Fiber Lab: February 11, 2009

Fiber Lab 

Annabella Sherman

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Partners: Ayanna and Natalie

Core: Y & A

Summary

Today me, Ayanna and Natalie did the Fiber lab. We were given a case where a women was murdered. A few different fibers were found on her coat, but only one wasn't from her house or her clothes. The "mystery fiber" was red. There were six suspects that have red coats. Our job was to figure out who committed the murder. 

Today we took each of the fibers and made a "wet slide." To do this, we placed a small sample of each of the fibers onto transparent sheet and added a drop of water. Then we put a smaller sheet (or a "glass cover") on top of it. The water caused it to stick easily so we could see it better. First we did it to the fiber found at the crime scene. Then we did it to the other six fiber samples and tried to find out which one was most like the fiber found on the victim's coat. We observed them under the microscope on three different levels - low, medium, and high. It was really cool to see all the different levels of magnification! I never would have known the fabrics were so delicate and cool up close!   

Guiding Questions:

Can you use fiber evidence to identify its source?

I think you can definitely use fiber evidence to identify its source. Like we did, you can observe the crime scene fiber first, and then observe all the suspect fibers and see which ones are most like the crime scene one. If there isn't a clear result from the suspect fibers, you can also burn the fibers and see which one has the same result as the crime scene fiber. If both of these strategies don't produce a clear result, you can probably do another test, such as scent or feel. Maybe you could add water or a certain chemical or liquid and see if it works. I think maybe this would work, since we have done that for most of the other science labs I did. I'm sure there are many other ways to test the fibers as well.

How might this lab be helpful in preparing you for the Mission?

I think this lab will be very helpful in preparing me for the Mission. All of the labs have actually been very helpful for me. I know I am definitely well prepared for the Mission!

This lab has prepared me for the mission by teaching me a variety of different skills. For example, I learned how to use a microscope! At first we were stumped on how to work it, but after Darin showed us I had an epiphany, and now I understand it. I have also had some practice doing detailed drawings from this lab. I learned that you have to be very specific in your drawings if you want a good result. The more observant you are, the more data you will end up with in the end. Like all the other labs, the Fiber Lab has also taught me how to be more observant and do a lab/observation to the max!

Urine Analysis Lab: February 9, 2009

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Trajectory Lab: February 2, 2009

How can the angle of impact of a bullet in a wall be used to determine other critical information about the scene of a crime?
Once you find out the angle that a bullet went into the wall at, you can determine where the bullet was shot from. From this information you may be able to determine the height of the person that was holding the gun (when they shot the bullet).
For example, if one if the suspects in a crime was really tall and the other was really short, after analyzing the bullet hole you could figure out what angle the bullet entered, and where the gun was held when the bullet was shot. If the bullet entered the wall from above, the person that shot it would have to be very tall. If the bullet entered the wall from below, the person would probably be very tall. However, sometimes this method does not work, because a tall person may have been crouching on the ground (or lying on the ground) when s/he shot the bullet.
After analyzing the dimensions of the bullet hole, it is also possible to find out what kind of bullet was used in the crime. Once you figure that out, you can also find out what kind of gun was used in the crime, because if you know the size of the bullet you can find out what KIND of bullet was used, and then what gun goes with that kind of bullet.

How might this lab be helpful in preparing you for the mission?
In the mission we may have to analyze different bullet holes and find out who shot them. In this lab, I also learned other important things, such as how to correctly measure things. I learned about millimeters and centimeters, and all the other different methods you can use to measure things. I also learned a lot about angles and using a protractor. I hope these skills will come in handy for the mission!

Responce to Guiding Questions: Powder Room 2 Lab: January 30, 2009

Powder Room 2 Lab
January 30, 2009
Partner/Core: Uriah & Y

The point of this lab was to find out what drug the three mystery powders were. I also think this lab taught me a lot about observing things carefully, and as much as possible.

1) This experiment relates to forensic scientists using powders to solve a crime. When we tested out all the powders, we had to do a mulitude of experiments to each one so we could collect as much data as possible. Not only did we have to mix the powders with water, we also had to burn them on a hot plate, as well as many other things. Forensic scientists are very careful observers, and they try to use as many of their senses to solve a mystery or a crime. (Sight, touch, smell, etc).

2) In this lab, we had to use a wide variety of our knowledge to observe the different powders. In the Mission, we are going to be assessed on many different skill and knowledge areas. By doing this lab, I think I am a little bit more prepared for the Mission. I now know how to really observe things carefully, and do something as many different ways as possible. I can't wait to put my skills to work on the Mission!

