Station 1: Is Air There?

Question: Is Air There?Materials: glass jar, rubber band, and plastic bag

  1. Use a rubber band to secure a plastic bag over the top of a glass jar.
  2. Gently try to push the bag into the jar.
  3. What happens? ______

______

  1. Is the air pressure higher inside or outside of the bag? ______

______

DRAW IT:

  1. Remove the rubber band and line the inside of the jar with the plastic bag. Use the rubber band to tightly secure the edges of the bag over the rim of the jar.
  2. Gently try to pull the bag out of the jar with your fingertips.
  3. What happens? ______

______

  1. Is the air pressure higher inside or outside of the bag? ______

______

DRAW IT:

Think It Over:

  1. Explain your observations in terms of air pressure. How do you think differences in air pressure would affect a balloon as it traveled up through the atmosphere?

Station 2: Does Air Have Mass?

Question: Does Air Have Mass?Materials: Triple Beam Balance and a balloon

  1. Use a balance to find the mass of a deflated balloon. Record the mass in the table below.
  1. Blow up the balloon and tie the neck closed.
  1. Predict whether the mass of the balloon plus the air you have compressed in will differ from the mass of the deflated balloon. Record in the table below.
  1. Find the mass of the inflated balloon. Record the new mass in the table below.
  1. Compare this to the mass of the deflated balloon. Was your prediction correct? Write yes or no in the table below.

Data Table

Trials / Mass (g)
Deflated Balloon
Prediction
Inflated Balloon
Was your Prediction Accurate?
  1. What is the independent variable? ______

______

  1. What is the dependent variable? ______

______

  1. If the mass changes, why does it? ______

______

  1. How is this related to weather and the atmosphere? ______

______

Station 3: Breath In, Breath Out

Question: How can you detect carbon dioxide in the air you exhale?

Materials: goggles, bromothymol blue solution, beaker, wrapped straw, watch

  1. Put on your goggles.
  1. Fill the beaker with 20 mL of bromothymol blue solution.
  1. Using a straw, slowly blow air through the bromothymol blue solution until you see a change in color. DO NOT suck on the straw or drink the bromothymol blue solution. Record the time it took to change color in the data table below under, “Resting” Time.
  1. What happens to the color of the bromothymol blue solution? ______

______

  1. How long does it take? ______
  1. The same person will now complete two minutes of cardio activity (i.e. push ups, jumping jacks, running in place, burpees). It needs to be something that will elevate your heart rate while staying in one location.
  1. Using a straw, slowly blow air through the bromothymol blue solution until you see a change in color. DO NOT suck on the straw or drink the bromothymol blue solution. Record the time it took to change color in the data table below under, “After 2 minutes of Activity” Time.

Trials / Time in seconds
Resting
After 2 minutes of activity

5. What do your results tell you about how exercise and carbon dioxide are related? ______

______

______

6. Return your used Bromothymol Blue to the “Use Bromothymol Blue Bucket”.

7. Clean up your area.

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