Matter, Energy, & Forces 
Matter, Energy, & Forces
How much do I weigh on the Moon? -Go to the weighing station to find out! As you learned in class, gravity is the force that pulls things towards the center of the Earth. When we weigh something, we are actually measuring this force! Your bodyweight will be different, depending on what planet you're standing on!
Changing States of Matter -Find out what happens when you continue to apply more and more heat to a solid block of ice. Continue to click on the "Heat" button in this activity! You just might be surprised with what eventually happens!!
Solids & Liquids -When we learned about physical changes in class, we learned that all solid matter can change into a liquid if you give it enough energy in the form of heat. In this activity, test various kinds of matter by heating and cooling them. Find out which materials have a higher melting point and which materials cool quickly.
Characteristics of Materials -This activity lets you experiment on a wide variety of different materials. When you are finished, you will discover which materials are flexible (Can they bend?), which materials are transparent (Can you see clearly through it?), which materials are waterproof, and which materials are strong.
Reversible & Irreversible Changes -When we explored the differences between chemical and physical changes in class, we discovered that physical changes could easily be "reversed" or changed back to their original form. In this activity, you will perform various tasks of dissolving, heating, and filtering to discover which materials undergo reversible & which materials undergo irreversible changes.
Exploring
Density - This activity allows you to compare how different
items float or sink in different liquids. Be sure to use the drop-down menu to
change liquids. Just click and drag the different items into the liquid
container. Based on your experimentation, which liquid is the MOST
dense in this activity?? Be sure to click
"Launch Gizmo" to begin your adventure!
Separating Mixtures Lab -In class, we learned that mixtures are combinations of two or more different substances put together that can easily be separated. But did you realize that there are many different ways of separating mixtures? Play this activity to learn more.
Mixtures & Solutions -In this activity, you dig around and find things in a junk yard. Add them to your bucket of water to see if they form a mixture or a solution.
Measuring Mass -Find out which material has the most mass- Air, Water, Oil, or Helium. Place each item on the scale like we did in class.
Forces & Movement -In this activity, drag the red handle back to the yellow light to give the truck a little push. Find out how far the truck travels. Be sure to test the larger truck as well. Does it go as far? Why or why not?
Forces in Action -In this activity, see how far the truck travels when you increase or decrease the slope. You can also see how placing different sized parachutes and different sized weights on the back of the truck affects the motion of the truck as well.
The Energy Resource Game -Which energy resources are non-renewable? Which energy sources are inexhaustible? Play the energy resource game to find out! First, identify the resources, then click and drag the item to one of the 3 black holes. If you identify the resource correctly, it will disappear!
Strange Matter- The Transformer! -In this activity, you get to transform or change matter into different things by heating them, beating them, or by chemically treating them. Find out what happens when we take the raw materials of silicon, iron, and carbon and put them through the transformer!
Strange Matter-The Crusher! -Which materials are the strongest? In this activity, you get to crush all sorts of different types of materials. Click on different contests and find out who the winners are! Remember: The strongest material crushes last!
Strange Matter-Zoom! -Discover the incredibly small world where materials scientists do their work by zooming inside a soda can. Click on the red arrow to begin your adventure!
The
Great Balloon Race -Why
do hot air balloons rise? It all has to do with density!! The more
packed together something is, the more dense it is. As we have discovered
in science lab, when matter is less dense, it tends to float.
When matter is more dense it tends to sink. But how does
this work with a hot air balloon? Well, when the air inside a balloon is
heated, the air molecules move around faster and spread out, becoming less
dense. That's why a hot air balloon rises! To lower the hot air
balloon once again, we allow the air in the balloon to cool down.
See how good your air balloon flying skills are in this activity. See if
you can beat my personal best score of 2:00 minutes for the "easy"
race!
Line
Rider -See if you can carefully
design a sledding track that will allow our sledder to make a successful run
down the track. Be sure not to make your slope too steep! Have fun
and good luck!