Project Overview
The purpose of our project this time was to create a piece of art work for the new STEM building using the chemistry that we have learned. We had to either have four pieces in our group that all related to one another, or create one large piece that we worked on collectively. Since the artwork had to be related to chemistry, we also had to research and be able to explain the chemistry of what was happening with our artwork. There also had to be a place-card to explain these chemical processes, in case a viewer would like to know how it works. Our group chose to make one collective piece together, which was a frame that let our green and gold smoke, that our outdoor athletes could walk through for games.
Thought Process
I have no thoughts
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Brainstom
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Prototype
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Final Product
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When we first were thinking about this project we were trying to think of something that would be unique in terms of concept. At first we thought about doing chain reactions, which would be a 3D form of art. However, we were not quite sure how that would work to create something that was considered art. Many of our original ideas considered of structure, instead of 2D art pieces. We were also trying to consider the message behind the piece that we were making. Eventually we came to the idea we decided to use when one of our team members suggested we involve sports with our project. The reason for this was to incorporate two big groups of San Marin in one piece to show how they can work together.
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The original idea was to have a simple frame that the athletes would go through. There would be holes around the frame that would allow the smoke to come out of it. At the bottom there would be an ignition point that would activate it to begin the smoke. After more thinking we decided to add fans at the top of the frame to make the smoke go more out than up. We had also decided to have two different colored smokes in our frame, yellow and green, for the school's colors. Since we would have two different smokes, this would also mean that there would be two ignition points, and a divider in the middle. The frame itself would consist of two tubes or pipes, an outer one for just ascetics, and an inner tube that would need be able to withstand heat. To the left are pictures of the prototype that was made.
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So we were not able to actually create the frame because of a lack of materials and due to the fact that creating the actual frame would have taken too much time and materials. This is why to the left, there is another model of the frame to get a better understanding of what it would have looked like at the end. We also had to use a different type of smoke recipe than our original, which will be explained later on when talking about the chemistry of the smoke.
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Content
Chemical reactions
Chemical Reaction- When molecules are rearranged to form new substance(s). There are four main types of reactions that we learned about, synthesis, decomposition, single-replacement, and double-replacement. During our experiment, we combined ingredients to make a new substance, and proceeded to heat the substance, creating another chemical reaction that resulted in smoke.
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Synthesis
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Decomposition
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Single-Replacement
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Double-Replacement
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Combustion
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Single-Replacement Reaction- During this type of chemical reaction, one element from a substance is replaced by another element. However this will only occur if the element is more reactive than the element that is already in the compound. To help determine whether or not an element is more reactive than another, you can use the Reactivity Series.
Double-Replacement Reaction- During this type of chemical reaction, two aqueous ionic compounds exchange either cations or anions. This will result in two new substances that do not have the aqueous, sometimes a precipitate will form. To predict whether or not this type of reaction will form a precipitate, you use as solubility guideline.
Combustion Reaction- When the substance is heated and combines with oxygen molecules in the air. The molecules are then rearranged to form two products, carbon dioxide and water in a gas form. This is often see when burning gasoline. Carbon dioxide and water in a gas form are always products of a combustion reaction.
Balancing CHEMICAL Equations
Balancing Chemical Equations- When writing out chemical equations, it is important for the equation to be balanced. That means that the amount of each element in the equation must be the same on each side. The reason why chemical equations must be balanced is because of the Law of Conversation of Mass states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed in a closed system. It is always important to remember that the coefficients on one side of the equation do not have to carry onto the other side of the equation.
Solubility Guidelines and reactivity series
Solubility Guidelines- This is used when predicting the whether or not a double-replacement reaction will result in a precipitate. It is split into two sections, soluble, which does not form a precipitate, and insoluble, which will form a precipitate. In each it will list an molecule that applies to it, and to the right of each are the exceptions if there are any. These exceptions are for when the opposite of what is expected will happen. That means if the molecule is in the soluble section, its exceptions will be insoluble and form a precipitate. While exceptions of molecules in the insoluble section will not form a precipitate.
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Reactivity Series- This is a table used when doing single-replacement reactions. The reaction will only occur if the element more reactive than the element that is already in the compound. In the series, the more reactive elements are at the top, while the less reactive elements are at the bottom. Meaning that if the element is higher on the list than the element in the compound, then a reaction will occur.
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Research
Project Description
For this project, we decided that we wanted to create a frame that emits green and yellow smoke for outdoor athletes to walk through for games. Since this wasn't possible to make full scale with what we had at school, and a lack of time, we created various models and learned how to make the smoke. There is a 3D model of the frame, done by Izagani on TinkerCad. It is half yellow and half green to represent the two different colored smokes that the frame would be emitting. In addition to that, there is a small live model made of PVC pipes and metal piping to give a physical representation of what the frame would look like. We tested two different recipes for colored smoke, one for each color, totaling in four different mixtures. Each of their chemical equations can be found in the research paper, in the chemical equations section just above, and in the presentation. For each of these chemical equations, we created a place card, which can be found in the presentation below. The name of our group is Colorful Sports, because we are adding color to sports with our smoke. The name of the frame or are piece is The Future is Smokey, because this would be something of the future and it is emitting smoke, therefore making it smokey.
