In this video segment, the ZOOM cast demonstrates how to use cabbage juice to find out if a solution is an acid or a base.

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two cast members demonstrate what happens when vinegar is added to baking soda inside a container. The resulting chemical reaction produces enough carbon dioxide to launch their paper rocket skyward.
Recommended for: Grades K-5

A car propelled by the reaction between lemon juice and baking soda has more in common with rockets and jet aircraft than one might think. In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, two cast members demonstrate the power of rocket-propelled vehicles and how to exploit the force produced by the carbon dioxide gas. Grades 3-8.

It would seem that bottles of lemon juice and rockets have only their basic shape in common. However, as two cast members from ZOOM demonstrate in this adapted video segment, when baking soda is added to the mix, a plastic bottle can act very much like a real rocket. Grades 3-8.

This is a series of activities demonstrating that air has mass, takes up space, and can exert a force on objects enough to lift them.

This is a series of investigations about air and its properties. How air exists all around us, and things it is capable of doing.

In this video segment adapted from ZOOM, cast members make their own hovercraft and demonstrate how the air leaking out of a balloon can make a plastic plate hover above a table.

Students define and classify alloys as mixtures, while comparing and contrasting the properties of alloys to those of pure substances. Students learn that engineers investigate the structures and properties of alloys for biomedical and transportation applications. Pre- and post-assessment handouts are provided.

Antimatter, the charge reversed equivalent of matter, has captured the imaginations of science fiction fans for years as a perfectly efficient form of energy. While normal matter consists of atoms with negatively charged electrons orbiting positively charged nuclei, antimatter consists of positively charged positrons orbiting negatively charged anti-nuclei. When antimatter and matter meet, both substances are annihilated, creating massive amounts of energy. Instances in which antimatter is portrayed in science fiction stories (such as Star Trek) are examined, including their purposes (fuel source, weapons, alternate universes) and properties. Students compare and contrast matter and antimatter, learn how antimatter can be used as a form of energy, and consider potential engineering applications for antimatter.

Join Jacob on the Nova Zembla Expedition, and help him use suitable materials for building his house.

In this interactive activity from ChemThink, take a closer look at atomic structure, properties, and behaviors.

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey takes a look at the scale of the atom and the tremendous amount of space between the electrons and the nucleus. If all this empty space exists in matter, how can any substance be solid?

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey takes a look at the scale of the atom and the tremendous amount of space between the electrons and the nucleus. If all this empty space exists in matter, how can any substance be solid? [1:15]

Examine the composition of matter.

A free CK-12 account is required to view all materials.

Visit this site for an interactive tour of the atom and all aspects of particle physics. View the animations available with almost every description on this site. A great place for the fundamentals of particles and forces including a fine glossary. Shows how scientists? views of the fundamentals have changed over time. Wow!

Students conduct a hands-on investigation to determine how matter, changing state, effects the property of weight. Students will collect data and graph their results. Resources include step by step instructions, a data worksheet, videos of the lesson in action, and examples of student work.

Simon Rodia built the Watts Towers by gathering fragments of "junk" he found in the neighborhood. He put all of these small pieces together to build a spectacular tower. Students will observe that something BIG can be created from lots of smaller pieces.

Students often classify objects by size and shape. Now they will look more at the properties of objects such as hardness, flexibility, and texture. Included in this lesson are examples of student's science journal entries, a video of the lesson in action, and a printable copy of a journal page.