Shake· Shake· Shake!

Purpose: To observe the transfer of mechanical energy to thermal energy.

Explore the four states of matter with sand as a model.

Materials – See White Board

Procedure

1. Sketch the big cup and its sand grains. Sketch the empty small cup.

2. Pour sand from the big cup to the small cup so that your small cup is half filled with sand.

3. Sketch the sand grains being poured from the big cup into the small cup.

4. Make sure you are using the proper temperature probe as indicated by your teacher.

5. Insert the temperature probe into the sand and click the “GO” button .

6. After 20 seconds remove the probe from the sand and place the lid on the cup. Do not stop the data collection and do not play with the temperature probe.

7. Shake the sand vigorously and continuously until the graph reaches 250 seconds.

8. Sketch the sand grains being shaken in the small cup.

9. When the temperature graph reaches 250 s stop shaking the sand and remove the lid. Insert the temperature probe into the sand and hold there until the program stops collecting data.

10. Click on the graph line and determine the temperature before shaking and the temperature after shaking. Record these temperatures.

11. Answer the questions provided by your teacher.

Questions

1. What happened to the temperature of the sand due to the shaking?

2. If the temperature changed:

a. What about the shaking may have caused the temperature change?

b. What was the source of the change that took place?

3. If the temperature did not change:

a. Come in early one day and do the activity again.

4. Use the sand in this activity to model the particles in each of the three basic states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Be specific as to when each “state” is presented in this activity.

5. Expand on this model to include the plasma state of matter.

6. Relate the temperature change observed to the temperature differences observed in the different states of matter.