reflection on 12-7-2011

Reflection on 12-7-2011


Stephanie Wong (4U)

Today is the second day of our mathematics course. We have approached code-breaking—the concept of modulus and different remainder theorems. Through this morning’s session we have learnt to think flexibly as we tried to use different methods to crack each code! Through these code-breaking activities, we knew more about the job of FBI and we found this very interesting.

The real challenge came in the afternoon session. Most of us were confused with the mathematical rainbow which was a new concept we had never heard of. But we were glad that all for us persisted to solve the problems. During the process and our discussion, we have developed our friendship further and were able to apply previous knowledge to new situations. We dearly enjoyed the sense of self-satisfaction brought about by challenging ourselves.

Tiffany Yue (4S)

After dinner, we prepared for the talent show on Thursday excitedly. There was a controversy on what to perform. Moreover, we can still reach a consensus. Through our discussion, we learnt to listen to other’s opinions with empathy and learnt to compromise through patient communication.

We had a lot of fun in preparing the show. Although there were quarrels, we felt the sparks from cooperating with new friends. Besides, we fully made use of everyone’s talents. For instance, the ones who are good at singing will do the solo and the ones who are good at drawing will be responsible for making the props.

After tonight, we get to know more about our teammates. With all of our efforts, we believe we will definitely put on a good show on Thursday!

Janice Chan (4S)

Today right after breakfast, we headed off to the Reach Out Lab to start our second day of the Chemistry Course. We studied and experimented with different rates of reactions and plotted our results. We then controlled our rates of reaction to produce our products in a certain amount of time. We carried out our experiments along with a video of 1812 Overture with Canons and synchronized our reactions with the canons in the video which was quite challenging.

After lunch, we carried out an experiment involving the synthesis of aspirin with salicylic acid. We also learnt a bit more about organic chemistry and the materials we were going to use such as the oil of wintergreen and salicylic acid. We first carried out the hydrolysis of oil of wintergreen to form salicylic acid and then synthesized the salicylic acid into aspirin. Overall, it was an interesting yet challenging afternoon.

After dinner, we discussed amongst our group mates on what to do for the Talent Show on Thursday night. We decided on doing one of our poem recited from the Speech Festival, namely “Write A Rap Rap”! We practiced and rehearsed and we hope we will put on a good performance!

Joey Chu (4S)

We had a lot of new experiences on the second day of our Chemistry lesson. It was the first time I felt so professional in the laboratory, wearing safety spectacles, laboratory coat and gloves performing experiments. I was really amazed when I saw the aspirin that I was holding in my hands, made by me and my partner in the lesson. We used many new equipments for our experiment which we haven’t seen before, like a vacuum filter. It was really interesting to see how it works. This could be a new method for me to anhydrate a substance next time! In our experiments, we even used some dangerous substances like concentrated acids which we had to handle with extra care and under supervision. We had truly learned a lot of new things and had acquired new skills in doing Chemistry experiments.

Besides, we had started preparing for the talent show on Thursday. We had a lot of ideas at first but finally decided on doing choral speaking. In the few hours staying together, we had already prepared a lot of things. We hope that our show will be a success and we can show everyone the best of us.

Cherry Kwok (4L)

Today is the second day of our Chemistry week and we started to do some interesting experiments. Instead of watching chemical reactions which demonstrated simple chemistry principles, we looked into deeper knowledge on rate of reaction and organic chemistry today.

The morning section was about rate of reaction through observing a reaction of a mixture of chemicals. The solution would turn blue-black after some time as iodine and starch reacted. We examined the time taken to change the colour of the solution. We learnt that precision is very important and small incautiousness could cause big problems. In the experiments, one of the groups forgot to add enough distilled water in the first reactions, making their results much smaller than the others.

After lunch we tried to make Aspirin, a common painkiller, in the laboratory. We used many chemicals that we have never seen or heard before. They were comparatively more complex than what we usually see. Instead of simple hydrocarbons like methane, CH4, we met chemicals like salicyclic acid. It was important for us to understand and apply our knowledge rather than simply memorizing everything. We also learnt to deal with different unexpected circumstances such as reactions that didn’t work and problematic reactants. Luckily, we were able to sort out everything calmly.

In the evening, we practices for our talent show on the day after tomorrow. We came up with a lot of creative ideas to be used on our show. We hope to make the funniest show among all groups.

We were all exhausted when we got back to our dormitories. We all hoped that we would learn more in the future and would give a good, entertaining show on Thursday.

Cordelia Hau (4P)

Today is the third day that we’re having chemistry lessons and the task for the day is to make aspirin-a drug that is often used to relieve minor aches and pains and to reduce fever. We have our chemistry lessons in the Reach Out Laboratory where there is some high standard equipment to help us carry out the experiments. Right at the the entrance of the laboratory there are some lockers with the names of the elements printed. When we saw them, we were so excited and astonished. They are all very beautiful indeed. During the day, we had to perform and carry out a few experiments with complex procedures, which require chemicals that we had never come across before. These chemicals are extremely reactive and corrosive. Special care and attention were needed or else we may hurt ourselves as a result. We had to listen to Alan and our course leaders’ instructions attentively and follow them accordingly and accurately. And eventually, after the long day, we could produce our aspirin samples successfully. We are so satisfied and delighted. From our experience of the day, we learnt that although the pathway to success is always very difficult and full of obstacles or impediments, we must not give up in the middle and waste our effort and time. We must always persist till ht eend in order to achieve our goals.

Claudia Law (4T)

This was the second day of the week learning Mathematics. At first, I found it very challenging. When I sought for help on some of the questions, I asked my mentor when we would learn this kind of Mathematics. The answer really stunned us all! It is a Year 3 University Mathematics problem. From then onwards, I was amazed whenever I could solve any of the questions. This was an invaluable experience in which every one of us could strive for our best. At the same time, we still had to strive for accuracy other than understanding the calculation method. Although this course was generally challenging, it indeed deepened my interest in Chemistry and Mathematics.

In the evening, we were told that a talent quest would be held on Thursday evening in which all of us must participate. Our group had finally decided to sing and dance on the stage after a long discussion. I hope that this performance could mark up our success.

Natalie So (4T)

Today, we had a very challenging and yet fruitful lesson about number theory and the mathematical rainbow.

During today’s lesson, we were exposed to many new mathematical terms, theorems and equations. Though the mathematics was quite hard to understand, it was really a very fun and interesting process to learn new things that we never came across before.

Through the lesson, we learned that whenever we come across with new things or challenges, we should face it and explore it but not running away from it. By doing so, we can learn and find the solution of such challenges. This sense of achievement is very rewarding! Although the path of finding solution might seems to be hard, efforts should be paid to reach the outcome, as the old saying says ‘no pain, no gain!’ Moreover, this lesson taught us to be persistent when facing challenges. For example, when we have a mathematical problem to solve, we may not be able to solve it at once, we should try for several more times to succeed.

Also, through today’s lesson, we learned that we should never be afraid to ask or raise questions. By doing so, we can understand more and get to know different approaches to problems.

All in all, today’s mathematics lesson not only gave us an outlook on mathematics in university, it also taught us lots of useful knowledge for us to apply in our daily life.