Responding+with+Wonderment+and+Awe

Reflection:

Earlier this quarter we were assigned a lab were we had to go through lab stations and observe the melting of different substances. I honestly didn't think that I'd find anything interesting. I expected "oh. this thing is now liquid", but maybe this was because the word "lab" reminded me of other words like "tedious", "tiring", "boring", "repetitive", etc. I always was under the impression that labs took too much time for the information gathered and should be instead learned from a textbook to save time.

For this lab, I tried to take a positive mindset. This was, after all, a very casual lab and I think that is what triggered the "just have fun with it" approach. I learned quite a few fascinating things. I saw my partner hold blue gas, witnessed the making of caramel, observed sparks flying, all the while having fun.

Showing intellectual curiosity made this lab so much more fun and taught me that finding excitement in learning also helps you apply knowledge not only to chemistry but to everything else I am passionate about like cooking. Yes, I attempted to make caramel when I got home. Hopefully I will continue to respond to life with wonderment and awe, but I know I already have. Biology has taught me that butter is full of saturated hydrocarbons whereas oil is less saturated, creating kinks in the molecular structure and explaining the difference in solidity. Oh the thrills of science.

Here you can find a video of a poisonous substance being melted and producing blue gas!! My favorite part of this video is when you hear the words "some people are being very smart and thinking about habits of mind".

[|Video]