Science and science experiments prove to be the most interesting aspects of learning for the kids.
Ari
Water is denser than oil.
Showing posts with label Science Experiments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Experiments. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Atmospheric Pressure- Heavy, Man!
There are days when we go about our homeschooling journey just doing the deal. Bible, spelling, language arts, math, science, social studies, etc. It's always good, but there are days when we learn something new or do an activity that is GREAT! Today was one of those days!
The last couple days we've been trying to wrap our heads around atmospheric pressure. Wow! Atmospheric pressure is a mind-bender for me. Here's why:
The atmosphere is constantly pressing down on planet Earth. If we were to break the weight of the atmosphere down, we'd see that it weighs 14.7 pounds per square inch, at sea level. Since we're at sea level we learned that the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on our shoulders is roughly 176 pounds! This is some heavy atmospheric pressure! With the weight of the world on our shoulders, no wonder there are days we feel so Under Pressure!
{off on a tangent}
Watching that video and seeing David Bowie reminded me, we saw Iman the other day...she waved! I wasn't doing a very good with my photo skills that day...here's the photo. This is why I don't work for TMZ!
Okay, back to science and atmospheric pressure education.
The last couple days we've been trying to wrap our heads around atmospheric pressure. Wow! Atmospheric pressure is a mind-bender for me. Here's why:
The atmosphere is constantly pressing down on planet Earth. If we were to break the weight of the atmosphere down, we'd see that it weighs 14.7 pounds per square inch, at sea level. Since we're at sea level we learned that the weight of the atmosphere pressing down on our shoulders is roughly 176 pounds! This is some heavy atmospheric pressure! With the weight of the world on our shoulders, no wonder there are days we feel so Under Pressure!
{off on a tangent}
Watching that video and seeing David Bowie reminded me, we saw Iman the other day...she waved! I wasn't doing a very good with my photo skills that day...here's the photo. This is why I don't work for TMZ!
 |
| Iman is behind Maria Menounos |
Thinking about the 176 pounds of atmospheric pressure on our shoulders has sparked some great conversation and deep thought. Trying to explain to the kids that although the air outside their body is pushing in on them, the air inside their body is pushing out therefore counteracting the air pressure outside their bodies.
Whew! That's a lot to comprehend!
Let's Experiment
As mentioned in earlier posts, we follow Apologia Science. In our study, there was an experiment demonstrating atmospheric pressure.
We had two soda cans with a little water in each. We heated the cans in a frying pan on the stove. Next to the stove we had two bowls of ice water. We were supposed to heat the cans until there was steam coming out. When this occurred we were to place one can in an ice-water bowl. The other was to be inverted in the ice water bowl. After doing this we were supposed to watch atmospheric pressure in action.
Honestly, we had to do the experiment about 4-5 times. I've mentioned in the past how I tend to be scientifically challenged, but we didn't give up!
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| Experiment: Take 1, Hansen's can |
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| Ice water ready |
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| Take 2, Hansen's can |
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| Water still ready... |
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| Hansen's can...Take 3 (yawn) |
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| Nothing happening... |
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| Still nothing happening.... |
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| Take 4: Coca-Cola can |
On our final try, the experiment was a huge SUCCESS! We were so excited we took A LOT of photos! How incredibly cool! The kids loved it! It was an experiment I hope really taught them about the pressure in the atmosphere.
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| There is steam...time to transfer to the water bowl |
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| Inverting the can |
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| Don't blink! |
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| BAM! It happened so fast! |
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| Check this out! |
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| WOW! |
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| The kids love this kind of hands-on science! |
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| So cool! |
So why did this happen?
When the can was on the stove the heat caused the water in the can to boil. The steam from the water pushed the air out of the can. When we inverted the can and placed it in the bowl, the steam quickly changed back to liquid. Because the steam had pushed the air out of the can earlier, there was no air pressure inside to counteract the atmospheric pressure outside the can. When we inverted placed the can opening under the water the outside air crushed the can. There's the can crusher! Atmospheric Pressure. GREAT!
Friday, September 09, 2011
Science Experiment: Atoms, Molecules, and Why Copper Turns Green
Science is not my strength. I'm the daughter of a Biology Major, wife to a Chemist, and somehow I made it through college without taking a science course, unless you count oceanography.
I distinctly remember struggling in 6th grade science and my dad giving me a quizzical look during an intervention, maybe it was a parent-teacher conference, (I think I had a teetering B that was leaning toward a C and this was not cool). How could I not GET science? I have no idea. Perhaps I'm too right-brained. What I do know is what I'm able to glean and understand from science material comes from considerable studious effort. Science just makes my brain hurt.
A few years later, in high school, my chemistry teacher would come to our house to tutor me. I ended up doing okay in chemistry, but I never considered myself a science girlie. I guess the good thing is I never quit trying.
Well, I'm still trying. Thankfully there are awesome science texts out there that make science pretty palatable and even fun. I can't believe I just said I thought science was fun. I'm definitely learning!
Today the kids did a great little experiment. Although the book describes it as a learning exercise on atoms and molecules, I called it "Let's find out why Lady Liberty is green when she's made out of copper." Copper is, well...copper color right? That orangish, metallic color found in the inside of insulated electrical wire. Lady Liberty is made out of copper, but she is green. Why?
(Completely, on a side note, this experiment made me think of my sweet Papa who was a builder and a collector of all things building material related. He collected copper wire for me my first 17 years of life and turned it in for a gift he and my Grandma gave me for graduation. Precious!)
Back to the experiment. Our kids love doing experiments, especially if they seem risky because there's going to be a molecular reaction. Grab the protective eyewear!
