Compare and Contrast

Posts : 191 Join date : 2010-05-06

Professor Peyton stood in front of his desk with relatively two simple items in front of them. One was a block of wood and the other an empty tin can. " what makes a block of wood?" The man started and allowed his eyes to scan the young alchemists. " combinations of numerous elements are compounded into one single item. This block of wood, if i were to write it on paper fill up at least 2 pages for this exact replica. Luckily, there are tricks to which make this... " He placed the wood on the table, on the surface was a carving of an alchemiac transumation circle. Peyton made sure that there was a circle on every desk of his students for the practice. " to this. " The Professoer placed his hands on the rim of the carving, and within seconds the symbol began to glow along with the wooden block. The shape began to shift into a cylinder and once the light dimmed the block of wood was now a wooden can. " not an exact replica " Peyton admitted as he picked it up and held it out the class. "but its a step towards it."

Homework: Due 01- 12-11

"now examine both the block of wood and the tin can I gave you. The transmutation circle thats on your desk helps it so you dont have to think of every single property to change. Instead, allow your senses to get as much detail as you can. The shape of the wood, how it feels, the weight, the smell. anything that will help you decipher what that object is. When your ready to transmute, place your hands on the circle and with great detail; shift your observation from the wooden block.. to your tin can. Good Luck!"

Posts : 62 Join date : 2010-05-06 Age : 39

Devyn listened carefully to the instructions. Before he started on his own work, though, he looked towards the brilliant boy sitting next to him. "You got this one, Schroeder?" he asked with a friendly smile before starting to concentrate on his own block of wood, smirking just a little bit as he realised Nate would have a field day with that idea. He focused his mind and started to determine the properties of the wood. The first thing that came to his mind was organic. Even though it wasn't now, the block had once been alive, and even now was made up of carbon-based cells that were actively decaying. That became problematic in his mind, attempting to transform an organic block into an inorganic metal. He started to rotate the block around in his fingers, he felt the rough surface. It felt like it had been sanded down, but the wood was still wood, and the graininess of the surface still remained.

After several seconds, he looked for the properties that the can and the wood had in common. They were both solid, and both could be molded. That was his starting point. He took a deep breath and, after setting the wood down inside the circle, placed his hands on it and transformed the block of wood into a block of tin, focusing more on the solidity factor than the moldibility, thinking himself that the physical property was more important and difficult to transform than the shape. ( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Posts : 191 Join date : 2010-05-06

Keith bounced in his seat a little and eyed the strange carving in front of him, who would of thought that he was actually going to do real life alchemy! He found it funny that the public was so close minded to learning neat things like this, who never wanted to change a wooden block to a tin can?! Of course, there was definitely better things to shift blocks into but by the fact that it was even possible was the keenest thing ever!

" Okay.." Keith swallowed and rubbed his hands together and eying the target block in front of him. Prepare to be analyzed! Hmm.. he was more than sure that it was box shaped. maybe even closer to a shoe box! The edges were kinda sharp, if someone were to trip and land on it they could get a nasty accident! We wouldn't want that! The surface was sleek and smooth and in a way the boy was glad it was because if there was even one uneven chip his fingers could of got a splinter! The color was brown like dirt, or as a matter of fact.. a tree! this block was defenetly made from a tree! But what kind of tree? By the scent, it had a familiar smell of oak! It even had the same shade cause back in middle school Lizzy accidentally slammed Keiths head into his own oak desk and the color of it matched it exactly! Once he got all those details from that single block he finally placed his hands on the transmutation circle, his brows deeply furrowing with concentration.

" oh please, oh please, oh please.." Keith begged to himself and trying to shift his thoughts into a can! A can was cylinder shape, kind of like evans pe~ ... His eyes instantly went wide at the thought and even though he was thinking it to himself his face turned bright red! Golly, where did THAT come from?! The can was empty inside, so that ment there was a curve. The rounded walls had to be thin because if it was thick than not alot of things would be able to fit in the can! Who would want to be cheated from the product they just bought?

As the boy continued to concentrate, the transmutation circle began to glow and the wooden block within it slowly shifted into a deformed can. It was sloppy, in fact it looked like melted a little. Keith however, was grinning from ear to ear at his accomplishments! " I DID IT!"

( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Posts : 188 Join date : 2010-05-06 Age : 36

Lexy scrunched up her nose and stared at the block of wood. She knew it was wood, and that it was a solid and not a liquid or gas like water or... gas? She laughed at herself and glanced around to see if anyone noticed her before concentrating back on the task at hand! The can was hollow and was flimsy in the sense if you stepped on it or slammed it on the ground it would dent. But the wood was more dense than that and she wasn't really sure how the wood could change properties and become flimsier.. she knocked her knuckles against the wooden block and then the can and pursed her lips together trying to come up with an idea.. She picked up both the block and the can and tried to weight them by feel and then nodded.

