PS-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structure and properties of atoms.

PS-2.1: Compare the subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, electrons) of an atom with regard to mass, location, and charge, and explain how these particles affect the properties of an atom (including identity, mass, volume, and reactivity).

Element Builder

PS-2.3: Explain the trends of the periodic table based on the elements? valence electrons and atomic numbers.

Electron Configuration
Element Builder

PS-2.4: Use the atomic number and the mass number to calculate the number of protons, neutrons, and/or electrons for a given isotope of an element.

Element Builder

PS-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of various properties and classifications of matter.

PS-3.1: Distinguish chemical properties of matter (including reactivity) from physical properties of matter (including boiling point, freezing/melting point, density [with density calculations], solubility, viscosity, and conductivity).

Density Experiment: Slice and Dice
Density Laboratory

PS-3.6: Compare the properties of the four states of matter?solid, liquid, gas, and plasma?in terms of the arrangement and movement of particles.

Density Laboratory

PS-3.7: Explain the processes of phase change in terms of temperature, heat transfer, and particle arrangement.

Phase Changes

PS-3.8: Classify various solutions as acids or bases according to their physical properties, chemical properties (including neutralization and reaction with metals), generalized formulas, and pH (using pH meters, or pH paper, and litmus paper).

pH Analysis
pH Analysis: Quad Color Indicator

PS-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of chemical reactions and the classifications, structures, and properties of chemical compounds.

PS-4.2: Explain how the process of covalent bonding provides chemical stability through the sharing of electrons.

Covalent Bonds
Ionic Bonds

PS-4.4: Classify compounds as crystalline (containing ionic bonds) or molecular (containing covalent bonds) based on whether their outer electrons are transferred or shared.

Covalent Bonds
Element Builder
Ionic Bonds

PS-4.6: Distinguish between chemical changes (including the formation of gas or reactivity with acids) and physical changes (including changes in size, shape, color, and/or phase).

Density Experiment: Slice and Dice

PS-4.7: Summarize characteristics of balanced chemical equations (including conservation of mass and changes in energy in the form of heat?that is, exothermic or endothermic reactions).

Balancing Chemical Equations
Chemical Equations

PS-4.8: Summarize evidence (including the evolution of gas; the formation of a precipitate; and/or changes in temperature, color, and/or odor) that a chemical reaction has occurred.

Chemical Changes
Equilibrium and Concentration

PS-4.9: Apply a procedure to balance equations for a simple synthesis or decomposition reaction.

Balancing Chemical Equations
Chemical Equations

PS-4.10: Recognize simple chemical equations (including single replacement and double replacement) as being balanced or not balanced.

Balancing Chemical Equations
Chemical Equations

PS-4.11: Explain the effects of temperature, concentration, surface area, and the presence of a catalyst on reaction rates.

Collision Theory

PS-5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature of forces and motion.

PS-5.1: Explain the relationship among distance, time, direction, and the velocity of an object.

Golf Range
Shoot the Monkey

PS-5.2: Use the formula v = d/t to solve problems related to average speed or velocity.

Free-Fall Laboratory

PS-5.3: Explain how changes in velocity and time affect the acceleration of an object.

Free-Fall Laboratory
Golf Range
Shoot the Monkey

PS-5.5: Explain how acceleration due to gravity affects the velocity of an object as it falls.

Free-Fall Laboratory
Golf Range
Shoot the Monkey

PS-5.6: Represent the linear motion of objects on distance-time graphs.

Distance-Time Graphs
Distance-Time and Velocity-Time Graphs
Free-Fall Laboratory

PS-5.7: Explain the motion of objects on the basis of Newton?s three laws of motion: inertia; the relationship among force, mass, and acceleration; and action and reaction forces.

Atwood Machine
Fan Cart Physics

PS-5.8: Use the formula F = ma to solve problems related to force.

Atwood Machine
Fan Cart Physics

PS-5.10: Explain how the gravitational force between two objects is affected by the mass of each object and the distance between them.

Gravitational Force
Pith Ball Lab

PS-6: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature, conservation, and transformation of energy.

PS-6.1: Explain how the law of conservation of energy applies to the transformation of various forms of energy (including mechanical energy, electrical energy, chemical energy, light energy, sound energy, and thermal energy).

Air Track
Energy Conversion in a System
Energy of a Pendulum
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Roller Coaster Physics

PS-6.2: Explain the factors that determine potential and kinetic energy and the transformation of one to the other.

Air Track
Energy Conversion in a System
Energy of a Pendulum
Inclined Plane - Sliding Objects
Roller Coaster Physics

PS-6.3: Explain work in terms of the relationship among the force applied to an object, the displacement of the object, and the energy transferred to the object.

Pulley Lab

PS-6.4: Use the formula W = Fd to solve problems related to work done on an object.

Pulley Lab

PS-6.6: Explain the relationships among voltage, resistance, and current in Ohm?s law.

Advanced Circuits
Circuits

PS-6.7: Use the formula V = IR to solve problems related to electric circuits.

Advanced Circuits
Circuits

PS-6.8: Represent an electric circuit by drawing a circuit diagram that includes the symbols for a resistor, switch, and voltage source.

Advanced Circuits
Circuit Builder
Circuits

PS-6.9: Compare the functioning of simple series and parallel electrical circuits.

Advanced Circuits
Circuit Builder
Circuits

PS-6.11: Explain the relationship of magnetism to the movement of electric charges in electromagnets, simple motors, and generators.

Electromagnetic Induction
Magnetic Induction

PS-7: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the nature and properties of mechanical and electromagnetic waves.

PS-7.1: Illustrate ways that the energy of waves is transferred by interaction with matter (including transverse and longitudinal/compressional waves).

Longitudinal Waves

PS-7.2: Compare the nature and properties of transverse and longitudinal/compressional mechanical waves.

Longitudinal Waves
Ripple Tank

PS-7.3: Summarize characteristics of waves (including displacement, frequency, period, amplitude, wavelength, and velocity as well as the relationships among these characteristics).

Longitudinal Waves
Refraction
Ripple Tank

PS-7.6: Summarize reflection and interference of both sound and light waves and the refraction and diffraction of light waves.

Basic Prism
Longitudinal Waves
Refraction
Ripple Tank
Sound Beats and Sine Waves

PS-7.7: Explain the Doppler effect conceptually in terms of the frequency of the waves and the pitch of the sound.

Doppler Shift
Doppler Shift Advanced