Free Essays on Lador Day

This Labor Day it seems like everyone is hitting the road for one last summer adventure. The number of travelers on the road this long weekend is expected to be record breaking, higher than they’ve been in nine years. Up to 33.4 million Americans are set to travel 50 miles or more away from home this holiday weekend, according to AAA. That number is up 1.8% from last year and tops a previous high, set in 1995 of 33.2 million. But vacationer has more than sunscreen and mosquitoes to keep in mind this weekend. They also need to keep in mind the ever-rising gas prices, the anything but perfect weather, and the safety of themselves and loved ones while on the road. These days gas is anything but cheap, with prices averaging $1.74 per gallon. A lot of this is said to be due to the workers strike in Venezuela and the conflict in Iraq. However that’s not stopping Americans from traveling. From July 19 to August 15 Americans used 9.4 million barrels per day the highest four-week period on record, said Doug Macintyre, an analysts for the Federal Energy Information Administration. Also, the biggest two-week jump in history. At least here in Tampa we can look to the bright side, our gas prices are nine to fifteen cents cheaper than many other Florida cities. Lately the weather here in Florida leaves much to be desired. Or maybe the beautiful postcard images we all love are just that, postcard images. With very little to do with the actual weather we encounter on an everyday basis. This August has been the 4th wettest ever in history. Our afternoon showers seem to be on a timer from hell, erupting every afternoon between four and five o’clock p.m. Then when it’s not raining it’s so warm and muggy that going outside hardly seems worth it. But that won’t put a damper on weekend plans; people will still be out and about, despite the fact that we’ll have a 45-75% chance of rain. And tropical storm Fabian lurking in the water. Surfs up... Free Essays on Lador Day Free Essays on Lador Day This Labor Day it seems like everyone is hitting the road for one last summer adventure. The number of travelers on the road this long weekend is expected to be record breaking, higher than they’ve been in nine years. Up to 33.4 million Americans are set to travel 50 miles or more away from home this holiday weekend, according to AAA. That number is up 1.8% from last year and tops a previous high, set in 1995 of 33.2 million. But vacationer has more than sunscreen and mosquitoes to keep in mind this weekend. They also need to keep in mind the ever-rising gas prices, the anything but perfect weather, and the safety of themselves and loved ones while on the road. These days gas is anything but cheap, with prices averaging $1.74 per gallon. A lot of this is said to be due to the workers strike in Venezuela and the conflict in Iraq. However that’s not stopping Americans from traveling. From July 19 to August 15 Americans used 9.4 million barrels per day the highest four-week period on record, said Doug Macintyre, an analysts for the Federal Energy Information Administration. Also, the biggest two-week jump in history. At least here in Tampa we can look to the bright side, our gas prices are nine to fifteen cents cheaper than many other Florida cities. Lately the weather here in Florida leaves much to be desired. Or maybe the beautiful postcard images we all love are just that, postcard images. With very little to do with the actual weather we encounter on an everyday basis. This August has been the 4th wettest ever in history. Our afternoon showers seem to be on a timer from hell, erupting every afternoon between four and five o’clock p.m. Then when it’s not raining it’s so warm and muggy that going outside hardly seems worth it. But that won’t put a damper on weekend plans; people will still be out and about, despite the fact that we’ll have a 45-75% chance of rain. And tropical storm Fabian lurking in the water. Surfs up...

10 Facts About Carbon

10 Facts About Carbon One of the most important elements for all living things is carbon. Carbon is the element with atomic number 6 and element symbol C. Here are 10 interesting carbon facts for you: Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry, as it occurs in all living organisms. The simplest organic molecules consist of carbon chemically bonded to hydrogen. Many other common organics also include oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.Carbon is a nonmetal that can bond with itself and many other chemical elements, forming over ten million compounds. Because it forms more compounds than any other element, it is sometimes called the King of the Elements.Elemental carbon can take the form of one of the hardest substances (diamond) or one of the softest (graphite).Carbon is made in the interiors of stars, although it was not produced in the Big Bang. Carbon is made in giant and supergiant stars via the triple-alpha process. In this process, three helium nuclei fuse. When a massive star turns into a supernova, carbon scatters and can be incorporated into next-generation stars and planets.Carbon compounds have limitless uses. In its elemental form, diamond is a gemstone and used for drilling/cutting; graphite is used in pencils, as a lubricant, and to protect against rust; while charcoal is used to remove toxins, tastes, and odors. The isotope Carbon-14 is used in radiocarbon dating. Carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of the elements. The melting point of diamond is ~3550 °C, with the sublimation point of carbon around 3800 °C. If you baked a diamond in an oven or cooked it in a frying pan, it would survive unscathed.Pure carbon exists free in nature and has been known since prehistoric time. While most elements known since ancient time only exist in one allotrope, pure carbon forms graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon (soot). The forms look very different from each other and display dissimilar properties. For example, graphite is an electrical conductor while diamond is an insulator. Other forms of carbon include fullerenes, graphene, carbon nanofoam, glassy carbon, and Q-carbon (which is magnetic and fluorescent).The origin of the name carbon comes from the Latin word carbo, for charcoal. The German and French words for charcoal are similar.Pure carbon is considered non-toxic, although inhalation of fine particles, such as soot, can damage lung tissue. Graphite and charcoal are considered safe enough to eat. While non-toxic to humans, carbon nanoparticles are deadly to fruit flies. Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen are found in higher amounts, by mass). It is the 15th most abundant element in the Earths crust. More Carbon Facts Carbon usually has a valence of 4, which means each carbon atom can form covalent bonds with four other atoms. The 2 oxidation state is also seen in compounds such as carbon monoxide.Three isotopes of carbon occur naturally. Carbon-12 and carbon-13 are stable, while carbon-14 is radioactive, with a half-life of around 5730 years. Carbon-14 is formed in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays interact with nitrogen. While carbon-14 occurs in the atmosphere and living organisms, it is almost completely absent from rocks. There are 15 known carbon isotopes.Inorganic carbon sources include carbon dioxide, limestone, and dolomite. Organic sources include coal, oil, peat, and methane clathrates.Carbon black was the first pigment used for tattooing. Ãâ€"tzi the Iceman has carbon tattoos that endured through his life and are still visible 5200 years later.The amount of carbon on Earth is fairly constant. It is transformed from one form to another via the carbon cycle. In the carbon cycle, pho tosynthetic plants take carbon from air or seawater and convert it into glucose and other organic compounds via the Calvin cycle of photosynthesis. Animals eat some of the biomass and exhale carbon dioxide, returning carbon to the atmosphere. Sources Deming, Anna (2010). King of the elements?. Nanotechnology. 21 (30): 300201. doi:10.1088/0957-4484/21/30/300201Lide, D. R., ed. (2005). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (86th ed.). Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-0486-5.Smith, T. M.; Cramer, W. P.; Dixon, R. K.; Leemans, R.; Neilson, R. P.; Solomon, A. M. (1993). The global terrestrial carbon cycle. Water, Air, Soil Pollution. 70: 19–37. doi:10.1007/BF01104986Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.