Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Phase Changes

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

1. A family from Minnesota turns off the heat and flies to Florida for a winter holiday. When
they come home, all of their water pipes have burst. What do you think happened?

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2. Spaghetti takes about 9 minutes to cook at sea level, but about 14 minutes in the
mountains. Why do you think this is so?

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Gizmo Warm-up
In the Phase Changes Gizmo™, select the Micro view and
set the Ice volume to 50 cc. Click Play ( ) and observe
molecules in the solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (air)
phases.

1. In which phase(s) are the molecules held rigidly together?

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2. In which phase(s) do the molecules move freely?

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3. In which phase(s) are the molecules held in a defined shape? ________________________

4. In which phase(s) do the molecules take the shape of their container? _________________

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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
● Click Reset ( ) and select Macro view.
Phase changes ● Set the Water temperature to 10 °C.
● Set the Ice volume to 0 cc.

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)? _______

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

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

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? _______ This is the freezing point.

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

C. At what temperature does water boil? _______ 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? _____________________________________

4. Explore: Use the Gizmo to investigate melting and boiling. Does the temperature change

while either of these phase changes is occurring? _________________________________

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?

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6. Extend your thinking: Why do you think the temperature does not change much during a
phase change?
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 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
● Click Reset, and select the Micro view.
Temperature and
● Set Ice volume to 0 cc.
molecular motion
● Set Add/remove heat energy to 0 J/s.

Question: Why do phase changes occur?

1. Compare: Set the Water temperature to 0 °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? ________________________________________________________

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2. Observe: Click Reset. The mean 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 mean speed of the water molecules change as they are heated?

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

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________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________

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4. Observe: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 20 °C and the Ice volume to 50 cc.
Set Add/remove heat energy to 0 J/s. Click Play. How do the molecules in the liquid
interact with the molecules in the solid?

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(Activity B continued on next page)

5. Observe: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 100 °C and the Ice volume to 50 cc.
Click Play. How does this situation compare to the previous one?

_________________________________________________________________________

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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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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. _______________________________________

__________________________________________________ Temperature: _____

B. Water is warmed to the boiling point. ______________________________________

__________________________________________________ Temperature: _____

C. Water is cooled to the freezing point. _____________________________________

__________________________________________________ Temperature: _____

8. Extend your thinking: Click Reset. Set the Water temperature to 0 °C, the Ice volume to 0
cc, and Add/remove heat energy to -400 J/s. Click Play and wait until all the water freezes.

A. What volume of ice is created from 200 cc of water? _________________________

B. Why do water pipes sometimes burst in the winter? __________________________

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

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? (Circle 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: _______ Melting point: _______ Boiling point: _______

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

_________________________________________________________________________

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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.

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

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6. Apply: A pressure cooker allows food to be cooked under high pressure. Why is this useful?

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