Monday, March 29, 2010
Build A Battery by: Carla and Tabbatha
Experiment # 1
Carla Shoemaker & Tabbatha Monroe
February 2010
First we will need the following items:
Materials:
2 wires with stripped ends
6 copper coins (pennies)
Tape
Marker
Saucer
Paper towels
Scissors
Aluminum Foil
Warm salty water
Ear Phones
Now lets do the procedure:
Draw and cut out 6 coin-sized foil circles and paper circles
Tape one wire to a coin and the other wire to a foil circle
Dip a paper circle in the warm salty
water
Put the foil circle with a wire on the saucer and place the wet paper circle and a coin on top
Build up more layers of foil, wet paper, and coins. The coin with the wire goes on top. This is your battery.
Attach the end of one wire to the base of the plug of the earphones
Put on the earphones and scrape the end of the wire on the tip of the plug. You should hear crackles in the earphone.
Did you hear anything?
Did you know that when you place aluminum, salt, and copper together. They make electricity.
Then, the electricity goes to the earphones and makes the sound you should have heard.
Extra: Since the invention of the first Voltaic pile in 1800 by Alessandro Volta, the battery has become a common power source for many household and industrial application. According to a 2005 estimate the worldwide battery industry generates $ 48 billion dollars in the United States in sales per year!
Answers to questions: Batteries are used for everything from flashlights, ipods, calculators, TV remotes, and cameras. We use them as a source of power to make thing run, play, and work effectively. The parts of the battery that we need to know are the anode (-), the cathode (+), and the electrons and electrolytes. A home-made bettery is not as powerful as one we can buy at the store.
Carla Shoemaker & Tabbatha Monroe
February 2010
Build a battery
Questions to think about before we get started: What are batteries used for? Why do we need them? What do you think they are made of? Can we build a battery on our own? Will it be as powerful as a store bought battery?
Science Standards:
GLE 0307., 0407., 0507. Inq. 1 Explore different phenomena by asking questions, making logical predictions, planning investigations, and recording data.
GLE 0307., 0407., 0507. Inq. 2 Select and use appropriate tools and simple equipment to conduct an investigation.
Background Information: Electricity as you probably already know is the flow of electrons through a conductive path like wire. This path is called a circuit. Batteries have three parts: the anode (-), the cathode (+), and the electrolyte. More information
Classroom Demonstration Activity:
Questions to think about before we get started: What are batteries used for? Why do we need them? What do you think they are made of? Can we build a battery on our own? Will it be as powerful as a store bought battery?
Science Standards:
GLE 0307., 0407., 0507. Inq. 1 Explore different phenomena by asking questions, making logical predictions, planning investigations, and recording data.
GLE 0307., 0407., 0507. Inq. 2 Select and use appropriate tools and simple equipment to conduct an investigation.
Background Information: Electricity as you probably already know is the flow of electrons through a conductive path like wire. This path is called a circuit. Batteries have three parts: the anode (-), the cathode (+), and the electrolyte. More information
Classroom Demonstration Activity:
Lemon Power
18 gauge copper wire, wire clippers, steel paper clip, sheet of course sandpaper, & lemon
1. Teacher should strip two inches of the insulation off the copper wire (you might want to have this already done).Clip the two inches of bare wire with the wire clippers.
2. Straighten out the paper clip and cut about two inches of the straightened steel wire, or use a two inch strip of zinc.
3. Use the sandpaper to smooth any rough spots on the wire and paper clip or the piece of zinc.
4. Squeeze the lemon gently with you hands. But do not rupture the lemons skin. (Rolling it on a table with a little pressure works great).
5. Push the pieces of the paper clip and the wire into the lemon so that they aer very close together, but not touching.
6. Moisten the tip of you tongue with saliva. Touch the tip of your wet tongue to the free ends of the two wires. (You should be able to feel a slight tingle on the tip of your tongue and you should taste a metallic taste).
1. Teacher should strip two inches of the insulation off the copper wire (you might want to have this already done).Clip the two inches of bare wire with the wire clippers.
2. Straighten out the paper clip and cut about two inches of the straightened steel wire, or use a two inch strip of zinc.
3. Use the sandpaper to smooth any rough spots on the wire and paper clip or the piece of zinc.
4. Squeeze the lemon gently with you hands. But do not rupture the lemons skin. (Rolling it on a table with a little pressure works great).
5. Push the pieces of the paper clip and the wire into the lemon so that they aer very close together, but not touching.
6. Moisten the tip of you tongue with saliva. Touch the tip of your wet tongue to the free ends of the two wires. (You should be able to feel a slight tingle on the tip of your tongue and you should taste a metallic taste).
A battery contains chemicals that it uses to make electricity. You can make your own battery with materials that you may find in any junk drawer. When these chemicals are combined they produce electricity.
