Kit name here
Exploring
States of Matter
“No water, no life. No blue, no green.”
– Sylvia Earle
Activity ID: WK-AR2
Required Models: 1 Water Kit©/ Group
Required Media: 3DMD AR App
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
Activity Summary
This AR activity explores how molecular water exists as a solid, liquid, or gas, depending on temperature. When water molecules get cold enough, they form stable hydrogen bonds in an orderly solid lattice. Increasing temperature means increasing the average energy of motion of the water molecules, allowing them to break hydrogen bonds.
This activity requires the 3DMD AR application, available for download from the Google Play and Apple App stores. The activity is split into three AR scenes designed to be explored in order. Each AR scene is represented by a consistent icon in this slide deck and the 3DMD AR app (see icon images below.)
Teacher Guide – Summary
Scene 1: A single water molecule is scanned to reveal additional water molecules. An interactive temperature slider changes the water molecule behavior.
Scene 2: A six molecule ice lattice is scanned to reveal a larger display of water molecules. Volume and mass calculations lead to the density of water as a solid, liquid and gas.
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
Teacher Guide - Overview
Activity Objectives
Estimated Class Time:
25 minutes
Required Models:
6x water molecules from the Water Kit©
Required Media:
3DMD AR App + subscription
Other Materials Needed:
None
Grade, Class
9-12 Biology or Chemistry
Topics
Prerequisite Knowledge
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
Student and Teacher Slide Deck Pages
Slides that are meant for student viewing will feature a green top
banner. Slides that are meant only for teacher viewing will feature a
purple top banner and will appear hidden when in "slide show" mode.
Prompting Icons
Each student slide will include a prompting icon in the top right corner of the slide. These icons on each slide queue your students to the type of activity they will be doing.
Teacher Guide - Using This Slide Deck
Write in your notebook
Quiet thinking time
Turn and talk discussion
Physical modeling
Digital modeling
Teacher Moves and Student Moves
Class slides provide notes (teacher notes below the slide) with specific information to assist you in facilitating the activity using effective modeling and education practices.
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
Teacher Guide - Standards
Next Generation Science Standards
Science and Engineering Practices | Cross Cutting Concepts | Disciplinary Core Ideas |
Scientific Investigations Use a Variety of Methods | Patterns | PS1.A |
Developing and Using Models | | |
Constructing Explanations and Designing | | |
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
Scene 1: Temperature
Students will use a single water molecule from the Water Kit© to explore how water molecules behave as temperature changes. Moving the slider bar at the bottom of the app will change the temperature and the behavior of the water molecules shown in the AR overlay.
Your students will also use physical water molecules to build and evaluate their own representations of the three states of matter. Six water molecules will be used to build solid water (ice). Five water molecules will be used to build liquid water. One water molecule will be used to build gaseous water (vapor).
Teacher Guide – Scene 1
Water is an amazing substance with some interesting properties.
Make some observations about the image to the right.
Do you see any water?
What do you notice?
What do you wonder?
What properties of water can you observe?
Select
Temperature
Scan a single water molecule
Explore the slider bar
Explore Temperature with the 3DMD AR EDU App
Water at -273oC
How do water molecules behave at the lowest possible temperature of -273oC ?
Slide the temperature slider bar all the way to the left and make some observations.
Using 6x water molecules, create a model that matches what you observed in the app at temperatures below zero degrees.
6x
Record Your Observations at -273oC
How did the water molecules look?
Do they remain still or move?
What else do you observe?
Discuss these questions with your partner and record your observations in your notebook.
Draw water molecules in your notebook if it helps you describe your observations. Or draw on a screenshot in the app using the pencil in the bottom right corner.
Solid Water Forms a Stable Lattice
Frozen water (ice) forms a stable lattice and is therefore considered a solid.
The water molecules do not move from their fixed positions.
Ice lattices are hexagonal (six-sided). This is why snowflakes are always six-sided!
37
Record Your Observations at 37oC
How did the water molecules look?
Do they remain still or move?
What else do you observe?
Discuss these questions with your partner and record your observations in your notebook.
