Thursday, January 28, 2010

[Science Form 3] Compounds

Silicon Compounds
  1. Silica
    • Components: Silicon, Oxygen.
    • Examples: Sand, Quartz, Flint.

  2. Silicate
    • Components: Silicon, Oxygen, Metal.
    • Examples: Mica, Clay, Feldspar, Topaz.

  3. General properties
    • Very stable.
    • Insoluble in water.
    • Does not react with acids.
    • Does not discompose on heat.
*********************
Calcium Compounds

Some of the properties of calcium compounds include:
  • Insoluble in water.
  • Reacts with acids to produce salt, carbon dioxide and water.
  • Decomposes on strong heating to produce calcium oxide and carbon dioxide.

Uses of calcium compounds
  1. Limestone
    • Manufacturer of cement and glass.
    • Extraction of tin and iron.
    • Making quicklime and slaked lime.

  2. Marble
    • Making statues and monuments.
    • Cover floors and sides of buildings.

  3. Quicklime
    • Neutralise acids in the soil.
    • As a drying agent in the preparation of ammonia gas.

  4. Slaked lime
    • Reduce the acidity of soil.
    • Supply calcium to plants.
    • Making caustic soda as a cleaning agent.
*********************

Monday, January 25, 2010

Malaysia's Top 20 Schools Named

NST
2010/01/25

PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today announced that 20 schools - 14 secondary and six primary - had been accorded the status of high performance schools (SBTs).

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said of the 14 secondary schools, 10 were fully residential schools and the rest day schools.

"These schools were chosen from among schools that showed outstanding performance in the field of academia, co-curriculum and niche areas.

"The schools will be guided and monitored closely to ensure they continue to attain even higher levels of performance," he told reporters at his office here today.

The 10 fully residential schools are Sekolah Tun Fatimah (Johor Bahru), Sekolah Dato' Abdul Razak (Seremban), Malay College Kuala Kangsar, Sekolah Seri Puteri (Cyberjaya), Sekolah Menengah Sultan Abdul Halim (Jitra), Kolej Tunku Kurshiah (Seremban), Kolej Islam Sultan Alam Shah (Klang), Sekolah Menengah Sains (SMS) Tuanku Syed Putra (Perlis), Sekolah Sultan Alam Shah (Putrajaya) and SMS Muzaffar Syah (Melaka).

The four day schools are Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) (P) Sri Aman(Petaling Jaya), SMK Aminuddin Baki (Kuala Lumpur), SMK Sultanah Asma (Alor Setar) and SMK (P) St. George (Penang).

The six primary schools are Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Seri Bintang Utara (KL),SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail 1 (KL), SK Bukit Damansara (KL), SK Zainab (2) (Kota Bharu), SK Convent Kota (Taiping), SK Bandar Baru Uda 2 (Johor Bahru).

At the same time, Muhyiddin stressed that SBTs were not elite schools which benefited only a limited number of students.

Instead, he said each school in the country had the same opportunity and a level playing field to be recognised as SBTs.

"Any school that meets the targets of excellence and criteria set (by the Education Ministry) will be recognised as a SBTs and get the same privileges," he said.

Muhyiddin said the ministry targeted to have 30 SBTs by next year and 50 in 2012.

He said the rationale in having SBTs was to raise the quality of the best schools in the country to be world class, produce outstanding students and narrow the gap between schools within the system.

He said SBTs would be given additional autonomy to pursue innovation in school management and raise the productivity of students.

As for curriculum, he said, it would be flexible in terms of teaching and learning as well as syllabi for compulsory and elective subjects, conforming to public examinations and use of the national language as the medium of instruction or multiple languages.

Beside these, Muhyiddin said the schools concerned were also given leeway in fixing the minimum periods for subjects, extending schooling hours and allowing students to complete their studies a year earlier, just like the express promotion system that was introduced previously.


In terms of budget ownership, he said a lump sum grant would be channelled to the schools at the beginning of each year and that they would have the full flexibility to spend as needed and were exempted from the ministry's centralised procurement system.

"Every school has its own budget, but with this status, they will be given additional funds and they can use the money as needed," he said, adding that the grant might be less than RM1 million but had not been fixed yet as this depended on the size of the SBT.

