NorwichCitySchool District

Using the Scientific Method

Name:______Date:______

Teacher:______

Title/Topic: WEATHERING of SUGAR CUBES

You will be thinking like a scientist if you ask yourself the following questions as you work on your science project.

Scientific MethodQuestion you should ask yourself

State the problem What do I want to find out?

______

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Form a hypothesisWhat should happen? (Do not state it as a question.)

State as: If______, then______.

______

Scientific MethodQuestion you should ask yourself

Materials and MethodsWhat materials do I need?

What will I do with the materials?

______Materials:______Methods:______

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Data Collected Graphs and charts used

Shaking Trial / Drawing of Sugar Cube / Mass of Sugar Cube (g)
0 Shakes
After 20 Shakes
After 40 Shakes
After 60 Shakes
After 80 Shakes
After 100 Shakes

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Scientific MethodQuestion you should ask yourself

Discussion and conclusionWhat really did happen?

Why did this happen?

Did I find out what I wanted to know?

(What change did you notice in the appearance of the sugar cubes? Were these changes due to chemical or physical weathering? What reason(s) did you give for these changes? What is the evidence? How did the continued shaking change the cubes appearance? Describe where this occurs in nature.______

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Suggestions for improvement:

______

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Suggestions for further research:

______

Part B: The effect of surface area and temperature on Weathering

Procedure B-1

1. Place two sugar cubes on a paper towel.

2. Carefully crush one, try not to lose any of the mass.

3. Place one sugar cube in one beaker of water and the crushed sugar cube in the second beaker of
water.

Form / Time to Dissolve
Full Sugar Cube
Crushed Cube

4. Observe the rate of time it takes for each mass of sugar to dissolve and record as either fast or slow.

Procedure B-2

  1. Fill one beaker up with cold water and one with hot water.
  2. Place a sugar cube in each of the beakers
  3. Observe the rate of time it takes for each mass of sugar to dissolve and record as either fast or slow.

Form / Time to Dissolve
Cube in Cold Water
Cube in Hot water

Questions

1. For Procedure B-1, which form of sugar dissolved more quickly? Why?

2. For Procedure B-2, which sugar cube dissolved more quickly, the one in the cold water or the one in
the hot water? Why?

3. For the hot vs. cold sugar cubes, were these changes due to chemical or physical weathering?

Conclusion

What is the difference between physical and chemical weathering?

What factors affect the rates of physical and chemical weathering? (Use your notes)

Where do you see physical and chemical weathering on a daily basis?