Copper Rusting

Science Project: Copper Rusting

Supplies Needed: 2 new pennies, orange juice, coke, 2 glass cups, fridge (not pictured).

Procedure for Copper Rusting

Day 1: Tuesday, April 13

Result: Both pennies are brand new.

Day 2: Saturday, April 17

Result: The penny in the Coca Cola is slighty more rusted than the penny in the orange juice.

Day 3: Wednesday, April 21

Result: Both pennies are slighty more rusted than they were 4 days ago, but the penny in the Coca Cola is still more rusted than the penny in the orange juice.

Day 4: Sunday, April 25

Result: The penny in the Coca Cola is almost completely rusted, whereas the penny in the orange juice has rust, but not nearly as much as the penny in the Coca Cola.

Information: The pH level affects the acidity of a product. Orange juice contains citric acid and has a ph of 3.5. Coca Cola has phosphoric acid added to it, which is an approved food grade acid. The ph level of Coca Cola is 2.6 which is a higher acidity than that of orange juice. Before doing the project, I thought the orange juice would have a higher acidity than the Coca Cola, but the ph levels probably would have determined that the Coca Cola would rust at a faster rate than the orange juice due to its higher ph level.

By looking at this scale, it looks as if the ph of orange juice and the ph of coca cola is the same, but when you get technical, the ph of coca cola is actually higher.

See Two Pictures As One!

See Two Pictures As One: Step by Step Procedure

These are the supplies needed to see two pictures as one!
*scissors, compass, 2 colored markers, 2 rubber bands, and a white card*

Step 1: Using a compass, make a circle on the card.

Cut it out.

Step 2: Draw a circle on the card.


Make a hole on each side of the circle.

Step 3: After turning the card over, draw a cross on the other side.

Step 4: Thread a rubberband through each hole in the card.

Step 5: Twist the bands by holding them and turning the card.

Step 6: Release the card.

As it whirls around, you can see the cross appearing right inside the circle.

Lesson Plan: See Two Pictures As One

By doing this experiment, you can see how pictures move on television and in movies. Long strips of still pictures make up movies, each one a little different from the previous. One after another, the pictures move at a fast speed on the screen. However, as you watch a movie, you do not see seperate pictures. They overlap and appear to move, just like the cross appearing inside the circle.

The lesson I would use for this experiment is to have the students use their creativity to make their own "movies" and have them present them to the class.

Extended Resource:
Take a Taste Test - Cassie Eddington

Building a Simple Thermometer

Build A Simple Thermometer- Step by Step Procedure

These are the supplies used to build a simple thermometer:
a clear straw, modeling clay, a card, scissors, cold water, food coloring, red (I used pink), blue, and black markers, and a glass bottle.

Step 1: Pour cold water into the bottle until it is about three-quarters full.

Add a few drops of food coloring.

Step 2: Put a straw in the bottle so that it dips in the water.

Seal around it with modeling clay.

Step 3: Blow gently into the straw. The water rides up it. Stop when it is halfway up.

Step 4: Cut 2 slits in the card.

Slide it over the straw. Make a black mark to show the level of the water.

Step 5: Put the thermometer in a warm place. I chose the oven.

The water rises. Mark the level in red (or pink).

Step 6: Put the thermometer in a cold place for a while. I chose the freezer.

The water level falls. Mark it in blue.

About Thermometers:

The thermometer is a device that measures temperature using a variety of different principles. A thermometer uses a tube to show the hotness and coldness or the air. The water level is controlled by the expansion and contraction of the air.

A homemade thermometer can be created from simple household materials and provides a reliable and accurate indication of changes in an environment's temperature. Heat and cold will affect the liquid in the homemade thermometer the same way temperature affects a thermometer filled with mercury. As the temperature around your homemade thermometer rises, so will the liquid inside. As the temperature drops, the liquid will drop as well.

Tennessee State Standards:

SPI 0407.9.1 Choose an appropriate tool for measuring a specific physical property of matter.
SPI 0407.9.2 Determine the mass, volume, and temperature of a substance or object using proper units of measurement.
SPI 0407.9.3 Interpret the causes and effects of a physical change in matter.

Extended Resource:

Race Some Beads - Kayla Whitt and Tiffany Phillips

Construct a Camera

Construct a Camera: Step by Step Procedure

These are the materials needed in order to construct a camera: tape, empty tissue box, magnifying glass, tracing paper, cardboard tube, pen, and scissors.











Step 1: Hold the tube on the side of the box on the opposite side of the opening. Draw around it.












Step 2: Carefully cut out the circle you have drawn on the tissue box.













Step 3: Push the tube into the hole. The tube should move in and out.













Step 4: Tape the magnifying glass firmly to the end of the tube.












Step 5: Tape the tracing paper over the opening in the box.











Your new model camera is now ready to use!












Information about Cameras:

A camera is a device that records images, either as a still photograph or as moving images known as videos or movies. The word “camera” comes from a Latin term meaning “dark chamber”. Cameras may work with the light of the visible spectrum or with other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. A camera generally consists of an enclosed hollow with an opening at one end for light to enter, and a recording or viewing surface for capturing the light at the other end. A majority of cameras have a lens positioned in front of the camera's opening to gather the incoming light and focus all or part of the image on the recording surface. Most 20th century cameras used photographic film as a recording surface, while modern ones use an electronic camera sensor.

Tennessee State Standards:

GLE 0307.T/E.2 Recognize that new tools, technology, and inventions are always being developed.

GLE 0307.T/E.4 Recognize the connection between scientific advances, new knowledge, and the availability of new tools and technologies.

Extended Resource:

Construct a Camera - Alex Waddell