Matter

We have begun a new unit. We will be investigating Matter and how Heat (Thermal) energy affects matter. We began by seeing if air was matter. Our working definition of matter is anything that has weight and takes up space.

We had a contest called the Flask race to see who could fill the Erlenmeyer flask to the 200ml mark the first. On my command, the 2 students poured the water and 1 flask quickly filled. The other flask appeared stuck, with little or no water going into it. We repeated this several times until the kids caught on that I had notched one of the stoppers so that the displaced air could escape and the water could go into the flask. The flask without a notch didn't permit any air to escape, thus the forces were balanced and the water couldn't get into the flask. This showed that air takes up space.

We next weighed a balloon to show that air has weight.