Accel. Chem Post 2

     To start the week we used a wicked potion of Mr. G's patented stink spray to show a simple example of gas particles diffusing throughout a container.After learning that the reason for the particles distributing evenly is because they bounce off of not only the container but also other particles, we watched how food coloring distributed differently in a jar of hot water versus a jar of cold water. From this we derived that temperature directly affects the energy of the particles and the higher the temperature the faster they move. I liked the next thing we did though, with a series of computer simulations where we introduced mass also. It takes more energy to move something with more mass obviously. We wrote down a lot more about the properties of particles in solids, liquids, and gases and watched some VERY old videos about them. Again, I didn't like this much because it seemed sort of repetitive.

As seen below, we did a short fun activity about the energy of particles bouncing off of their container. In it, we blew up an enclosed garbage bag using simply our breath. The force was great enough to lift someone off of the table. I found this exercise very interesting and it made me think of those huge inflatable bags people put in lakes to launch other people. I also once saw a show about moving sunken ships and barges, in which they placed massive football-field-sized pouches much like this underneath and then inflated them. Imagine the strength of that material and the pressure inside!

After learning all about particle motion, we started to learn about the pressure itexerts in all directions and how to measure it. Using some mercury, Mr. G made a simple barometer. I think it would be fun to just take a day and make these using a bunch of different gases to see what would happen. We could use everything from helium to sulfur hexaflouride to see how the pressure changes.

It seems as though this class is moving in a logical sequnce, at least for this unit, and I like that. We start with a basic idea, for example the fact that particles move. Then we introduce something new like what makes them move (temperature). We keep adding one new variable at a time to create an easier transition from topic to topic (mass, volume etc.). We are currently learning about a way to measure all of these things in a combination. I find this system of learning a great way to learn topics. I also very much enjoy this unit because in college I would like to major in aeronautical angineering. Anything and everything to do with gases, air, and the way they behave is a part of aeronautical engineering. It would be cool if we did some sort of expirement with a compressed air tube blowing a ping pong ball in the air and testing the height at different pressures. Anyway, I liked this unit.