Confederation essays

Confederation essays On July 1, 1867, celebrations occurred nationwide as confederation passed and Canada became an independent country. With the uniting of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the Dominion of Canada was created. Obtaining the right to confederation was a long and difficult process. In September 1864, Canadians proposed the idea of a Canadian Confederation at the Charlettown conference (Waite). Two years later in December 1866, delegates from Canada attended another conference in London, England, in order to further discuss these plans. This historical meeting was chaired by Sir John A. Macdonald, and the future Fathers of Confederation all attended. Queen Victoria approved the British North America act On March 29, 1867, and it was put into place on July 1, 1867 (Canada and the making). Confederation is the most significant event that has ever occurred in Canada. It not only created a unique and stable country, but also established a federal form of government, while at the s ame time protecting the heritage of our French Canadian citizens. Canadas birth was different from the birth of any other nation. Its creation was not achieved through war or revolution. It was not a popular uprising of people. Nor was it a call for independence by Great Britain (Waite). It was merely a group of people with a dream for a promising country who obtained this through a process of negotiation. Confederation allowed Canada to become an independent country that would be strong economically. At that time, Canadians feared the United States idea for Manifest Density, by which they hoped to take over all of North America. Confederation stopped this in its tracks (Bain et al. 2). As well, the cancellation of the free trade agreement with all of North America due to the establishment of Confederation raised Canadas economic status. By uniting the provinces the completion of the Canadian railway was enabled. This incr...

Ice and the Density of Water

Ice and the Density of Water Why does ice float on top of water rather than sink, like most solids? There are two parts to the answer to this question. First, lets take a look at why anything floats. Then, lets examine why ice floats on top of liquid water, instead of sinking to the bottom. Why Ice Floats A substance floats if it is less dense, or has less mass per unit volume, than other components in a mixture. For example, if you toss a handful of rocks into a bucket of water, the rocks, which are dense compared to the water, will sink. The water, which is less dense than the rocks, will float. Basically, the rocks push the water out of the way or displace it. For an object to be able to float, it has to displace a weight of fluid equal to its own weight. Water reaches its maximum density at 4 C (40 F). As it cools further and freezes into ice, it actually becomes less dense. On the other hand, most substances are most dense in their solid (frozen) state than in their liquid state. Water is different because of hydrogen bonding. AÂ  water molecule is made from one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms strongly joined to each other with covalent bonds. Water molecules are also attracted to each other by weaker chemical bonds (hydrogen bonds) between the positively-charged hydrogen atoms and the negatively charged oxygen atoms of neighboring water molecules. As the water cools below 4Â  C, the hydrogen bonds adjust to hold the negatively charged oxygen atoms apart. This produces a crystal lattice, which is commonly known as ice. Ice floats because it is about 9% less dense than liquid water. In other words, ice takes up about 9% more space than water, so a liter of ice weighs less than liter water. The heavier water displaces the lighter ice, so ice floats to the top. One consequence of this is that lakes and rivers freeze from top to bottom, allowing fish to survive even when the surface of a lake has frozen over. If ice sank, the water would be displaced to the top and exposed to the colder temperature, forcing rivers and lakes to fill with ice and freeze solid. Heavy Water Ice Sinks However, not all water ice floats on regular water. Ice made using heavy water, which contains the hydrogen isotope deuterium, sinks in regular water. Hydrogen bonding still occurs, but its not enough to offset the mass difference between normal and heavy water. Heavy water ice sinks in heavy water.