He also said management of staff at these schools would be based on meritocracy and not seniority, besides flexibility given for the paying of overtime and performance incentives.

"There will also be flexibility to re-assign under performing staff and delegation of functions based on academic and non-academic reasons," he said.

Muhyiddin said the SBTs would be appraised yearly based on their annual reports with the appropriate performance indicators and inspections by the ministry's officers in accordance to the revised Malaysian Education Quality Standard.

In relation to this, he said the SBTs would have to fullfil six criterias - attain academic excellence, produce outstanding students, win awards at the national and international level, community work and networking with other schools and higher learning institutions, both locally and internationally.

One of the roles the SBTs would have to play was having their teachers to act as mentors to teachers in other schools through the "immersion" programme involving principals, headmasters and teachers, he said.

Towards maintaing their status as SBTs, he said their strategic plans, management structure, academic and co-curriculum programmes should serve as benchmarks for other schools, locally and abroad.

Muhyiddin said that schools in rural areas could also be selected as SBTs if they fullfilled the criterias set.

"I know not all the 10,000 schools (in the country) can reach this status, but irrespective of whether they are urban or rural schools, they stand an equal chance to be accorded SBT status.

"But if the (rural) schools are constrained because they do not have the same facilities as their urban counterparts, we will speed up action to narrow the gap," he said. -- BERNAMA

Friday, January 22, 2010

[Science Form 4] Molecular Or Ionic?

When one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another, the atom that gains the electron or electrons becomes negatively charged whereas the atom that loses the electron or electrons becomes positively charged.

These atoms with their positive or negative charges are called ions.

The number of protons and electrons differ in an ion. There are more protons than electrons in a positively-charged ion.

In contrast, there are more electrons than protons in a negatively-charged ion.

Some atoms like sodium atoms, potassium atoms and fluorine atoms are very reactive as they can easily turn into ions by losing or gaining electrons.

Meanwhile, two or more elements can bond together to form compounds. The bond can either be molecular or ionic. When atoms share electrons in covalent bonds, molecular or covalent compounds are formed.

In contrast, ionic compounds are made up of positive and negative ions in ionic bonds.

Physical properties of molecular and ionic compounds



[Science Form 4] Numbers In Symbols

An atom, which is the smallest unit of all matter, consists of a nucleus and an outer region.

The nucleus at the centre of an atom contains nucleons (protons and neutrons), and is surrounded by electrons orbiting in the outer region.

A neutral or stable atom has an equal number of protons and electrons.


The number of protons, also called the atomic number, is written as a subscript to the left of the element symbol.

In contrast, the total number of protons and neutrons, also called the nucleon number or mass number, is written as a superscript to the left of the element symbol.


Tuesday, January 12, 2010

[Science Form 2] Difference Of Acids & Alkalis

Scientists use something called the pH scale to measure the strength of an acidic or alkaline liquid. Although there may be many types of ions in a solution, the pH focuses on the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) and hydroxide ions (OH-). The scale goes from values very close to 0 through 14.

Distilled water is 7. Acids can have a pH of between 0 and a number very close to below 7, while alkalis have a pH of between a number very close to above 7 and 14.

Most of the liquids we find every day have a pH near 7. They are either a little below or above that mark. If we go into a chemistry lab, we could find solutions with a pH of 1 and others with a pH of 14.

There are also very strong acids with pH values of below 1, such as battery acid. Alkalis with pH values of near 14 include drain cleaners and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). These chemicals are corrosive and very dangerous.

Also you can easily tell if a substance is an acid or not by its effect on litmus paper. Blue litmus paper is used for testing acids. If wet blue litmus paper turns red, the substance is acidic. Wet red litmus paper is used to test alkalis, which will turn the paper blue.


Properties of acids and alkalis that distinguish them from other substances

Acids
  • have a sour taste and feel like water.
  • turn litmus solution red, as well as turn blue litmus paper red.
  • have pH numbers less than 7.
  • react with metals, forming hydrogen and a salt.
  • react with carbonates, forming a salt, water and carbon dioxide.
  • react with alkalis, forming a salt and water.

