Outreach to Vine Middle School Students
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IGERT Trainee Patrick Ward conducted a science outreach for 6th grade science students at Vine Middle School. The students were introduced to several concepts of chemical energy via in-class demonstrations. | |
A burning peanut shows that food (e.g., the oil in the peanut) contains combustible fuels. |
Patrick creates a galvanic cell using CuSO4 and ZnCl2 solutions to give an example of a chemical battery. |
The concept of voltage is explained to give an understanding of why the chemical battery operated. |
Students complete a salt bridge by holding hands to get a voltage reading. |
Students learn about the Law of Conservation of Energy as Patrick explains what happens when electrons move between shells or energy levels. |
 Electrons, when excited by heat, move to a higher energy level (shell). When they cool and move back to a lower energy level, they give off energy in the form of light. Lithium bromide gives off a pink light. |
Patrick and Ms. Fleenor, the science teacher, demonstrate electron excitation and light emission using the combustion of different metal salts dissolved in methanol and water. |
A black light allows the students to observe a florescent substance. |
