jan 27 

I'm teaching myself about how planes fly. I thought maybe if I knew more about it I would feel safer on planes so I decided my 6th grade science class is going to learn about it with me. But I feel like I'm always finding out that when it really gets down to the nitty gritty scientists don't actually know. 

Like lift, for instance. Lyft happens because things move towards lower air pressure and the air on top of the wing is moving faster so it has lower air pressure. Now, why does air move faster on the top of the wing rather than the bottom? Scientists have different theories. Standing up in front of my class explaining this concept felt out of body. They were looking at me and completely silent. Jaws slack. It was eerie. I just kept drawing more little dots on the board. Air molecules, I kept saying. I don't know what I expect them to do. Leap out of their seats with a finger in the air "Eureka!" On the fly I hit them with a febreze analogy to try and explain it more. That one got us all confused.   

Same thing with turbulence. I keep seeing a recommended YouTube video called "Turbulence: the great unsolved mystery of physics." Ugh! I wish they would solve that. That should be within top 5 priorities of physics. I don't click on the video though because we aren't really at that part of the unit yet. That's next week's unsolved mystery. 

Today's lab: If you get a strip of paper and you hold it under you lips and you blow across it, your breath creates a low pressure current and the paper will blow up towards your breath. If you do this over and over again for 5 minutes in front of a class of 6th graders you will get very light headed and have to sit down.