Table of Contents Chapter 5: Ideal Toy |
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Chapter ChallengeYou are challenged to create a toy that uses various chemical and/or gas principles. Your toy should appeal to an age group of your choice. Your final presentation to the board of the Ideal Toy Company will include a written proposal, either a detailed drawing or a mock prototype of the toy, a statement of any potential hazards or waste disposal issues, and a cost analysis of the item for manufacturing. An oral and written explanation of the chemistry principles used is a key part of the proposal. |
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Activity Summaries |
Chemistry Principles |
Activity 1: Batteries In this three-part activity students will first explore what they already know about batteries and examine several types of batteries. Starting on the macro level, they will make observations about commercial batteries. Then they will use the metal-activity series to guide them as they build their own electrochemical cells. They will learn the nanoscopic concepts of redox reactions and electrochemical cell chemistry. They then return to the macroscopic level as they attempt to power a toy with the cells they have created. |
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Activity 2: Solid, Liquid, or Gas? In this two-part activity, students will use the free Chem Sketch and 3-D Viewer programs from ACD Labs to create representations of different molecules. The focus is on the fact that the size and shape of a molecule have an important effect on the properties of the molecule. Properties examined are boiling points and melting points of organic compounds. |
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Activity 3: Cartesian Divers This activity involves two parts. In Part A, students rotate through two stations and explore the effect of pressure on gas volume. In one station, students will simply explore pressure changes on volume using a syringe. At another station, students will explore pressure changes on buoyancy of a Cartesian diver, without using their hands. In Part B, students will use the Pressure Sensor probe and their graphing calculators to derive Boyle’s Law (P1V1 = P2V2). |
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Activity 4: Hot-Air Balloons Students will use an indirect measure of gas volumes at decreasing temperatures to determine the relationship between gas volume and temperature. From this data, they will graphically determine absolute zero and gain an understanding of the Kelvin scale versus the Celsius scale. Then, students will apply their understanding of temperature and gas volumes by constructing and testing hot-air balloons. |
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Activity 5: How are Gases Produced? In this two-part activity students will generate and test for hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide gases. They will then determine an effective ratio of hydrogen/oxygen gases to use in the propulsion of a small rocket. |
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Activity 6: Ideal Gas Law for the Ideal Toy This activity gives students an opportunity to use knowledge gained from the preceding activities in order to determine the volume of one mole of hydrogen gas. With this information in hand they will then calculate the gas law constant “R”. |
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Activity 7: Moving Molecules First, students will use pictorial and physical models to determine the effect of mass on gas effusion rates. Then, students will apply stoichiometric relationships to determine the amount of HCl and Zn needed to completely inflate a baggie with hydrogen gas. Finally, students will explain the observations made using the balloon/baggie model and the molecular weights of the gases generated. |
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Activity 8: Plastics This activity has two parts. In Parts A and B, students will make and explore a thermoplastic and a thermoset polymer. They will note the differences between the two types of plastics and construct an item, which could be a part of their prototype, from each type. In Part B, students will test different types of plastics to determine the best choice for its function. Students will identify two important criteria of the plastic needed for their toy, and then they will design tests to determine which plastic best fits their criteria. |
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