Yellow, this term my class has been learning about atoms and related things like their atomic structure.  It’s quite simple really, the atom is basically a conglomerate of  3 things: Protons, neutrons, electrons.  These three things each have a diffrent electrical charge: Protons have +1 chare, neutrons have no charge and electrons have -1 charge.  Here’s the structure of an atom.

This is a carbon atom, what carbon is made out of.  As you can see the electrons are circiling around the protons and neutrons.  Those circles are called shells, a certain amount of electrons can be in each shell.  The first shell (the inner-most shell) can only have 2 electrons, the rest of them can only have 8 max.  For example the inner shell of the atom has 2 electrons, whereas the outer shell has 4.  This means the outer shell is incomplete.  If so the atom will try to gain a full outer shell, the atom will always go the easier route, in this case both routes (losing or gaining electrons) are equally easy.  This means the atom will try share electrons with another atom, for example another carbon atom.

As the title suggests atoms are literally the matter of this universe and everything in it, with a few exceptions like light.  Why am I sharing this?  I thought it’d be nice if you youngin’ learnt about atoms, of course this is an abriged to the proper explanation.  It’s also a nice way to recap on what I learnt.

Hello, in recent times my class has been learning a new topic in social studies/science.  Don’t know what social studies is?  To put it simply it is the American’s idea of history class, although american classes can be more political.  Globalisation and its effects are an example of political history, although its not exactly history.  Globalisation, in my opinion of course, is the procsess of the world (or globe, considering its in the name) intertwining thanks to the act of trading and sharing culture with one another.  Basicly it is how the world connects with each other, my best example being the exchange that goes between markets.  FOR EXAMPLE, that chromebook of yours, probably made from china as always (it isn’t).  Chromebooks require a large amounts of reasources considering it is only the height and length of your forearm.  Because of this, china needs more stuff to make more product.  They start trading (most likely money, bad sign when they trading with resource for resource )  to get what they need to create the Chromebook.  They make it,  send it, then a shop elsewhere receives it.  Last of all the chromebook is sold, to you… maybe.  Chromebooks aren’t the only thing sold, another thing we talked about, weirdly enough, is the selling of humans.  That sadly counts as globalization because it is a trading of product and the connection of countries.  If you want, you can think of globalisation as a fancy word for the phrase: overseas shopping that effects the economy.

I didn’t explain it greatly because I kind of lost track but I myself learnt a lot from this topic…

For a while me and my class have been doing many things about fractions for maths.  Decimals, mixed fractions, improper fractions, etc…  I… I didn’t learn much due to my already extensive knowledge on fractions but it was a good refresher.  “The class” learnt a lot about fractions in equations.  It isn’t really complex if you have the right mindset or the right strategy when it comes to equations with fractions.  I’ll give a few examples of my learning.  5/10 – 4/10.  When it comes to like denominators (The bottom numbers of the fraction) and equations, I ignore the denominator because in the end, it won’t matter.  So, ignoring the denominator, you get 5-4 which equals 1.  add the denominator back and yippee, you have the answer, 1/10.

Another example is 1/2 – 1/3.  Now the denominators are unlike, when it comes to this I try to find the lowest common multiple (LCM) between the two denominators.  The LCM is the lowest multiple between your two numbers, don’t get it?  I’ll give an example.  Say… 5 and 3.  To find the LCM you’d list all the multiples you think you’d need.  Then find the lowest number that is in both “lists”.  In this case 3’s list is: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36 (up to X12).  5 is: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120 (Also to X12).  The Lowest common multiple is 15 due to 15 being found the lowest on both lists.  Now back to the question, 1/2 – 1/3.

We find the LCM, no need for the list, its just six.  When encountered with an unlike denominator question the easiest thing for me is to just multiply the two denominators together, this doesn’t always work though.  So far, we have made things easier by making the two denominators, previously unlike, to become like.  So now the 1/2 – 1/3 is 1/6 – 1/6…  This doesn’t work though so lets continue.  Now, whatever you do with the denominator you’d do with the numerator (top number).  For the first fraction time we multiplied the 2 by 3 to get six.  Now we multiply the numerator, which is a one.  Now it is a 3.  Do the same with the other, that is a 2.  Now the fractions are 3/6 – 2/6.  We have successfully made the unlike denominators like. 🙂  Now finally the answer, is 1/6.

Hope you learnt something, if not, too bad.