Atmospheric Chemistry Wrap-up

Hard to believe we are already at the end of Unit 2! We've spent the last two weeks looking at the behavior of gases and how they relate to our weather & atmosphere. We looked at the relationships between pressure, volume, and temperature - investigating them using a U-tube.
[not that u-tube... ]



This U-tube!

We explored the connections between these gas laws and weather events, creating some pretty entertaining animations in the process.

Here's just one of many fun examples: http://www.powtoon.com/show/b2o6JVZ4By5/

Yesterday we put our knowledge & skills to the test to explain how & why you can crush a soda can with atmospheric pressure: 

Did you figure out the whole explanation? Get all the right measurements? Use the correct gas law?

Today is our Unit Exam & next week we start the Story of the Atom: from Alchemy to Nuclear Chemistry. How has our understanding of matter changed over time? 

My Chemical Engineers...

Last week I got to see all of the interesting ideas we came up with for a liquid crystal project. I was impressed with the level of thought that went into some of these! Here's just a few of the products that were designed and built by the chemical engineers of U305 Honors Chem...

This is a tub/shower sticker that indicates the water temperature

This one is a scaled-down model of liquid crystal wallpaper, which will change colors in response to room temperature or wiring behind the walls

And this one is a coffee sleeve with a little liquid crystal window that will tell you if your coffee is the right temperature to drink.

There were tons of ideas that I neglected to take pictures of as well. Here's just a few of the most creative ones:

Doorknob Tester (to indicate if there is a fire on the other side)

Hot Pocket™ Tester (to check if the inside of your meal is too hot or cold)

Phone Sticker (to indicate if your phone is about to overheat)

Candy Wrapper Tester (to see if your chocolate candy has melted inside)

Dog Paw Pavement Tester (to make sure the ground isn't too hot for pets before a walk)

Stovetop Sensor (to see if your stovetop is still too hot to touch after cooking)

Hot Tub Tester (to see if your hot tub is at optimum temp for enjoyment)

Bandage that indicates if a wound is infected (since infection raises the temperature of the wound)

Love the ingenuity - let's keep it up!