mrguay's video - crystallization of copper (II) sulphate crystals

You might wonder why a Physics teacher is doing crystallization? That's because I'm teaching 4 NT this year and they are doing Chemistry this semester.

Chemistry is indeed a more interesting subject than Physics. However, it's really too complicated to explain anything fully.



If you're interested to try this, you can use common salt or sugar to do crystallization in your kitchen as well!

Gaming - what's it good for?

Nothing much in real value, as according to this video. Do watch:




However, as most of you may be aware mrguay also does some occasional gaming... Okay, actually only DotA. Isn't it self contradictory?

Nope, because I do understand that playing games are just...games! They create as much value and purpose as say a cup of coffee does. But we do meet our friends for coffee, don't we? And perhaps it's not the game nor the victories but the experience and friendships that is forged along the way.

Hope you guys have a nice holiday. Now stop playing games and go out in the sun!

Are you learning what you need to survive and excel in the future?

Watch this well-made and thought-provoking video.

So what do you need to do well when you 'grow up'?

Interesting project for the holidays?

Watch this interesting 'diy' science project.

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

It looks simple but a lot of planning and science is involved.


Do note that it is illegal to do this in Singapore due to our very very busy sky. And also, the camera will most likely land in the sea.



Still, how about tying a camera to a kite?

My very own simple motor

Although I had learn this in my Secondary school days, this is the first time I tried it. I think it works pretty well :)



Materials:

• coil of insulated wire
• paper clips for support
• magnet
• batteries and wires
• a base to mount everything

Note: you need to strip HALF the insulation at the ends of the wire.

For more info, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it_Z7NdKgmY

Old but good video - Frames of Reference

May be too complex for some of you but do give them a try and wonder as you sit there and watch the video: are you stationary or are you actually moving at quite a fast speed?

National Day 2010 Celebration@Kranji Sec

Quite a good one. I don't think anybody felt bored :)

Physics video by UMass Lowell

A great video which I guess is shown to freshman in this university. Credits to Win? Fail? PHYSICS!

A potential CE lesson material on responsibility, integrity, RESPECT...and self-control

I didn't find this video funny but am rather apalled by the behaviour of both the girl and the raging teen..... I really do hope my students are way better than them, right?

Cambodia Service Learning Video - draft version

After much work., finally it's almost done!

Extended version will include bloopers and more....

Mr Guay's Science Video Contest - Results

1st Prize goes to Edmund's (2E) video on Electrical Safety!






2nd prize goes to Daryl's (2F) video on Refraction and Rainbow!






And 3rd prize goes to Edmund (2E) again for his Lemon Battery video:

National Day 2009

It was nice to see most of us coming to school in red. But what struck me the most today is how enthusiastically everyone sing together when the teachers played the NDP songs.

So here are some of my favorite NDP songs in order, ending with my most favorite at the end of the post.

But I must thank http://www.sha.tc/singapore/ndp-songs for the inspiration and some of the links.

10. One People, One Nation, One Singapore (1990)
An oldie but you can't deny it's catchy and easy to sing. Lack a bit of emotion though.

9. Where I belong by Tanya Chua (2001)
Not too bad but just lack that little magic. And the tune is not that catchy.





8. Stand up for Singapore! (1985)
The first song written especially to commemorate National Day! (before that, we only have 'Chan Mali Chan' and '相信我吧! 新加坡!') Upbeat and catchy but too many politaically correct words inside. And right now, Singapore have come far enough that 'standing up' is no longer enough... the people have to do more than that!

7. Count on me Singapore (1986)
One of the songs that sometime I mistaken it for 'We are Singapore'. Soothing tune, easy lyrics, catchy chorus. But slightly corny and 'fake', yeah?







6. Home by Kit Chan (1998)
A bit melancholic (sad) and a bit slow but otherwise beautifully written. Can't say it's a song for high spirits but if you're one of those listening to this while stationed overseas, I bet tears will roll.




5. Things so Singapore by Ann Hussein (2009)
The unofficial song that had gained internet popularity in this year 2009 NDP. It's nice, but not really a 'group singing' song. I mean, you can't imagine the whole National Stadium echoing with this song, isn't it?

4. What do you see by Electrico (2009)
The first song by a Singaporean band that made it big (relatively in the local scene). The lyrics is meaningful and the tune is nice, just not perfect. It just lack that little something, a climax to the song maybe? The song begins with a question, and at the end, I'm still asking myself what do I see...




3. My Island Home by Kaira Gong (2006)
Erm...disregarding the fact that I actually know the singer in person (briefly, in NUS), I feel that this song has one of the most changes in terms of mood and tempo. Started slow and gentle, and finally crashing with a strong "I believe!" at the chorus, before settling down again.

And hearing Kaira (or Shi Jia) sing live, right in front of you without any mics or instrument, is way much better than what you hear from the CDs.




2. We are Singapore (1987-1988)

This is my most favorite NDP song before the invasion of pop singers and even poppier songs. Still, even after 23 years, you can't deny you actually prefer to sing the National Pledge rather than recite it, just like how they did it in this song.

Extremely easy to sing, lyrics are very easy to remember. Grand and yet not too sombre. Not too slow and yet not too fast like a dance music, I truly believe this is a real gem of a song. And they like it so much that this song was used for 2 years! If you haven't hear this song before, you must give it a try.




