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Be Specific

In this activity students determine the specific heat of various metals. The metals are heated in boiling water and transferred to a calorimeter. Students measure temperature changes of the water in the calorimeter and use that data to calculate the specific heat of the particular metal.

Boyle’s Law

In this activity students observe the relationship between pressure and volume. By stacking textbooks on top of a sealed syringe the students can measure how the volume of air in the syringe changes as the pressure (# of books) is changed. Various pressure/volume graphs can be generated to show the relationship between the variables. Several demos accompany this activity to make connections between pressure, area and force.

Can You Stand The Heat?

What affects the rate of a chemical reaction? Students test the affect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction. By burning simple birthday candles in environments with different temperatures students can literally see the affect of these changes. The activity is accompanied with demonstrations and discussion to help determine why the specific results were obtained.

Don’t Let It Phase You!

What happens when a substance undergoes a phase change? Students will investigate what happens to the temperature of a substance as it changes phase. A TI-83+ calculator with LabPro interface and temperature probe are used to collect temperature data and generate a temperature vs. time graph. The students can freeze lauric acid, or they can simply heat ice water.

Keep It Super Simple

Simple machines are all around us! In this activity students have the opportunity to explore various pulley set-ups as well as simple levers. They can find the mechanical advantage and efficiency of their apparatus. The work done can also be calculated and compared to a situation not involving a simple machine. A large-scale double pulley system and lever are available for demonstrations and to engage the students.