• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • SCRIPT-N-SCRIBE
  • MISSIONS CURRICULUM
  • HIGH SCHOOL
  • STORE
Half a Hundred Acre Wood

Half a Hundred Acre Wood

Christian homeschooling integrating Classical and Charlotte Mason principles

  • Shop
  • Handwriting
  • Missions Curriculum
  • Resources
    • Mission: Great Commission Curriculum
    • Script-n-Scribe Penmanship
    • Favorite Books & Board Games
    • Curriculum Reviews
    • Homeschool High School
    • Booklists and Reading Plans
    • Freebies
    • Cycle 1 Resources
    • Cycle 2 Resources
    • Cycle 3 Resources
  • Blog
    • Latest Posts
    • Terms of Use
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy

Exploring States of Matter

This post may contain affiliate links that provide a commission to us if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting us in this way! Please see our full disclosure policy for more details.

What happens when you add heat energy to water?  To see how heat changes the motion of molecules, follow this simple experiment by adding food coloring to hot water and cold water.

What happens when you add pressure to ice?  {When pressure is added to ice, its melting point is reduced.}  Check out this experiment (video) to see how it works. We used two knives attached to strings to apply the pressure to our ice.  (In hindsight, we should have done this in a colder climate because the entire cube of ice was melting inside our very warm home. In the above photo, you can only barely see where the ice was melting more quickly where pressure was applied. The video is much better at showing this. In hindsight, I also should have cleaned the counters before taking the photos.)

What happens when you put salt onto a piece of ice?  When salt is added to ice, it reduces its melting point. (The ice melts at a lower temperature, which is why they salt the roads before ice/snow storms.)

Plasma, by definition, is (in physics)

One of four main states of matter, similar to a gas, but consisting of positively charged ions with most or all of their detached electrons moving freely about. Plasmas are produced by very high temperatures, as in the Sun and other stars, and also by the ionization resulting from exposure to an electric current, as in a fluorescent light bulb or a neon sign. (Science Dictionary definition at dictionary.com)

So… how can we experiment with plasma?  First, we need something that can provide us with ions, and second, we need very high temperatures.  You can heat up a grape in the microwave. PLEASE USE CAUTION if you try this experiment!

Learn more about Plasma at Chem4Kids here.  And learn more about States of Matter at Chem4kids or check out States of Matter at NeoK12.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related


By Brandy Ferrell January 18, 2014 1 Comment Tagged With: CLASSICAL CONVERSATIONS, EARLY ELEMENTARY, ELEMENTARY, SCIENCE

Footer

Contact us

15 Shirlenn Lane
Pleasant Shade, TN 37145
(615) 683-7125
support@halfahundredacrewood.com
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Looking for something? Check here!

Legal Disclosures

We care about your privacy! Read our Privacy Policy by clicking here.

All website content copyright Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood LLC unless otherwise noted ©2010-2023. All rights reserved. Read our Terms of Use here.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to learn more about our affiliate relationships with Amazon and other programs.

Affiliate Program
Our Store · About us · Contact us · Join our Affiliate Program!

Copyright © 2025 Brandy Ferrell · Log in