1. We will get there by Stefanie Sun (2002)
Besides that fact that I am quite a supporter of Stefanie Sun, I really like the tune of this song. The strong rhythm by the bass sets a good intro, with a gradual increase in instrument and finally peaking at the chorus. Part rock, part pop, which is what I like!

Lyrics wise I prefer the chinese version but I think the arrangement is wonderful and with Stefanie's unique voice, it's actually one of the few NDP songs that can be 'sold' as a top pick pop song.

An old but good video on Electricity

As we embark on the new topic of Electricity, here's quite an interesting video that I found. It can be downloaded freely at http://www.archive.org/details/principles_of_electricity or from my sharing folder: http://www.4shared.com/file/121710609/7af86584/principles_of_electricity_512kb.html.

What's interesting about this video is that it's made in 1945 by a country that first entered the Nuclear Age.

For those that can't wait, you can watch it from youtube too but in 2 parts:

Mr Guay’s Science Video Contest

For the June holidays, I decided to organise a Science Video Contest! All my current students (Sec 2 - Sec 4) may apply.

Aim
To foster and cultivate the spirit of learning and self-discovery; to stimulate creativity and enhance the learning experience of Science.

Objective
Create a short video that is related to Science (preferably but not restricted to Physics).

Let your creativity flow! There’s no restriction to the format or style of video. It could be a video of you demonstrating an experiment, a magic trick, an illusion. Or it could be a collection of video clips/pictures that is related to the topic you are showing. It can even be a MTV, a comical skit or a cartoon, as long as it is related to Science!

Prizes
1st: $50 voucher
2nd: $30 voucher
3rd: $10 voucher

Requirements:

• Individual or group effort. Multiple entries allowed.
• Clear explanation on the scientific principles. Explanation can be done in the video OR offline (e.g. a writeup or report).
• Sources of information or materials used must be clearly cited
• Allow your video to be uploaded to youtube for sharing/viewing
• No restriction on video format, length, music used etc.
• Judges decision is final.
• Judging based on content (40%), creativity (30%), explanation (20%) and quality of video (10%)
• Date of submission: 10 Jul 2009
• Register by 29 May 2009. Registration is free!

Here are some examples from youtube:

Mr Guay’s videos:

1. Moments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hr7LlEOv48
2. Mirror size and distance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEV8LNn0szI
3. Egg in a bottle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KA1d0voy74
4. Fun with electrical fuse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70arPvsHKkk
   

Examples from other users:

1. Build an electric motor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it_Z7NdKgmY
2. Crushing can experiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVayky_b-6U
3. Floating tea bag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbkEfYohXTA
4. Siphon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3F9hx5CjPY
5. Boiling with ice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTJZZY1a0XE
6. Magic balloon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucD8_y7VdvM
7. Cartesian diver: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGo7ECXCNgs
8. Rolling back up incline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7bXHP9OmVo
9. Static attraction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZPkCOySCWc

Sign up now! :)

Meridien JC obtain gold in SYF...and puts up video with mr guay?!?!

MJC got gold for their guitar ensemble...and at the end of their blog post, they posted a video featuring none other than yours truly!

The link: http://gemeridian.blogspot.com/2009/04/gold.html

Maybe Kranji should have a guitar ensemble too? Since almost half the school learned some form of guitar in lower sec...

Video for sharing - Chicken a la Carte

Got this in my email, posting it here for sharing.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Fun with electrical fuse

An extension of the previous video of the electrical fuse. This time, we added light bulbs to the circuit and also posed some questions in the video.

g, acceleration due to gravity

You're most probably familiar with the equation weight, w = mass x g, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. And g is usually given as 9.81 m/s^2

You may also know that g is more or less constant around us. But will you realise that since acceleration is constant irregardless of mass, should a feather drop and hit the ground the same time as a hammer?

Well, we know that doesn't occur because the feather traps air and has a much higher air resistance than the hammer. Hence the feather is slowed down by the air as it drops down. However, can you think of a place where you can do this experiment without the interference of air resistance?

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mTsrRZEMwA

Excellent video demonstrating density and heat transfer of liquid!

Can view the video here if the embedded one has problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH96MhITOlk

Pointers:

• Oil is less dense than water, hence it floats as a separate layer on top.
• Heat transfer in liquid is mainly via convection currents.
• As the oil is heated on top of the water, very minimal heat is transferred to the water as there is no convection current generated in the water.
• The goldfish tends to stay at the bottom of the tank. Guess why?
• Question: Where does the goldfish obtain the oxygen?

Video on mass and inertia - Train vs Car

Once again, Top Gear strikes with another educational video!

Can't view? Click http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3QKRl43i4g

Some points to ponder:

• The train has a bigger mass than the car. And hence the train has a bigger inertia.
• The train, after colliding with the car, moved it some distance until it finally stopped.
• If the roles are now reversed, and that the car travels at the same speed as the train and collides into it, will the car be able to move the train as far away as the car was moved? Why? Why not?
• Is inertia due to weight or mass? Imagine now that both car and train is floating in space. Will colliding a stationary train with a car at 80 miles/hr be the same as colliding a stationary car with a train at 80 miles/hr achieve the same result in outer space?

The video shows that a bigger mass (train) tends to remain at rest or in motion i.e. is more resistant to a change in motion than a smaller mass. This resistance is called inertia.

Bigger the mass, greater the inertia.