Draw water molecules in your notebook if it helps you describe your observations. Or draw on a screenshot in the app using the pencil in the bottom right corner.
Water at 37oC
How do water molecules behave at a temperature of 37oC ?
Slide the temperature slider bar to the middle and make some observations.
Using 5x water molecules, create a model that matches what you observed in the app at a temperature of 50oC.
5x
37
Liquid Water is Constantly Moving
Melted water does not form a stable lattice and is therefore considered a liquid.
The water molecules are constantly moving, bouncing into each other and swirling.
The water molecules are constantly forming and breaking hydrogen bonds.
Water at 125oC
How do water molecules behave at the high temperature of 125oC ?
Slide the temperature slider bar all the way to the right and make some observations.
Using a single water molecule, create a model that matches what you observed in the app at a temperature of 125oC.
1x
Record Your Observations at 125oC
How did the water molecules look?
Do they remain still or move?
What else do you observe?
Discuss these questions with your partner and record your observations in your notebook.
Draw water molecules in your notebook if it helps you describe your observations. Or draw on a screenshot in the app using the pencil in the bottom right corner.
Gas Water Spreads Out
Water vapor does not form a stable lattice or have a fixed shape or volume, and is therefore considered a gas.
The water molecules are so spread out that they rarely interact with each other.
The water molecules form and break hydrogen bonds very quickly.
Water Molecules as Solid, Liquid and Gas
Water is a solid at -273oC.
Water is a liquid at 37oC.
Water is a gas at 125oC.
But at what specific temperatures do water change from solid to liquid and from liquid to gas?
Design a procedure that would use the app to determine the range of temperature for solid, liquid, and gas.
Collect Data on Temperature Ranges
Use the temperature slider bar in the app to determine the precise minimum and maximum temperature for each of the three states.
Create a data table like the one below in your notebook.
State | Minimum Temperature | Maximum Temperature | Δ Temperature |
Solid (Ice) | | | |
Liquid (water) | | | |
Gas (Steam) | | | |
Phases of Water
Water is a solid below 0oC and forms a stable lattice.
Water is a liquid from 0oC to 100oC and is constantly moving.
Water is a gas above 100oC and spreads out.
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
Scene 2: Density
Students will use a single water molecule from the Water Kit© to explore three AR overlays that show how water molecules fill a 2.5 nm diameter sphere at three temperatures (-50°C, 4°C, and 125°C). They will explore the property of density and determine why the density of water changes as its state changes. Using this information, they determine how changes in the state of water can affect living organisms.
Teacher Guide – Scene 2
Temperature and Density of Water
Density is how much matter exists in a given amount of space.
It is defined as dividing the total mass by the volume of the container.
What is Density?
As temperature increases, molecules move faster and spread out.
This usually results in a decrease in density as temperature increases, as shown in the graph to the right.
Do you think this is true for water molecules?
Why or why not?
Explore Density with the 3DMD AR EDU App
Note, you may need to stand up and back away from your model to see the full overlay!
Select
Density
Scan six water molecules
Explore the three buttons
Why is Water Less Dense as a Solid?
Solid water (ice) forms a stable lattice, making it less dense as a solid than as a liquid.
If you look closely, this lattice can be seen when viewing the -50oC AR overlay from directly above.
Temperature and Density of Water
The AR overlays represent how many water molecules would fit in a 2.5 nanometer (nm) sphere.
Create a graph in your notebook like the one shown to the right.
Based on your observations in the app, add bars that represent the density of water at each of the three temperatures.
Water Density Does Not Consistently Decrease
Unlike most substances, the density of water does not consistently decrease as temperature increases.
Why might this be?
Use the three models you created earlier to support your answer.
How Might Water Density Impact a Cell?
Why does your science lab have freezers and hot water baths?
What happens to a cell when you freeze it?
What will happen if you put it in boiling water?
© 2023 3D Molecular Designs. All Rights Reserved.
29
Conclusions
Temperature is an indication of molecular motion.
Molecular motion results in three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.
Temperature and the resulting state of matter impacts density.
Water as a solid is less dense than water as a liquid.