The Atoms Family presented by famous gothic horror characters

Welcome to The Atoms Family, a Science Learning Network resource based on The Atoms Family exhibit at the Miami Science Museum. This resource contains educational activities relating to different forms of energy, and are being presented by famous gothic horror characters. In order to experience the full capabilities of this site,       The Mummy's Tomb Learn about energy conservation, kinetic, and potential energy. The Phantom's Portrait Parlor Learn about the principles of atoms and matter. Dracula's Library Learn about the properties of light, waves, and particles. The Wolf Man's Ghostly Graveyard Learn about fuel conservation and energy transfer. Frankenstein's Lightning Laboratory Learn about different forms of electricity and electrical safety. Navigating this Site Learn how to explore the resources of this site. Building a Better Pyramid Grades 4-8 Cooling the Mummy's Tomb Grades 4-8 Raceways Grades 5-8                                                        (A) Insulation is used to conserve energy inside buildings by reducing temperature changes. Help build a better pyramid by insulating the pyramid below. You'll notice that adding insulation to the pyramid will decrease the energy needed to cool it. What happens when you add more layers of insulation? How many layers of insulation would be the most efficient and why?

Layers of Insulation Temperature Outside the Pyramid 110°F

                                              (B)
                                                       

The Pharaoh has asked your help to design a better tomb. Seems he's concerned about the Sun's heat having less than positive effects on his body during his stay in the Hall of Judgment. You have decided to see if insulation, materials that restrict the flow of heat, will help keep the tomb cool. But the Pharaoh is stingy. Before any changes are made to the tomb, he wants to be certain that he's not wasting his precious gold to buy insulation that's not needed.

6 Styrofoam cups and 3 lids 3 thermometers water ice 1000 ml beaker

1. Make a prediction – which cup will stay cool longest? 2. Mix 500 ml of water with enough ice to lower the temperature to 10°C (about 200 ml of ice). 3. Make a hole in the cup lids so that you can put a thermometer in the cup and still read it without removing it from the water. (Why do you think this is important?) 4. Place one cup inside another cup so you have a double insulated cup (Cup 2). Repeat the process and construct a triple insulated cup (Cup 3). Cup one is just that--one cup! 5. Carefully measure and add 150 ml of the COLD water to each set-up. Put the lids on the cups and carefully slide the thermometers into the cold water. Record the temperature of the water right away. 6. Wait one minute, and then record the new temperature in each set of cups. Record the data in your laboratory notebook. It might help if you arranged the time and temperature in a table. 7. Continue recording data every five minutes for 20 minutes or until the water temperature is about equal to air temperature. 8. Calculate and record the change in temperature for each set-up.

Study your data and decide which set-up kept the water cool the longest. Was there a big difference between set-up 1 and 2? Between 1 and 3? Between 2 and 3?

