A big THANK YOU to En Hai and Zhiying

Pluto - Dwarf Planet

Dear students,

You may have read about the recent announcement by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to re-categorise Pluto as a dwarf planet and wondered how this information could impact your learning of the solar system in the science textbook. While you are not required to either name the planets or describe their relative positions, the current textbooks provide additional information about the planets.

The debate on the status of Pluto is an excellent opportunity for us to appreciate the role of evidence in supporting scientific theories and how advances in science continually re-define what constitutes scientific knowledge.

Some of the key points which you may find useful:

Pluto was first discovered by astronomer Clyde Tombaugh in 1930 through multiple observations of the planetary system. Advances in telescope technology and further discoveries of planetary bodies in the 21st century started the debate on the status of Pluto as a planet. The IAU on 24 Aug 06 decided to adopt a set of new rules for a planet: "a celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit." In essence, the oblong orbit of Pluto that goes into Neptune’s elliptical orbital path disqualifies Pluto as one of the planets in the solar system.

You may find the following information on Pluto useful:

1. International Astronomical Union and the resolution on the definition of a planet

http://www.iau2006.org/mirror/www.iau.org/iau0603/index.html

2. Pluto gets the boot:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/08/24/pluto.ap/index.html

3. It's official--Pluto's out
http://news.com.com/Images+Its+official--Plutos+out/2300-11397_3-6106240.html?tag=st.bp.story

4. Rest In peace, Pluto (Sunday Times, 27 August 2006)

5. Pluto's demotion not a cause for classroom panic

http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/08/25/pluto.reaction/index.html

6. Information about Pluto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

7. Clyde Tombaugh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clyde_Tombaugh

Dr William Tan

A+B+C+D=E

A=Attitude

B=Big Goals

C=Create an action plan

D= Determination, dilligence and ... i cant remember the last :p

E=Eureka

and may I add, F=Focus, because Dr William Tan repeatedly emphasized about that and to also study smart by doing homework first instead of watching tv or playing computer games.

However, I want to remind all of us that Dr William Tan is not the only inspirational person in our community. There are many more out there who may not be as distinguished as Dr William Tan but who are also heroes and heroines in their own right. They are everywhere around us if we would only open our eyes and hearts to see.

Do you see?

P5 CA2 2006

Watch your thoughts

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character.

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

P.S. this is why teachers scold students for their thoughtless words and acts.

An inconvenient truth - THE movie to watch!!

Synopsis:

Al Gore, former vice President of the USA is back in the spotlight. Stemming from a global-warming lecture that he has been delivering worldwide, this Sundance hit documentary (from veteran Director Davis Guggenheim) vividly displays the potential effects of climate change. It ultimately brings home Gore’s persuasive argument that we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue – rather, it is the biggest moral challenge facing our global civilization. Produced by Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction).

The following information is taken from www.climatecrisis.net - Official website of the movie

WHAT IS GLOBAL WARMING?

Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising.

The vast majority of scientists agree that global warming is real, it’s already happening and that it is the result of our activities and not a natural occurrence. The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable.

We’re already seeing changes. Glaciers are melting, plants and animals are being forced from their habitat, and the number of severe storms and droughts is increasing.

• The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has almost doubled in the last 30 years.
• Malaria has spread to higher altitudes in places like the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level.
• The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has more than doubled over the past decade.
• At least 279 species of plants and animals are already responding to global warming, moving closer to the poles.

If the warming continues, we can expect catastrophic consequences.

• Deaths from global warming will double in just 25 years -- to 300,000 people a year.
• Global sea levels could rise by more than 20 feet with the loss of shelf ice in Greenland and Antarctica, devastating coastal areas worldwide.
• Heat waves will be more frequent and more intense.
• Droughts and wildfires will occur more often.
• The Arctic Ocean could be ice free in summer by 2050.
• More than a million species worldwide could be driven to extinction by 2050.

There is no doubt we can solve this problem. In fact, we have a moral obligation to do so. Small changes to your daily routine can add up to big differences in helping to stop global warming. The time to come together to solve this problem is now.

Welcome!!

This will be my blog for all my students :)

Do remember to drop by often to get the latest updates on homework and class-related news