Update: The calculations are tricky. I made appointments by zoom with my kids. I’m working individually with each one to help them work through the calculations. With calculations like these, I usually do have to walk each kid through the steps. Yes, it takes hours. But I don’t want my kids to be discouraged this early in Chemistry. Once they work through the calculation, they grow in confidence.
Experiment 2.2 in Apologia Chemistry is a Specific Heat lab. Which metals can you use? We used iron nails, steel washers, a lead sinker, and pennies. Pennies are largely zinc. Here are the specs for coins. The composition of pennies changed in 1982. Prior to 1982, the penny was mainly copper with a bit of zinc. If you can locate five or ten old and new pennies, they work well for this lab. I sent home kits with baggies of nails, pennies, steel washers, and a lead sinker, just to make sure everyone had something to use for lab.
No comments:
Post a Comment