Activity 8: Exploring Chemistry

For activity 8, students have a choice to explore other topics of chemistry presented in the PhET simulations. 

Tasks to be completed:

1.   Choose any Teaching Idea from any of the Chemistry Simulations (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/chemistry ) and post your results/data and/or answers on your blog.

2. Work with any of the Chemistry Simulations to create your own Teaching Idea. The criteria for this is as follows:

a. must identify and meet three (3) science education standards

b. must be original work

c. must be scientifically accurate and appropriate for the directed grade level.

My Chemistry Teaching Idea: Static Charge Challenge

My students will be able to understand that because of the static charge, negative and positive charges will come together to make objects such as a balloon and a piece of paper stick together.

Standards of Science Education:

1)   A.4.1 When conducting science investigations ask and answer questions that will help decide the general areas of science being addressed.

2)   C.4.2 Use the science content being learned to ask questions, plan investigations, make observations, make predictions, and offer explanations

3)   C.4.7 Support their conclusions with logical arguments

Procedure:

            Students will begin by observing myself as the teacher rubbing a balloon against a wool sweater and then placing the balloon against a wall.  They will hypothesis why the balloon stuck to the wall.  Once their hypotheses are written they will compare them with other students to see if they can activate prior knowledge.  Once sharing is done, the students will be broken into groups for the experiment.  Students will receive one balloon per group, and 10 small pieces of ripped paper.  Students will then be asked to pick up the pieces using only the balloon.  A graph will be made to calculate how many pieces of paper they can pick up, and how many times they rubbed the balloon on the wool sweater.  Once they have completed their graphs and experiments we will write our thoughts to why the paper could be picked up and how to pick up the most pieces. 

Discussion:

We will then go around the room and check if our hypotheses were correct and explain why so.  I will discuss the presence of positive and negative charges in the balloon and in the paper or wall.  I will explain how the positive charges wish to come together with the negative charges, causing them to stick.  I will also explain that by creating more charge by rubbing the balloon more rapidly on the sweater will allow for more paper pieces to be picked up.

Questioning & Answers:

            Students will have the opportunity to ask questions and get more clarity on the project if they need more support in understanding the topic.

·      The reasoning for having my students make hypotheses, ask questions, and make graphs meets the standard of A.4.1. and C.4.2. At the end of the experiment by asking for their conclusions supports the standard of C.4.7. 

Activity 7: Acids and Bases

1. Review the Content Slides Acids and Bases on the D2L site.

2. Complete the Teaching Idea “Concept Questions for Chemistry using PhET”  posted by Trish Loeblein on the pH Scale simulation at PHET (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/ph-scale). On your blog post the answers with your scientific explanations from the “Clicker Questions pH Scale” posted by Trish.

1. The color of a solution identifies if it is an acid, base, or neutral solution.

B. False.  It doesn’t always matter what the color of the solution is, it doesn’t determine if it is an acid or a base.

2. Which solution is basic?

D. More than one.  The pH is greater than 7 in more than one solution so the solutions are basic.

3. Which solution is acidic?

C.  The Hydrogen concentration is much higher, making it acidic.

4. Which solution is basic?

B.  This has a lower concentration of Hydrogen.

5. Which solution is acidic?

D.  Both solutions A and B have higher levels of Hydrogen.

6. How will adding water affect the pH?

A. Increase the pH.  By adding the water to the solution it will become more diluted and the acidity goes down, increasing the pH level.

7. How will equal amount of water effect the pH?

B.  The pH decreases when water is added which lessens the basicity, causing the pH to go down.

8. What is the order from most acidic to most basic?

           A. A, B, C.

9. What is the order from most acidic to most basic?

           C. B, A, C.

10. If spit has a pH = 7.4, what does that tell you about the water equilibrium?

          A-Something was added that made the equilibrium shift left.

3. Complete the Teaching Idea “Intro to Strong and Weak Acids and Bases” posted by Chris Bires on the Acid-Base Solutions simulation (http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/acid-base-solutions) and post on your blog your data and answers to the questions posed.