Alkalis
  • feel soapy to touch and taste bitter.
  • turn litmus solution blue, as well as turn red litmus paper blue.
  • have pH numbers greater than 7.
  • react with ammonium compounds to give off ammonia gas (except for ammonia).
  • react with acids, forming a salt and water.
  • do not react with metals and carbonates.

Monday, January 11, 2010

[Physics Form 5] The Superpose

Situation 1:
Two circular water waves of the same frequency that are in phase, or of a constant phase difference, are produced adjacent to each other.

These two waves, such as S1 and S2 in the below diagram, are known as coherent waves.

Due to their close proximity, the wavefronts of the waves overlap. This sets off the phenomenon of interference.

Shown in the diagram is the plan view, or view from the top, of the overlapping waterfronts. The full circle represents the crests or peaks while the dotted lines represent the troughs. The crests and troughs form circles of points that are in phase.

Question & Answer
  1. What do line P and point L represent?
    Due to interference:
    All crests of S1 and S2 that are in phase overlap each other. The same goes to all troughs of S1 and S2. This reinforces the amplitude of the waves and is known as constructive interference, represented by line P.

    The meeting of a crest of S1 and trough of S2, and vice versa, causes the cancellation of the amplitude of the waves. This is known as destructive interference, which is represented by point L.

  2. What can be done to analyse the phenomena occurring at P and L?
    By placing a floating object on the surface of water along line P and point L, the movement of object can be observed and the phenomena analysed.

  3. How are the sources, represented by S1 and S2, produced using;
    • Water waves
      By using two circular dippers fixed to a motor - both the dippers will vibrate at the same frequency and be in phase, as dictated by the motor.

    • Light waves
      Light from a single bulb is incident on a double slit. Each slit acts as a secondary source of light that has the same frequency and phase.

[Mathematic Form 4] Classified

A SET is a well-defined group of objects, or a collection of objects that have a common property.

Objects in a set are called members or elements of the set.

Sets can be defined either by description, or set notation with braces { } .

Eg:
By description, P is a set of consonants in the word "EXCELLENT".
By set notation with braces, P = { consonants in the word "EXCELLENT"} or
P = {x:x is a consonant in the word "EXCELLENT"} or
P = {X, C, L, N, T}

(Note the use of commas, and non-repetition of the same elements in the set, i.e. the letter "L")

SALARY 2010

Schedule of Salary Payment (Government's Staff, Malaysia) for the Year 2010, as below;

1) January, 25th January 2010, Monday.

2) February, 08th February 2010, Monday.

3) March, 25th March 2010, Thursday.

4) April 22nd April 2010, Thursday.

5) May, 24th May 2010, Monday.

6) June, 24th June 2010, Thursday.

7) July, 22nd July 2010, Thursday.

8) August, 25th August 2010, Wednesday.

9) September, 23rd September 2010, Thursday.

10) October, 25th October 2010, Monday.

11) November, 10th November 2010, Wednesday.

12) December, 20th December 2010, Monday.

Saturday, January 09, 2010

800 Laptops For Year 6 Teachers

NST
2010/01/08
By Satiman Jamin

KUALA TERENGGANU: The state government will distribute 800 free laptop computers next month to teachers who are teaching Year Six students.

Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said this was in line with the state government drive to use e-learning as a tool to boost students' performance in the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR).

"We don't want teachers to use textbooks when their students are all using e-books. Teachers should also set an example and start using them."

Ahmad was speaking at the awards presentation of 3,600 students who scored 5As in last year's UPSR examination at Stadium Negeri here yesterday.

He said the teachers would undergo training courses to ensure they have the necessary skills and competency to use the e-learning methods in class.

He said the state government was negotiating with Intel Corporation Malaysia to incorporate a software program in the teachers' laptops that will enable them to manage and monitor their students' laptops.

"We don't want the students to open the e-textbook of another subject while the teacher is teaching Mathematics."

Ahmad said that although it would cost millions of ringgit, the state government viewed the programme as an important aspect to improve the learning by e-book project.

"My vision is for the future generation in the state to be IT-savvy. This is part of our objective in making Terengganu a corridor of knowledge (Anjung Ilmu)."