Lets Experiment now!
Lets Experiment now!
First we will need the following items:
Materials:
2 wires with stripped ends
6 copper coins (pennies)
Tape
Marker
Saucer
Paper towels
Scissors
Aluminum Foil
Warm salty water
Ear Phones
Now lets do the procedure:
Draw and cut out 6 coin-sized foil circles and paper circles
Tape one wire to a coin and the other wire to a foil circle
Dip a paper circle in the warm salty
water
Put the foil circle with a wire on the saucer and place the wet paper circle and a coin on top
Build up more layers of foil, wet paper, and coins. The coin with the wire goes on top. This is your battery.
Attach the end of one wire to the base of the plug of the earphones
Put on the earphones and scrape the end of the wire on the tip of the plug. You should hear crackles in the earphone.
Did you hear anything?
Did you know that when you place aluminum, salt, and copper together. They make electricity.
Then, the electricity goes to the earphones and makes the sound you should have heard.
Extra: Since the invention of the first Voltaic pile in 1800 by Alessandro Volta, the battery has become a common power source for many household and industrial application. According to a 2005 estimate the worldwide battery industry generates $ 48 billion dollars in the United States in sales per year!
Answers to questions: Batteries are used for everything from flashlights, ipods, calculators, TV remotes, and cameras. We use them as a source of power to make thing run, play, and work effectively. The parts of the battery that we need to know are the anode (-), the cathode (+), and the electrons and electrolytes. A home-made bettery is not as powerful as one we can buy at the store.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Find Out About Floating
Find Out About Floating
Experiment/Activity # 2
Carla Shoemaker and Tabbatha Monroe
Feb. 20, 2010
Questions to think about before we get started:
Why do you think some things will float and some things do not? Does it have anything to do with what the item you are trying to float is made of? What does buoyancy? Does floating or sinking have anything to do with gravity?
Science Standards:
GLE 0407. Inq. 1 Explore different scientific phenomena by asking questions, making logical predictions, planning investigations, and recording data.
GLE 0407.9.1 Collect data to illustrate that the physical properties of matter can be described with tools that measure weight, mass, length, and volume.
Background information:
What you will need for the experiment: kitchen scale, pitcher of water, big glass jar or pitcher, small glass jar, and a large pan
Step 1: Place the kitchen scale into the large pan . Place the large jar onto the kitchen scale. Next, fill the big jar with water (put the water all the way to the rim of the jar without overflowing the water). Write down the weight.
Step 2: Float the small jar in the big jar. This will make the water in the big jar overflow or spill out into the large dish. The weight of the big jar does not change.
Step 3: Carefully remove the big jar and the scale from the large dish. Put the pan on the scale and adjust them to zero. Pour the water that spilled our of the jar when you floated the small jar into the pan.
Step 4: Write down the weight of the water in the pan. Remove the pan and set your scales to zero.
Step 5: Last, weigh the small jar that was floating in the big jar. What you will discover is that it has the same weight as the water that was displaced!
Extra: Look at the picture in the left hand corner of the science book. Why is that man able to float so well? Where do you think he is floating at? Hint: The Dead Sea in Israel
The dead Sea is also known as "The Salt Sea" because it is one of the world's saltest bodies of water with a 33.7% salinity. It is 8.6 times more salty than the ocean. Think about why all that salt helps you to float?
Answers to questions: Some thing float and some do not depending on their mass, and the amount of water they displace when the are placed into water. It does matter what the object is made out of, but mainly it has to do with the amount of displaced water. think about huge ships made of heavy iron and steel; however they are able to float on the ocean, because of the amount of water they displace as the move along. Buoyancy is the upward force that keeps things afloat. Gravity does have something to do with floating. Gravity is the downward force on an object causing the object to want to sink.
Carla Shoemaker and Tabbatha Monroe
Feb. 20, 2010
Questions to think about before we get started:
Why do you think some things will float and some things do not? Does it have anything to do with what the item you are trying to float is made of? What does buoyancy? Does floating or sinking have anything to do with gravity?
Science Standards:
GLE 0407. Inq. 1 Explore different scientific phenomena by asking questions, making logical predictions, planning investigations, and recording data.
GLE 0407.9.1 Collect data to illustrate that the physical properties of matter can be described with tools that measure weight, mass, length, and volume.
Background information:
Why do boats float and rocks sink?
