S E V E N T H G E N E R A T I O N

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1 Book 3 SEVENTH GENERATION Science ExperimentS π Ω Θ S E V E N T H G E N E R A T I O N c l u b

2 Mini Solar Systems I The Seventh Generation Club thanks Mad Science for their contribution of the twelve experiments found in the Seventh Generation Club Science Experiments Book 3. Mad Science has a mission to spark the imagination and curiosity of children everywhere by providing them with fun, interactive and educational activities that instill a clear understanding of what science is all about and how it affects the world around them. Mad Science offers a variety of programs available in British Columbia including school assemblies with engaging science shows, age appropriate school workshops, and science camps. All Mad Science programs meet British Columbia Integrated Resource Package (IRP) requirements, include preand post-activities, reliable instructions, professional lesson plans, equipment, and the programs include language arts and math extension activities. For more information on how to host a Mad Science program at your school or event, please contact: Bill and/or Jennifer Collette Mad Science PO Box 1086 Parksville, BC V9P 2H1 Call toll free at MADS (6237), or Time: Time: 15 mins Topic: Vastness of Space 21.5 by 46 cm white paper (take big poster paper and cut it up) The Mini Solar System sheet at the back of the manual Scissors Glue Ruler Markers, pencils, or crayons Important information: Planet Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Distance From the Sun 1 cm 1.5 cm 2 cm 2.5 cm 6 cm Planet Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto Distance From the Sun 10 cm 21 cm 31 cm 41.5 cm 1) Find the Mini Solar System page, which contains the necessary diagram and chart, at the back of this manual. 2) Cut out the planets and Sun and to keep the chart of the distances of the planets from the Sun. 3) Begin by placing the Sun on the very edge of the left-hand side of the by 46 cm poster paper. 4) Use the ruler to measure the distance from the Sun to each of the other planets and to glue them into the appropriate spot. 5) Continue until all of the planets have been added to the solar system. This activity illustrates to students how large our solar system is by reducing it to a size they can manipulate. It provides a model, which is something that scientists use to help explain concepts that are difficult to understand because of their size or state. A visual representation of our solar system is provided that will demonstrate to students how large the planets actually are and the distances between them. They may have a better understanding if you highlight the size of the Earth, which in reality is much larger than the small circle they see on the paper. The core temperature of the Sun is 27 million degrees Celsius.

3 II All About Orbits The Pull of Gravity III The Sun is about 5 billion years old. Scientists suspect that Neptune has a rock core and is covered with water and other chemicals. It takes 165 years for Neptune to orbit the Sun. Topic: Gravity Stopwatch Marbles Scissors Tape Pencil Paper Photocopies of the Mercury template at the back of the manual Thick cardstock or poster board (each pair will need a piece about 23 cm by 23 cm) 1) Photocopy the Planet Mercury Templates, or cut it out of the book - the original can be found at the back of this manual. 2) Cut out the circle and use it as a template to draw a circle on the cardstock. 3) Label the cardstock circle Mercury, and cut it out. 4) Following the template, draw a straight line from the middle of the circle out to an edge. Then cut along this line. 5) Roll the cardstock into a cone and tape it securely in place. 6) Take the Mercury cone and place the marble in it. 7) Hold the cone as if it were an ice cream cone, and gently swivel it (from the base) in a regular circular motion. 8) The marble should start to move around inside the cone in a continuous orbit. You have created a model of the path planets follow as they move around the Sun. In this model, the Sun is the center of the cone, and the marble is the planet Mercury. 9) Use the stopwatch to time 15 seconds. Have a friend group count the number of times the marble completes one full revolution, or orbit, in those 15 seconds. 10) Record your results on a sheet of paper. Extension: Try the experiment a couple of times to ensure that your results are accurate and that other variables did not interfere with the outcomes. This experiment is an excellent illustration of an orbit, which is the path that one object follows during its revolution around another object. In this case this model demonstrates the orbit followed by the planet Mercury, represented by the marble, and the Sun, which is the center of the cone. Topic: Gravity 30 cm ruler Piece of heavy cardstock Pencil or marker Scissors *This activity requires two people 1) Lay the ruler flat on the paper and draw a line all the way around it. 2) Cut the ruler out. 3) Now you need to divide the ruler into different sections. Draw sections on the ruler at the 2-inch (5 cm), 4-inch (10 cm), 6-inch (15 cm), 8-inch (20 cm), and 10-inch (25 cm) marks. Colour each section with a different color to help distinguish the areas from each other. 4) Stand up. Ask your friend to hold the cardstock ruler just above your outstretched hand. 5) When they release, the other partners have to try and catch the cardboard as quickly as they can. 6) The colored sections on the ruler will help to indicate how fast they were at catching the cardstock ruler. This experiment is basically a race between gravity and you (your hand and your brain). By the time the message from your brain (that the cardboard has been released and you need to catch it) reaches your hand, gravity has pulled the cardboard down quite a few inches. This demonstrates how powerful gravity is! A trip to the Moon takes less than 3 days. Saturn is often called the ringed planet because its rings are spectacular. Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune also have rings, but theirs do not shine as brightly and are thus not as noticeable.