Friday, January 08, 2010

[Biology Form 5] Human Heart


  1. State the function of human heart.
    It pumps blood throughout the body.

  2. Everything in heart seems to come in fours:
    There are four main blood vessels in the heart. Name the blood vessels labelled A, B, C and D in the diagram, and state their functions.


    A: Aorta - transports oxygenated blood to all parts of the body from the left ventricle of the heart.

    B: Pulmonary artery - transports deoxygenated blood to the lungs from the right ventricle of the heart.

    C: Pulmonary vein - transports oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.

    D: Vena cava - brings in deoxygenated blood from all parts of the body to the right atrium of the heart.

  3. There are four chambers: left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle. Explain why the left ventricle has the thickest muscle wall.
    (Tip: Where does it pump its blood to? Does it undergo high pressure?)
    It must be able to withstand very high pressure because it pumps blood to all parts of the body.

  4. There are four main valves: bicuspid valve, tricuspid valve and two semi-lunar valves. State their function.
    (Tip: All valves ensure a one-way flow of blood)
    • Bicuspid valve - prevents the backflow of blood between the left ventricle and the left atrium.

    • Tricuspid valve - prevents the backflow of blood between the right ventricle and the right atrium.

    • Semi-lunar valves - while one of them prevents the backflow of blood between the left ventricle and aorta, the other prevents it between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.

  5. There are four structures involved in the beating of the heart: sinoatrial node (SAN), atrio-ventricular node (AVN), bundle of His and Purkinje fibres. State the functions of the SAN and AVN.
    (Tip: The two nodes act like batteries and generate electrical impulses that cause the cardiac muscles to contract)
    The two nodes act like batteries to produces electrical impulses that cause the cardiac muscles to contract.

  6. The pacemaker of a patient's heart fails to function. An electronic pacemaker is used to replace the original pacemaker. Explain how this works.
    (Tip: Think about the function of the SAN - the electronic pacemaker has the same function)
    The electronic pacemaker generates electrical impulses that make the cardiac muscles contract and the heart beat.

  7. Compare the rate of blood flow in blood vessels A and D.
    (Tip: Which of the blood vessels is an artery or a vein? Which undergoes more pressure? So, in which of them will blood flow more and at a greater speed?)
    • A, the aorta, is the largest artery and undergoes very high pressure. So, in it, blood flows at a greater speed.
    • D, the vena cava, the largest vein, does not undergo as much pressure. Thus, in it, blood flow is slower.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

[Science Form 4] Differences Between The Nervous & Endocrine Systems

Nervous sysytem

Different

Endocrine system

Nerve cells

Transmission

Blood

Fast and immediate

Speed of transmission

Slow

Short

Duration of response

Slow and long

Specific

Target areas

Wide

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

[Science Form 5] Useful Of Microorganisms

Some microorganisms are very useful to us. Under natural conditions, they can convert raw materials into end productions that are of value to humans.

Eg:
  • Bacteria Lactobacillus convert milk to yoghurt under warm conditions. They are also used in the production of cheese, beer and other fermented foods.

  • Yeast carries out anaerobic respiration and produces carbon dioxide. The characteristic of yeast, called fermentation, is seen in the production of bread. The carbon dioxide raises the dough, making the bread soft.

  • Bacteria act on alcohol to produce vinegar.

  • In the textile industry, bacteria are mixed with plant stems. When the bacteria have decomposed the soft tissues, the fibres that are left behind are used to make cloth and ropes.

  • In leather processing, bacteria produce enzyme proteases, which digest the animal tissues that are still attached to the hides. When the hides are cleaned, leather-made bags, furniture and shoes can then be manufactured.

  • In the petroleum industry, bacteria are used to "clean" oil by "eating up" the impurities.

[Science Form 5] Microscopic Microbes

Microorganisms are small and can only be seen under the microscope. There are various types of microorrganisms, which can be categorised into two groups - the useful and harmful ones.

Useful microbes play an important role. They cause decomposition, synthesise medicines and make the soil fertile, etc.

Harmful microbes, on the other hand, bring diseases, and can be deadly at times.

Microorganisms can also be grouped according to their shapes, sizes, methods of reproduction, nutrition and habitat.

