Objective: The student will determine through an experiment that air has weight.
Materials: Yard stick, tape, two balloons, tape, string and a pin.
( Students are grouped 2-3), scientific method write up sheet.
Teach: Ask students if they think air has weight. Then ask using the materials if they can prove or disprove the statement. Materials are those items needed to perform the experiment. Hypothesis is what you think will happen. Purpose is why you are completing the experiment. Procedure is the steps taken during the experiment. Results are what actually occurred. Conclusion is what you learned from the experiment.
Guided Practice: Conducting the experiment-- blow up two balloons equally, tie a knot to keep air in the balloons. Attach a string to the balloons, position one balloon at each end of the yard stick. Find the center spot and attach a string, position yard stick so the stick is suspended and level. Take a pin and pop one balloon, and have each student describe what happened. Can this experiment help determine if air has weight? What is weight? Prove your answer by using the experiment as your guide.
Independent Practice: Each student will complete the experiment and scientific method sheet.
Closure: Class discussion concerning what was learned from this experiment. Discuss the molecules in air, parts of a molecule, how contaminates attach and may be nuclei for contaminants.
Mathematical standards to be addressed are problem solving, reasoning skills, organizing data, testing a hypothesis and decision making skills.