Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary : absolute zero, controlled experiment, diffusion, dynamic equilibrium, Kelvin scal
...
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and
prompts in the orange boxes.
Vocabulary : absolute zero, controlled experiment, diffusion, dynamic equilibrium, Kelvin scale, kinetic energy
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo .)
Have you ever smelled microwave popcorn? The oddly enticing scent can fill a whole house.
How do you think the smell of popcorn spreads through the air?
Gizmo Warm-up
Smells are carried by tiny particles that move through the air. The
Diffusion Gizmo shows gas particles in a chamber that is divided into
two regions by a partial wall. Click Play ( ) and observe.
1. Describe the motion of the gas particles.
2. Over time, what is happening?
This process, in which particles move from an area of high concentration (region A ) to an area of low
concentration (region B ), is called diffusion .
3. Select the BAR CHART tab, and observe the chart for a few minutes. After the first 30 seconds or so,
how much do the numbers of particles in each region change?
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Name: Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Through the process of diffusion, the particles of the smell
spreads around the house by bouncing off the walls, traveling
from a high concentration to a low.
The motion of the gas particles in region A are moving fast and bounce back off the
partial wall until they get into region B. They still continue to bounce back and forth into
region A and B.
The amount of gas particles in each region is starting to balance out with each other
gradually.
The number of particles in region A is gradually lowering from 50 to 38 in just around 30
seconds. At the 30 seconds mark region A has 38 particles and region B has 12. Just
by this observation, I can tell that around the 60 second mark the number of particles in
region A and B are going to be very similar.
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