Cell size and scale

Just a neat link my hubby found this morning...

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/

You can zoom in to see these various things starting from a coffee bean and down to a skin cell, human egg, red blood cell, bacteria, viruses, hemoglobin, glucose and molecules, etc., all the way "down" to a carbon atom.

In measuring scale, you go from millimeters (0.001 or 10^-3m) to micrometers (0.000001 or 10^-6m) to nanometers (0.000000001 or 10^-9m) to picometers (0.000000000001 or 10^-12m).

American Math Challenge

The American Math Challenge is an online math challenge or "competition" where students aged 9-14 from across America can compete in a safe, multiplayer game environment.

This is from the same folks as the World Math Day, if you happen to remember that.

Students will have the task of answering as many correct questions as they can in 60 second mental arithmetic challenges LIVE, against other students. Or, they can also solve questions based on the national curriculum at their own pace.

Why would you take part?

• It's about having fun with math. In fact, there's a good chance your students/children will love it.
  
  
• It's absolutely free. Nothing to lose if you participate. In fact, during the practice week you can find out if your kids like it or not.
  
  
• If your children or students really get into it, they can vastly improve their mental arithmetic and basic facts.
  

Week 1: Nov. 2-8 is Practice week
Week 2: Nov. 9-16 is the actual American Math Challenge

Register at www.americanmathchallenge.com

Wolfram|Alpha homework day

Today October 21st is a Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day. I am not quite sure myself what all this entails, but it is a LIVE interactive event on the web, revolving around what can be done with Wolfram|Alpha search engine.

Here are some highlights (from the website) of what will be happening over there today:

• A special Homework Day Welcome from Stephen Wolfram
• A demonstration by a forward-looking elementary school teacher of lesson plans that use Wolfram|Alpha
• A conversation with the creator of "Shift Happens" about tech trends and their impact on education
• A fun experiment with Wolfram|Alpha's mad scientist Theodore Gray
• Several live, interactive Q&A sessions where Wolfram|Alpha scholars and experts help you tackle your homework questions
• A special live Q&A session tackling the toughest math questions

• A thought-provoking in-depth conversation with an internationally known actor and education advocate
• A live interview with the creator of the Ning social networking group Classroom 2.0
• An insightful dialog with an award-winning physics professor and best-selling author of several popular science books
• A vibrant panel discussion of teaching with technology led by noted journalist Elizabeth Corcoran
• Several live, interactive Q&A sessions where Wolfram|Alpha scholars and experts help you tackle your homework questions
• A special live Q&A session tackling the toughest math questions

• An interview with a renowned theoretical physicist, best-selling author, and frequent PBS contributor
• A special live Q&A session tackling the toughest science questions
• A live concert by Common Loon
• A demonstration of Wolfram|Alpha examples from an innovative college professor
• Several live, interactive Q&A sessions where Wolfram|Alpha scholars and experts help you tackle your homework questions
• A recap of the best highlights of Wolfram|Alpha Homework Day

http://homeworkday.wolframalpha.com/