This correlation lists the recommended Gizmos for this state's curriculum standards. Click any Gizmo title below for more information.
HS-PS1-1: : Matter and its Interactions
HS-PS1-1: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.
Electron Configuration
Create the electron configuration of any element by filling electron orbitals. Determine the relationship between electron configuration and atomic radius. Discover trends in atomic radii across periods and down families/groups of the periodic table.
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Use protons, neutrons, and electrons to build elements. As the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons changes, information such as the name and symbol of the element, the Z, N, and A numbers, the electron dot diagram, and the group and period from the periodic table are shown. Each element is classified as a metal, metalloid, or nonmetal, and its state at room temperature is also given.
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Explore trends in atomic radius, ionization energy, and electron affinity in the periodic table. Measure atomic radius with a ruler and model ionization energy and electron affinity by exploring how easy it is to remove electrons and how strongly atoms attract additional electrons. View these properties on the whole periodic table to see how they vary across periods and down groups.
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HS-PS1-2: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
Ionic Bonds
Simulate ionic bonds between a variety of metals and nonmetals. Select a metal and a nonmetal atom, and transfer electrons from one to the other. Observe the effect of gaining and losing electrons on charge, and rearrange the atoms to represent the molecular structure. Additional metal and nonmetal atoms can be added to the screen, and the resulting chemical formula can be displayed.
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Explore trends in atomic radius, ionization energy, and electron affinity in the periodic table. Measure atomic radius with a ruler and model ionization energy and electron affinity by exploring how easy it is to remove electrons and how strongly atoms attract additional electrons. View these properties on the whole periodic table to see how they vary across periods and down groups.
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The Secret Service has arrested suspects accused of counterfeiting coins from 1915 valued at $50,000 each. The students act as a forensic scientist to investigate the crime scene and examine the evidence. Students learn about electrons and chemical reactions to recreate the methods used to make the coins and prepare evidence for the court case.
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HS-PS1-3: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Plan and conduct an investigation to gather evidence to compare the structure of substances at the bulk scale to infer the strength of electrical forces between particles.
Melting Points
Every substance has unique transition points, or temperatures at which one phase (solid, liquid, or gas) transitions to another. Use a realistic melting point apparatus to measure the melting points, boiling points, and/or sublimation points of different substances and observe what these phase changes look like at the microscopic level. Based on the transition points, make inferences about the relative strengths of the forces holding these substances together.
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Combine various metal and nonmetal atoms to observe how the electronegativity difference determines the polarity of chemical bonds. Place molecules into an electric field to experimentally determine if they are polar or nonpolar. Create different mixtures of polar and nonpolar molecules to explore the intermolecular forces that arise between them.
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Learn about molecular polarity and how polarity gives rise to intermolecular forces. Measure four macroscopic properties of liquids (cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, and capillary rise). Compare these properties for different liquids and relate them to whether the substances are polar or nonpolar.
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HS-PS1-4: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Develop a model to illustrate that the release or absorption of energy from a chemical reaction system depends upon the changes in total bond energy.
Feel the Heat
Have you ever used a glove warmer to keep your hands warm? How about an instant cold pack to treat an injury? In the Feel the Heat Gizmo, create your own hot and cold packs using various salts dissolved in water and different bag materials. Learn about exothermic and endothermic processes and how energy is absorbed or released when bonds are broken and new bonds form.
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Exothermic chemical reactions release energy, while endothermic reactions absorb energy. But what causes some reactions to be exothermic, and others to be endothermic? In this simulation, compare the energy absorbed in breaking bonds to the energy released in forming bonds to determine if a reaction will be exothermic or endothermic.
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HS-PS1-6: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Refine the design of a chemical system by specifying a change in conditions that would produce increased amounts of products at equilibrium.
Equilibrium and Concentration
Observe how reactants and products interact in reversible reactions. The initial amount of each substance can be manipulated, as well as the pressure on the chamber. The amounts, concentrations, and partial pressures of each reactant and product can be tracked over time as the reaction proceeds toward equilibrium.
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Observe how reactants and products interact in reversible reactions. The amounts of each substance can be manipulated, as well as the pressure on the chamber. This lesson focuses on partial pressures, Dalton's law, and Le Chatelier's principle.
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Mussel farmers in the Arctic Ocean have reported problems with their mussels. They have noticed that the mussel shells have eroded and become brittle. Students take on the role of a marine chemist to analyze the changes to ocean carbon chemistry and equilibrium to determine the cause of the mussel shell erosion.
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HS-PS1-7: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
Balancing Chemical Equations
Balance and classify five types of chemical reactions: synthesis, decomposition, single replacement, double replacement, and combustion. While balancing the reactions, the number of atoms on each side is presented as visual, histogram, and numerical data.
