Big Al is just a goofy guy that runs around, in a costume. Some schools
(such as Colorado) keep real, live animals. Big Al has to move around in every sport just like every mascot. But unlike the players, who have to travel for one sport, he has to move around for both basketball, and football.
Alabama has an elephant, but there are two stories of how he came. Both of the stories come from the 1930 season.
One story says that the Alabama football team was borrowing some suitcases from a company. The company's logo was of an elephant standing on a red suitcase. When the team arrived in Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, some people associated the elephant to their logo.
The other story was like the linemen of the Alabama football team were so big, a fan called them "the red elephants". From then on, the Alabama linemen were known as "the red elephants. Then someone wanted an elephant mascot. Whatever the story, Alabama did not accept the elephant as an official mascot until 1979. The name 'Big Al' was a student vote.

Make sure that he doesn't mess with this guy, who he hates!

Rhodium, the element of the week

This is a continuation of element of the week. My mom picked out Rhodium because she never heard of it. Rhodium and Rhenium (75) are easy to confuse. When I first heard of the elements I had a hard time distinguishing the two because they both start with "Rh". Now forget about Rhenium, and think about Rhodium.

Rhodium is a supershiny metal. In fact it is too shiny. It is shinier than platinum (78), gold (79), silver (47), and palladium (46). It is found in South Africa, Russia, and in minute quantities around Sudbury,        Ontario. South Africa is the world's leading producer of rhodium. Rhodium is prone to price swings. As of October 2007 Rhodium was worth eight times as much as gold, and thousands of times as much as copper (wow!). It is now still worth twice as much as gold, which is still precious. Rhodium is used in jewelry because it enhances the luster. Rhodium's melting point is 1966 degrees Celsius and its boiling point is 3727 degrees Celsius. It is a transition metal located around gold and silver, in what I call "the precious metals corridor".
Although it is a precious metal it is sometimes used in the manufacturing of cars, but I don't know exactly how.

Now you know more about one of the most precious metals. And now, inform all the pirates that there is a metal more precious than gold.

Technetium, the element of the week

The last few posts were about elements. I am doing a new thing called "element of the week". I asked my brother to pick out a random element that he had never heard of. I got stuck with technetium. Please do ignore the four of hearts in the corners, I had to scan my periodic table playing cards in order to represent technetium. This darn old playing card just gave away all the facts for you. Its symbol is Tc, its atomic number is 43, It is radioactive, it is- WAIT STOP! there is something unusual here. All elements with atomic numbers over 83 are radioactive. There are only two elements with atomic numbers less than 83 that are radioactive (technetium and promethium). This is odd. Now, back to the facts, it is synthetic, it- STOP AGAIN! Again technetium and promethium (61) are the only synthetic elements until neptunium (93). All the others before 93 are naturally occurring although time to time technetium atoms appear (from the decay of other elements) but break down after about a minute. Technetium's atomic weight is 98.91 and, FYI the atomic weight is the number of protons plus neutrons. You might be thinking "how do you get 0.91 neutrons?". What we do is calculate the average of all the different isotopes of technetium and presto! you end up with the atomic weight. Technetium's melting point (the point when it changes from solid to liquid) is 2,172 degrees Celsius and the boiling point (liquid to gas) is 4,877 degrees Celsius. At the bottom of the card it shows technetium's uses. Medical research and radioactive diagnosis use technetium. Now remember, Tc, and not TCU, the college football team.

The halogens

The halogens are a group of five elements of the periodic table. They are Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine, and Astatine. They all have seven outer electrons except for astatine. Their compounds and ions are called halides. Let's take a look at these elements.

This one is Fluorine. Alone it is F2.It is the most reactive of the halogens and it reacts with almost all the elements. Its atomic number is 9 and its atomic weight is 18.99. It is a pale yellow-green gas and is very poisonous. It is never used in school laboratories because it attacks glass, but it can be useful in substances like toothpaste. It is found in xenon tetrafluoride (XeF4), freon (CF2Cl2), fluorospar (CaF2), and cryolite (Na3AlF6)as well as many other compounds.

  After fluorine is chlorine. Chlorine's atomic number is 17 and its atomic weight is 35.45. In the picture it is shown on its own but it only occurs naturally in compounds. As with fluorine it is a gas but it is greener. Its most well-known compound is salt (NaCl). It is also found in sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)which is used to make paper white. Hydrogen chloride (HCl) is a colorless gas that is made by burning hydrogen in chlorine. It dissolves in water to form hydrochloric acid which is used to etch metals.

Next is bromine. It is one of the two liquids on the periodic table (mercury is the other) and it gives off toxic fumes. Its atomic number is 35 and its atomic weight is 79.91. Alone it is Br2 but, like chlorine it is only naturally found in compounds. Its most common compound is sodium bromide (NaBr) which is found in sea water. Another compound, silver bromide (AgBr)is used in photography, while yet another compound, hydrogen bromide has the same properties of hydrochloric acid.

This one is Iodine. Its atomic number is 53 and its atomic weight is 126.90. It is found in foods such as seaweed, seafood, cod liver oil, and fruits and vegetables. Don't panic about that because it it healthy. When heated it gives off a purple vapor. Like the other halogens it is paired up with sodium, this time in sodium iodate (NaIO3). Iodine dissolved in ethanol (C2H5OH) is called tincture of iodine and is dabbed on cuts.

There is not much to say about astatine besides it is a radioactive, unstable element.

carbon is also in water (an expansion of the previous post)

Remember the post about carbon? Carbon is also in water. Just joking! This little fishy's name is Carbon (and you can tell why). But really there is carbon in Carbon. If you look in the molecules of DNA in any animal you will see carbon. Also there is carbon in that plastic treasure chest. Carbon is used in plastics such as polyvinylchloride. In the blue paper backdrop there is carbon. Paper is made from trees which in turn, has carbon (like every living thing). One more thing. The filtration system (not shown) has a carbon filter. It helps clean the tank for Carbon, and all the other fishies in the tank (also not shown) but sometimes we have to clean the tank.