The girl looked down at the circular symbols on the table and touched her fingers against the circle and used the information she had to shift the wooden block into a different shape! Only.. instead of turning into a replica of the can it was the same shape but it wasn't hollow. It was just a cylinder. "Well.. better than nothing I guess?" She shrugged knowing she did better than she expected! ( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Posts : 188 Join date : 2010-05-06 Age : 36

Shane scratched his goatee curiously examining both objects that were on the desk. His eyes shifted towards the other students wondering how they were doing in their projects and even chuckling a little to see the enthusiasm that Keith was giving off at his own success. After a moment of observing the others' he decided it was time to focus on his own. He understood why the professor wanted them to gather the different aspects and properties of each object. You couldn't transform one item into another without having the correct knowledge for it.

The leader picked up the can first, examining the weight and volume of it by rotating it in his hand. It was cold and when you ran your finger along the edge of it, it was between dull and sharp to the touch. If you moved your finger across it fast enough it could possibly cut you like a piece of paper. He set the can down and picked up the wooden block, moving it the same way he did the can and running his fingers along the edges. If he could possibly make the edges a little thicker it would work for the brim of the can. He brought it close to his face and sniffed the wood and then hesitantly stuck his tongue out and licked it. He smacked his lips together knowing it smelled and tasted like.. wood.

He cleared his throat and set both objects back down on the desk inside the circle and placed his palms down beside them, watching the block of wood transforming form a block into the shape of the can. It was thicker than the can, but hollow inside and was shaped the right way. Except for a few small glitches of dents on one part. "Well, look at that." (+1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Posts : 62 Join date : 2010-05-06 Age : 39

Cyle watched as Keith got to work for a few seconds before getting onto his own block of wood. It was... well, a block of wood. He examined it over and over again, but that was really all the mage could see. He moved onto the tin can and he thought about it. What did it do? It held things. Usually food of some kind. He started to move the can back and forth in his hands. Normally, it would have a top to it. He wondered vaguely where that might have gone before refocusing his attention on the can. It was hollow and light, but not always. It was good for holding things, but not now.

It was then that he looked back towards the block of wood with a tilted head. "What do you do, man?" he asked the block of wood, not focusing on physical properties, but on purpose. The block of wood could be anything. In fact, as a block of wood, it wasn't really used for anything. That was the difference between them. The block of wood wasn't really anything useful, but it could be made into almost anything. The can on the other hand, was used for holding things, but it was pretty much in it's final shape. Sure, it could be remelted down or something, but the wood was what was ready to become something more.

A smile crossed the mage's face. It was just like cooking. Once something was cooked, it was hard, if not impossible, to uncook it. But something that wasn't cooked yet... that had infinate potential! Cyle licked his lips and left his tongue sticking out as he set the block of wood down on the circle, trying to decide the best way to 'cook' it. He needed to do something with it, and the professor said that the transmutation circle would help. Maybe that was the key ingredient? Whenever he and Peyton had worked before, there had always been a key ingredient; the one thing that made the whole receipe turn out right. He closed his eyes and clapped his hands together before touching the circle, willing in his mind the block to become something useful like the can. The circle glowed slightly before the wood started to transform itself, though not in the way Cyle had expected. It started to shrink its length while rounding out around the side until it had formed a crude, hollow cylinder. There was neither a top nor a bottom to it, but it was now round, and one step closer to something useful, like the tin. A slight smirk appeared on the stoner's face. He had to admit, that was kinna cool! ( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Subject: Re: Compare and Contrast Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:43 pm

Jo folded her arms on the table so she was eye level with the two objects. She stared at the block of wood, then the can, then the wood, then the can, her eyes shifting back and forth between the two for a solid minute trying to figure out the differences. They were all obvious; one was all natural, the other was not. Sure, metal came from nature, but not in the can form, not that wood came in block form. "Hmm..."

The can was hollow, it was cylindrical, if she stomped on it hard enough it would probably dent a bit. She picked it up and felt the weight of it; it was light. The wood was rectangular, it was solid and if she stomped on it she would probably just grow a couple of inches from standing on a piece of wood. The thought made her smirk ever so slightly. She picked it up and though it was light, it was heavier than the can. "Hmm..."

Both were hard materials, though, and had both existed in nature. Which did she want to lean with? The weight? She put her hands on the circle, her face still low as she watched the objects from eye level, focusing from the wooden block to the tin can. She concentrated as hard as she could on it, her eyes narrowing, and the circle, after a long pause, began to glow. When the can began to shift a little, Jo grinned, but was a little disappointed when it stopped. What'd she do wrong? Was that it? The can was sort of box shaped, but not completely and she frowned. "I think I did it wrong." She called out, picking the objects up, though she realized almost immediately the can had more weight to it. In fact... it had almost the same weight as the wood. "Dumb can." She grumbled.
( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Subject: Re: Compare and Contrast Mon Jan 10, 2011 11:56 pm

"Alright, can!" Anjali rubbed her hands together and looked at the two objects that sat before her. She didn't really know anyone else in the class that well, so felt a bit off about asking anyone silly questions, even though they were on the same level. Even making a dumb comment seemed a bit wrong in the current situation. She rested her elbows on the table, and let her chin sit in the crook of her hands, staring down at the items.

