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Through Thick and Thin: Liquid Viscosity (title provided or enhanced by cataloger)
http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/4_class/45_pguides/pguide_503/4553_eruption.html#a ...
From DLESE Community Collection (DCC)
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In this activity students pretend to be part of a research team working to find out more about volcanoes. Their assignment is to gather information about magma and present it as part of a television program to educate students in middle schools. The goal is to create a demonstration that will show how the composition of a liquid affects its viscosity. Students perform two demonstrations. The first demonstration involves a comparison of how long it takes a plastic bead to fall through two different liquid substances and various percent mixtures of the two liquids. Also students may try using the same liquid at different temperatures. In the second demonstration students add cornstarch to water to simulate the addition of silicates to magma.
Intended for grade levels:
  • Middle (6-8)
Type of resource:
  • For the classroom:
    • Lab activity
    • Presentation / Demo
Subject:
  • Geological Sciences:
    • Geology
  • Physics
Technical requirements:
No specific technical requirements, just a browser required
Cost / Copyright:
No cost
Copyright 1990-2003 The Chedd-Angier Production Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Each SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS program is accompanied by an online teaching guide filled with science activities and educators are encouraged to download and photocopy these materials for use in the classroom.
DLESE Catalog ID: DLESE-000-000-008-237
Educational standards:
  • National Science Education Standards (NSES):
    • 5-8:
      • Unifying concepts and processes:
        • Evidence, models, and explanation
      • A - Science as inquiry:
        • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
      • B - Physical science:
        • Properties and changes of properties in matter
      • D - Earth and space science:
        • Structure of the earth system
Resource contact / Creator / Publisher:
Publisher: The Chedd-Angier Production Company
Scientific American Frontiers Television Series