4 IV Dual Drop Bobble Ball V Topic: Gravity Topic: Centre of Gravity Some fish spawn only at the new and full moon. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and it rotates very quickly, about once every ten hours. Scissors Sheet of paper (8 1/2 by 11) Sheet of aluminum foil (8 1/2 by 11) Large eraser Paper clip 1) Hold up a sheet of aluminum foil and a sheet of paper. Make a prediction about which you think will fall to the ground first. 2) Hold the sheets of aluminum and paper straight out in front of you and release. 3) You may even want to record your observations. 4) Now hold up an eraser and a sheet of paper. 5) Make a guess about which you think will fall to the ground first. 6) Release both the eraser and the sheet of paper at the same time. What did you observe? 7) Finally, hold a paper clip and an eraser and make a prediction about which will fall to the ground first. 8) Compare your observations. What did you notice? There are a few different physical forces at work in this experiment. The force of gravity is pulling both objects toward the Earth at the same rate, 9.8 m/s2. Also at work is something called air resistance. The resistance of the air affects both objects as they move through it. Since the paper has a larger surface area than the eraser it is affected by more air resistance, which slows it down as it moves to the Earth. So even though both objects are pulled to the Earth by gravity at the exact same rate, the eraser lands first because its mass helps it to overcome some air resistance, which makes it fall faster than the paper. Balloon Modeling Clay 1) Take a piece of clay and roll it into a long string, like a snake, and drop it into the balloon. 2) Roll the balloon between your hands to form a ball again. 3) Now inflate the balloon and tie it. 4) Throw the ball in the air. Here on Earth, the center of gravity is near the middle of an object or person. This helps to make sure that things balance and stay in place. But in space, where the effect of gravity is reduced, the center of gravity of an object is also altered. The Bobble Ball helps to demonstrate these changes. When the clay ball moves around inside the balloon the center of gravity changes because it is not in the center of the balloon, it is in the center of the clay ball, which is why it moves in such a strange way. Earth is the only planet in our Solar System with liquid water on its surface. Uranus is a greenblue gas planet that takes 84 years to orbit the Sun.

