12 Days of Science at Christmas #12DOSAC @Oamc Science
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12 Days of Science at Christmas #12DOSAC @oamc_science Within this booklet you will have the opportunity to carry out your own experiments in the comfort of your own home! You will also consider the skills you are developing along the way and how these skills connect with STEM careers. There will also be a poster competition where you can win a prize! 1 Experiment 1: Hot Chocolate Marshmallows Goal: Learn about the effect of temperature on the rate of reaction. What you will need: 3 x Mugs Water/Milk Hot chocolate mix Spoon Timer Spoon For the activity to be valid only one variable should change, everything else should stay the same. For this experiment we are changing the temperature of the hot chocolate. We must keep the volume of milk, type of cup, spoonful of hot chocolate powder and marshmallows the same. Directions: 1) Measure the volume of milk (or water) into three separate mugs. 2) Heat up in microwave. First mug for 100 seconds, second mug for 50 seconds, third mug for 20 seconds. 3) Make observations and answer the following questions at 30 second intervals. Questions to ask: - How do the marshmallows change as they melt? - Why do you think marshmallows melt faster in the warmer drink? - Do you think the marshmallows would melt faster if you pushed them below the surface? 2 What is happening? As temperature increases, the rate of reaction also increases. As the temperature of the hot chocolate increases, this causes the particles within the marshmallows to collide faster. Rate of reaction is the time taken for a reaction to complete. Examples of this in action are cookies bake faster at higher temperatures, or bread dough rises more quickly in a warm place than in a cool one. The goal of any industry is to make as much money as possible, so industries are keen to try and have as fast a rate as possible. Who uses this in real life? Understanding the rates of chemical reactions is important for controlling food spoilage in industry. Jobs which consider the rates of reactions including food packaging scientists (to reduce food spoilage), battery manufacturers (to ensure longevity of batteries) and even clothes detergent manufacturers. Scientists must also consider the rate of reactions when creating make-up, for example when putting on foundation we as consumers want it to automatically match our skin tone. What skills are developed? - Communication skills as you must be able to work effectively in a team setting. - Problem solving skills as it can be trial and error. - Mathematical skills as you are dealing with various concentrations and volumes. Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science 3 Experiment 2: Wintery Hot Soap Cloud Goal: Learn how air expands when heated! What you will need: • One bar of Ivory soap (must be ivory soap!!!!) • A shallow dish • A microwave Directions: Make sure you have permission and supervision from your parent/guardian to use the microwave for this activity 1. Unwrap one bar of soap and place onto a plate in your microwave. 2. Set the timer for 2.5 minutes and “cook” the soap on high. It will only take a few seconds before it starts to swell and grow. 3. The soap will stop expanding after a couple of minutes. The resulting fluffy- looking mass will be hot to the touch and will feel dry and brittle, not soft as one would expect. Use heat resistant gloves to remove plate from microwave! 4. Leave for a few minutes to cool down. Now try crumbling, squishing, and mixing the whole mess with water, chuck the whole thing in the bin. Don’t flush it down the sink because it may clog your drains. If you don’t have the resources you can watch this video to view the experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TN9VLOlThA Enjoy the superclean smell after you’re done! 4 What is happening? When soap is made it is whipped up like icing. This whipping traps a lot of air inside of the soap. When air gets hot it expands – it gets bigger. So, when you put it in the microwave, the air in the soap heats up, expands, and makes the whole bar of soap expand. Who Uses This in Real Life? NASA must consider how heat affects air pressure in Earth’s atmosphere when designing rockets. Heating of the Earth during climate change in turn heats the atmosphere. This increase in temperature makes the molecules in the atmosphere move faster. The Earth's atmosphere is an extremely thin sheet of air extending from the surface of the Earth to the edge of space. NASA must be aware of air pressures as this will impact the ability of the rocket to escape earth’s atmosphere to reach space! What skills are being developed? - Attention to detail - Problem solving skills - Safety skills Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science 5 Experiment 3: Deck the Halls with Science Goal: Learn how detectives use separation of compounds to solve crimes! What you will need: Water-soluble markers - Variety of colours including black Coffee filters or large filter papers Use the patterns to make light bulbs Scissors White pipe cleaners (cut in half or smaller) Small cups Directions 1) Use a marker to make a small circle in the centre of the bulb area. 2) You may use two or more markers, but too many colours will cause the final product to be smeared. 3) One end of a white pipe cleaner should be inserted into the centre of the ink dot. The other end should be placed into a container of water. 4) The filter paper should not touch the water. 5) Allow time for the water to travel through the filter paper and reach the edges (couple minutes). 6) Remove the pipe cleaner and place the light bulbs in an area where they can dry. 7) Once they are dry, tape the light bulbs to a piece of black string to create a string of lights. Decorate your room or hallway! What is happening? 6 Chromatography is a process for separating components of a mixture. The different components of the mixture travel at different speeds, causing them to separate from one another. The largest molecules of the mixture will travel more slowly while the smallest one’s race ahead. Who uses this in real life? The Police and other detectives use chromatography when trying to solve a crime Chromatography is used to test evidence such as blood or hair from a crime scene. This allows investigators to understand the crime better and to develop theories on what exactly happened. We now know of over 60 types of explosive and over 2000 poisons and illicit drugs. Establishing which of these is present in a sample taken from a crime scene typically involves separation using gas or liquid chromatography. Looking at the results can help identify peaks that are characteristic of compounds. Skills needed: - Problem solving skills as it can be trial and error - Communication skills - Creativity skills to create your own designs. Figure 1: Example of chromatography from various pens. Separation of colour due to varying size of particle and speed it travelled. 7 Experiment 4: Cranberry Chemistry Goal: Learn about how berries grow and what you can do with them. Beyond being a popular treat, cranberries contain anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are pigments that change colour depending on if they are reacting with an acid or a base. Because cranberries are naturally acidic (it is part of the reason they have a somewhat tart taste) the anthocyanin reacts with the acid to make the berries red. However, if you change the acidity, you can change the colour too. What you’ll need: - Cranberry juice - Baking powder - 2 x Glass (which you can see through) - Lemon juice Directions: 1. Pour one cup of cranberry juice into the glass. 2. Add a tablespoon of baking soda and observe the reaction. Things to look out for are bubbling, noises, and changes in how the liquid looks. 3. Wait 2 minutes and observe if any changes occur. 4. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice, and again, pay attention to see if there is any reaction. What’s happening? Baking soda is a base, so it should first foam up a bit when it contacts the acidic juice, and then react with the anthocyanin to turn the cranberry juice from red into a darker purple or blue colour. When you add the lemon juice, which is acidic, it should neutralize the basic baking soda to again react with the anthocyanin and bring the juice back to a redder colour. 8 You could try baking soda and lemon juice at the same time or use other acids, like vinegar. If you decide to add lemon juice or vinegar with baking soda at the same time, be ready for a foamy mess. It may be best to do this outside. Who uses this in real life? In the food industry, pH is used to look at the physical and chemical reactions required to produce food and prevent the growth of pathogens. Jobs in the food industry which use this knowledge include food quality assurers, food quality technicians and food safety technologist. What skills are being developed? - Practical lab safety skills - Team working skills - Time management skills - Enquiry skills Remember to share: #12DOSAC @oamc_science 9 Experiment 5: Magical Ice Cream Goal: Learn about melting points of different substances. Ice cream is made up of droplets of fat from milk jumbled up with millions of tiny crystals of ice and pockets of air. We are going to use the freezing power of salt and ice to create ice crystals in milk without a freezer! What you will need: - A large bag of ice - Salt - Milk – we used chocolate milk - A tablespoon sugar and a teaspoon vanilla essence – optional - 2 zip lock food bags Directions 1) Pour a cup of milk into a zip lock bag.