What are you going to recommend to the Pharaoh? How is home insulation like the foam cups you used in the experiment? (Hint: Is there such a thing as too much insulation?)                                    (C) The Mummy is building a roller coaster to entertain the Atom's Family monsters and needs your help with the concepts of Kinetic and Potential energy. Help the Mummy by making a model roller coaster. two chairs masking tape yard sticks 3 shooter marbles one 8-foot strip of vinyl ceiling molding 1. Place the chairs back to back, but about 3 feet apart. 2. Tape the ends of the track to the chairs so that the center hangs down to the floor like the letter U. Use masking tape to secure the bottom of the track to the floor. 3. Place a marble on one end of the track and let it roll down. How many times did the marble travel back and forth before it stopped in the middle? This activity illustrates potential and kinetic energy. Where was the marble when it had the most potential energy? Where was it when it had the most kinetic energy? 4. Other possible discovery experiments: Measure the highest point each time the marble rolls up the track. Keep a chart of each measurement. Why doesn't the marble rise as far up? Can you find the amount of energy that is lost on each trip? What will happen when one marble is at rest on the track and another is dropped on the track? What if two marbles are on the track? Scientists define energy as the ability to do work, that is to make things move or to make new chemical compounds. Work is done when a force (a push or a pull) acts on something for a distance. Mechanical energy is the most common type of energy that we see around us. All moving objects have a type of mechanical energy called kinetic energy. When they move, they can lose energy to friction which creates heat and noise. Or the kinetic energy can be stored up as potential energy. Potential energy is the energy that a substance or object has because of its condition (e.g., the chemical potential energy of gasoline) or position (e.g., the gravitational potential energy of a car on a hill). Potential energy can be changed into kinetic energy, which can be changed back into potential energy. For example, a car's engine changes the chemical potential energy of gasoline into the kinetic energy of its speed along the highway. When the car coasts up a hill, it changes the kinetic energy into gravitational potential energy. This activity shows how energy can change from potential to kinetic and back again. When the marble is at the top of the track, it has more potential energy than when it is at the bottom. As it goes down the track, it moves faster and faster (it accelerates) due to the pull of gravity. This changes the potential energy into kinetic energy. At the bottom of the track, the marble is going the fastest and has the most kinetic energy. As it climbs back up, gravity slows it down and the kinetic energy is changed back into potential energy. Choose a material from the buttons below and then click on different parts of the thermometer. Observe how the element or molecule changes phases at different temperatures in the chamber. What happens to the elements or molecules as the temperature changes? The Phantom has provided you with a simulated spectroscope of an Atom! Amuse the Phantom by observing the spectroscope below and you'll learn more about the Atom. Observe the above simulated spectroscope of an atom. Watch how the single electron (yellow) is spinning around the nucleus (red). Notice how much space is between the nucleus and the surrounding electron cloud. Even in a simple atom with only one electron, the electron moves in a random orbit, creating a cloud-like effect, as seen in this demonstration. Protons (found in the nucleus of an atom) and Electrons (spinning around the center of an atom) are electrically charged. Protons have a positive charge, and electrons have a negative charge. Neutrons have no electrical charge, and are therefore neutral. Particles which have opposite electrical charges are attracted to each other, causing the particles of the atom to stay together. Electrons are said to orbit around the larger nucleus of the atom. Sometimes these orbits are not circular but irregular in shape due to the electron pull towards the nucleus of the atom and against the other elements. Scientists sometimes refer to these energy levels as electron clouds. The Phantom wants to create life sized models of atoms, and he wants your help! Help the Phantom investigate the world of the very small by cutting a 28 centimeter strip of paper in half as many times as you can. If you can cut the strip of paper in half 31 times you will end up with a piece of paper the size of an atom. 1 strip of paper 28 centimeters long (11" inches) 1 pair of scissors Take your strip of paper and cut it into equal halves. Cut one of the remaining pieces of paper into equal halves. Continue to cut the strip into equal halves as many times as you can. Make all cuts parallel to the first one. When the width gets longer than the length, you may cut off the excess, but that does not count as a cut. How far did you get? Here are some comparisons to think about! Cut 1 14.0 cm 5.5" Child's hand, pockets Cut 2 7.0 cm 2.75" Fingers, ears, toes Cut 3 3.5 cm 1.38" Watch, mushroom, eye Cut 4 1.75 cm .69" Keyboard keys, rings, insects Cut 6 .44 cm .17" Poppy seeds Cut 8 1 mm .04" Thread. Congratulations if your still in! Cut 10 .25 mm .01" Still cutting? Most have quit by now Cut 12 .06 mm .002" Microscopic range, human hair Cut 14 .015 mm .006" Width of paper, microchip components Cut 18 1 micron .0004" Water purification openings, bacteria