Mr. Rotts Room Blog for week ending 12/16/11

Welcome Space Travelers!
Hard to believe that this is the WEEK!... 4 days and counting... until Christmas Vacation!  2 WHOLE weeks to rest and enjoy some time off!  I hope that you will have a wonderful break and come back refreshed, healthy and ready to work on percents and decimals!  THERE WILL BE NO HOMEWORK THIS WEEK...PLEASE work on papers that have very low scores... so that you can turn them in after break to receive more points!

THIS WEEK:   This week in class we will be finishing fractions... not that we will leave them forever, they will poke their head out during percents and decimals but nothing like what we have been working on for the last month!

CALCULATOR !!!  YOU really want to make sure you purchase a calculator that can do fractions, it needs to have an ABC button on it!  Trust me you’re going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE  FACT: Welcome to NORAD Tracks Santa
Here is a great site to visit for tracking Santa.... take a peak!

All the preparations for this year are in place! Come back each day to discover new surprises in the Kids' Countdown Village, where we'll offer a new holiday game every day until December 24th
       
Tracking Santa Go to the Kids’ Countdown Village link and you’ll find this ..... Welcome to the North Pole! Santas helpers are getting gifts ready for delivery to the good boys and girls around the world. Can you find which shop in the village is busiest today? When you do, click on that shop to discover a fun activity inside!

GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL           
Don't  give up on the team... they are working hard  and it will show!!!  They have just played some tough teams... getting ready for conference play!  YOU GOTTA BELIEVE!
 
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. W 77 - 69
Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m. W 89-81
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m. W 78-58
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m. W 73-53
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m. L 82-75
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m. L 74 - 67
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA

Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott

Mr. Rotts Classroom Blog for the week ENDING on December 9

Chuck Yeager - First person to fly faster than sound

Welcome Space Travelers!
 
The week has flown by like we broke the sound barrier!  That means we went from subsonic to supersonic!  You can see by the picture that when a plane breaks the sound barrier a lot can happen!  I hope you have had a good week, we will be working hard as we look forward to Christmas Break in a few weeks!

THIS WEEK:   By now you have recognized that with fractions they just keep building and building.  We will continue with dividing fractions and as always simplifying... can I shrink that crazy thing??

CALCULATOR !!!  YOU really want to make sure you purchase a calculator that can do fractions, it needs to have an ABC button on it!  Trust me you’re going to want a fraction calculator!!

SPACE  FACT: 
The sound barrier and Supersonic flight
In aerodynamics, the sound barrier (The sound barrier, in aerodynamics, is the point at which an aircraft moves from transonic to supersonic speed) isa physical boundary (like a wall) stopping large objects from becoming supersonic (Supersonic speed is a rate of travel of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). The term came into use during World War II when a number of aircraft started to encounter the effects of compressibility- being squeezed, and fell out of use in the 1950s when aircraft started to routinely "break" the sound barrier.        

As a plane approaches the speed of sound, the way air flows around its surfaces changes and it becomes a compressible fluid (like a cloud).  Along with a number of changes in the way that the airplane handles, is generated, this change also gives rise to a rapid increase in drag - what slows down the plane, known as the wave drag.

At first the exact nature of the wave drag was not well understood. It appeared that there was a huge increase, as it does for a limited range of speeds. With only the limited power of piston engines to drive them, planes could not overcome this rapid increase in drag, and even large increases in power would result in only tiny increases in performance. It appeared that an endless amount of power would be needed to reach supersonic speeds, and thus everyone started talking about the sound barrier and jet engines. 

Supersonic flight is one of the four speeds of flight. They are called the regimes of flight. The regimes of flight are subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic.

Vehicles that fly at supersonic speeds are flying faster than the speed of sound. The speed of sound is about 768 miles per hour (1,236 kilometers per hour) at sea level. These speeds are referred to by Mach numbers. The Mach number is the ratio of the speed of the aircraft to the speed of sound. Flight that is faster than Mach 1 is supersonic. Supersonic includes speeds up to five times faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 5. 

