Information:
• Write-ups for academic year SMILE meetings for the current semester may be found at http://www.iit.edu/~johnsonp/acysmile.html, and write-ups from previous semesters are permanently located at http://www.iit.edu/~smile/biweekly.htm.
• Hang tags, which permit parking in the IIT lot on the Northeast corner of 31st Street and State Street, have been distributed to participants in the SMILE program.  These hang tags should be hung from the rear view mirror of your vehicle, so that the writing is visible from the outside.  They are valid only on Tuesday afternoons after 4 pm, from now until the end of the Spring semester 2005.
• Ben Stark [Professor of Biology, IIT] was among the 33,125 entrants who completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday,10 October 2004.  His time for the course --- than 40 kilometers in length, passing through the IIT campus --- was 4 hours, 10 minutes, 02 seconds.  Ben ranked  #13006 in the race. Congratulations, Ben!

Ron Tuinstra [Illiana Christian HS, Chemistry]                   Density and Significant Figures (Handout)
Ron handed out a sheet with the following exercises (we did the first two in today's class):

1. Find the density of one of the density cubes using a ruler (always metric) and the electronic balance. Remember to measure correctly and use correct significant figures. Compare your answer to the correct answer and find the error.
2. Determine the thickness of aluminum foil by finding the mass, density of aluminum (from chart), length, and width. Again, use significant figures properly.
3. Find the density of an unknown irregular solid using a graduated cylinder and electronic balance. Be sure to measure correctly and use correct significant figures. Identify the solid by comparing the density to the chart given. Calculate the percentage of error.

For the second exercise, we use the equations for density D in terms of mass M and volume V of a material  D = M / V. In addition, we used the formula for the volume V of a rectangular sheet in terms of its length L, width W, and thickness T; namely  V = L ´ W ´ T. Once we measure the width W and length L  of a rectangular piece of aluminum foil, we have all the information  needed to calculate its thickness:

Ken Schug  brought a sealed silvery glass vial into which we could not see. Ron rocked it gently and it seemed to have a solid in it, but when the vial was warmed in Ron's hand for a minute or two, we could see that there was a liquid inside. It was Cesium metal inside, which has a melting point just above room temperature.  Caution:  Cesium metal is highly corrosive -- do not come into contact with this substance!

Marva Anyanwu [Wendell Green Elementary School]         Sinking a straw (Handout)
Problem:  Determine the number of BBs necessary to sink a straw to any chosen depth in water.
Materials:  sinking straws, BBs (#9 lead shot), metric ruler, beaker, water, small rubber band, modeling clay (for plugging straw)

Procedure:
1. Cut the straw to about 12 cm in length, and plug one end with a small amount of modeling clay.
2. To serve as a mark, wrap the rubber band around the straw about 4 cm from the plugged end.
3. Determine the number of BBs required to sink to the straw to that mark, and record your answer in a chart for recording data.
4. Move the rubber band up to 5 cm from the plugged end of the straw, and find the number of BBs required to sink the straw to the 5 cm mark.  Record your answer.
5. Predict the number of BBs needed to sink the straw to a 6 cm mark. Test your prediction by marking the straw at 6 cm, and find the number of BBs needed to sink it to that mark.
6. Repeat the previous exercise for a 7 cm mark.
7. When you are ready, get a "challenge depth" from your teacher.  Predict the number of BBs needed to sink the straw to the challenge depth, and determine the number actually needed.  Did you get it?

We carried out this exercise in class with enthusiasm, obtaining good results.  Thanks for sharing this, Marva!

Notes prepared by Benjamin Stark.