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Chemical changes result in the formation of new substances. But how can you tell if a chemical change has occurred? Explore this question by observing and measuring a variety of chemical reactions. Along the way you will learn about chemical equations, acids and bases, exothermic and endothermic reactions, and conservation of matter.
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Practice balancing chemical equations by changing the coefficients of reactants and products. As the equation is manipulated, the amount of each element is shown as individual atoms, histograms, or numerically. Molar masses of reactants and products can also be calculated and balanced to demonstrate conservation of mass.
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Understand the definition of a mole and determine the Avogadro constant by adding atoms or formula units to a balance until the mass in grams is equal to the atomic or formula mass. Manipulate a conceptual model to understand how the number of particles, the number of moles, and the mass are related. Then use dimensional analysis to convert between particles, moles, and mass.
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HS-PS1-8: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
Half-life
Investigate the decay of a radioactive substance. The half-life and the number of radioactive atoms can be adjusted, and theoretical or random decay can be observed. Data can be interpreted visually using a dynamic graph, a bar chart, and a table. Determine the half-lives of two sample isotopes as well as samples with randomly generated half-lives.
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Explore what isotopes are by adding protons and neutrons to the nucleus of an atom. Plot both stable and radioactive isotopes on a graph of neutrons vs. protons, and explore how the neutron:proton ratio of stable isotopes changes from lighter to heavier elements.
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Observe the five main types of nuclear decay: alpha decay, beta decay, gamma decay, positron emission, and electron capture. Write nuclear equations by determining the mass numbers and atomic numbers of daughter products and emitted particles.
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Explore examples of nuclear fusion and fission reactions. Follow the steps of the proton-proton chain, CNO cycle, and fission of uranium-235. Write balanced nuclear equations for each step, and compare the energy produced in each process.
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HS-PS1-9: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Use mathematical representations to describe the composition and properties of individual solutions and solutions involved in chemical reactions.
Colligative Properties
Determine how the physical properties of a solvent are dependent on the number of solute particles present. Measure the vapor pressure, boiling point, freezing point, and osmotic pressure of pure water and a variety of solutions. Compare the effects of four solutes (sucrose, sodium chloride, calcium chloride, and potassium chloride) on these physical properties.
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Measure the quantity of a known solution needed to neutralize an acid or base of unknown concentration. Use this information to calculate the unknown concentration. A variety of indicators can be used to show the pH of the solution.
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HS-PS1-10: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Analyze data to support the claim that the combined gas law describes the relationships among volume, pressure and temperature for a sample of an ideal gas.
Boyle's Law and Charles's Law
Investigate the properties of an ideal gas by performing experiments in which the temperature is held constant (Boyle's Law), and others in which the pressure remains fixed (Charles's Law). The pressure is controlled through the placement of masses on the lid of the container, and temperature is controlled with an adjustable heat source. Gay-Lussac's law relating pressure to temperature can also be explored by keeping the volume constant.
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Explore relationships between amount, temperature, pressure, and volume for an ideal gas in a chamber with a moveable piston. Discover rules of proportionality contained in Boyle's law, Charles's law, Avogadro's law, and Gay-Lussac's law. Use these relationships to derive the ideal gas law and calculate the value of the ideal gas constant.
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HS-PS3-1: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
Energy Conversion in a System
A falling cylinder is attached to a rotating propeller that stirs and heats the water in a beaker. The mass and height of the cylinder, as well as the quantity and initial temperature of water can be adjusted. The temperature of the water is measured as energy is converted from one form to another.
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HS-PS3-2: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).
Energy Conversion in a System
A falling cylinder is attached to a rotating propeller that stirs and heats the water in a beaker. The mass and height of the cylinder, as well as the quantity and initial temperature of water can be adjusted. The temperature of the water is measured as energy is converted from one form to another.
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HS-PS3-3: : Students who demonstrate understanding can: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
Calorimetry Lab
Investigate how calorimetry can be used to find relative specific heat values when different substances are mixed with water. Modify initial mass and temperature values to see effects on the system. One or any combination of the substances can be mixed with water. A dynamic graph (temperature vs. time) shows temperatures of the individual substances after mixing.
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Two flasks hold colored water, one yellow and the other blue. Set the starting temperature of each flask, choose a type of material to connect the flasks, and see how quickly the flasks heat up or cool down. The flasks can be connected with a hollow pipe, allowing the water in the flasks to mix, or a solid chunk that transfers heat but prevents mixing.
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An insulated beaker of hot water is connected to a beaker of cold water with a conducting bar, and over time the temperatures of the beakers equalize as heat is transferred through the bar. Four materials (aluminum, copper, steel, and glass) are available for the bar.
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Students assume the role of a scientist trying to solve a real world problem. They use scientific practices to collect and analyze data, and form and test a hypothesis as they solve the problems.
