Student Reports #2
Winter 2004
Donna Caspio
Plastics Breakthrough
Time: 15-20min
Grade level: 2-4
What’s is happening?
The flexibility and moldability of plastics allows them to cling to surfaces and fit tightly around or inside many different shapes. Some plastics have carbon fibers in them which makes them lightweight and stronger than steel! These plastics are used in racing bicycles, tennis racquets, and even airplane bodies.
Some Questions to think about
1.
Can you think of any special uses for this type of plastic?
2.
What products do you think could be made from this plastic so
that the contents will not leak even if it is punctured?
Reference: “The Best of WonderScience” p. 192
Grade
level: 1st – 3rd
Strategy:
in pairs or small groups
Time: 10 – 15 min.
Overview:
Density is a measurement of how much a given volume of something weighs. Things that are less dense than water will float in water; and, things that are denser than water will sink. In this particular activity, students will learn about Lava Lite. The “lava” in a Lava Lite doesn’t mix with the liquid that surrounds it. When it’s cool, the “lava” becomes a little be denser than the liquid surrounding it. When it rests on the bottom of the Lite, the light bulb in the lamp will warm it up. As it warms up, the lava slowly expands. Finally, when it’s warm enough, the lava becomes less dense than the liquid and thus rising up to the top to float. When it’s at the top, it cools down and sinks again. The cycle will continue to repeat.
Purpose:
Students will gain a better understanding about density, why certain objects float or sink.
Materials:
Procedure:
Questions to think about:
1. When you poured the vegetable oil into the cup and as everything settles, is the oil on top of the water or underneath it?
------------
Conclusion:
In the following activity, students will have learned that oil floats on water because it is lighter than water. Thus, water is denser than oil. They will also learn that salt is heavier than water. Therefore, when they poured salt on the oil, it sank to the bottom of the cup, carrying a blob of oil with it. As the salt started to dissolve, it released the oil, which then floated back up to the top of the water.
Brandi
Soto
BERNOULLI
EFFECT
Area of Science:
Physics
Grade level: 4-6
Strategy: In pairs
Time: 15-20mins
Ever wonder what
helps an airplane fly? Airplanes use the air moving over the wings to help five
them lift. This is called the Bernoulli Effect.
To teach the
students how the Bernoulli Effect is used.
Paper
Scissors
Transparent tape
Ping-pong Balls
Ruler
Swinging Ping-Pong
Balls
Most people are
surprised when the paper strips actually rise up! This is because of the air
you blow is moving faster that the air underneath near the bottom of the paper.
This means there is more pressure underneath the paper than on top.
The same thing
happens with the ping-pong balls. When you blow in between the two balls, the
fast-moving air helps pull the balls closer together. The air traveling over
the curved surfaces of the balls is faster, and therefore has less pressure
than the air on the outside of the balls. Both balls move to where there is
less pressure, so they move toward the middle and get closer together. The air
pressure on the outsides does not increase, by the pressure in the middle
decreases, making the balls swing toward each other.
Sound Pitches
Julie Halferty
Purpose: This experiment will give insight to how frequency affects the pitch of sound.
Materials needed: Soda cans (preferably one per person), and pencils.
Activity:
1) Ask each student to bring a can of soda to school prior to the demonstration.
2) Give a brief lesson on how the pitch of a sound acts by how rapidly the object giving off sounds vibrates.
3) Divide the students into groups with their cans.
4) Either have them poor out a certain amount, or drink a certain amount of the soda. Each student should have a different amount of liquid left in their can after this procedure.
5) Next let the students play with the different pitches of sounds by tapping their pencils on the sides of the cans. This will create different pitches and they should therefore start figuring out which ones are higher and which ones are lower.
6) Lastly, have the students arrange their cans from highest to lowest pitches. You could even ask each table to come up with a little tune, and award prizes for the best sounding song.
Explanation:
Mixing Colors
Mancilla
Materials: pencil
scissors
white cardboard or heavy white paper
crayons or markers
ruler
a small bowl or a large cup (3 - 4 inch, or 7 - 10 cm diameter rim)
a paper cup
Procedure:
1. Use the bowl to trace a circle onto a piece of white cardboard and cut it out. With the ruler, divide it into six approximately equal sections.
