Science Stuff
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Particles and Thermochemistry level 3
by john west | July 23, 2020 | school posts, school-posts | 0 Comments
Demonstrate understanding of thermochemical principles and the properties of particles and substances Lewis structures also known as Lewis diagrams are diagrams that show the bonding between atoms of a molecule and lone pairs or non...
Ruapehu summit collapse misses the Chateau by 10,500 years.
by john west | May 19, 2020 | earth science, school posts | 0 Comments
State Highway 48, the Bruce road. The Bruce Road was built 10,500 years after the rim of the ancient Iwikau volcano collapsed and large dry avalanches flowed into the valleys below. The original steep sided edifice became unstable as supporting glaciers receded....
Solids liquids and gasses, a story in three parts.
by john west | May 8, 2020 | school posts | 7 Comments
Part 1- tiny particles. Food colouring spreads out when it is dropped in water. Rotorua can smell a bit when gasses seep into the air from deep underground. You know very quickly when someone has used Lynx in the classroom. How can matter spread out so easily. It...
Simple Atomic Structure,home learning
by john west | April 21, 2020 | school posts | 0 Comments
Atomic Number and Mass Number. The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom. In a neutral atom the numbers of protons (+) and electrons (-) are the same. The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom....
Introduction to the periodic table, home learning
by john west | June 7, 2018 | school posts, Year 09, K-10 | 2 Comments
Work through The Introduction to the Periodic Table Prezi then do the quiz to check your understanding. By the end of this unit you should know: what the atomic number and mass number of an element is. how elements are arranged on the periodic table. what...
Rhyolite domes in the Taupo Volcanic Zone: Ngongotaha
by john west | November 1, 2017 | school posts, Year 12, K-13 | 0 Comments
PREZI:Rhyollite domes of the Taupo Volcanic Zone Slider:Rhyollite domes of the Taupo Volcanic Zone
AS 91189 Investigate geological processes in a New Zealand locality.
by john west | October 16, 2017 | school posts, Year 11, K-12 | 0 Comments
AS 91189 Investigate geological processes in a New Zealand. 132,000 years of violent volcanic activity then they built Ash Pit Road (Prezi). Tephra deposited from multiple eruptions in the Taupo volcanic Zone.The history of the area is written in layers of ash...
Plate tectonics year 11 2017
by john west | September 21, 2017 | school posts, Year 11, K-12 | 0 Comments
Use some of the information here to help with your internal assessment. A useful resource for the Tarawera eruption. Download The Okataina Volcanic Complex
Intra Plate Volcanics, Hot Spots
by john west | September 17, 2017 | school posts, Year 12, K-13 | 1 Comment
A broad gently sloping cone. Rangitoto is a shield volcano formed from fluid basalt lava flows Where does all the basalt come from? .....mid ocean ridges ridges to begin with then it is subducted under the east coast of the North Island...
Electricity, electrical circuits Year 10
by john west | August 25, 2017 | school posts, Year 10, K-11 | 0 Comments
Watch the video showing series and parallel circuits with two light bulbs. Read over your class notes and get help from the text book if you need to. Series and Parallel circuits In a series circuit the components are connected in such a way that the current flows...
Hydrothermal activity at Orakei Korako and the extremophiles that survive there (cyanobacteria)
by john west | August 24, 2017 | school posts, Year 12, K-13 | 0 Comments
Western Heights High School students recently visited the hydrothermal area at Orakei Korako. This was part of their Level 2 Earth and Space Science programme. ( AS 91190 Investigate how organisms survive in an extreme environment) Cyanobacteria are named after the...
Nga Tapuwai o Mataoho, footprints of Mataoho. Mangere Mountain
by john west | August 23, 2017 | school posts, Year 11, K-12 | 0 Comments
Mangere Mountain has a number of important features for Auckland Volcanic Field geeks to get excited about. the shape of the scoria cone (steep sided compared with Rangitoto a shield volcano where the molten basalt flowed freely without a high gas content.) major...
Pupuke an early eruption in the Auckland volcanic field looking towards the youngest, Rangitoto.
by john west | August 20, 2017 | school posts, Year 11, K-12 | 0 Comments
Study revision: The Auckland Volcanic field Look at the presentation on the Pupuke eruption in the Auckland volcanic field. It's a good example of the stages that eruptions generally follow (explosion crater, scoria cones, lava fields). Take time to do this properly....
Cyanobacteria
by john west | August 16, 2017 | school posts, Year 12, K-13 | 0 Comments
Cyanobacteria, Life History and ecology. Read the article from the University of California Museum of Paleontology, Berkeley then try the short quiz which follows. Loading...
Rotorua Stuff Blog
Lake Tikitapu
by john west | December 24, 2019 | Rotorua Stuff | 0 Comments
Picture Perfect with a violent past. Twenty minutes out of Rotorua on the Tarawera road lies picturesque Tikitapu. An undulating track meanders around the lake and it takes 1.5 hours to complete if you stop to admire the stunning views. The scenery is 20, 000 years...
Rotorua attractions, the Redwoods quarry lookout track.
by john west | December 17, 2019 | Rotorua Stuff | 2 Comments
Welcome to the sacred forest. Close to the Rotorua Central Business District on the main Tarawera highway lies a magical spot known to locals as the "Redwoods" Insulated from a busy world by giant living statues of Californian Redwoods It's a perfect spot to...
Tales from a tiny Garden
Caterpillar City
by john west | January 14, 2019 | environmental, Tales From a Tiny Garden | 0 Comments
Older Monarch caterpillars trash their environment leaving nothing for the younger generation....Monarch caterpillars are voracious eating machines. They eat swan plants exclusively and will completely trash a large...
The Secret Life of Potatoes
by john west | June 6, 2018 | Tales From a Tiny Garden | 0 Comments
Deep underground in a potato tub in a tiny garden near Lake Rotorua. A lonely potato continues its cycle. Dug up and replanted twice to investigate what happens out of sight in the dark wet soil....
Attack of the killer wasps
by john west | April 29, 2018 | Tales From a Tiny Garden | 0 Comments
Chemical warfare in a tiny garden in Rotorua sitting above the lake not far from the CBD.Chemical warfare in a tiny garden in Rotorua. A sunny afternoon relaxing in...
Attack of the killer Mantis
by john west | April 26, 2018 | Tales From a Tiny Garden | 0 Comments
A sunny afternoon relaxing in suburban Rotorua. Owhata, above the lake not far from the CBD. Bad things happen in tiny gardens. A sunny afternoon, the perfect picture, where's my...
The Hibiscus Flower Night Show
by john west | February 20, 2018 | Tales From a Tiny Garden | 0 Comments
I used a Picamera attached to a Raspberry Pi 3 running a simple time lapse code. The 5 megapixel camera shot one frame every 120 seconds. The final movie was processed using Time Lapse Tool at 30 frames per second, The plant was illuminated at night with a 12v AC PRO...