Finally she picked them up to study them. The slight rough texture of the wood, its earthy scent, its all around smoothness despite the mildly rough texture. The can, however, was completely smooth aside for a few ridges in the cans design. It had no distinct scent to Anjali and was lighter in weight.

She ten tapped them down on the desk. The can made a dinging noise as opposed to the thumping the wood made. They were two very distinctly different objects. She placed them back down in the trasmutation circle and shook her hands out a bit before sliding them down on the circle.

She focused hard on the two objects, first the wood, then the can. The circle began to glow, though Anjali seemed almost unaware as she watched the block again. When the transformation finished she scowled just a little. The block was certainly not a can; in fact it was still very blocky, only now it had slight ridges in it, identical to that of the can, and the woods surface had a sheen to it, as if it were heavily polished. She picked up the weird block and examined it, realizing it was lighter somehow, and when she tapped it against the desk it made a new sort of sound; not quite a ding, not quite a thud. "Weird.."
( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )

Posts : 191 Join date : 2010-05-06

"Yeah, I think I got it..." Schroeder answered hesitantly and watched Devyn closely first before trying it himself. Afterwards he looked around the room and watched as everyone tried their own exercise, the boy had to admit to himself that this was by far the coolest class he's ever taken in his life. Even though he was just about to start high school he already knew that none of them would be able to top this off. " you did it Dev! " The boy exclaimed when he saw his only friend be successful with the transformation.

The 14 year old boy had his note book open to a blank page, he wrote 2 columns down all having to do with the wooden block and the aluminum can that was in front of him. " ..It helps me out." The boy rasped out and offered a shy smile to Dev, he knew it would be a matter of time before he would be comfortable in class but as of now he only really knew Devyn. His pen went to the wooden column first and started to scribble down the facts he had about the wooden property.

" alright lets start with wood.." Schroeder muttered to himself as he began to scribble information down while at the same time talking to himself to get his mind set ready. " there are physical and mechanical characteristics of wood.. which are controlled by a specific anatomy, moisture content, shrinkage, density and thermal electrical properties " His brows furrowed a little and looked over to see some students glancing over, his face reddened and kept a mental note to try and keep everything in his head.

Moisture content is a major content for wood because it influences all physical and mental properties, and durablity and performance during use. normal in use moisture content of processed wood that has been dried ranges from 8 - 13 %. Shrinkage occurs when the wooden block loses moisture and the density of the wood is determined by the amount of cell wall substance and the volume of voids caused by the cell cavities or better known as lumens of the fiber. The primary thermal properities of wood are conductivity, specific heat, and coefficiant of thermal expansion. Dry wood is actually an excellent insulator! By measuring woods electrical resistance, electrical moisture meters accurately determine the
moisture content of wood in the 5 - 25% range.

Once Schroeder got a firm grasp of the wooden block his attention went over to the can. " potassium aluminum sulphate" The boy rasped out and started to write down the information he was getting from his vast knowledge of absorbing the thousands of books he's memorized. Aluminum has only one naturally occuring isotope, aluminum -27, which is not radioactive. Besides from the obvious shape and image, it was a silvery and ductime member of the poor metal group of elements. The can was most likely found primarily as the ore bauxite and is remarkable for its restistance to oxidite.

After jotting down his notes he placed the wooden block in the transmutation circle, through science it was impossible to change the elements and shape but this wasnt orindary science.. it was Alchemy! Professor Peyton stated that it was both magic and science combined! Nothing was impossible in the world! With extreme concentration he began to calculate exactly how to change the organic substance to an inorgranic item! He placed his hands on the transmutation circle and within seconds the object and carving began to glow! Schroeder was doing it! He tried his best to keep his concentration even though he was excited to see the transformation!

"focus, cmon focus..." the boy rasped to himself and continued to do the comparison in his head.

Oak Red Quercus Alba. Density G/CC: 0.657. Density lbs/cu.ft:41.02 Modulus of Rupture KG~ sq.mm: 10.02 Modulus of Elasicity; air dry: 1274.
Converting To: Aluminum~ AI. Atomic # 13 atomic mass: 26.98154 g.mol-1. Density: 2.7 g.cm -3 at 20 degrees C. Electircal shell: 1S2 2S2 2P6 3S2 3P1.

The item began to glow and once the light dimmed Schroeder watched as the block of wood stayed the same shape, but its properties was exactly like the Can! The boy didnt change the appearance but the actual property changed! Schroeder realized he focused more on the atomic scale rather than the appearance but he was still impressed nonetheless! He was one step closer into learning how to turn things into gold!! ( +1 Enlightenment point. Edited by: Foxtrot )