Cut 19 .5 micron .000018" Visible light waves Cut 24 .015 micron .0000006" Electron microscope range, membranes Cut 31 .0001 micron .0000000045" The size of an Atom! Is there anything smaller? Yes, the size of an atom nucleus would take about 41 cuts! Scientists use advanced technology to explore the world of electrons and quarks that are at least 9,000 times smaller than a nucleus. We can not see anything smaller than an atom with our eyes, even with the electron microscope. Physicists study much smaller things without seeing them directly. Is there an end to the quest for the smallest and most basic elements in our world? The search began with the Greeks and continues as scientists search for the Building Blocks of the universe. These things are far beyond the range of sensory perception but not beyond the range of human   understanding. You've learned that atoms are the building blocks of molecules and molecules are the building blocks of matter. The Phantom needs your help to construct a few molecules and, like a true scientist, he wants to make a few models of the molecules first. 4 miniature marshmallows (oxygen) 7 red gum drops (hydrogen) 7 green gum drops (chlorine) 2 yellow gum drops (sulfur) 25 toothpicks (covalent bonds) 1. Construct models of the following molecules: H2, HCl, H2O (Hint: attach the hydrogen at right angles to the oxygen) 2. Now construct models of these molecules: Cl2, H2S, Cl2 O and Cl2S 3. Classify the molecules as a gas, liquid or solid at room temperature. 4. Draw diagrams of each of the model molecules you have constructed. Check your diagram with the diagrams in the Handbook of Chemistry or other reference. When the chemical formula for a molecule or compound is written, it shows the number of each type of atom or element in the molecule. These numbers, called subscripts, are determined by the bonding between the atoms. In the models you constructed, the toothpicks represented the bonds between the atoms. In reality, some atoms give up electrons when compounds are formed and some gain electrons when they form compounds. Life is a chemical process! Indeed, chemicals are all around us and inside us. Create a table showing the chemical formula for each of the molecules you constructed, and identify a common use for that chemical. Don't be afraid to surf the web looking for answers. You might even find the Phantom out there looking for new molecules. Dracula has just finished building his radiometer rack to alert him when too much light is present. Since he's afraid of the light, he wants you to test it out for him. Aim the light (your mouse) at the radiometers below and observe how they react. Notice how the sails on the radiometers spin after the light is shining on them. A radiometer consists of a set of vanes, each shiny on one side and blackened on the other. When the light strikes the shiny surface, most of it is reflected away, but when it strikes the blackened surface, most of it is absorbed, raising the temperature of the surface. The vanes turn because the air near the blackened surface becomes hotter and exerts a greater pressure on it than on the shiny surface. Light has qualities of both waves and particles. These radiometers demonstrate the particle-like nature of light: when the photons of light strike the surface of the radiometer they transfer their energy and cause the sails to spin. Tell Dracula that everthing is working perfectly with his new light detection system! Dracula has lost his pet bat and needs your help finding him! Help Dracula find his bat by participating in the following activity. Black cardboard paper cutout of a bat Cardboard box lined with white cardboard paper on the inside Stare at the black bat for at least 30 seconds. Immediately stare at the inside of the white box. What did you see when you started staring at the white box? You should have seen a faint image of the black bat that you were staring at. This faint image is called an afterimage. The cause of the afterimage is thought to be an adaptation of the sensory mechanism to a repeated or uninterrupted stimulus. For example, strong odors that seem to disappear after a while or how you don't notice the feel of your clothes after you have been wearing them for a while. Your eyes respond in similar ways. The retina is located behind your eye and contains light detecting cells.By staring at the black bat you were stimulating some of these light detecting cells more than others. These cells became fatigued and less sensitive. This created an afterimage when you moved your eyes to the white box. Now that you have the image of Dracula's bat in your eyes, help Dracula search for his long lost friend. You won't forget what his bat looks like for a while! Dracula has a hole in his roof, the sun is rising and he needs your help quickly! Participate in the following activity and learn how to reflect the incoming light out of his house. Small mirror Protractor Flashlight Setup the mirror and the protractor as illustrated Use the flashlight to shine a beam as the ray in the angle of incident and note the angle of the beam on the protractor. The ray that strikes the mirror is called the incident or striking ray. The ray that is bounced back by the mirror is called the reflected ray. Does the beam that is reflected in the angle of reflection show the same degree on the protractor? The angle between the incident ray and the surface of the mirror is called the angle of incident. Whereas the angle between the reflected ray and the surface of the mirror is called the angle of reflection. If you know one of the angles you should be able to figure out the other angle. Use the the mirror and protrator