Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
Inquiry Laboratory Activity: Predicting States of Matter
In this activity, you will investigate the physical science of matter and the different forms
(states) it takes. You are going to see how different atoms and molecules change forms
(states) when they are heated or cooled.
INTRODUCTION
There are some vocabulary words you need to know before beginning this activity. As a
class, you are first going to look at some websites. Using the 5 W’s of cyberspace, you are
going to decide if they are trustworthy sources of information. The websites you will visit
as a class are: http://www.thedogisland.com/index.html and
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/dogs/. The questions you will look at to determine if this
is a good source of information are:
 Who created the page?
 Is there an “about us” section?
 Do they list credentials?
 Is there contact information?
 Who is the intended audience?
 What information are you getting?
 Are there multiple points of view represented?
 Does the author use OPIONION words such as always, never, least, greatest,
best, worst, all, none, should, or most?
 When was this article posted?
 Is it current?
 Has it been updated recently?
 Where is this webpage located?
 Look at the URL. Is this a personal page or site?
 What is the domain (.com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov)?
 Why would I use this site as a source of information?
 Can I verify this information?
 Why was this site published? Was it to entertain, to inform, to explain, to
persuade, to sell, or some combination of these things?
(Adapted from Kozdras, D., & Welsh, J. (2014). Hoax or no hoax? strategies for online
comprehension and evaluation. Retrieved 25 January, 2014, from
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/hoax-hoax-strategiesonline-1135.html)
Using the websites provided, fill out the vocabulary table below. You must list the resource
where you found the definition and why you used that website based on the 5 W’s of
Cyberspace.
List of websites:
http://www.factmonster.com
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
http://kids.britannica.com/
http://www.chem4kids.com/
http://www.wordcentral.com/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/
Word
Definition
Picture
Resource
Why used?
Matter
States of
Matter
Phase
Change
Molecule
Atom
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Freeze
Melt
Condense
Boil
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
EXPLORATION
1. Click on or type in the link: http://phet.colorado.edu. Here is a screenshot of the
website:
2. Click “Play with sims… >” button.
3. Scroll down the list until you see “States of Matter: Basics”. Click it.
4. Choose the “Download” option. Open and run the program. This is what it should look
like when it opens:
5. When you open the sim (simulation you just downloaded), click “Solid, Liquid, Gas” in
the upper left corner.
6. On the right side, you will notice there are different atoms and molecules for you to use.
There are neon, argon, oxygen, and water.
7. First click “Neon” and increase (turn up) the heat and observe what happens to the
particles (little blue circles). Then decrease (turn down) the heat and observe what
happens to the particles. Observe the temperature as well.
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
8. Repeat Step #7 for argon, oxygen, and water.
Questions
a. What did the neon particles do when the pot was heated?
b. What did the neon particles do when the pot was cooled?
c. Do you think the neon changed its state? This means, did it change from a solid to a
liquid or a liquid to a gas? How could you tell?
d. When the neon cooled again, did the particles go back to its original square shape?
Why do you think this did or did not happen?
e. In what ways are the argon, oxygen, and water particles similar to the neon
particles? In what ways are they different?
EXPLANATION
Goal: To create a rule to determine when a substance has changed its state from a solid to a
liquid and then from a liquid to a gas using just water.
*Click on water under Atoms and Molecules to complete the following part of your activity.
The screen should look like this:
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
1. When the container is heated the substance becomes a _______________.
(solid, liquid, or gas)
2. When the container is cooled the substance becomes a _______________.
(solid, liquid, or gas)
3. How do you know if a phase change is happening (solid turning to liquid, liquid turning
to gas) by viewing the atoms?
4. Why do you think a substance changes its state after a certain temperature?
5. Record the temperatures that you think water is at when these phase changes happen.
Also include a picture of what the particles look like:
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Temperature
Picture
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
Concepts: Fill in the blanks with the word you think best fits.
When you heat up the container the substance will change form a solid to a _______________
and then into a _______________ if the heating keeps going. When you cool the container the
substance will change from a gas to a _______________ and then into a _______________ if the
cooling keeps going. Each type of substance (argon, neon, water, oxygen) changes its state
of matter at different _______________.
When the particles appear to be close together they are in the _______________ state. As the
particles drift they become a _______________ and then when the particles are as far apart as
they can get they have turned into a _______________.
When a substance goes from a liquid to a solid it is because it has reached its freezing point.
When a substance goes from a solid to a liquid it is because it has reached its melting point.
When a substance goes from a liquid to a gas it is because it has reached its boiling point.
The “K” next to the temperature in the sim represents a temperature scale called Kelvin. It
is a little different from what the Weather Person on TV uses but we are going to continue
using it for our activity.
APPLICATION PHASE #1
*Reset all of the settings on the sim using the button in the lower left side of the screen.
Use the sim to fill in the blanks on the following table. At what temperatures do the
substances reach their melting, boiling, and freezing points?
Temperature
Melting
Point
Boiling
Point
Freezing
Point
Neon
Argon
Oxygen
Water
1. How do you know if a substance has changed states?
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
2. Do the different substances change state at the same temperature?
3. Why do the particles not form back into their original square shape when cooled from a
liquid back into a solid?
APPLICATION PHASE #2
*Reset all of the settings on the sim using the button in the lower left side of the screen.
1. On the right side of the sim it says, “Change State” and underneath it says “Solid
(Freezing Point), Liquid (Melting Point), and Gas (Boiling Point)”. Click on neon first
and then click on solid. Look at what the thermometer reads and then record it on the
table below.
2. Next, click on liquid. Look at what the thermometer reads and then record it on the
table below.
3. Finally, click on gas. Look at what the thermometer reads and then record it on the
table below.
4. Do this for the other three substances.
Temperature
Melting
Point
Boiling
Point
Freezing
Point
Neon
Argon
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
Oxygen
Water
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Name: __________________________________________________
Date: __________
CONCLUSION
Using the data you collected in Application Phase #1 and Application Phase #2 you will
create graphs that will help you visually analyze and compare the data you collected. So
you will be making 2 graphs. Below are different computer programs you can use to create
your graphs.
Create a Graph: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/classic/
Math is Fun: http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/graphs-index.html
Meta-Chart: http://www.meta-chart.com
ChartGo: http://www.chartgo.com
After you create your graphs on the computer, print them out and answer the following
questions:
1. What type of graph(s) did you create?
2. Why did you choose this type of graph(s)?
3. Compare the data in both graphs. Were you able to correctly measure when each
substance changed states?
4. What helped you determine when the substances had changed states?
Modified from PhET lesson plan created by Kristina Smith
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