5 VI Rockin Rockets Balloon Rocket VII All the planets in our solar system could be placed inside the planet Jupiter. Mars, often called the Red Planet, is covered in red dust and often has severe dust storms. Time: 20 mins Topic: Propulsion Baking soda Teaspoon Paper towel Measuring cup Water Vinegar 2 L. plastic bottle Paper streamers Cork Glue or tape This experiment is best performed outdoors where there is ample space. 1) Take the baking soda and measure one teaspoon. 2) Place the teaspoon of baking soda in the middle of a standard sheet of paper towel. 3) Take the long side of the paper towel and roll it, keeping the baking soda in the middle. 4) Twist the ends of the paper towel so you have a little package of baking soda. 5) Measure 1/2 a cup of water and pour it into the 2 liter plastic bottle. 6) Measure 1/2 a cup of vinegar and pour it into the 2 liter plastic bottle with the water. 7) Glue or tape some short pieces of paper streamer onto the top of the cork. 8) Gather your friends, and head outside to the location you have chosen to launch your rocket. Ensure that there are no people or windows that may be in the path of your rocket! 9) Drop the paper towel package inside the bottle. 10) Push the cork into the top of the bottle. Make sure it is securely in place but it should not be a tight fit. 11) Now put the bottle on the ground and move back at least 3 meters. The cork rocket launched because of a chemical reaction. When the vinegar and the baking soda combined in the bottle a chemical reaction occurred in which carbon dioxide gas was produced. Pressure built up inside the bottle, which forced the cork to pop off the top. The cork flew into the air, similar to when a rocket blasts off. The launching of a rocket is a little bit more complicated in actuality as it is a process that involves a chain of events that leads to the rocket lifting off the launch pad. Time: 20 mins Topic: Newton s Third Law Meter stick Straw Scissors String Length of 2 metres Balloon 2 chairs Masking tape Ruler 1) Take the straw, measure off 10 cm, and cut off the rest. 2) Take the string and thread it through the 10 cm piece of straw. 3) Place two chairs about 2 meters apart. 4) Tie the string (with the straw attached) to the backs of the chairs, ensuring that the string is tied as tightly as possible. 5) Inflate the balloon and twist, but do not tie, the end. 6) Tape the inflated balloon to the straw and move the straw to one end of the string. 7) Release the balloon and observe. The balloon pushes the straw along the string until the balloon has completely deflated. The balloon moves according to Newton s third law that states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As the air was pushed out of the balloon in one direction by the force of the walls of the balloon contracting, the balloon moved in the opposite direction. Because the balloon was attached to the straw, which was guided along a string, it moved in a straight line. The coldest place in our solar system is not Pluto; it s Triton, one of Neptune s moons. When you look up into the sky, you can often see Venus, which looks like a bright star in the sky.

6 VIII Newtonian Pin Wheel Moon Shadows IX If you could shrink the Milky Way down to the size of North America, our Solar System would fit inside a coffee cup. Time: 20 mins Topic: Newton s Third Law Bendy straw Balloon Pencil with an eraser Straight pin Tape 1) Tape the balloon to the long, straight end of the straw. Make sure that it is taped securely. 2) Place a pin through the center of the straw and then through the eraser in the pencil. 3) Bend the short end of the straw so that it is at a 90 angle. 4) Blow up the balloon and hold the end closed when you have inflated it. 5) Ask your students what they think will happen when you release the end of the balloon. 6) Remind the class to observe carefully when you let go of the balloon. 7) Release the balloon and observe. Make sure you have a clear space when you release the balloon. It does not have to be outdoors, just ensure that nothing is hanging from the ceiling that the balloon may bump into. Sir Isaac Newton discovered that objects move in understandable ways. For example, he observed that for every force that acts, there was always an equal force operating in the opposite direction. This has been called Newton s Third Law of Motion. This experiment is an example of this law at work. The balloon released its air, which traveled down the tube of the straw and out the bent end. This caused the straw to spin in the opposite direction of the open mouth of the straw. When a rocket s fuel ignites, the heat and gases that comes out the bottom of the rocket force the rocket to move in the opposite direction - up. Another example of Newton s Third Law in action is the process by which a rocket changes direction. If a rocket needs to be moved to the left, the rudder, called the gimbaled nozzle, is moved to the right. If the rocket needs to be moved to the right, the rudder is moved to the left. Topic: Earth s Rotation 1 Flashlight 1 Large styrofoam ball 2 Toothpicks 1 Small styrofoam ball 1 Thick book 1 Push pin Clay Procedure 1) The large ball represents the Earth, the small ball is the Moon and the flashlight represents the Sun. Stick a toothpick into the Earth, and another into the Moon. 2) On the other end of each toothpick put a large ball of clay. Flatten each ball of clay, and then turn the Earth and the Moon to stand up on their toothpicks. 3) The push pin represents you. Place yourself on the earth somewhere above the equator (an imaginary line drawn around the middle of the earth). 4) Place your flashlight the Sun - on top of a book (or a few books) until the center of the sun is in line with the center of the Earth, and the center of the Moon. 5) Turn on the Sun. Where are you located on the Earth? Is it day or night where you are? 6) Turn the Earth so you are on the opposite side. Now is it day or night where you are? 7) Turn the Earth until you are halfway between the Sun and the Moon. What time of day is it for you now? 8) Turn the Earth so that you are in the daylight. Now begin to rotate the Moon around the Earth. What happens when the moon comes between the Earth and the Sun? You have created a solar eclipse. A solar eclipse can make it dark in the middle of the day. What causes the darkness? A neutron star is so dense that a tablespoon of matter from it would weigh over 5,000 tons.