Below shows five different types of microorganisms.
  • Bacteria
    Structural characteristic - No nuclear membrane.

  • Virus
    Structural characteristic - No cytoplasm, nucleus or cell membrane.

  • Fungi
    Structural characteristic - Have cell walls but no roots, stems or leaves.

  • Protozoa
    Structural characteristic - Unicellular.

  • Algae
    Structural characteristic - Presence of chloroplasts.

Monday, January 04, 2010

New Curriculum For 2011

NST
2010/01/03
By Sonia Ramachandran

KUALA LUMPUR: A new primary school curriculum will be introduced in 2011, with fewer subjects and a more interactive teaching approach.

The new curriculum, called Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah or KSSR, will see some subjects combined, and new ones created with themes on nationhood and patriotism.

It will apply to national and vernacular schools.

It is learnt that modules will be used to teach pupils in place of textbooks.

KSSR will be introduced in Year One next year, and advance through primary school together with the pupils as they go up to the next level of education.

At the same time, KIA2M or the Early Intervention Programme for Reading andWriting — introduced in 2006 to ensure all pupils can read and write by the end of their primary school years — will be abolished.

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom told the New Sunday Times that the KSSR would represent a “transformation in education”.

It will not replace the present New Primary School Curriculum or KBSR but exist alongside it.

“KSSR’smain aimis to strengthen the command of Bahasa Malaysia and English among primary school pupils.

“The teaching and learning approach will be more interactive and interesting, especially for the teaching of the two languages in line with the Education Ministry’s policy to strengthen both languages as the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English comes to an end that year. ” Alimuddin said teachers were being prepared for the KSSR.

On the scrapping of the KIA2M, Alimuddin said it was not because it was unsuccessful.

“It is more because of situational circumstances. With the onset of the KSSR in 2011, the need for an intervention programme such as the one offered through KIA2M is no longer relevant.

“This is because the learning and content standards that are outlined in KSSR are specifically aimed towards ensuring pupils acquire basic literacy skills by the end of Year 3.” This is also in line with the second National Key Result Areas (NKRA) for the ministry —to ensure all primary school pupils have basic literacy skills after three years of formal schooling.

Also to be introduced next year, said Alimuddin, is the National Standard-Based Preschool Curriculum (KSPK) for five and six-year-olds.

“This curriculum will be used by all preschools in the country, whether they are government pre-schools, those operated by agencies such as the Community Development Department (Kemas), Tadika Perpaduan, or privately- run.

“This is to ensure the aspirations, principles and aims inherent in the curriculum are captured by all pupils through the education they receive at that level.” He said this would also help the ministry realise its first NKRA, which is to ensure 87 per cent pre-school enrolment by 2012.

The KSPK, said Alimuddin, would also involve a new approach in teaching and learning.

“More music and singing would be incorporated into the syllabus.

“More time would also be allocated for English.”

[Science Form 1] Oxygen & Carbon Dioxide

Oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are two of the most important gases in air.

Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe and makes up nearly 21% of the earth's atmosphere.

Joseph Priestly and Carl Wilhelm Scheele both independently discovered oxygen in 1774, but Priestly is usually given credit for the discovery.

The name oxygen was created by Antoine Lavoisier, who incorrectly believed that oxygen was necessary to form all acids.

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound, the molecule of which consists of one atom of carbon joined to two atoms of oxygen (CO2).

It was first called "fixed air" by the Scottish chemist Joseph Black, who obtained it through the decomposition of chalk and limestone, and recognized that it entered into the chemical composition of these substances.

What are the properties of oxygen and carbon dioxide? Let's take a look at the table below.

Property

OXYGEN

CARBON DIOXIDE

Colour

Colourless

Colourless

Smell

Odourless

Odourless

Taste

Tasteless

Sour

Solubility in water

Slightly soluble

More soluble then oxygen

Solubility in sodium hydroxide solution

Not soluble

Very soluble

Combustion and burning

Supports combustion but does not burn

Does not support combustion and does not burn

Effect on lime water

No change

Turn chalky

pH

Neutral

Acidic

Test for presence of gas

Rekindles glowing wooden splinter

Turn lime water chalky


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