accident :: essays research papers

Wild Ride   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Can you imagine being thrown from a car at 30mph? Well, I never thought I could until this happened to me in the summer of 1999. It was a gorgeous June afternoon, and summer had just begun. I had just gotten my license, and I couldn’t wait to go cruisin’ in my parents new yellow Ford Expedition. I had spent the day at my friends house, and now I was on my way home. I was almost home, I just had to turn onto the gravel road to get to my house. While I was turning, I was trying to put in a mix CD I had just made, and trying to turn the corner at the same time. I guess I was going a little too fast, because all of a sudden, I found myself lying in the ditch, outside of my truck. I had the bitter taste of blood in my mouth. I slowly got up on one leg and struggled up to the road. There was an old white pickup coming down the road and I waved it down. It was a farmer and he called an ambulance on his cell phone. While we were waiting for the ambulance I was hysterical. I couldn’t move or feel my left arm or leg. I felt like I was going to pass out from the pain in my broken limbs. The farmer did everything he could think of to calm me down a little bit. He asked me questions about family, school, and pretty much anything he could think of. I learned all about his wife, and his family; his grandkids, and even their grandkids. Eventually, after what seemed like three hours waiting for the ambulance, it finally got there. The paramedics rushed out, and loaded me into the wailing vehicle. The whole way to the hospital they asked me questions about my injuries and on what I remember about the incident. The pain was almost unbearable, so I told enough of what they wanted to hear, just so they’d shut up. They put my arm and leg in splints and finally gave me something for the pain. After about 15 minutes in the ambulance we got to the hospital and they hauled me into the X-ray room and took X-rays of my arm and leg. They found out that my forearm bone and the bone under the bicep was broken in my left arm and that I had broken my fibula in my left leg.

Factors of a reaction lab Essay

Hypothesis According to the collision theory, the rate of a reaction depends on the frequency of collisions between reacting particles. The more frequent the collisions, the faster the rate of the reaction. However, in order for the collisions to be effective, the particles must collide with sufficient energy (activation energy). Furthermore, the particles must collide with the proper orientation. The aim of this lab is to increase how often collisions occur. Theoretically, we should be able to achieve this by increasing the HCl concentration. However, we will instead decrease the HCl concentration just because it’s easier by diluting it with water. We thus predict that by decreasing the HCl concentration, it should take longer for the reaction to produce the predetermined amounts of hydrogen gas that we are observing. Variables Independent- the concentration of HCl Dependent- the rate of the reaction Controlled- Size of test tube Syringe type Timer Mass of Zn Volume of HCl Size of the stopper Controlling Variables size of test tube- we used the same test tube for most of the trials syringe type- we used the same syringe for all the trials timer- we used the same timer for all the trials mass of zn- we kept the mass of zn constant 1.00g size of the stopper- we used the same stopper Procedure 1. Grab a test tube rack, a test tube, a stopper that fits snuggly into the test tube and a syringe. 2. Place the test tube into the test tube rack and attach the syringe to the test tube. 3. Using an electric balance, obtain a sample of powdered Zn that weighs 1.00 g exactly. 4. Pour the 1.00g sample of powdered Zn into the test tube. 5. Grab two beakers. Fill one with HCl and the other with non-distilled water. BE SURE TO LABEL THE BEAKERS APPROPRIATELY! 6. Using a 10ml graduated cylinder and pipette, measure out 10 ml of HCl. 7. Pour the HCl into the test tube, quickly cork the test tube with the stopper, and pull slightly on the syringe’s end to make sure the hydrogen gas will flow through. 8. Record the how long it takes for the marker on the syringe to reach, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cm3. 9. Repeat with HCl concentrations of 0.8 mol dm-3 and 06 mol dm-3. 10. Repeat steps 3-9 a second time in order to obtain a second trial. Data Collection and Processing Raw Data Table Hydrochloric acid, 1.0 mol dm-3 Time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Observations – Zn clumps together at bottom of test tube – Bubbles are produced – No longer powder – Nothing happens for a while and then all of a sudden there’s like this outward burst of energy which results in small intervals btw the given volumes produced Data Processing Overview I will first determine the average time it took for the different HCl concentration to react and produce the given volumes of hydrogen gas. Next I will calculate the standard deviation for each set of trials to determine the accuracy of the average. Finally, I will graph the average times using a scatter. Sample Calculation Average of different trials for time taken for 1cm3 of hydrogen gas to be produced with 1.0 mol dm-3 of HCl: (118 + 123)/2 = 120.5s Hydrochloric acid, 1 mol dm-3 Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Average time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s 1 120.5 2 152.0 3 190.5 4 227.0 5 274.0 Hydrochloric acid, 0.8 mol dm-3 Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Average time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s 1 137.0 2 226.0 3 330.0 4 439.5 5 552.5 Hydrochloric acid, 0.6 mol dm-3 Volume of hydrogen gas produced/cm3 Average time taken for corresponding volume of hydrogen gas to be produced/s 1 202.0 2 209.0 3 242.0 4 309.5 5 382.5 Standard deviations of the averages were determined by using the following formula in a Microsoft Excel program: Standard Deviation for different HCl acid concentrations HCl acid concentration/mol dm-3 Standard Deviation Average time vs. Volume of hydrogen gas produced Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion: – Hydrochloric acid, 1 mol dm-3 concentration, the highest concentration used in this experiment produced the given volumes of hydrogen gas the fastest out of all three HCl concentrations. – Hydrochloric acid of 0.8 mol dm-3 concentration did produce 1 cm3 of hydrogen gas faster than hydrochloric acid of 0.6 mol dm-3 as predicted. – Hydrochloric acid of 0.6 mol dm-3 concentration produced hydrogen gas faster than hydrogen gas of 0.8 mol dm-3. – Limitations Suggestions for Improvement Some of the Zn powder got stuck to the side of the test tube as we poured it into the test tube. Maybe use a straw or something like that to make sure the Zn gets to the bottom of the test tube. And like blow into the straw (softly!) to ensure that none of the Zn gets stuck to the inside of the straw. We didn’t use the same syringe for all the trials because we were trying to get all the trials in on the same day. Use the same syringe for all trials. We didn’t get all the trials in on the same day. I think it took us three classes. As a result, each day we were working in different room temperatures. Organize ourselves better so that we get all the trials in on the same day. We couldn’t dry the test tube correctly. Each time we dried it there was still water at the bottom of the tube. Maybe like attach a paper towel to a stirrer and swap it around inside the test tube to dry it out. Zn is impure. As a result, the HCl acid could be reacting as well with whatever impurities present are thus slowing down the reaction, perhaps.