7 X Asteroid Strike! Space Station XI Time: 20 mins Topic: Asteroids Topic: Gravity Balls: Tennis Ball Golf Ball Ping-pong Ball Soccer Ball Sand Box Metre Stick 2 paper plates 1 large bead 1 pair of scissors 1 marker 1 ruler 1 stick 8 pieces of tape When the Apollo 12 astronauts landed on the moon, the impact caused the moon s surface to vibrate for 55 minutes. 1) Flatten the sand in your sand box with your hand, and smooth it out with the meter stick. 2) Hold one of the balls up above your head, and let it drop into the sand box. This will be like a meteor crashing into the planet. 3) Pick up a ball of a different size, and repeat step 2 with all the balls you have. 4) Carefully remove the balls, and note the mark they have left behind in the sand. 5) Now repeat steps 2-4 only hold the balls down close to your knees. Do the balls make the same size dents as before? 6) What are the differences in the craters you have created? An asteroid is one of the thousands of chunks of rock and metal that is usually found in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. For some as yet unknown reason, these asteroids are occasionally knocked out of their usual orbit, sending them shooting towards the surface of the Earth and other planets. Unlike meteors that burn up in the Earth s, atmosphere and are seen as shooting stars, asteroids are solid and hurtle towards the Earth at incredible speeds where they, in turn, are then called meteorites. Since they are traveling so fast, when they land they leave an impression in the Earth s surface called a crater. These craters can be seen in many parts of world and can be miles in diameter. The speed of descent and the size of the asteroid are what determine the size of the crater that it will leave. 1) To build your space station, mark the centre of both paper plates with a marker. 2) Ask an adult to help you poke a hole with the stick through the centre mark on each plate, and then cut out the areas shown in Figure 1 on just one of the plates. 3) Put one paper plate upside down on top of the other plate. Tape the edges together in eight places as shown in Figure 2. 4) Insert the stick through the holes in the plates, and drop in your bead. 5) The bead represents the astronaut in the space station. Try to place the astronaut as close to the middle of the plates as possible. 6) Try spinning the space station on the stick. What happens to the astronaut? 7) Now try tilting the stick and turning the space station upside down. What happens to the astronaut? By spinning the space station, you are creating artificial gravity within the station. This gravitational force pushes the astronaut to the side of the space station and anchors him or her to that spot. Weightlessness can be detrimental to an astronauts health while in space. Therefore it is important to find methods of achieving artificial gravity while living for long periods of time at space stations. Mercury makes one complete orbit around the Sun every 88 days, moving at a swift 174,000 kilometers per hour. The Earth, by comparison, makes one complete orbit every 365 days, traveling at 106, 000 kilometers an hour