2. Color the six sections with the colors of the spectrum as shown. Try to color as smoothly and evenly as possible.
Green, blue, purple, red, orange, yellow
3. Poke a hole through the middle of the circle and push the pencil part of the way through.
4. Poke a hole in the bottom of the paper cup, a little bit larger than the diameter of the pencil. Turn the cup upside down on a piece of paper, and put the pencil through so the point rests on the paper on a table. Adjust the color wheel's position on the pencil so that it is about 1/2 inch (1 - 2 cm) above the cup.
5. Spin the pencil quickly and observe the color wheel. Adjust as necessary so that the pencil and wheel spin easily.
Conclusion:
The colors on the wheel are the main colors in white light. When the wheel spins fast enough, the colors all appear to blend together, and the wheel looks white. Try experimenting with different color combinations.
ON THE REBOUND
Lauren Vosburg
Topic
Patterns (height of drop/ball's bounce)
Key Question
How does the ball's bounce compare with the height of the drop?
Focus
*Students will discover a pattern relating the height from which a ball is
dropped to the height of its bounce.
*Mathematics is the study of many kinds of patterns, including numbers and
shapes and operations on them.
*Sometimes patterns are studied because they help to explain how the world
works or how to solve practical problems, sometimes because they are
interesting in themselves.
*Measurements are always likely to give slightly different numbers, even if
what is being measured stays the same.
*Graphical display of numbers may make it possible to spot patterns that are
not otherwise obvious, such as comparative size and trends.
Materials for each group:
Plastic golf ball
Normal golf ball
meter stick
small pieces of paper
Graph paper
Background Information
Students intuitively know that the ball will drop to the ground. The force of
gravity is pulling the ball toward the Earth. Students also intuitively know
that the higher the drop, the higher the bounce; the lower the drop, the lower
the bounce. The attention here is on the pattern formed from the data. We
want students to get excited about finding patterns. There is a relationship, a
pattern between the height of the drop and the height of the bounce for a
particular ball striking a particular surface. With the kind of data being gathered,
a line graph is often used to show the results. However, a bar graph is more
understandable for younger students. If they compare the differences in bounce
heights on a bar graph, students should find they form fairly consistent
increments. They can then use this incremental distance to predict the bounce
height for a drop from 120 centimeters.
Measurement is never exact. A measurement can always be taken to another, more
precise decimal place. Measuring a ball in motion is even more difficult. Students
should realize that their measurements are approximate.
Instructions
1. Divide the class into groups of two.
2. To test the bounce, hold the meter stick vertically or tape it to a wall or
pole. Hold the ball so its bottom is even with the designated height and let it
drop; do not throw or push. By standardizing the way the ball is handled, a
variable is being controlled.
3. To measure the bounce, find the distance from the surface to the bottom of
the ball at the height of its bounce.
4. Use a concrete surface if possible.
5. Although the graph starts with zero and rises to 100, more accurate
measurements are likely if students conduct the tests in reverse order,
starting with the 100-centimeter drop.
6. Students should conduct several trials at each height because it requires
practice to read a measurement when an object is in motion. When they are
getting fairly consistent readings, they are ready to record the result.
Students should read the
measurement at eye level.
7. The students should get data for 20cm , 40cm, 60cm, 80cm and 100cm.
Once they have found all the measurements they are to make a graph and see if
they can find a conclusion to the ball bouncing.
Discussion
1. What did you observe when you first dropped the balls (before doing the
investigation)? [They fall to the ground (gravity). They bounce back up,
but not as high. The higher you start, the higher the bounce.
2. What does the bar graph tell us?
3. How do your group's results compare with others? (Variations in the accuracy
of measurements and how well variables are controlled can cause differences.)
4. How can we make a height-of-bounce prediction for a 120-centimeter drop
height? (Have students look for patterns in the bar graph.)
Water Faucet
Balloon
Static Electricity activity
Students should understand that static electricity is the accumulation of an electrical charge. This charge is produced when two objects are rubbed against one another. In this particular activity the charge of the balloon attracts the molecules of water in the stream, and because the molecules in the stream can be moved easily, the stream bends toward the balloon.
Steps:
First the students should blow up the balloon and tie it.
The, they should adjust the water faucet to produce a small stream of water to about 1.5 millimeters in diameter.
The students should then rub the balloon several times on their hair to charge the balloon. After the balloon is charged they should then bring it near the stream to about an inch or less. The balloon should bend towards the balloon.
To add more to the activity the students can also try different things for example they can bring the balloon even closer, maybe increase the stream of water, or charge the balloon a little more.