An object will float in water if it displaces enough water, but how much water is enough? You can find this out by collecting the displaced water, and then weighing that water. The water should weigh the same as the floating object.When an object is placed in water, there are two primary forces acting on it. The force of gravity yields a downward force and a buoyancy force yields and upward force. The gravitational force is determined by the objects weight, and the buoyancy force is determined by the the weight of the water displaced by the object when it is placed in the water. More information
Classroom Demonstration Activity: Bring in several pitchers of water. Fill the pitchers about half full. Have different students go around to the pitchers and with pushed up sleeves allow them to place their hand in the bottom of the pitcher. Ask students if they noticed that the water level in the pitcher rose when their hand was on the bottom of the pitcher? Ask them if they take a bath or shower? Tell them that if the take a bath when the fill up the tub they should notice that when the sit in the water the water level will rise, because their body is displacing water. Tell the history story of Archimedes.
Lets Experiment Now:
pg. 18 Find out about floating
Classroom Demonstration Activity: Bring in several pitchers of water. Fill the pitchers about half full. Have different students go around to the pitchers and with pushed up sleeves allow them to place their hand in the bottom of the pitcher. Ask students if they noticed that the water level in the pitcher rose when their hand was on the bottom of the pitcher? Ask them if they take a bath or shower? Tell them that if the take a bath when the fill up the tub they should notice that when the sit in the water the water level will rise, because their body is displacing water. Tell the history story of Archimedes.
Lets Experiment Now:
pg. 18 Find out about floating
What you will need for the experiment: kitchen scale, pitcher of water, big glass jar or pitcher, small glass jar, and a large pan
Step 1: Place the kitchen scale into the large pan . Place the large jar onto the kitchen scale. Next, fill the big jar with water (put the water all the way to the rim of the jar without overflowing the water). Write down the weight.
Step 2: Float the small jar in the big jar. This will make the water in the big jar overflow or spill out into the large dish. The weight of the big jar does not change.
Step 3: Carefully remove the big jar and the scale from the large dish. Put the pan on the scale and adjust them to zero. Pour the water that spilled our of the jar when you floated the small jar into the pan.
Step 4: Write down the weight of the water in the pan. Remove the pan and set your scales to zero.
Step 5: Last, weigh the small jar that was floating in the big jar. What you will discover is that it has the same weight as the water that was displaced!
Extra: Look at the picture in the left hand corner of the science book. Why is that man able to float so well? Where do you think he is floating at? Hint: The Dead Sea in Israel
The dead Sea is also known as "The Salt Sea" because it is one of the world's saltest bodies of water with a 33.7% salinity. It is 8.6 times more salty than the ocean. Think about why all that salt helps you to float?
Answers to questions: Some thing float and some do not depending on their mass, and the amount of water they displace when the are placed into water. It does matter what the object is made out of, but mainly it has to do with the amount of displaced water. think about huge ships made of heavy iron and steel; however they are able to float on the ocean, because of the amount of water they displace as the move along. Buoyancy is the upward force that keeps things afloat. Gravity does have something to do with floating. Gravity is the downward force on an object causing the object to want to sink.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
It's Electric !
Experiment #3
Carla Shoemaker
March 10, 2010
Questions to think about before we get started:
What is static electricity?
What causes static electricity?
Does it have something to do with friction? What is friction?
Why does there seem to be more static electricity in the winter?
Science Standards: 4th grade standard 11 Motion
GLE 0407.11.1 Design a simple investigation to demonstrate how friction effects the movement of an object
5th grade standard 10 Energy
GLE 0507.11.1 Demonstrate different ways energy can be transferred from one object to another
Background information: You walk across a room, scrubbing your feet you reach the doorknob and ZAP!! you feel a shock. Or, you come inside from the cold. You pull your toboggan off of your head and WHOOPS!! your hair stands out from your head. What is happening here?
Everything around us is made of atoms (so far scientists have found only 115 different kinds of atoms). Everything is made of different combination of these atoms. More information
Classroom Demonstration Activity:
1. Tell students to think about how the solar system works, the sun is the center of the solar system. Each of the nine planets orbit around the sun.
2. Have one student be the sun (really they are the atoms).
3. Have nine other students be the planets (really they are the protons, electrons, and neutrons).
4. Explain to students that an atom is mostly empty space, and the electrons are very far away from the nucleus.
5. Have students (the atoms) hold marbles (protons, electrons) in their hands.
6. As the nine students begin to move around have them exchange or transfer marbles with each other.
7. While students are doing this play the song It's Electric on the computer. (I did not include a link to this song because I have a computer virus right now, but will include it later)
8. This gives students a visual aid to how electrons and protons are transferred from one atom to another.
Lets Experiment Now:
page 85 Wave A magic wand
Materials you will need:
pencil, glass bowl, silver balls for cake decoration (I used sprinkles and they worked just as well), LP record, and a clean dry cloth or handkerchief
Procedure:
Step 1: Rub the record briskly with the handkerchief. It will gain electricity. I put the handkerchief in the dryer with some other towels for a few minutes before I rubbed the record. This caused the handkerchief the become more static filled.
