Carl E. Martikean - Lew Wallace High School

It's the States of Matter   

Carl E. Martikean               Lew Wallace High School
                                415 W. 45th Avenue       
                                GARY IN 46408
                                (219) 980-6305
 

Objective(s): 
    
    At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:
        "Elementary Grades"
        1. define matter;
        2. describe the states of matter;
        3. understand the basic vocabulary of solid, liquid, and gas;
        4. describe the characteristics of each state;
        5. give examples of each state from daily life;
        6. understand that solids and liquids occupy much less space than gases;
                additionally,
        
        "Middle School"
        7. draw and describe in writing the particle nature of each state;
        8. state what a phase is;
        9. list the various (6) phase changes that occur and name the most 
           common forms of fusion (melting), evaporation, condensation 
           solidification (freezing) and sublimation; 
       10. using "dry ice" and its property of density, calculate the volume of 
           a mass of "dry ice" when given the formula;
       11. measure the circumference of a balloon after the "dry ice" has been 
           placed into the balloon and allowed to expand and calculate the 
           diameter of the balloon; 
       12. calculate the volume of gas to which the mass of "dry ice" in 
           objective 10 expands after having been given the formula of a sphere;
       13. compare the relative scales of the solid and the gas;
       14. be able to extrapolate these scales to all substances in general;
                additionally,

        "High School"
       15. list and describe all 6 phase changes as described in objective 9 
           above including deposition or regelation (gas to solid);
       16. draw diagrams of any of the 6 phase changes;
       17. describe common examples of each phase change using water as the 
           primary substance; 
       18. referring to objective 10 above, the formula for density is not 
           given to the students;
       19. referring to objective 11 above, students should be able to perform 
           this; 
       20. referring to objective 12 above, students should look up the formula 
           for the volume of a sphere and perform the proper calculations; 
       21. state the assumptions made in order to perform the calculations;
       22. state what things had to be quantified in order to perform the 
           calculations, what assumptions have to be made; 
       23. write an expository essay describing how to demonstrate the various 
           properties of matter in each of the phases discussed using correct 
           English grammar and correctly using the physics principles learned. 

          
Materials Needed:

    Dry Ice
    Balance
    Balloon at least 30CM (12in) diameter
    powder funnel or a wide mouth canning funnel
    for fun; several 500ml flasks about 1/2 filled with water and to which 
    different food colors have been added.  

Strategy: 

        1. Set up a couple of flasks with warm water and dry ice for the fog 
           effect
        2. Play with the dry ice, show that it can slide across the floor or 
           table almost frictionlessly
        3. Weigh about 20 g of dry ice and have the students calculate the 
           volume from the density formula
        4. Using a funnel with a wide opening, crush the dry ice and pour it 
           into the balloon.  (You may have to use something to ram the dry 
           ice through.)  Do this as quickly as possible.  Tie off the 
           balloon.
        5. Ask the students to guess what will happen to the balloon.
        6. When all of the dry ice has sublimated, have the students measure 
           the balloon's circumference.
        7. Perform the remaining calculations, diameter and then radius. 
           Finally, the volume of the balloon.
        8. Have the students compare the volumes of the solid and of the gas.  
           This can be either a qualitative comparison for the lower grades or 
           a quantitative comparison for the upper grades. 
   
Performance Assessment:

The students should be able to perform the criteria set out in the objectives.


Conclusions:

        The results of this are that the student, regardless of grade level, 
should see that gases occupy much more volume that the substance's 
corresponding solid.  For the upper grades, there should be an extrapolation 
too the liquid phase.  Water could be used to demonstrate the liquid-solid 
comparison.  Or barring that, you, the teacher, could do a demonstration 
showing the liquid phase of carbon dioxide.  
                                    
References:

To show the liquid-solid-gas phase comparison of carbon dioxide:
Tzimopoloulos, Nicholas D., Metcalfe, H.Clark, Williams, John E., and Castka, 
Joseph F. Modern Chemistry Annotated Teacher's Edition.  Holt, Rinehart, 
Winston, Orlando FL.  1993.  pages 826-23 and 826-24