Sara Pernillo
Vargas
Good Vibrations
Grade Level: 2nd grade or higher
Objective: To provide a concrete model for showing how sound
vibrations travel from a sound maker to our ears. Students will discover that in order for there to be a sound
there must be a 1) vibrating source {the coat hanger}, 2) a material through
which the sound vibrations travel {the string}, 3) a sound receiver {our
ears}.
Materials: metal coat hanger
2 pieces of string (about 50 cm long) – yarn, fishing wire, or tooth floss.
pencil -- optional ( keys or metal spoons)
Procedure: 1. Tie a piece of string to each end of the bottom of the coat hanger.
2. Wrap the other ends of the string a couple of times around your index fingers.
3. Place your index fingers in your ears.
4. Have your partner use a pencil to lightly tap the hanger.
(Describe the sound).
Conclusion: Once the sound reaches your ear, it makes your ear drum and other parts of your ear vibrate. The vibrations cause nerve messages to go to your brain. Your brain interprets these messages as sounds.
There must always be some material for a sound to travel through to get to your ear. Here the material is the string and your finger. Usually the material is the air. When the sound travels through air, it makes particles of the air vibrate, but they are too small for you to see of feel.
Grade Level: 4th-6th
Time: 5-10 min.
Materials: 1 candle
2 business cards
Matches
1 Crayon & Sharpener
Bucket of water or sink nearby
Procedure: 1. Light the candle. Ask the class what will happen when you hold a business card directly over the flame.
2. Hold a business card directly over the flame. (It should catch on fire within a few seconds)
3. Place a pile of crayon shavings on top of the second business card. Ask the class what will happen when you hold this business card directly over the flame.
4. Hold the business card directly over the flame so that the shavings are just above the flame. (The shavings should melt in a short time, but the business card won’t even be burned)
Conclusion: In order for paper to burn, it must reach a temperature of 451 degrees Fahrenheit. Crayon melts at a lower temperature than paper. In the demonstration, heat is transferred from the candle to the paper, and from the paper to the crayon. As the crayon melts, it absorbs heat from the paper just as fast as the paper absorbs heat from the candle. The business card never absorbed enough heat to reach 451 degrees so it does not burn. Cool!
Colliding Coins
Materials:
Stack of 10 to 15 identical coins
What to do:
What is happening?
The science behind this is the Law of Inertia which states that an object at rest will stay at rest---in other words, the object won’t move if it’s not moving already. The stack of coins was at rest. The flicked coin was full of energy. The energy of the flicked coin was transferred to the stack and the bottom penny began to move.
CAN THE PRESSURE
Lauren Perigan
Materials (per
experiment):
Ÿ
Glass canning
jar with tight lid (have an adult poke a hole in the lid just large enough for
a straw)
Ÿ
A fairly
sturdy drinking straw
Ÿ
1-2 cubic
centimeters of modeling clay
Ÿ
1-2 large
marshmallows (not stale)
Ÿ
½ cup to 1
cup drinking water
Ÿ
A plastic
baggie
Ÿ
A rubber band
Ÿ
A paper towel
Make sure there is
an understanding of and review terms like force, pressure, atmosphere,
atmospheric/air pressure, low and high pressure. Discuss how air has weight and
that it pushes on everything to create a force. Show what force does to a
marshmallow by pressing it between your hands, then explain that air can do
this as well.
Ÿ
Have the
students prepare their airtight jars by inserting the straw in the lid and
securing the straw with the modeling clay on both sides of the lid, so that no
air can pass through the lid except through the straw.
Ÿ
Next, the
students should put their marshmallow(s) in the jar and secure the lid tightly
on the jar.
Ÿ
Ask: Is the
pressure in the jar higher, lower, or the same as outside the jar right now?
How can we put more air pressure in the jar? What will that do to the
marshmallow?
Ÿ
Let the
students test their hypothesis, and ask them what will happen with low pressure
and test their guesses again.
Now explain what
air pressure has to do with drinking through a straw. When you drink from an
open glass of water, air pressure allows the water to travel up the
straw.
Ÿ
Have the
students replace the marshmallow(s) with drinking water so that the straw is in
the water when they seal the jar back up.
Ÿ
Have the
students try to suck the water up. They may be able to suck up some, but not
much and it is very difficult.
Ÿ
Discuss: By
sucking on the straw you are reducing the air pressure inside your mouth. While
sucking on the straw, the air pressure in your mouth is less than the
air pressure outside of the straw (in the room, in the glass, etc.). The
outside air pressure is pushing down on the water which forces the water up the
straw. But when air pressure on the water is blocked (when you seal the jar
lid), there is no air pressure to help push the water up your straw. The air
can’t get to the water to push on it, so it doesn't go up the straw.
