Chapter 4

The Disappearing Spoon Chapter 4

Summary

     In the Chapter, it emphasises the importance of the periodic table into the big bang, the supernovas, and most matter formation in a planet's crust and core. The two most important elements that make up the planets core is Hydrogen and helium, mostly Helium because it costs less energy to react. The chapter describes how both Hydrogen and Helium combine or are given energy from the planets core, along with an important factor B2FH, have made it possible to produced new elements, or isotopes. This procedure is used in all planets and on Earth it has 90.96% of Hydrogen and Helium and the remaining 0.04% is the other elements. 

     The Big Bang mentioned in the chapter also explained how it produced a sonic wave of supernova gas that formed the solar system bit by bit. Although, not every planet got formed the same and some have rare elements that are unobtainable on Earth. Like Jupiter, for example, has metallic Hydrogen which is only observed for a short period of time back on Earth. Furthermore, we might have thought that Earth obtained every element but we're wrong. In other planets like Jupiter, there are elements that are unknown to earth and have never been heard of before. 

     Additionally, the chapter explains how two scientists have been researching the destruction of the dinosaurs and discovered how iridium and rhenium placed a major role. Also how in a heated discussion between two scientists produced an interesting theory of Nemesis that could've explained why the dinosaurs died off slowly but the theory was later rejected in the science community. It consisted of a cousin or small planet circling around the sun that threw bits of meteorites, which contain rhenium, on Earth that killed the dinosaurs slowly instead of one big shot.

Reflection

     In this chapter, I found the evolution or the creation of the solar system very interesting  because of how there are different types of elements still not discovered. Not to mention the different theory of how nemesis could've made the dinosaurs extinct due to its "Timely schedule" that hits the Earth. But the theory is still in debate in whether it exist or not. In addition, I also learned how the extinction did not happen immediately by the impact but from the traces of iridium and rhenium that created an enormous cloud of gas that covered Earth. That cloud of gas to my surprise made all living things die off, mostly because it destroyed all plant life. 

     A fact that I found to be disturbing is how all planets have a due date to where they die off and explode into oblivion. The main cause or the reason that they stay alive is because of Hydrogen and Helium that stays in the planet's core. To believe that only these two elements hold the power on Earth. 

Guideline Question

1.What I already know is that each star contains a number of years in which it will eventually die off. The elements that are involved are Hydrogen, Helium, and Iron. The elements don't fuse anything more than Iron because they have a minimum capacity of transformation that react with B2FH. 

2.Jupiter is an interesting planet because it contains a lot of elements that seem almost impossible to form or create on earth. Also how the planet creates elements that are not known to our periodic table. One element that Jupiter has in great quantities is metallic Hydrogen in which can only observed for a short period of time on Earth. 

3.Clair Patterson was able to conclude that Earth was 4.55 Billion years old because of the use of lead 204 that he kept pure and out of the other lead isotopes. A scientist, in general, can only presume the results of the Earth being born is by the consumption of equations, theories, and past findings.