Carbon-It's Everywhere!

Carbon is element #6 on the periodic table. It is a member of group IV. Its symbol is C. Its atomic weight is 12.0. It is simple yet- it's everywhere! It's in you, it's in me, it's in your computer, it's in almost anything! in fact It's in well over 2,000,000 compounds! I will show six.

First on the list is Carbon Dioxide (CO2). For those of you unaccustomed to science, the Os are oxygen and the C is carbon. Carbon dioxide is a poisonous gas that we exhale. Luckily, trees neutralize the CO2 in the air. CO2 is used in fire extinguishers, because it prevents oxygen (O2) from reaching the fire (fire needs oxygen just like us). CO2 makes up a minute quantity of the air.

Methane. CH4. Here the H's are hydrogen. Methane is also a poisonous gas. It is found mostly on the planet Uranus but is also found on earth.  It is a member of the alkane  family. The alkanes are molecules with just carbon and hydrogen. Methane is the simplest of the alkanes, having one carbon atom. It reacts with the halogens (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine).

The alkene family is kind of like the alkane family. Ethene is from the alkene family. It is written as CH2=CH2. The "=" means a double bond with the carbon atoms. Ethene is a colorless, sweet-smelling gas and is used in plastics.

This is ethyne. It is a member of the alkyne family. It cannot be written with this Mac I am using because it is written as CH(three lines above each other)CH. It has a triple bond between the two carbon atoms. It is also a gas and is the only common alkyne. It reacts very explosively with chlorine. It is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other vinyl compounds.

Freon is a halogenoalkane (an alkane but instead of hydrogen, there are halogens present). Freon is also a chlorofluorocarbon (a compound of chlorine ( Cl), fluorine (F), and carbon). Freon used to be used as an aerosol propellant, but when holes in the ozone  layer were discovered they started using other propellants.

Calcium carbonate or if you prefer CaCO3. It is a crumbly, insoluble powder. This is chalk. Kiddies use it on your driveway (sidewalk chalk). It is used to obtain calcium oxide. It is also used to make cement and is used in building.


What would we do without carbon? Luckily, It's everywhere!!!!!

Michigan v.s. Illinois, the think I think about it

On Saturday Michigan played versus Illinois at the Big House. Michigan won in triple overtime but it was  very close. Final score, 67-65. 


On the first play from scrimmage Denard (or Shoelace) passed to Roy Roundtree, who scored on a 75 yard TOUCHDOWN. Michigan 7-0. Illinois' turn. They drive but are held to a FG and we're still up. Uncle Jeff counted that as half a stop. Illinois fumbles, Denard throws a pic and once more Illinois settles for a FG. Michigan 7-6. Another pic from Denard leads Illinois to a TOUCHDOWN. 2-point conversion is GOOD. 14-7. This game is so crazy that I can't keep track of all the scores but I'll show some highlights.


4th and 9 for Michigan on the Illinois 33. They go for it and TOUCHDOWN!!! ROY ROUNDTREE!!!!!


3rd down for Michigan Denard passes to Hemmingway, Houdini play on the sideline, Illinois forgets to tackle and TOUCHDOWN!!!!


Illinois 3rd and 6, Sheelhaase on the run, and Avery just kills him short of the 1st down. Illinois then MISSES A FG


Forcier throws a few yards into the end zone and TOUCHDOWN!!! MICHIGAN, STONTUM  with an in the air catch to tie this ballgame up.


Scheelhaase going for the 2-point conversion... And he's SACKED BY MOUTON!!!! MICHIGAN WINS!!!!! AND MICHIGAN WILL GO TO A BOWL!!!!!






There were more adventures on Saturday.  Here are a few:


#5Alabama lost at home to #12LSU, 24-21. 'Bama is only 7-2 compared to last year's 14-0.


#4TCU hammered #6Utah 47-7. Utah snapped a 21-game home winning streak(In my dream it was the Mormons v.s. the other Christians).


No one cares about the MAC but Akron is 0-10 after their 2OT loss to Ball State 37-30


#16 Michigan State whooped up Minnesota 31-8. State is #1 in the Big 10.


#15 Iowa squeaked past the Hoosiers 18-13.


JoePa had his 400th career victory over Northwestern 35-21. Backup QB Matt McGloin threw for 4 touchdowns.


The Big 10 standings are here:

1. Michigan State (5-1 Big 10 9-1 overall) 313 points scored all season, 188 allowed.
2. Wisconsin (4-1 Big 10 8-1 overall) 319 points scored all season, 175 allowed.
3. Ohio State (4-1 Big 10 8-1 overall) 378 points scored all season, 122 allowed
4. Iowa (4-1 Big 10 7-2 overall) 291 points scored all season, 129 allowed
5. Penn State (3-2 Big 10 6-3 overall) 218 points scored all season, 181 allowed
6. Illinois(3-3 Big 10 5-4 overall) 280 points scored all season, 201 allowed
7. Michigan (2-3 Big 10 6-3 overall) 350 points scored all season, 305 allowed
8. Northwestern (2-3 Big 10 6-3 overall) 234 points scored all season, 197 allowed
9. Purdue (2-3 Big 10 4-5 overall) 158 points scored all season, 249 allowed
10. Indiana (0-5 Big 10 4-5 overall) 248 points scored all season, 253 allowed
11. Minnesota (0-6 Big 10 1-9 overall) 213 points scored all season, 338 allowed