Step 2: Immediately put the record on top of the glass bowl. Have the silver balls or cake decorations ready. Drop a few of the balls or sprinkles on the record. you will see that they roll about and then suddenly stop. This is because some parts of the record have more static than other parts and this area attracts the decorations.
Step 3: Take a very sharp pencil and take it toward the balls or sprinkles. They will move away from the lead of the pencil. Some actually will jump off the record. The electricity gets weaker where the pencil points.
In closing: Electricity can have great power. For example, it can make machines work, drive fast trains, run your television and radio, and make the toaster or oven work. Electricity travels from power stations along wires and into power points. We have just seen that electricity can also be on object or in our bodies as well this kind of electricity that we have just made is what is known as static electricity!
Extra:
There are so many activities for demonstrations of static electricity in the classroom. I would also have the students do the balloon activity. Rubbing a balloon on their hair and sticking it to a wall. I also have a cool activity called Super Sparker which can be found on the website http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/sparker.html. ( I will talk about this activity in class when I present my project).
Answers to questions: I hope now we have an idea what static electricity is, friction is the rubbing of one object against another( we created this when we rubbed the cloth on the record), and why is there more static electricity in the winter than in the summer? In the winter the air is much dryer than in the summer. Friction needs drier air to make static electricity. In the summer the air is much more humid or has more water vapor in it.
Extended Resources
Erin Roth
Carla Shoemaker
March 10, 2010
Static Electricity
Questions to think about before we get started:
What is static electricity?
What causes static electricity?
Does it have something to do with friction? What is friction?
Why does there seem to be more static electricity in the winter?
Science Standards: 4th grade standard 11 Motion
GLE 0407.11.1 Design a simple investigation to demonstrate how friction effects the movement of an object
5th grade standard 10 Energy
GLE 0507.11.1 Demonstrate different ways energy can be transferred from one object to another
Background information: You walk across a room, scrubbing your feet you reach the doorknob and ZAP!! you feel a shock. Or, you come inside from the cold. You pull your toboggan off of your head and WHOOPS!! your hair stands out from your head. What is happening here?
Everything around us is made of atoms (so far scientists have found only 115 different kinds of atoms). Everything is made of different combination of these atoms. More information
Classroom Demonstration Activity:
1. Tell students to think about how the solar system works, the sun is the center of the solar system. Each of the nine planets orbit around the sun.
2. Have one student be the sun (really they are the atoms).
3. Have nine other students be the planets (really they are the protons, electrons, and neutrons).
4. Explain to students that an atom is mostly empty space, and the electrons are very far away from the nucleus.
5. Have students (the atoms) hold marbles (protons, electrons) in their hands.
6. As the nine students begin to move around have them exchange or transfer marbles with each other.
7. While students are doing this play the song It's Electric on the computer. (I did not include a link to this song because I have a computer virus right now, but will include it later)
8. This gives students a visual aid to how electrons and protons are transferred from one atom to another.
Lets Experiment Now:
page 85 Wave A magic wand
Materials you will need:
pencil, glass bowl, silver balls for cake decoration (I used sprinkles and they worked just as well), LP record, and a clean dry cloth or handkerchief
Procedure:Step 1: Rub the record briskly with the handkerchief. It will gain electricity. I put the handkerchief in the dryer with some other towels for a few minutes before I rubbed the record. This caused the handkerchief the become more static filled.
Step 2: Immediately put the record on top of the glass bowl. Have the silver balls or cake decorations ready. Drop a few of the balls or sprinkles on the record. you will see that they roll about and then suddenly stop. This is because some parts of the record have more static than other parts and this area attracts the decorations.
Step 3: Take a very sharp pencil and take it toward the balls or sprinkles. They will move away from the lead of the pencil. Some actually will jump off the record. The electricity gets weaker where the pencil points.
In closing: Electricity can have great power. For example, it can make machines work, drive fast trains, run your television and radio, and make the toaster or oven work. Electricity travels from power stations along wires and into power points. We have just seen that electricity can also be on object or in our bodies as well this kind of electricity that we have just made is what is known as static electricity!
Extra:
There are so many activities for demonstrations of static electricity in the classroom. I would also have the students do the balloon activity. Rubbing a balloon on their hair and sticking it to a wall. I also have a cool activity called Super Sparker which can be found on the website http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/sparker.html. ( I will talk about this activity in class when I present my project).
Answers to questions: I hope now we have an idea what static electricity is, friction is the rubbing of one object against another( we created this when we rubbed the cloth on the record), and why is there more static electricity in the winter than in the summer? In the winter the air is much dryer than in the summer. Friction needs drier air to make static electricity. In the summer the air is much more humid or has more water vapor in it.
Extended Resources
Erin Roth
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