Please respond to the following four questions. The length of the responses should be 1-2 paragraphs. Each response should be specific and use evidence to support claims. Responses should answer the question clearly and completely. Reflections will be evaluated on depth of thought, specificity and use of evidence, and refinement. Refinement includes being free of spelling, punctuation, capitalization and sentence structure errors. Reflections may influence the final grade on the project.
Pick one of the four Essential Questions below and answer it. At the end of your answer, describe what beliefs (if any) you held at the beginning of the semester in relation to that Essential Question and how your understanding related to the Essential Question grew as a result of the work you did in this course.
1) What is the biochemical nature of SARS-CoV-2?
2) What is the relevant biochemistry for preventing or treating a COVID-19 infection from SARS-CoV-2?
3) How can the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 be understood chemically?
4) How can the lens of chemistry be used to inform societal practice and policy designed to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2?
We can use the lens of chemistry to inform societal practice and policy designed to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by demonstrating how COVID-19 spreads either by a demonstration or documentation. We can also visually demonstrate how masks and washing our hands can protect us to give people a better understanding of how much these precautions can help us prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2
How did your knowledge of science grow through your work on the project? You can reference:
Specific scientific concepts or facts that you learned
Skills you developed related to doing science or engineering
Understandings you developed about the way science is done or the relationship between science and other aspects of society
We discovered that the hand soap worked best in removing the mark on the skin so, in conclusion, the handsoap works best at removing bacteria from the skin. I think this project was super helpful in giving us information about staying safe and stopping the spread. What I mean by this is that using soap and water after going out or touching certain things is going to remove the bacteria so if we can keep this practice up we can come to a place where COVID is not spreading so fast and through so many different people.
What grade do you believe you earned on this project?
Please cite the assessment rubric and provide evidence for your claims.In general, the higher the grade you think you deserve, the better your evidence will need to be.
I believe that we deserve at least a high B or an A for this project. The reason for this is because we documented every detail of our project including drawings to present how soap works to kill bacteria. Our project demonstrates a clear understanding and diagram of how soap works and covers what we can do to try to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The product is organized and creative producing beautiful work and the project also targets the audience which is everyone because we are all dealing with the pandemic.
This semester in Chemistry we focused on the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 because of its obvious relevance to our lives. In doing this we studied some ideas that would traditionally be studied in biology class, some that would be found in a physics class and some that would be found in a chemistry class. We also read far more news articles and spent more time looking at scientific papers than is typical for a high school chemistry class. The trade-off is that we did not cover as much chemistry content as you would typically see in a chemistry class and we did not do it in an order that is most advantageous to learning chemistry. Please evaluate this pedagogical decision and state whether you believe the benefits of this method outweigh the downsides or not.
I think that learning about COVID-19 was a good method. The reason for this is because it is present in our lives. By being informed about COVID we can help stop the spread and we have a better understanding than most people about how COVID works, how it affects our bodies, and what we can do to stop the spread.
Chemistry of Food and Cooking "Chip Chip Hooray!"
Olivia Gilden Chip Chip Hooray! How to make the best chocolate chip cookies
IntroductionHave you ever wondered why some chocolate chip cookies turn out thin and crisp and why some turn out chewy and fluffy? You might try many different cookie recipes and end up with different results every single time even though the ingredients are almost the same for every recipe. So how do you explain why some cookies turn out flat while others turn out fluffy? All can be explained through the chemistry of the ingredients that go into the dough! The Science Behind it All! Every ingredient that goes into cookie dough is equally important. However, each has its own job. Today, we will be focusing on the ingredients that act as leavening. This includes baking soda and baking powder. Let’s start with baking soda. Baking soda has only one ingredient: sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is a base that reacts when it comes into contact with acids. So when baking soda comes into contact with an ingredient such as butter it relaxes the gluten in the cookie and promotes spread. If you are looking for a thinner crispier cookie the best way to achieve that is to add baking soda!
If you’re looking for that chewy, fluffy texture you’re going to want to try something a little different. The key ingredient for a chewier cookie is baking powder. While baking powder does contain baking soda, it also contains cream of tartar (a dry acid), and cornstarch. Baking powder is normally double acting which means the first leavening occurs when the baking powder gets wet. When the baking powder is moistened in the dough it reacts and produces carbon dioxide which allows the cookies to inflate when they are baking. So if you are looking for a fluffier cookie be sure to use baking powder.
Experimentation With the knowledge that I had about baking soda and baking powder I tested out this theory. All ingredients, measurements, and bake time were kept the same, while each batch either contained baking powder or baking soda. The first batch contained baking soda. While the oven was preheating to 375 degrees F, I mixed in all of the needed ingredients and added ½ tsp of baking soda. The cookies baked for about 10 minutes and when they were done the final result was a thin crisp cookie.
In the second batch I completed the same process. I mixed all the needed ingredients together and preheated the oven to 375 degrees F. However, instead of adding ½ tsp of baking soda, I added ½ tsp of baking powder. The cookies baked again for about ten minutes. Once this batch was done, the results were quite different from the last batch. Instead of being thin and crisp this batch turned out to be chewy and fluffy. This was the result of the baking powder that was substituted for the baking soda.
At the end of my experimentation, I concluded that the saying “soda spreads, and powder puffs.” is quite true. Understanding the chemistry behind baking, especially cookies is quite helpful with being able to achieve the perfect chocolate cookie! Depending on your preferences of course.
Equipment
Baking sheet
Oven
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Spatula
Parchment paper
One Large bowl
One Medium bowl
Mixer
Ingredients
½ cup salted butter (softened)
½ cup white (granulated) sugar
½ cup light brown sugar packed
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda or baking powder (depending on how you like your cookies)
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda or power, and salt. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugars until combined.
Beat in egg and vanilla until fluffy.
Mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
Add chocolate chips and mix well.
Roll 2-3 TBS (depending on how large you like your cookies) of dough at a time into balls and place them two inches apart on your prepared cookie sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Take them out of the oven when they are just BARELY starting to turn brown.
Let them sit on the baking pan for two minutes before removing to cooling rack.
Reflection
1. How does the ingredient you experimented with affect the food's overall characteristics? I experimented with baking soda and baking powder to see how it affected the way the cookies baked and rose. In the first batch of my cookies I used only baking soda. This caused the cookies to be thin and crisp instead of chewy and fluffy. In the second batch I used baking powder which allowed the cookies to be chewy and fluffy. The saying holds, "soda spreads and powder puffs." The reason for this is because baking soda has only one ingredient: sodium bicarbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is a base that reacts when it comes into contact with acids. So when baking soda comes into contact with an ingredient such as butter it relaxes the gluten in the cookie and promotes spread. As for baking powder, while it contains baking soda, it also contains cream of tartar (a dry acid), and cornstarch. Baking powder is normally double acting which means the first leavening occurs when the baking powder gets wet. When the baking powder is moistened in the dough it reacts and produces carbon dioxide which allows the cookies to inflate when they are baking.
2. In what ways are cooking and doing science similar and in what ways are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar and different?
Cookies and science are very similar in a lot of ways, for example, when a cook is in the kitchen the have to consider the perfect temperature and the amount of ingredients that go into their food just like a scientist has to measure out the ingredients or in other words the components when doing an experiment. However, a cook and a food scientist could differ because of the components or ingredients that they are using. A cook could be measuring the ingredients for pasta whereas a scientist could be measuring the chemical reaction that happens when you combine vinegar and baking soda. A cook and a food scientist are similar in the fact that they both work with food. However, they are different in the way that a cook cooks food to serve people and a food scientist experiments with food to see how the different components affect each other and how to make the best food or have different results with the same food.