PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter

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published by the PhET
written by Jackie Esler

This is a lesson plan for middle school, developed specifically to accompany the PhET simulation States of Matter. It gives explicit directions for using the simulation to explore the molecular structure of neon, oxygen, argon, and water in the three primary phases. The student guide gives just the right amount of guidance to help students discover how temperature and pressure inside a closed container affect the behavior of the molecules in different states (solid, liquid, and gas).

The "States of Matter" simulation, which must be open and displayed to complete this activity, is available from PhET at: States of Matter.

This resource is part of PhET (Physics Education Technology Project), a large collection of free interactive simulations for science education.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Practices - Active Learning = Modeling General Physics - Properties of Matter Thermo & Stat Mech - Thermal Properties of Matter = Pressure = Thermal Expansion	- Middle School	- Instructional Material = Activity = Instructor Guide/Manual = Lesson/Lesson Plan = Problem/Problem Set = Student Guide

Intended Users	Formats	Ratings
- Educators - Learners - General Publics	- text/html - application/pdf	Currently 0.0/5 Want to rate this material? Login here!

Access Rights:: Free access
Restriction:: © 2011 University of Colorado at Boulder
Additional information is available.
Keywords:: gas laws, gas volume, molecular models, molecular structure, phase, phase change simulation, states of matter, states of matter simulation
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created July 18, 2011 by Caroline Hall
Record Updated:: August 18, 2016 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: July 8, 2011
Other Collections:: The Physics Front

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AAAS Benchmark Alignments (2008 Version)

4. The Physical Setting

4D. The Structure of Matter

6-8: 4D/M1a. All matter is made up of atoms, which are far too small to see directly through a microscope.
6-8: 4D/M2. Equal volumes of different materials usually have different masses.
6-8: 4D/M3cd. In solids, the atoms or molecules are closely locked in position and can only vibrate. In liquids, they have higher energy, are more loosely connected, and can slide past one another; some molecules may get enough energy to escape into a gas. In gases, the atoms or molecules have still more energy and are free of one another except during occasional collisions.
6-8: 4D/M7a. No matter how substances within a closed system interact with one another, or how they combine or break apart, the total mass of the system remains the same.
6-8: 4D/M8. Most substances can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas depending on temperature.

4E. Energy Transformations

6-8: 4E/M4. Energy appears in different forms and can be transformed within a system. Motion energy is associated with the speed of an object. Thermal energy is associated with the temperature of an object. Gravitational energy is associated with the height of an object above a reference point. Elastic energy is associated with the stretching or compressing of an elastic object. Chemical energy is associated with the composition of a substance. Electrical energy is associated with an electric current in a circuit. Light energy is associated with the frequency of electromagnetic waves.
9-12: 4E/H7. Thermal energy in a system is associated with the disordered motions of its atoms or molecules. Gravitational energy is associated with the separation of mutually attracting masses. Electrical potential energy is associated with the separation of mutually attracting or repelling charges.
9-12: 4E/H9. Many forms of energy can be considered to be either kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion, or potential energy, which depends on the separation between mutually attracting or repelling objects.

11. Common Themes

11B. Models

6-8: 11B/M1. Models are often used to think about processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, or on too small a scale to observe directly. They are also used for processes that are too vast, too complex, or too dangerous to study.
6-8: 11B/M4. Simulations are often useful in modeling events and processes.

11D. Scale

6-8: 11D/M3. Natural phenomena often involve sizes, durations, and speeds that are extremely small or extremely large. These phenomena may be difficult to appreciate because they involve magnitudes far outside human experience.

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<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=11325">Esler, Jackie. PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter. Boulder: PhET, July 8, 2011.</a>

AIP Format

J. Esler, (PhET, Boulder, 2011), WWW Document, (https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438).

AJP/PRST-PER

J. Esler, PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter (PhET, Boulder, 2011), <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438>.

APA Format

Esler, J. (2011, July 8). PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from PhET: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438

Chicago Format

Esler, Jackie. PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter. Boulder: PhET, July 8, 2011. https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438 (accessed 19 April 2024).

MLA Format

Esler, Jackie. PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter. Boulder: PhET, 2011. 8 July 2011. 19 Apr. 2024 <https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438>.

BibTeX Export Format

@misc{ Author = "Jackie Esler", Title = {PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter}, Publisher = {PhET}, Volume = {2024}, Number = {19 April 2024}, Month = {July 8, 2011}, Year = {2011} }

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%A Jackie Esler %T PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter %D July 8, 2011 %I PhET %C Boulder %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438 %O text/html

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%0 Electronic Source %A Esler, Jackie %D July 8, 2011 %T PhET Teacher Activities: Exploring Changes in States of Matter %I PhET %V 2024 %N 19 April 2024 %8 July 8, 2011 %9 text/html %U https://phet.colorado.edu/en/contributions/view/3438

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