5 Reasons Not to Homeschool Your Child

If you’re considering home education, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of homeschooling seriously. While there are many positive reasons to homeschool, it isn’t the best fit for every family. Consider the following five reasons to not homeschool to help you carefully examine your personal motives and available resources before making this decision. Sometimes a lack of personal motivation is revealed when potential homeschooling parents consider their curriculum choices. They don’t want their children in public school for a variety of reasons, but they also don’t really want to take on the responsibility for their childrens education. I’m looking for something he can do on his own, they say or, â€Å"I’m just too busy to spend a lot of time on this.† 1. Husband and Wife Are Not in Agreement About Homeschooling No matter how much you want to home educate your children, it will not work for your family if you don’t have your spouse’s support. You may be the one preparing and teaching the lessons, but you will need the support of your husband  (or wife), both emotionally and financially. Also, your children will be much less likely to cooperate if they don’t sense a united front from mom and dad. If your spouse is unsure about homeschooling, consider the possibility of a trial year. Then, look for ways to get the non-teaching parent involved so that he sees the benefits firsthand. 2. You Haven’t Taken the Time to Count the Cost There are obvious financial costs of homeschooling, but many would-be homeschooling parents dont consider the personal cost. Don’t  rush into the decision to homeschool  because your friends are doing it, or because it sounds like fun. (Even though it can definitely be a lot of fun!). You must have a personal conviction and commitment that will carry you through the days when you want to pull your hair out. For the sake of your family, your reasoning must supersede your emotions. 3. You Are Not Willing to Learn Patience and Perseverance Homeschooling is a personal sacrifice of time and energy based on love. It takes careful planning and a willingness to go the distance. You will not have the luxury of allowing your feelings to dictate whether or to not to homeschool on a particular day. As time goes on, you will be stretched, challenged, and discouraged. You will doubt yourself, your choices, and your sanity. Those thoughts and emotions seem to be universal among homeschooling parents. You don’t have to have superhuman patience to begin homeschooling, but you do have to be willing to develop patience, with both yourself and your children. 4. You Are Unable or Unwilling to Live on One Income To give your children the kind of education they deserve, you will probably need to plan on being home full-time. Often the teaching parent who tries to work while homeschooling finds herself stretched in too many directions and tends to burn out. If you are planning to hold even a part-time job while teaching school, especially K-6, you may be better off choosing to not homeschool. When your children are older, they are more likely to be more independent and self-disciplined in their studies, allowing the teaching parent to consider working outside the home. Carefully consider with your spouse what changes are necessary to make your school a priority. If you must homeschool and work outside the home, there are ways to do so successfully. Talk with your partner and potential caregivers to develop a plan to make it work. 5. You Are Not Willing to Be Involved in Your Children’s Education If your current idea of home educating is choosing a curriculum that your children can do by themselves while you monitor their progress from a distance, you may want to consider not homeschooling. That scenario might work depending on how independent a learner each child is, but even if they can handle it, you will be missing out on so much. That doesnt mean never using workbooks; some children love them. Workbooks can be beneficial for independent study when you are teaching multiple children at different levels. However, homeschooling parents who plan hands-on activities to blend into their daily lessons and learn alongside their children often find their own thirst for knowledge rekindled. They are enthusiastic and passionate about influencing their children’s lives,  giving them a love of learning, and creating a learning-rich environment, which should be one of the ultimate goals of home education. These points are not intended to discourage you completely. However, it is vital that you seriously consider the impact that choosing to homeschool will have on you and your family. It’s essential to have a realistic idea of what you’ll be getting into before you start. If the timing and circumstances arent right for your family, its okay to choose to not homeschool! Updated by Kris Bales