8 XII The Expanding Universe How Hot? XIII Topic: Distance from the Sun Mercury is a tiny planet that orbits the Sun once every 88 days. It is so close to the Sun that the side facing the Sun burns while the other side freezes. Topic: Vastness of the Universe 1 light coloured balloon 1 ruler 1 clothes pin 3 markers in different colours 1) The balloon in this experiment represents the Universe. Blow up the balloon to about the size of your fist. Twist the end, and hold it closed with a clothespin. 2) Make a dot on the balloon to represent Earth. Remember what colour you used! 3) Using a different colour, make another dot about 3 cm away from the Earth. This dot will represent a nearby star from another solar system. 4) Using the last colour, make dots all over the balloon to represent stars all over the universe. 5) Now let the universe expand by blowing up the balloon until it is about the size of your head. Twist the end of the balloon, and hold it shut with the clothespin. 6) Find the dot that represents Earth. How far away is the nearest star? Is it closer or further away than at the start? What happened to all of the stars? 7) If we could make time run backwards, the universe would contract rather than expand. Where would all the stars end up? Deflate your balloon and think about it! In 1927, Edwin Hubble first observed that galaxies are moving farther and farther away from us. Second, he determined that the farther away a galaxy is from us, the faster it is moving away from us. If the Universe is expanding, then we can assume that the galaxies that compose our Universe were once much closer together than they are now. These and other important observations led to the development of the Big Bang Theory. This theory suggests that it probably took approximately 15 billion years for the Universe to grow to its present size, and that the Universe must have begun its expansion in an awesome event that astronomers call the Big Bang. Transparent tape Sheet of graph paper Ruler Flashlight Felt-tipped pen A helper 1) Tape the graph paper to a wall at chest height. 2) Hold the end of the ruler perpendicular to the center of the graph paper. 3) Using the ruler as a guide, hold the flashlight 1.25 cm from the graph paper. In this case, the flashlight represents the Sun. 4) Shine the light on the graph paper and ask your helper to trace around the circle of light. 5) Now move the flashlight 5 cm away from the graph paper, and repeat step 4. 6) Continue to move the flashlight away until you have reached the edge of the paper. What do you notice each time you move the flashlight? Light form the flashlight spreads out just as light from other sources does including the Sun. The same amount of light leaves the flashlight at each stage, but the smaller circle represents a more concentrated amount of light. At this stage, an object closer to the Sun would be hotter than an object farther away. Earth, the planet that we live on, is the largest of the inner planets and is largely covered by water. (The inner planets are the first four planets closest to the Sun)

9 XIV Don t Drag Me Down Time: 5 mins Topic: Gravity Seventh Generation Club Mission Statement Materials Yourself A Doorway To create a club where First Nations youth can envision their future by recognizing their own energy, the culture of their people, and the teamwork needed to succeed by giving them opportunities to make healthy life choices, participate in their community, and to meet the challenges of life. 1) Stand in a doorway, and put one hand on each side of the door frame. Push as hard as you can pretend you want to push the door frame apart. Keep this up for about 30 seconds. 2) Drop both hands, and relax totally. What is happening to your arms? Pluto is a tiny planet that is even smaller than the Earth s Moon. Since it is so far from the sun, it is also the darkest and coldest planet, which its hottest summer days reaching a high of 175*C. By pressing your arms against the door frame and then letting go you weren t really getting rid of gravity. What happened was your brain was sending signals to your arms to push as hard as they could. When you dropped your hands, your muscles relax, but your brain was still telling your arms to push. The delay caused your arms to float up until your brain told them to relax giving you a quick sense of what being gravity-free is like! The Seventh Generation Club would like to thank the following partners: Indian and Northern Affaires indiennes u Affairs Canada et du Nord Canada FIRST NATIONS CHIEFS HEALTH COMMITTEE Administration and coordination is provided by the First Nations Schools Association

10 Seventh Generation Club Park Royal South West Vancouver, BC V7T 1A2 Tel: (604) Fax: (604) π Ω Θ S E V E N T H G E N E R A T I O N c l u b