PHYSICAL SCIENCE. Investigating. Critical-Thinking Activities

Transcription

1 Investigating PHYSICAL SCIENCE Critical-Thinking Activities Differentiated Activities Higher-Order Thinking-Skill Activities Interdisciplinary Activities Written by Jim McAlpine, Betty Weincek, Sue Jeweler, and Marion Finkbinder Illustrated by Karen Birchak

2 This book is dedicated to Alexis Jordan. The purchase of this book entitles the individual teacher to reproduce copies of the student pages for use in his or her classroom exclusively. The reproduction of any part of the work for an entire school or school system or for commercial use is prohibited. ISBN Educational Impressions, Inc., Hawthorne, NJ Printed in the U.S.A.

3 Table of Contents Teacher Section MINI-UNITS Light...23 Interdisciplinary Activities...24 Color/Color Vision in Animals...25 Laser/Luminescence...26 Electricity...27 Interdisciplinary Activities...28 Currents/Generating Electricity...29 Benjamin Franklin/James Watt...30 Fission and Fusion...31 Interdisciplinary Activities...32 Uranium/Plutonium...33 Sources of Radiation/Albert Einstein...34 Laws of Motion...35 Interdisciplinary Activities...36 Friction/Inertia...37 Gravity/Force...38 Simple Machines...39 Interdisciplinary Activities...40 Work/Gears...41 Compound Machines/Rube Goldberg...42 Magnetism...43 Interdisciplinary Activities...44 Polarity/Magnetic Compass...45 Magnetic Field/Shapes of Magnets...46 Optics...47 Interdisciplinary Activities...48 Photons/Reflection...49 Refraction/Lens...50 Periodic Table...51 Interdisciplinary Activities...52 Atomic Number/Atomic Weight...53 Synthetic Elements/History of Elements...54 Educational Impressions, Inc. Investigating Physical Science 3

4 Energy...55 Interdisciplinary Activities...56 Sources of Energy/Conservation of Energy...57 ERG/Kinetic and Potential Energy...58 Chemistry...59 Interdisciplinary Activities...60 Alchemy/Compound...61 Chemical Reaction/Catalyst...62 Matter...63 Interdisciplinary Activities...64 Solution/Density...65 Melting Point/Vaporization...66 Physics...67 Interdisciplinary Activities...68 Properties of Matter/Gravity...69 Particle Physics/Mechanical Physics...70 Atomic Structure...71 Interdisciplinary Activities...72 Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons/Nucleus...73 Quark/Lepton...74 EXPANSION ACTIVITIES Make the Connection!...77 Wild Card!...78 Science Expo...79 Bibliography Investigating Physical Science Educational Impressions, Inc.

5 Light BACKGROUND: Light always has been a part of man s environment. Only in relatively recent history has man had the technology to match his curiosity about the nature and properties of light itself. While light usually travels in a straight line, absorption, reflection, refraction, interference, diffraction, and polarization can change the path or the nature of the light. The scientific study of light is called optics. At one time, scientists believed that light traveled at an immeasurable, infinite speed. In 1675, Olaus Romer demonstrated that the speed of light was, in fact, finite and could be measured and tracked. As technology advanced, more accurate measurements were made. It was finally determined that light travels through space at 186,000 miles per second; therefore, light originating from the sun takes about eight minutes to reach Earth. Sir Isaac Newton made observations and discoveries in 1666 that showed that sunlight could be split into colors of the spectrum red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. In 1690, Christian Huygens theorized that light was made up of a kind of wave. The experiments of Thomas Young (in 1801) and A. J. Fresnel (in ) supported the wave theory. In 1864, James Clerk Maxwell demonstrated that visible light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Most recently, the quantum (particle) theory of light has attempted to explain many more aspects of the behavior of light. The human eye is sensitive to only the tiny part of light in the electromagnetic spectrum called visible light. Organs in the eye allow humans to sense the brightness, or intensity, of light and the wavelength, or color, of light. The eyes and brain work together to understand the information that visible light carries. There are also wavelengths that the eye cannot detect. These include ultraviolet radiation and infrared radiation. Organisms other than humans and other animals also respond to light. For example, plants use light to grow. This process is called photosynthesis. Some plants even move as a response to light and can change the arrangement of leaves or blossoms to capture the most light available. Over time, individuals have applied their knowledge of the properties, laws, and behavior of light to create exciting inventions. Some of these inventions include the camera, artificial light sources, telescopes, television, movies, and lasers. Educational Impressions, Inc. Investigating Physical Science 23

6 Interdisciplinary Activities Language Arts: Create a picture glossary of terms related to or about light. Social Studies: Create an illustrated timeline of inventions related to or about light. Science: Research how and why light is responsible for the colors of autumn leaves. Math: Calculate the distance light travels in a year. The Arts: Create and explain the color wheel. Contributors: Research to locate an individual or group whose contribution to this concept is or was significant. Explain how and why this contribution was or is so important. 24 Investigating Physical Science Educational Impressions, Inc.

7 Color The wavelength of light (the distance between the top of one light wave and the next) determines the perceived color. White light is a blend of colors. These colors are arrayed from those with the longest wavelength to those having the shortest. When all the wavelengths of visible light hit our eyes at the same time, we see white light. The visible spectrum is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Scientists have identified fifty-five distinct hues, or gradations, in the spectrum. Combining any two of the three primary colors in various proportions makes these, and all colors. There is a debate over which are the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue; red, green, and blue; or red, green, and violet. Activities Write a spectrum-ordered poem. Demonstrate how television uses red, blue, and green to make a full-color picture. Hypothesize why the result of mixing paint in the primary colors is different from the result of mixing light in the primary colors. Take a stand and write a persuasive piece identifying the three primary colors. white red violet (visible spectrum colors) Color Vision in Animals Apes, monkeys, many kinds of birds, and some species of fish have color vision much like humans. However, many other animals see colors differently. For example, research shows that dogs see colors as various shades of gray. The eyes of certain other animals are sensitive to light that is invisible to the human eye. Bees can see ultraviolet light, which is invisible to people, but cannot see the color red. Activities Research ten animals and record how they do or do not see color. Explore how animals living in monochromatic environments use color. Create a storyboard for a color movie from the point of view of your dog. Research and explain the process by which humans perceive color. Educational Impressions, Inc. Investigating Physical Science 25

8 Laser Laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. A laser is an instrument that generates a uniform, narrow, high-intensity beam of light made up of one pure color. This beam of one very pure color (the wavelength of frequency of visible light) can be directed and focused over great or small distances. Laser light consists of long stretches of waves at even height (amplitude) and width (frequency); it is called coherent light because the photons (wave packets) stick together. Lasers are very powerful because these concentrated photons hit the target surface simultaneously. Activities Research and document commercial and entertainment uses of lasers. Explain how and why scientists use lasers. Research and explain how different colored laser light is created. Predict how lasers might be used in the next century. Luminescence There are substances that emit visible light and gain energy with very little heating or energy consumption. The process is called luminescence. Some materials are able to glow in the dark for extended periods of time after receiving an input of energy. These materials are often called phosphorescent. Some living organisms also emit this type of light. When created by a living thing, it is called bioluminescence and is chemically generated. Any kind of luminescence results when excited atoms de-excite and emit visible light. Activities List plants and animals that generate bioluminescence. Write a metaphor using luminescence. Explore the reasons how and why living things use bioluminescence. Create an energy device or plan which uses luminescence. 26 Investigating Physical Science Educational Impressions, Inc.