Ÿ
Finally, have
the students pour out the water in the jar and dry it with the paper towel.
Ÿ
Have the
students open the plastic baggie inside the jar and fold the opening of the baggie
over the mouth of the jar. Try to have the least amount of air as possible
between the baggie and the inside of the jar. Secure the rubber band around the
mouth of the jar tightly, so that no air can escape or enter the jar.
Ÿ
Ask the
students to try to pull the baggie up from inside the jar, outside.
Ÿ
Let the
students try to explain why.
The pressure
inside and outside the jar is the same. When attempting to pull the baggie out,
you are keeping the same pressure inside the jar because it is airtight, but
you are trying to increase the volume which makes the air have to spread out;
thus reducing the pressure. Now there is greater pressure outside the jar
pushing on the baggie, and keeping it in the jar.
*If time allows or
more explanation of pressure is needed, discuss how air pressure affects our
bodies. Explain how pressure is different at different altitudes and how we
need to “crack our ears” when we go to the mountains, and why our ears hurt
when we dive to the bottom of the swimming pool. (If air has so much pressure,
and it weighs so little, imagine what heavy water can do!)
Crystal Caskey
SCI 210 Lab
Presentation: 2- point discrimination
test
Purpose:
For students to be able to answer this question: What areas of their bodies are the most sensitive to touch? To explore the difference in the degree of sensitivity the skin holds on different body parts. (ie. Hands, feet, thigh, forearm, etc.)
Materials:
Toothpicks
Procedure:
To find out what areas of the skin are more sensitive have the students perform a 2-point discrimination exam of a friend. Give each pair to student’s two toothpicks. Make sure the tips of the toothpicks are not too sharp! If so, press the points against a hard surface to create a more blunt end on the pick.
Have the pairs of students begin taking turns testing different areas on each other.
The Test:
While one student is performing the test, the other student should be closing their eyes so they cannot see where the toothpicks are. Make sure the students do not press too hard! The student performing the test on a body part will begin by touching the toothpick tips on the skin several inches apart and slowly work the picks closer together. Make sure both tips touch the skin at the same time while moving them together. Have the student ask their partner if he or she felt 1 or 2 pressure points every time the picks move. If the student reported 1 point, spread the tips of the pick a bit further apart, and touch the previous point again. If the student reports 2 points have their partner open their eyes and see where their 2-point discrimination is on that body part. Then have the students measure the distance at which the subject reports, “I feel 2 points”. They will do this for all the body parts tested. After one student has performed the test, have the students switch roles.
Testing Areas: 1
pressure point (cm) 2 pressure points
(cm)
|
Finger |
|
|
|
Lip |
|
|
|
Cheek |
|
|
|
Nose |
|
|
|
Palm |
|
|
|
Forehead |
|
|
|
Foot |
|
|
|
Belly |
|
|
|
Forearm |
|
|
|
Upper arm |
|
|
|
Back |
|
|
|
Shoulder |
|
|
|
Thigh |
|
|
|
Calf |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Critical Thinking:
When the activity is finished you can have the students look at their data and determine what parts of the body are most sensitive. In other words, where on the body can 2 points be detected with the smallest tip separation? The students will discover that the receptors in our skin are not distributed evenly on our bodies. Some places, like our fingers and lips, have more touch receptors than other parts.
Materials:
· One small zip-lock bag - small freezer bags work best.
· Baking soda
· Warm water
· Vinegar
· Measuring cup
· A tissue
Procedure:
1. Go outside - or at least do this in the kitchen sink.
2. Put 1/4 cup of pretty warm water
into the bag.
3. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water in the bag.
3. Put 3 teaspoons of baking soda
into the middle of the tissue
4. Wrap the baking soda up in the
tissue by folding the tissue around it.
5. You will have to work fast now -
partially zip the bag closed but leave enough space to add the baking soda
packet. Put the tissue with the baking soda into the bag and quickly zip the
bag completely closed.
6. Put the bag in the sink or down
on the ground (outside) and step back. The bag will start to expand, and
expand, and if all goes well...POP!
What happens inside the bag is actually pretty interesting - the baking soda and the vinegar eventually mix (the tissue buys you some time to zip the bag shut). When they do mix, you create an ACID-BASE reaction. The two chemicals work together to create a gas, (carbon dioxide - the stuff we breathe out). Well it turns out gasses need a lot of room and the carbon dioxide starts to fill the bag, and keeps filling the bag until the bag can no longer hold it any more and, POP!