Presentation
Videos
Recipe #1 |
Recipe #2 |
Reflection
Even though this project did not work as well as first intended, I left like we were able to learn a lot because of it. I felt as though the project itself had a really good concept because of how it was combining two different groups, showing the unity of the school. Although we could not make the actual thing, I think the models that were made are able to accurately represent how it would have looked. A real takeway from this project for me was learning about how colored smoke worked and how temperature is really important. I think it was a really cool project because it was really different and not something I would have thought about at all.
A few things that I think the team and I were able to do well was dividing the work and problem solving. I felt like the division of work for the project. Each person had a different role that they were fillings, whether it was the experimenting with the smoke, the frame building, or the presentation, each person had something to be doing. This was able to work because the team had good communication, we all talked to each other about what each of us were doing to keep the work moving. An example of this was as we were coming to the end of our project work time, Andersen was trying to make the smoke the right color, Elliot and Izagani were working on the frame, and I was filling our the presentation. Had we not communicated, we most likely would have had to rush one of these tasks or have not completed the project on time. Another thing that the group did well was moving on from problems and doing our best to find solutions. We ran into a lot of trouble when trying to make the smoke into a different color, and instead of becoming stuck on the problem, we kept thinking on how to fix it. This led us to trying a lot of different things to make the smoke into the intended colors. The benefit from this was that we were able to learn a lot of smoke and we were able to understand why it had not worked. What had allowed us to do this was our critical thinking. We had to think logically about what was wrong and how it could be fixed, rather than randomly trying different things without good reasoning. I think that due to communication and critical thinking, we were able to finish the project efficiently and were able to learn a lot from it.
Areas that I could improve in are being a bit more focused and managing my time more efficiently. There were definitely times that I had become unfocused and lost track of what was happening in other parts of the project. This means that I could improve on being more of a conscientious learner, because even if I'm not doing that task I should know what is happening. It is important to know everything because it is a group project and the information is useful towards the project, and in the case that someone is missing, anyone would be able to fill it in. I felt as though I had become unfocused at times was because I had outside school activities that I was thinking about, but I really should have been more focused on what was happening in class at the present. Time management is something that I could improve on because there were some days that I thought I would have been able to work on the presentation at home but often did not at all. This meant that I could be improving on my collaboration skills, which are very important for group projects. If I had been able to manage my time between school work and after school activities better than I could have been a better collaborator and done more quicker. Since I chose to join the STEM program, I am obligated to put in as much, if not more, time into my work for those classes as I do for any other class or activity I am a participate it. Collaboration is extremely important for these projects because the only way for them to be done well, is for the whole group to be doing their part. Even though I still had done work, I could have done it more efficiently and finished it faster so I could review my work more. Overall, I could improve on focusing on what is happening and managing my time so I can finish quicker.
A few things that I think the team and I were able to do well was dividing the work and problem solving. I felt like the division of work for the project. Each person had a different role that they were fillings, whether it was the experimenting with the smoke, the frame building, or the presentation, each person had something to be doing. This was able to work because the team had good communication, we all talked to each other about what each of us were doing to keep the work moving. An example of this was as we were coming to the end of our project work time, Andersen was trying to make the smoke the right color, Elliot and Izagani were working on the frame, and I was filling our the presentation. Had we not communicated, we most likely would have had to rush one of these tasks or have not completed the project on time. Another thing that the group did well was moving on from problems and doing our best to find solutions. We ran into a lot of trouble when trying to make the smoke into a different color, and instead of becoming stuck on the problem, we kept thinking on how to fix it. This led us to trying a lot of different things to make the smoke into the intended colors. The benefit from this was that we were able to learn a lot of smoke and we were able to understand why it had not worked. What had allowed us to do this was our critical thinking. We had to think logically about what was wrong and how it could be fixed, rather than randomly trying different things without good reasoning. I think that due to communication and critical thinking, we were able to finish the project efficiently and were able to learn a lot from it.
Areas that I could improve in are being a bit more focused and managing my time more efficiently. There were definitely times that I had become unfocused and lost track of what was happening in other parts of the project. This means that I could improve on being more of a conscientious learner, because even if I'm not doing that task I should know what is happening. It is important to know everything because it is a group project and the information is useful towards the project, and in the case that someone is missing, anyone would be able to fill it in. I felt as though I had become unfocused at times was because I had outside school activities that I was thinking about, but I really should have been more focused on what was happening in class at the present. Time management is something that I could improve on because there were some days that I thought I would have been able to work on the presentation at home but often did not at all. This meant that I could be improving on my collaboration skills, which are very important for group projects. If I had been able to manage my time between school work and after school activities better than I could have been a better collaborator and done more quicker. Since I chose to join the STEM program, I am obligated to put in as much, if not more, time into my work for those classes as I do for any other class or activity I am a participate it. Collaboration is extremely important for these projects because the only way for them to be done well, is for the whole group to be doing their part. Even though I still had done work, I could have done it more efficiently and finished it faster so I could review my work more. Overall, I could improve on focusing on what is happening and managing my time so I can finish quicker.