Week 11 Blog Post

Olivia Langosch

In lab, we looked at a bunch of different types of sand under a microscope. We looks at 11 different sands up close. We described the characteristics of each type of sand, whether the sand was opaque, clear, colorful, types of sizes, etc. Then, after that we got to guess what sand it was from, glacier, wind, or water. Those are the pictures below. 

In Thursday's discussion, I learned that when something is more dense, it sinks. When something is less dense, it floats. We tested this with different cans of liquid in class. We also talked about, through the book, Archimedes, about density in general. We tested the density of the "gold" in the water to test if the "gold" was dense or not. 

From the pressbook, I learned that sand is weathered down, or broken down rocks. This can either happen from wind or water. I also learned that black sand is from lava, that was cooled, making it igneous rock, and found near volcanoes. 

The most helpful was the little chart near the bottom of the chapter that shows characteristics by whether the sand was made from water or wind. This helped because I find it interesting knowing where the sand comes from. 

I do not think I need anymore information on anything at the moment. Maybe just having practice questions to prepare for the exam. I think everything we learned in lab, the pressbook, and lecture, helped me a lot and I think I have a pretty clear understanding.