Susan
Flanagan
Make a Magnet
Float in the Air
2nd grade level
Materials:
2 round magnets
pencil
washers
Procedure:
1. Place 1 magnet of table.
2. Put lead point of pencil in center hole of magnet.
3. Slide other magnet down pencil.
4. Did 2nd magnet float in air?
5. Try again; take top magnet off, flip over and slide
down pencil.
Observation:
One side of magnet will float in the air. The other side affixes to the bottom magnet.
Questions:
Why does one side float and the other side doesn’t?
Explanation:
A magnet consists of two different ends or sides called
poles. It has a north pole and a south
pole. When like poles are brought near
each other they repel or push each other away, but when opposite poles are
brought together they attract each other or stick together. The area between the repelling magnets is
the magnetic field. It is an invisible
force that surrounds a magnet.
2nd Procedure:
1. Measure area
between the magnets.
2. Place washers on top of floating magnet.
3. How many does it take to counteract the magnetic force?
What would happen if you
tried to float the magnet without the pencil?
Magnetism: The Floating Paper Clip
By Crystal Carter
Problem:
Can a paper clip float in the
air?
Research:
Magnetism is a force that attracts iron,
nickel and cobalt. Combinations of these metals as alloys can become permanent
sources of magnetism. They are called magnets. It also both attracts and repels
other magnets. The force that attracts and repels two magnets is a force that
acts at a distance called magnetism or magnetic force. There are a few
rare-earth materials such as bismuth that are actually repelled by a magnet.
The force is very weak, but it is interesting that it is opposite of iron. The
opposite ends of a magnet are called its north and south poles. In reality,
they should be called the "north seeking" and "south
seeking" poles, because they seek the Earth's North Pole and South Pole,
respectively.
Materials:
·
One paper clip
·
One magnet
·
A piece of fishing
string
·
A piece of tape
Procedure:
1) Tie the fishing string or line to the
paper clip.
2) Tape the other end of the string to the
table.
3) Hold the magnet just above the paper clip
so it appears to float at the end of the thread.
Conclusion:
By
doing this experiment, the child can see that science can be fun and not even
look like an experiment, but a magic trick. You could let the student
experiment with other magnets that are bigger or stronger and see which one
makes the paper clip float more freely through the air. You can have them see
if they attract or repel each other. The students will learn about magnetism
and how each time you cut the magnet, two poles form on each new magnet. You
could also put beads on the paper clip and let the children experiment with the
strength of the magnet, depending on how much weight can be picked up by the
magnet.
Norma Franco
Shock Them All
Concepts Taught: How a Battery Works.
Materials:
Experiment
Experiment first dome by the Italian physicist
Allessandra Volta 200 years ago.
Instruction:
·
Soak the paper towel strips
in the lemon juice.
·
Make a pile of coins,
alternating dimes
and pennies. Separate each one with a lemon-soaked strip of paper towel.
·
Moisten one finger tip on each hand and hold the pile
between your fingers.
Questions:
What did you feel?
What is the function of the lemon juice?
If you place the lemon soaked strips at the top and bottom of a stack of one penny and one dime would you have the same reaction? Why?
Closure: You have mad a wet cell, the forerunner
of the battery we buy at the store. The lemon juice, an acid solution, conducts
the electricity created by the separated metals of the coins. What we call a
battery is actually two or dry cells. In each dry cell, 2 metals (a zinc metal
container and a carbon rod) are separated by blotting paper soaked in a strong
acid.
Krista Lane
Purpose: In this activity students will use a flashlight to learn more about electric circuits and discover different kinds of materials through which electricity can travel.
Materials Needed: standard 2-battery flashlight, blunt-end scissors, pencil, quarter, nickel, and penny, paper, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap.
Activity:
Explanation: Have students separate the materials they tested into conductors and insulators. A conductor is a material that is usually metal through which electric charge can flow. An insulator is a material that is a poor conductor of electricity. After the students separate the materials ask them if the bulb was brighter with some conductors than with others?
Source: Wonder Science Book Volume I.
Javier Gudino
How to Make a Rainbow
Experiment # 2
Grade Level: 3-4
Suggested time: 15 minutes
Objective:
Definition:
Predictions:
Materials:
Procedure:
Conclusions:
The Reappearing Coin
By Garry Prado
Purpose:
To demonstrate that light refracts.
Materials: Non-transparent Bowl Straw
Coin Water
Transparent Cup
Engage: