Engel's Next Gen Science on a shoestring© MS.PS-SPM.a. PS.1a

To understand our world we must understand that most of what is important is invisible.

John Dalton is considered the father of the Atomic Theory by working with the small-unseen

world of the atom. His mathematical understanding of how a specific volume of elements

combined to form specific volumes of molecules was the birth of modern chemistry. We study

atoms that make molecules that make up minerals

that make up the earth because we ourselves are

made of the very atoms that came from the earth’s

minerals and when our lifespan is over we will

return our atoms to the earth. In this lab you will

use your five senses and powers of observation to

determine the shapes of the unseen plastic walls inside each of the containers. While the idea of

mathematical proportions helped John Dalton offer proof that the world was built from atoms, the

question was asked soon after that discovery,

what were these atoms made from? The Black

disk lab you will do today is very much like an

experiment that Rutherford used to determine the structure of the incredibly small untouchable

atom. In 1911 Ernest Rutherford shot tiny alpha particles at a thin gold foil and results of the

experiments were unexpected. Most of the

alpha particles went smoothly through the foil.

Occasional an alpha particle bounced sharply

from its original path, sometimes reflecting

straight back from the foil! This observation told him there was something very massive in the

center of atoms and most of the atom

was empty space. From further

experiments now know that the

negatively charged electrons orbit in a

wave like cloud around the positively

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charged nucleus of atoms. Humans have learned how to use the charges of the parts of atoms to

make atomic part move and or even to make atoms share electrons to form molecules like the

mineral Feldspar or even make the molecule blueprint of all cellular life, DNA! The discovery of

atomic structure and manipulation of the different parts of the atoms in the beginning was much

like a newborn baby,…. it was not of much use to anyone at first. However, it is hard to imagine

our current world with out electricity and chemistry. In this lab you will discover observations

between objects often have a basis in mathematics, as it is the language that describes our known

universe.

Atomic theory explains the world in which we live. Atoms make up molecules (groups of

atoms that share electrons) that make minerals, which in turn make up the rocks of our planet

earth. Silicate Feldspar, is the most common mineral in plates of the earth’s crust. Feldspar (Si4O8)

can be broken apart and recombined to form new minerals and rocks, but the four silicon atoms

and eight oxygen atoms will still be found in what ever product results from the chemical reaction.

Scientists often must indirectly observe to infer (guess) the structure of very small things like

atoms or even very large things like crustal plates to find the relationships that tie them together

and give a greater understanding, like the idea. Plate tectonics is a theory that explains all

observations about the age, composition, location and activity of the earth’s lithosphere. It also

explains how the biochemical cycles such as the Earth’s carbon cycle act like a thermostat to

support life, despite the impact of asteroids, volcanic eruptions, ice ages and planetary anoxic

oceanic events. (Plant Wide Ocean die off events that created huge fossil fuel deposits.) In this lab,

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you will have to indirectly observe (using sound and touch) to infer (guess) the structure of

unknown things.

Open the following link and answer the questions that follow.1. http://cern50.web.cern.ch/cern50/multimedia/LHCGame/StartGame.html Using the

information found in the website and from reading the lab, answer the following

questions: Atoms are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. To smash parts of atoms

together, the Proton’s paths are bent using a _____________________ field.

a. force b. magnetic c. light d. Jedi

Because the proton has a positive charge it can be either pulled or pushed with a magnetic

field. The one particle that cannot be moved with a magnetic field is a neutron because it has

no charge.

http://www.to14.com/game.php?id=4d486a2ce63ff

2. Most atoms have three parts the positively charged _________________a. proton b. electron b. neutron d. quark

3. Neutral or balanced charged particle is called a____________a. proton b. electron

c. neutron d. quark4. Negatively charged particles are called_____________________ a. proton b. electron c. neutron d. quark

This lab's purpose was to work on your observation skills and to help you simulate and understand some of the challenges of inferring the directly un-observable. Vectors are drawn as arrows, an arrow has both a clear direction and a clear magnitude (the length of the arrow). Vectors show both the rate of motion and direction of an object.

5. In the diagram below, scaled vectors represent the momentum of each of two equal density masses, A and B, sliding toward each other on a frictionless, horizontal surface.

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Which scaled vector best represents the momentum of the system after the masses collide?

6. A ball attached to a string is moved at constant speed in a horizontal circular path. A target is located near the path of the ball as shown in the diagram. (Keep Newton’s 1st law in mind!)

At which point along the ball’s path should the string be released, if the ball is to hit the target?

a. A b.B

c. C d.D

7. A student is trying to determine if a certain size pop bottle will improve the flight time of their water rocket experiment. Which sequence of steps would be best suited for this investigation?

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8. The diagram represents the Moon and its orbit around Earth. The arrow labeled X represents the force that keeps the Moon in its orbit.

Which force is represented by X?

a. gravity b. electricity

c. friction d. magnetism

The diagram below shows an inflated balloon attached to a straw that is moving along a string. Air is escaping from the open end of the inflated balloon. Some forces that are acting on the straw are shown by the four labeled arrows.

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9. What causes the balloon to move along the string?

a. force from string b. force from escaping air

c. friction between string and straw d. weight of balloon containing air

10. The graph below shows a runner’s distance from the starting line during a 30-minute race.Distance was measured in meters (m). Time was measured in minutes (min).

During which time interval was the runner moving at the greatest average speed?

a. 0–5 minutes b. 15–20 minutes

c. 10–15 minutes d. 25–30 minutes

The diagram shows a ball hung on a string to create a pendulum. The pendulum’s period and angle of release are shown. The period is the length of time, in seconds, for one complete swing of the pendulum. This is to say the pendulum has a periodicity or repeating pattern.

Three different investigations to determine the period of a swinging pendulum are described below.• In investigation 1, the pendulum was released at different angles. The length of string and mass of the ball were the same for each angle.

•In investigation 2, different lengths of string were used. The angle of release and mass of the ball were the same for each length.

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•In investigation 3, balls of different masses were used. The angle of release and length of string were the same for each mass.

The data tables below show the results of the three investigations.

11. Determine the most likely length of the string used in investigation 3 based on the data provided in investigation 2.

a. 104cm b. 98cm c.34 cm d. 29 cm

From the lab reading:12.______________, is the most common mineral in plates of the earth’s crust.

a. Silicate Feldspar b. Dihydrogen Oxide c. Dioxide d. Helium

13. Biochemical cycles such as the Earth’s __________ cycle act like a thermostat to support life,a. Nitrogen b. Carbon c. Neon d. Oxygen

14. ___________ tectonics is a theory that explains all observations about the age, composition, location and activity of the earth’s lithosphere

a. Saucer b. Fork c. Glass d. Plate15. We ourselves are made of the very atoms that came from the earth’s minerals and when our lifespan is over we will return our atoms to the ____________.

a. stars b. earth c. ocean d. air.

The diagram shows a set of materials that a science teacher used to demonstrate motion. The rubber band has been stretched with a string that has been tied to the nail. A weight is resting on the platform. The platform is resting on several round pencils on a tabletop.

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Lab group roles*- Please assign roles when you begin the lab _________________Group Leader- assigns jobs and tells people what they need to be doing.

_________________Task Master- keeps groups on task and anticipates what will be needed for the “next” step, watches time.

________________Note taker-records data in lab.

________________Equipment manager- the one person in the group who leaves their chair to gather and put away materials and return the laboratory environment to at least its initial starting condition, or better.

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*If the lab group has less than four members, some members will have to do more than one job.

Black Disk Lab Report Name_______________ Hour__ Question: What is the design of the walls in each of the numbered disks?

Procedure: Step 1- Read the entire lab before touching anything in the lab basket.

Step 2- Each person in the lab group will pick up each container carefully by the edges. Hold it close to your ear and move the steel ball by slowly tilting the disk. GENTLY tilt the disk. ANY shaking and you will be removed from the lab, you break the walls in one and you will need to buy a whole new set for $85.77 http://www.amazon.com/Lab-Aids-Piece-Ob-Scertainer-Better-Black/dp/B0081TPR6O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1378947310&sr=8-1&keywords=Obscertainer

Step3- Use your five senses to make observations. Compare those observations with the pictures in the Observations section. (These are drawings of the wall patterns inside each disk, numbered 1-12.) Be careful, there are multiple copies of each disc in the room; each number 2 will be an identical copy of the other. Just like each number 10 will have a square inside of it.

Step 4- Make an inference as to the correct shape of the inside of the black disk and place its number to the left of the correct drawing. Each disk is a different structure. The interior contains one or more walls and a single rolling ball. The walls may be straight or curved.

Step 5- Pass the disk to the person across from you and ask them to identify the shape inside the disk and compare answers. Observations can be direct (e.g., measuring the amount of daily

rain in a field) or indirect (e.g., using earthquake waves to determine the size of Earth’s core). The results of a scientific study should be consistent and verifiable by others. When making observations, variables must be identified and controlled. Examples of control variables for this lab would be the same thickness of walls inside the containers, the same mass steel balls, and the same size disk.

Step 6- Record the agreed upon answers in

pencil in the correct cutaway drawing.

Step 7- Repeat steps 2-6 until you have observed each of the twelve disks. To do this you will be

trading black disk sets with a nearby lab group.

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Observations:

20. In the Black Disk Lab the disk with the square in it is number ______________.

a. 10 b. 12 c. 3 d. 9

21. In the Black Disk Lab the disk with the small circle in it is number ____________.

a. 1 b. 3 c. 7 d. 2

22. In the Black Disk Lab the disk with the nothing in it is number ______________.

a. 1 b. 2 c. 12 d. 11

23. In the Black Disk Lab the disk with the triangle in it is number ______________.

a. 1 b. 2 c. 4 d. 8

More sites,.. but just for fun!!!http://www.mathsisfun.com/games/telescope-puzzle.html

http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/kids/ionengines-control.cfmhttp://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atomhttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/atom/

The next link will give you more helpful information on our next unit, atoms, make molecules minerals and rocks. http://particleadventure.org/index.html

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