along with what you've just learned to reflect the incoming sunlight out of Dracula's house before its too late! Pushing, pulling and falling has the Wolf Man confused about energy. He thinks that one type of energy is just as good as another. And why shouldn't he? Most people do and take that notion right into the Ghostly Graveyard! And this problem with Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and greenhouse gasses and global warming. That's got the furry graveyard sexton worried too. You realize that the only way different types of fuels can be compared is to examine their energy content on a standard scale. Energy Resource Energy Content (BTU) Amount per MBTU CO2 Produced (per unit of fuel) Pounds of CO2 produced per million BTU wood 8,000/lb 125 lbs. 2.59 lb. CO2/lb 323.8 coal 12,250/lb 2.48 lb. CO2/lb fuel oil 140,000/gal 26.4 lb. CO2/gal gasoline 125,000/gal 23.8 lb. CO2/gal LP gas 95,500/gal 12.1 lb. CO2/therm electricity from coal 3,413 kwH 2.37 lb. CO2/kwH electricity from oil 3,413/kwH 2.14 lb. CO2/kwH electricity from natural gas 3,413/kwH 1.32 lb. CO2/kwH After a quick trip on the Web you've summarized the main types of fuels used in the United States, identified their energy content in BTU (British Thermal Unit) and the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of fuel. Now you've got to do some calculations to help the Wolf Man make meaningful comparisons. A calculator will help! EXAMPLE: Wood has 8,000 BTU's (British Thermal Unit) per pound. How many pounds of wood will it take to produce 1 million BTU (British Thermal Unit) Ans. 1,000,000/ 8000 = 125 pounds. Each pound of wood produces about 2.59 pounds of carbon dioxide. So burning 125 pounds of wood produces 323.8 pounds of carbon dioxide (2.59 X 125 = 323.8 pounds). Rank-order the fuels according the amount of CO2 they produce per MBTU's. Explain the list to Wolf Man and make some recommendations on the kinds of fuels he should buy. What are some other things he should consider? Some fuels are better suited to certain tasks than others. For example it only takes 8 gallons of gasoline to produce a MBTU's but it takes 125 pounds of wood to produce the same amount of energy. Can you imagine driving a car around town with 125 pounds of wood loaded in the trunk? Use this notion of energy density to explain the following: "Natural gas is the fuel of choice for heating water, heating homes and cooking." · "Coal is an abundant fossil fuel but it's dirty." "Gasoline can never be replaced by biomass fuels like wood." "Burning natural gas to make electricity is a terrible waste (or a good use) of a precious resource." EXAMPLE: Wood has 8,000 BTU's (British Thermal Unit) per pound. How many pounds of wood will it take to produce 1 million BTu's (British Thermal Unit)? Ans. 1,000,000/ 8000 = 125 pounds. Each pound of wood produces about 2.59 pounds of carbon dioxide. So burning 125 pounds of wood produces 323.8 pounds of carbon dioxide (2.59 X 125 = 323.8 pounds). Frankenstein's lab is running out of electricity and Igor has asked you to help him find a temporary source of energy to get a single light for the good doctor. His blood-shot eyes stare into yours as he begs for your help. That's when you spot the bowl of fruit. Can fruit help Igor make electricity? citrus fruit (lemons or limes work best) 1 copper screw about 5 cm long 1 zinc screw about 5 cm long 1 holiday light with 5 cm leads You remember that a battery is nothing more that a device that stores metals and chemicals. And all that citrus contains acids so maybe, just maybe, you can help poor Igor out. 1. Roll the fruit under the palm of your hand to soften but be careful you don't break the skin. Work it gently on a piece of scrap paper or a paper towel. 2. Insert the screws into the fruit about 5 cm apart. Don't allow the screws to go through the bottom skin of the fruit. 3. Carefully remove about 1 cm of the insulation from the leads on the holiday light. Do not cut into the wire beneath the insulation. 4. Twist one end of the wire around one screw and the other end around the other screw. Presto--you have light! Investigate the probability of using other fruits and vegetables to make electricity. Measure the pH of each "battery" and see if there is a relationship between the pH of the juice and the amount of light that is produced. If you have a multimeter, you can measure the voltage and current produced. Was Igor happy with the light? Batteries are an important part of today's highly charged electrical society. They are used to start cars, power alarm systems, and run important stuff like radios and CD players. From what materials was the first "voltaic" cell constructed? What materials are used in today's batteries? What materials may be used in the batteries of the future? (If, indeed, we still need them!) Click on the characters to find out what they are doing wrong. Welcome to The Atoms Family, a Science Learning Network resource based on The Atoms Family exhibit at the Miami Science Museum. This resource contains educational activities relating to different forms of energy, and are being presented by famous gothic horror characters. In order to experience the full capabilities of this site, please make sure that you have javascript turned on in your browser. If you encounter any problems or have any questions concerning this site, please send an e-mail to the webmaster. Clicking the Atoms Family Logo anywhere within the site will bring you back to the main Atoms Family page. Clicking on a portrait of a character anywhere within the website will bring you to that character's main page in the website. 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