Activity 6: States of Matter and Intermolecular Forces

1.    Convert 0°F, 32°F, 70°F, and 212°F to Kelvin.

Fahrenheit	Kelvin
0 degrees	255.37 degrees
32 degrees	273.15 degrees
70 degrees	294.26 degrees
212 degrees	373.15 degrees

2.    Complete the Teaching Idea: States of Matter Simulation Lab by Kelly Vaughan. Complete the lab worksheet as if you were a student, and then post this on your blog. You can scan it or just take a picture of it. 

3.     In the States of Matter simulation, choose the Solid, Liquid, and Gas Tab at the top of the screen. Choose the water molecule and cool the water to 0 K. Describe how the water molecules are aligned and attracted to each other. Which atoms are attracted to which other atoms? 


They are aligned very closely and in an arranged order. They do not move freely like they did in the liquid and gaseous states.  The hydrogen molecules are attracted to the oxygen molecules.

4.    Switch to the Phase Changes Tab on the States of Matter simulation. Notice how on the bottom right there is a small red dot that indicates where the system is at as far as temperature, pressure and state of matter. Play with the simulation to notice changes, notice that when you push down the pressure can go way up and explode the box. On your blog, report a temperature and pressure required to make oxygen a liquid. This is sometimes how the oxygen exists in pressurized oxygen tanks, perhaps like ones you may use to go diving.

Oxygen becomes a liquid at 71K and  .35 ATM

5.    List and describe at least two Science Standards that this activity addresses.

C.4.2 Use the science content being learned to ask questions, plan investigations, make observations, make predictions, and offer explanations.

C.4.6 Communicate the results of their investigations in ways their audiences will understand by using charts, graphs, drawings, written descriptions, and various other means, to display their answers.

Activity 5: Density

To complete Activity 5, complete the tasks below:

     1.    Run the Build an Atom simulation http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom and build a neutral lithium atom and a neutral boron atom.  Take a picture, or a screen shot, of these two atoms and place them on your blog.  List the number of protons, neutrons and electrons for each. Also look up and post the density for each of the elements on your blog.

Boron: 5 Protons, 6 Neutrons, and 5 Electrons

Density of Boron: 2.08 g·cm⁻³

Lithium: 3 Protons, 4 Neutrons, and 3 Electrons

Density of Lithium: 0.512 g·cm⁻³

    2.    Define density and the equation for density and post on your blog.

 Density is the mass an object, an atom for example, has per unit of volume.  So the more closely packed the atoms of a certain element are, the denser it will be.  The number of protons and neutrons determine the weight of an atom as well, due to the fact that most of all atoms’ volume is empty space. Density is determined using the equation:

            Or p=m/V, Density=mass/Volume

3. Run the Density simulation http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/density and complete one (your choice) of the prepared Teaching Ideas and post your results on your blog. The activity you choose should be one of the student intended activities.

4. Complete the Mystery Blocks activity on the Density simulation.  Post on your blog the data you collected (mass, volume, and density) and the identification of the material and the known density.

Blocks.	Mass (kg).	Volume (L).	Density (kg/L).	Material.	Known density.
A.	65.14 kg.	3.38 L.	19.27 kg/L.	Gold.	19.3 kg/L.
B.	0.64 kg.	0.64 L.	1.00 kg/L.	Water.	1.00 kg/L.
C.	4.08 kg.	4.08 L.	1.00 kg/L.	Water.	1.00 kg/L.
D.	3.10 kg.	3.10 L.	1.00 kg/L.	Water.	1.00 kg/L.
E.	3.53 kg.	1.00 L.	3.53 kg/L.	Diamond.	3.53 kg/L.

5. Identify and post on your blog the Science Standards that could be met through these activities completed in Activity 5

A.4.2 When faced with a science-related problem, decide what evidence, models, or explanations previously studied can be used to better understand what is happening now

C.4.2 Use the science content being learned to ask questions, plan investigations, make observations, make predictions, and offer explanations

D.4.2 Group and/or classify objects and substances based on the properties of earth materials

E.4.3 Develop descriptions of the land and water masses of the earth and of Wisconsin's rocks and minerals, using the common vocabulary of earth and space science