Name: Ojas Kothari Date: December 7th

Student Exploration: Phase Changes

Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.

Vocabulary: altitude, boil, boiling point, freeze, freezing point, gas, liquid, melt, melting point, phase, solid

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

Marla wants a hard-boiled egg for breakfast. The recipe says boil water, then lower the heat so the water is
simmering. But Marla is in a rush, so she keeps the heat on high as the egg cooks.

Do you think the egg will be done faster if the heat is kept on high as the water boils? No

Explain your answer. the temperature does not change as the water boils

Gizmo Warm-up
In the Phase Changes Gizmo, select Micro view. Notice the nitrogen ( ),
oxygen ( ), and water ( ) molecules.

To start, create ice. Set Add/remove heat energy to -200 J/s, click Play ( ),
and then click Pause ( ) when the container is about half ice, half water. Set
Add/remove heat energy back to 0 J/s, and then click Play.

1. Observe water molecules in the solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (air)
phases.

A. In which phase(s) do molecules move freely? gas

B. In which phase(s) are molecules held together? solid

C. What do you notice about the positions of the it stays the same
ice molecules?

2. Click Reset ( ), and select Macro view. Set the Ice volume to 25 cm3.

A. In which phase(s) is water held in a defined shape? solid

B. In which phase(s) does the water take the shape of the container? liquid

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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
● Click Reset. Check that Macro view is selected.
Phase changes ● Set the Water temperature to 20 °C.
● Set the Ice volume to 0 cm3.

Question: How is temperature related to phase changes?

1. Predict: Based on your prior knowledge, predict the following:

A. At what temperature will water change from a liquid to a solid (freeze)? 0C

B. At what temperature will water change from a solid to a liquid (melt)? 0C

C. At what temperature will water change from a liquid to a gas (boil)? 100 C

2. Investigate: Use the Gizmo to explore phase changes. Use the Add/remove heat energy slider to control
the water temperature. Record your observations in your notes, then answer the questions below:

A. At what temperature does water freeze? 0C This is the freezing point.

B. At what temperature does ice melt? 0C This is the melting point.

C. At what temperature does water boil? 100 C This is the boiling point.

3. Observe: Set up the Gizmo to observe freezing. What do you notice about the temperature while the water
is in the process of freezing?

it is constant

4. Explore: Use the Gizmo to investigate melting and boiling. Does the temperature change while either of
these phase changes is occurring?

no, it is constant

5. Interpret: Select the GRAPH tab to see a graph of temperature vs. time. Click the “–” button until the whole
graph is visible. What does the graph look like during a phase change?

the slope is 0

6. Extend your thinking: Why do you think the temperature does not change much during a phase change? If
possible, discuss your answer with your classmates and teacher.

the energy is spent changing phases rather than changing temperature

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Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:
● Click Reset, and select the Micro view.
Temperature and molecular ● Set Ice volume to 0 cm3.
motion ● Set Add/remove heat energy to 0 J/s.

Question: Why do phase changes occur?

1. Compare: Set the Water temperature to 10 °C and click Play. Observe the water molecules. Click Reset,
set the Water temperature to 100 °C, and click Play again.

What do you notice?

the molecules move faster at 100 C

2. Observe: Click Reset. The average molecular speed of the water molecules is displayed below the
container. Set the Water temperature to 0 °C and Add/remove heat energy to 400 J/s. Click Play.

A. How does the average speed of the water molecules change as they are heated?

The average speed of water increases as long as a phase change is not going
on.

B. Does the average molecular speed change as much as the temperature as the water heats up?
Explain.

Yes, they both change at about the same rate

3. Explain: How is temperature related to the motions of molecules?

As temperature increases, motion of molecules increases as well

4. Observe: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to -10 °C and Add/remove heat energy to 100 J/s.
Click Play. As the ice melts, how do the molecules in the liquid interact with the molecules in the solid?

they bump aggressively against each other – the molecules in the solid do not move until
they interact with the liquid

5. Observe: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 100 °C and Add/remove heat energy to 500 J/s.
Click Play. How does this situation compare to the previous one?

the molecules in the liquid move aggressively against the water until they can escape into
the air

6. Propose a theory: Based on what you have observed, explain why you think phase changes occur. If
possible, discuss your theory with your classmates and teacher.

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 phase changes occur because of a change in energy of the molecules which is caused by
temperature changes. When molecules gain enough energy, they move faster and are able
to escape their rigid structure, causing phase change. This goes vice versa.

7. Apply: Use your theory to explain what happens at the molecular level in each of the following situations.
Also, list the temperature at which each transition occurs.

A. Ice is warmed to the melting point.

The ice molecules gain enough temperature and begin to move faster, Temperature: 0 C
eventually moving fast enough to escape their rigid structure

B. Water is warmed to the boiling point.

The molecules move so fast that they escape the free flowing structure Temperature: 100 C
of water and flow even more freely as gas

C. Water is cooled to the freezing point.

The molecules begin to slow down until they set and form into a rigid Temperature: 0 C
structure.

8. Extend your thinking: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 20 °C and Add/remove heat energy to
-500 J/s. Click Play and wait until all of the water freezes.

A. What volume of ice is created from 100 cm3 of water? 109 CM^3

B. Why might it be a bad idea to put a glass container full of liquid in the freezer?

The ice will expand and break the container

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Activity C: Get the Gizmo ready:
● Click Reset. Check the Ice volume is 0 cm3.
Altitude and phase changes ● Set the Altitude to 5,000 meters (16,404 feet).

Introduction: Boxes of pasta have special instructions for people who live in the mountains. They are told to
cook the pasta in boiling water a few minutes longer than normal.

Question: The altitude of a location is its vertical distance above sea level. How does altitude affect
phase changes?

1. Form a hypothesis: As altitude increases, the air pressure decreases. How do you think the lower pressure

will affect the following? (Highlight your answers. )

A. Freezing point: Increase Stay the same Decrease

B. Melting point: Increase Stay the same Decrease

C. Boiling point: Increase Stay the same Decrease

2. Experiment: Use the Gizmo to find the freezing, melting, and boiling points of water at 5,000 meters
(16,404 feet). Write these values below.

Freezing point: 0C Melting point: 0C Boiling point: 84 C

3. Analyze: How did altitude affect the freezing, melting, and boiling points of water?

As altitude increases, freezing and melting point stayed the same but boiling point
decreased

4. Challenge: Try to explain these results based on the fact that air pressure decreases with altitude. If
possible, discuss your ideas with your classmates and teacher.

Because air pressure is lower, less heat is required for liquid to overcome pressure and
become vapor. However, pressure does not significantly affect freezing/melting

5. Apply: Why does pasta take longer to cook in the mountains?

Pasta cooks at boiling temp. Since the temp is lower, their is less heat intensity to soften
pasta and cook it and thus, it needs more time.

6. Apply: A pressure cooker heats liquids at high pressure. Why do you think this is useful?

Higher pressure means that the food will take less time to cook.

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