The supplies were a 9 volt battery, a small glass, baking soda, tape, protective eyewear and two 9-inch pieces of insulated copper wire.
The kids then attached the copper wires to each end of the battery. One on the positive side, one on the negative. The glass was 3/4 full of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda was thoroughly stirred in the water.
They then placed the two wires in the water. DO NOT LET THE WIRES TOUCH!!! I do not know what will happen if they do, but I'm a rule follower and the book instructed us to not let them touch. So we will not let them touch! You'll have to go to Mythbusters to have them find out what will happen if the wires touch.
Within a few minutes the ends of the wires started bubbling like crazy. The wire attached to the positive side of the battery quickly began turning a blueish green color. Oh, the excitement!!
So what did we learn?
In the glass were billions and billions of water molecules (h2o). Water molecules are compounds- hydrogen and oxygen. When we immersed the wires into the water while they were connected to the battery, electricity began flowing through the water. The bubbling we witnessed was actually water molecules being broken down from the energy in the electricity into hydrogen and oxygen atoms turning them into gases, hence the bubbling. This is worth repeating, the electricity broke apart the h2o molecules into separate hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Note: hydrogen is an explosive gas, oxygen we need to breathe. Combined they create water. Amazing!
Why did one wire turn a blueish-green color?
When we placed the copper wire in the baking soda water with the electricity many chemical reactions were occurring. Baking soda contains carbon atoms. We've already mentioned the breaking up of the water molecules creating the gas. The copper atoms linked with some of the oxygen atoms, carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms creating a new molecule called copper hydroxycarbonate. Copper hydroxycarbonate is the blueish-green substance we saw on the end of one of the wires.
So, now we've discovered why copper and or bronze (copper & tin) statues when exposed to weather undergo similar chemical reactions. The copper, and or bronze reacts with the hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms in the air combining to make copper hydroxycarbonate...the blueish-green color.
It's amazing! I learn something new everyday and I think I can safely say our kids do too!
Maybe I'll GET science after all. It's never too late.
I distinctly remember struggling in 6th grade science and my dad giving me a quizzical look during an intervention, maybe it was a parent-teacher conference, (I think I had a teetering B that was leaning toward a C and this was not cool). How could I not GET science? I have no idea. Perhaps I'm too right-brained. What I do know is what I'm able to glean and understand from science material comes from considerable studious effort. Science just makes my brain hurt.
A few years later, in high school, my chemistry teacher would come to our house to tutor me. I ended up doing okay in chemistry, but I never considered myself a science girlie. I guess the good thing is I never quit trying.
Well, I'm still trying. Thankfully there are awesome science texts out there that make science pretty palatable and even fun. I can't believe I just said I thought science was fun. I'm definitely learning!
Today the kids did a great little experiment. Although the book describes it as a learning exercise on atoms and molecules, I called it "Let's find out why Lady Liberty is green when she's made out of copper." Copper is, well...copper color right? That orangish, metallic color found in the inside of insulated electrical wire. Lady Liberty is made out of copper, but she is green. Why?
 |
| (Photo from Microsoft Office) |
Back to the experiment. Our kids love doing experiments, especially if they seem risky because there's going to be a molecular reaction. Grab the protective eyewear!
The supplies were a 9 volt battery, a small glass, baking soda, tape, protective eyewear and two 9-inch pieces of insulated copper wire.
 |
| Trimming the end of the plastic on the insulated wire exposing the copper wire. |
 |
| Taping the wires to the battery |
 |
| Patiently waiting while wearing protective eyewear. |
 |
| Double-checking to make sure the wires are connected. |
The kids then attached the copper wires to each end of the battery. One on the positive side, one on the negative. The glass was 3/4 full of water and 1 teaspoon of baking soda was thoroughly stirred in the water.
They then placed the two wires in the water. DO NOT LET THE WIRES TOUCH!!! I do not know what will happen if they do, but I'm a rule follower and the book instructed us to not let them touch. So we will not let them touch! You'll have to go to Mythbusters to have them find out what will happen if the wires touch.
Within a few minutes the ends of the wires started bubbling like crazy. The wire attached to the positive side of the battery quickly began turning a blueish green color. Oh, the excitement!!
 |
| Wires immersed, and NOT touching! |
 |
| The bubbles are starting. |
 |
| See the greenness? See the bubbles? |
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| Going Green! Still bubbling? |
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| Check out the results! |
So what did we learn?
In the glass were billions and billions of water molecules (h2o). Water molecules are compounds- hydrogen and oxygen. When we immersed the wires into the water while they were connected to the battery, electricity began flowing through the water. The bubbling we witnessed was actually water molecules being broken down from the energy in the electricity into hydrogen and oxygen atoms turning them into gases, hence the bubbling. This is worth repeating, the electricity broke apart the h2o molecules into separate hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Note: hydrogen is an explosive gas, oxygen we need to breathe. Combined they create water. Amazing!
Why did one wire turn a blueish-green color?
When we placed the copper wire in the baking soda water with the electricity many chemical reactions were occurring. Baking soda contains carbon atoms. We've already mentioned the breaking up of the water molecules creating the gas. The copper atoms linked with some of the oxygen atoms, carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms creating a new molecule called copper hydroxycarbonate. Copper hydroxycarbonate is the blueish-green substance we saw on the end of one of the wires.
So, now we've discovered why copper and or bronze (copper & tin) statues when exposed to weather undergo similar chemical reactions. The copper, and or bronze reacts with the hydrogen, oxygen and carbon atoms in the air combining to make copper hydroxycarbonate...the blueish-green color.
It's amazing! I learn something new everyday and I think I can safely say our kids do too!
Maybe I'll GET science after all. It's never too late.
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