Lava Lamp

This is Edward Craven Walker. He invented the lava lamp in 1963. It was a resounding success!!

We drew pie charts in order to demonstrate our choice of food colouring. We discussed it first. We spoke about Probability.What were the odds of any one of the four colours, red, blue, green or yellow being chosen? We decided that that the odds were one in four. After that it was a matter of  personal preference. We voted. Eleven pupils chose blue, eight chose green, four chose red and one chose yellow. There are 360 degrees at the centre of a circle.The blue section worked out as 165 degrees, an obtuse angle. The green section worked out 120 degrees, another obtuse angle. The red section was 60 degrees, an acute angle and the yellow "piece of pie" had a tiny angle of 15 degrees! Of course we added them all up to verify that they amounted to 360 degrees. They did.A pie chart is useful because it conveys information at a glance. There is no language barrier with a pie chart!

For our experiment we used water, cooking oil,  a clear plastic lemonade bottle, food colouring and a piece of an Alka Seltzer tablet. We poured the water into the bottle until it was one quarter full. We used a jug to pour. We could also have used a funnel. There was some discussion about what would happen when we poured in the oil. What would be the outcome? Would it remain on top? Would it sink to the bottom? Would it blend with  the oil.? There were three possibilities. The water remained at the bottom and the oil stayed on top. We then added the blue food colouring, ten drops of it. What would happen ? We discussed this. The blue liquid sank down through the oil and blended with the water below. We then broke up an Alka Seltzer tablet and dropped a small piece into the bottle. After a few seconds, blue bubbles rose up from the water, through the oil and burst at the surface, releasing the blue water which sank to the bottom again. This was repeated again and again. It was quite dynamic and the photograph does not do it justice. :)
So, we know what happened here, but why and how? The water remained at the bottom because it has greater density than the oil. This means that it is heavier than oil, even though there is less of it! A tiny steel ball is heavier than a large beach ball. It has greater density. Have you ever heard the expression "Oil and water do not mix", when people talk about things or people that do not agree with each other? The food colouring, being water-based, blended with the water. The Alka Seltzer which we dropped in released carbon dioxide gas which rose to the surface taking with it some of the coloured water. The gas escaped when the bubbles reached the top, releasing the coloured water which flowed back down. Then this dynamic repeated itself!  Alka Seltzer forms carbon dioxide gas when dissolved in water because it contains citric acid and sodium bicarbonate(baking soda to you and me). When the effect of the Alka Seltzer weakens, we can always add more, to repeat the experiment. :) Great fun!

 

We are reciting this poem at the moment. It is heartfelt cry of an old travelling woman. We think of all the people who are homeless at the present time and thank God for the roof over our heads. 

"Níl  aon tinteán mar do thinteán féin"

Georges Seurat 1859-1891 and  Pointillism
Ca va, nos amis?
We explored the works of Georges Seurat. Seurat was a Parisian. He painted in  his own very special style using tiny dots of paint.The viewer's eye would blend the colours. This style came to be known as pointillism.He painted many pictures in this way. His most famous work was a painting called "A Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte." La Grande Jatte means "the big bowl". It was a place on the river Seine where many Parisians went to relax at weekends. This painting took over two years to complete.It measures roughly three metres by two metresIt can be viewed in the Art Institute, Chicago. Our little pointillist pictures were painted on a Friday afternoon, with cotton buds. Mr. Seurat must have been a very patient man! I wonder would he be pleased to know that his masterpiece has found its way into popular culture like Sesame St. and The Simpsons. Maybe he would have been amused by the parody. Maybe not! Qui sait? I guess that's what happens when you go stateside!
A bientot, nos amis,
Les Fillettes Douces de Salle Seize

                                      Ile de La Grande Jatte as it is today

 

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Amhrán faoi Grace Gifford agus Seosamh Ó Pluincéad a phós i bPríosún Cill Maighneann i mBealtaine 1916, díreach roimh dó bás a fháil ar son na hÉireann.

In Geography we compared and contrasted our own area, Clondalkin, with Achill Island. Achill is the largest island off the Irish coast. It has a population of 2,700 people. Achill's main industry is tourism. It also has fishing and farming. Clondalkin is a large west Dublin suburb with a population of 45,000. There are many industries here and the people work in many different kinds of jobs. But the localities have two things in common-a rich and captivating history and a love of the Irish language.

Dia dhaoibh go léir,
In Irish we explored the theme of Mé Féin in September. What could be more fitting than to learn the lovely haunting old Irish air "An Cailín Álainn", by Tomás Mac Eoin, from Connemara. We drew portraits of each other to demonstrate the theme of "Cailín Álainnn"