Photos: Powder Room 2 Lab: January 30, 2009

The above photo is of us putting the powder on the hot plate. As you can tell, the above powder didn't have much of a reaction. However, some of the other ones reacted a lot. For example, one turned brown and starting bubbling!

This is a photo of the first step, where we put samples of the six different powders onto black construction paper and observed them with a hand lens and with our eyes alone. We wrote down our observations in our lab notebook!

Communication Lab with iChat

Communication Lab with iChat

("We'll Make You Talk")

Annabella Sherman

Partner: Ariana Wetzel

Science Class

January/February 2009

In this lab, we did four different challenges. In them, we had to communicate with each other with limited ways to do so. The four challenges were verbal communication, visual communication, written communication and limited written communication. We had to do the challenges over two different class periods, since some of them took a long time. We did the first two challenges in the first class, and the last two in the second class. The last two went very fast. The second challenge took the longest time to complete. I had a lot of fun with this lab!

In the first one (verbal communication), I drew something on a piece of paper and had to describe to Ariana how to do it. I think it worked out very well. I drew four circles with a smiley face in the middle, and Ariana's one turned out the same in the end.

The second challenge was visual communication. Ariana had the instructions to unlock a lock and I had the actual lock. She had to explain to me how to unlock it without talking. I was only able to see her. We ended up doing this challenge by writing some instructions and drawings on paper, and then holding them up to the camera. I would have to say this was the hardest challenge we did. In the end I couldn't unlock the lock, and Ariana had to do it!

The third challenge was written communication. In this challenge, I built a figure out of K-Nex, and I had to explain to Ariana how to build a replica of it (through written words only). I thought this one was pretty easy, but sometimes a little challenging.

Our last challenge was "limited written communication." Ariana found an object in the room and I had to guess what it was. She could give me clues about what it was, but she could only use a limited vocabulary. There were some "taboo words" that were off-limits. She ended up avoiding using the taboo words, and just saying what the mystery object was near, and what it was used for. I thought this challenge was very easy.

Overall, I really enjoyed doing this lab. It was fun as well as educational. I would say the easiest challenges were the verbal and limited written communication ones. Next was the written communication, and last was the visual communication.

1) Which type of communication was each of you the best at?

The video chat was easier for us to use. I found that it was much easier when I could talk, because it was easier for me to explain things. When you can't talk, it is hard to get your point across with hand signals and stuff. Communicating verbally is much more effective than the others, because you can explain things much faster. When we finished, our two pictures looked the same, which showed that we could easily communicate. The limited written communication lab was also very easy for us. I would say that the verbal communication and the limited written communication challenges were the easiest. I also think that the written communication was easy too. At the end our pieces looked exactly the same except for one of our rods was in the wrong place, but that was my fault because I wrote in the wrong directions! Other than that is went very well.

2) Which type of communication was the most difficult for each of you?

I think that the visual communication was the most difficult for us. We tried to draw pictures of what to do and hold them up, but sometimes it was hard to understand what my partner was trying to tell me. I think it would have been easier if we could talk, or maybe even text chat with each other. There are only so many things you can say when you can only use sight/visual! This is a picture of us trying to communicate visually. Ariana is holding up the directions and I'm looking at it!

3) Which communication types do you think will be the most important for your Mission to the space station? Why do you think so?

I think that the verbal chat will be most important for our Mission. It is much easier to communicate verbally. Talking is very natural, so I think it would really benefit us. Sometimes it is a struggle to communicate in other ways, since we're so used to talking. It is much easier to understand people when they are talking. Even though this one is the easiest, I definitely think that we will need all of the different forms of communication for the mission. Each one can benefit us in different ways, and they are all useful in some way. 

How Can Blood Splatters Be Used As Evidence In A Crime?

January 22, 2009 - Science Class

I think it is very possible to use blood splatters as evidence in a crime. To use blood splatters as evidence in a crime, you could measure the blood splatter, and then use the rule y=1.2x. However, this rule will only work if the blood is dropped from a distance less than two meters. After two meters, the distance of the blood splatter is about the same, and doesn't chance too much. For example, if the blood splatter was 2 meters wide, the rule would look like: y=1.2(2). After solving, you would get y=2.4, and therefore, the blood was dropped from 2.4 meters up. Usually, the higher you drop the blood from, the wider the diameter of the blood splatter will be.I think this has something to do with the speed it picks up as it is dropping, so if you drop it from a higher place, the gravity effects it more. Sometimes the density and thickness varies depending on how far up it is dropped from.