In 1947, Air Force Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to fly an aircraft faster than the speed of sound.

A bullet fired from a gun is an example of an object that flies at supersonic speeds. Military fighter aircraft also fly this fast. The space shuttle orbiter flies at supersonic speeds during portions of its mission.

The Concorde

An airplane called the Concorde was the most notable passenger airplane to travel at supersonic speeds. The Concorde's maximum speed was more than twice the speed of sound. It could fly people from London to New York in less than 3 1/2 hours. That is about half the amount of time it would take typical airliners to fly the same distance. The Concorde is no longer in use. It flew for the last time in 2003.

What Is a Sonic Boom?


A sonic boom is a loud, thunder-like noise heard by a person on the ground when an aircraft flies overhead at supersonic speeds. Air reacts like a fluid to supersonic objects. As objects travel through the air, the air molecules are pushed aside with great force. This force forms a shock wave, much like the wave created by the front, or bow, of a boat moving in water.

The shock wave forms a cone of pressurized air. A sharp release of pressure after the buildup of a shock wave is heard as a sonic boom. It is similar to the sharp release of pressure when a pin pops a balloon and makes a loud noise.

NASA is studying and testing devices that could be used on aircraft to lessen the noise and window-rattling effects of supersonic flight.

BLOG QUESTIONS:  Read - Space Fact: The sound barrier and Supersonic flight
1)  If you were traveling at the speed of sound, and you were flying around  the  world, which  is 24906 miles... how long would it take_____?

2) How many years has it been since the Concorde flew_______?


4)  What do  you think the pilot things when he or she is breaking the sound barrier_________?
 

GONZAGA MENS BASKETBALL 
Well we are off to a great start!  Saturday will be a tougher game against Illinois!  Then Michigan State... Arizona and Butler will be no walk in the park, BUT the guys will do great and give it their all!  Watch for updated scores, and keep cheering on the ZAGS!          
The team is doing great!  They will be playing some tough teams...
Fri, Nov 11 Eastern Washington Spokane, Wash. W 77 - 69
Mon, Nov 14 Washington State Spokane, Wash. 9 p.m. W 89-81
Sat, Nov 26 Western Michigan (Spokane Arena) 1 p.m. W 78-58
Wed, Nov 30 Notre Dame Spokane, Wash. 8:15 p.m. W 73-53
Sat, Dec 03 Illinois Champaign, Ill. 12:15 p.m.
Sat, Dec 10 Michigan State Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 15 Oral Roberts Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 17 Arizona (Battle In Seattle) Seattle, Wash. 1 p.m.
Tue, Dec 20 Butler Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Thu, Dec 22 Air Force Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Wed, Dec 28 Portland * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Dec 31 Xavier Cincinnati, Ohio 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 05 Pepperdine * Spokane, Wash. 6 p.m.
Sat, Jan 07 Santa Clara * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 12 Saint Mary's * Moraga, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Jan 14 Loyola Marymount * Los Angeles, Calif. TBA
Thu, Jan 19 San Francisco * Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Jan 21 San Diego * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Jan 26 Portland * Portland, Ore. 8 p.m.
Thu, Feb 02 BYU * Provo, Utah 7 p.m.
Sat, Feb 04 Pepperdine * Malibu, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 09 Saint Mary's * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 11 Loyola Marymount * Spokane, Wash. 5 p.m.
Thu, Feb 16 Santa Clara * Santa Clara, Calif. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 18 San Francisco * San Francisco, Calif. TBA
Thu, Feb 23 BYU * Spokane, Wash. 8 p.m.
Sat, Feb 25 San Diego * San Diego, Calif. TBA
Remember MATH is OUT OF THIS WORLD!  
As always, you are amazing, incredible people with the whole world waiting to be changed by YOU!

Mr. Rott