The Chemistry Particle

Ever wonder where c came from? Why not s for speed or v for velocity?

The Latin word for speed is celeritas. The idea that c came from this Latin word was popularized by science fiction author Isaac Asimov.

Mathematicians were using it well before Einstein's equation.

It's a great reminder that in math, we define the variable. Students can change the variables in an equation if they carry the same meaning. I often tell my kids to swap letters out for x, since they are more comfortable solving for it. Plug your numbers in and x for what you're solving for. While I'm comfortable solving for lambda, many student are not.

So, why c? Because mathematicians and scientists have used it over many years. We've created a common language and have agreed that c = speed of light.

What other variables are strange for you and your kiddos?

🥰 New classroom!

This is my 5th room for the same school. We've been a-shufflin'.

🧪 I now have a periodic table wall (my PT, Theodore Gray's PT, PT if Emotions gifted tow by our library, and two chemical abundance posters (oceans and the universe) passes on to me from a history teacher (by Big History Project).

I put up my 🔬"how science really works" board as well as my growth mindset posters again. I just really love them.

I also decided to hang up my 🎓 college degrees. I don't display them at home, so why not here?

Also with this move is a return to the WORST cord management under my desk. Nope, I cannot move my desk, I've asked. The cords were just floating all over the floor. 🧺 I've corralled them in a basket for now. I might hang the basket to get it off the floor. If anyone has a better solution I'd love to hear it!

My kids have been really struggling to take notes with PowerPoint lately. Last week I projected the PDF of our notes and wrote directly on the whiteboard. It was like magic.

Why? Who knows, but it's working for now. They are focused and engaged.

If you are struggling with lecture engagement, try this.

Next step when this novelty wears off? I'm going to try to find an old overhead projector and transparencies 😄