Spring semester class starts tomorrow!

The Spring semester session of the Physical Science class starts tomorrow, February 17th. Here's what students have to look forward to:

February 17th - Matter (solids, liquids, gases, plasma). When can a metal be a liquid? When can a gas be a liquid? Is an empty sack really an empty sack? Make paper hop off the table and a ball rise in a jar of rice.

February 24th - Gases. Learn why the noble gases don't like to "hang out" with the other elements (snobs...) Make foamy soda!

March 3rd - Phase changes. Learn about a solid form of a gas. Make (and eat!) your own ice cream.

March 10th - Polymers. Explore non-Newtonian fluids and make it "snow" in Vista!

March 17th - Chemical reactions and solutions. Learn what makes red velvet cake red (hint: it's not food coloring). We'll go way beyond the old vinegar-baking soda reaction to make colors erupt instead. We'll also watch hydrogen peroxide decompose.

March 24th - Acids and bases. Write invisible messages. Make dirty old pennies look like new.

March 31st - Light. Learn about chromatography and prisms. Make patterns with Skittles.

April 7th - Sound. We'll explore vibrations and waves. Make instruments.

April 14th - Break for STAR Testing

April 21st - Spring Break

April 28th - Electricity. Bend water with static electricity! Make a solar cooker and a battery from a piece of fruit.

May 5th - More on electricity. Explore and build circuits.

May 12th - Magnets. Mine for iron during breakfast. Make an electromagnet.

May 19th - Balance and flight. Make a ball float and paper flop!

Here's a list of topics we'll cover this semester.

Week 1 (September 23) - Introduction to physical science; the scientific method

Week 2 (September 30) - Motion - balanced and unbalanced forces; velocity

Week 3 (October 7) - Motion - Inertia; Newton's Laws of Motion

Week 4 (October 14) - Gravity

Week 5 (October 21) - Gravity - Archimedes' Principle; center of gravity

Week 6 (October 28) - Buoyancy

Week 7 (November 4) - Friction

*No class November 11 - Veterans' Day Holiday*

Week 8 (November 18) - Kinetic and potential energy; Law of Conservation of Energy

*No class November 25 - Thanksgiving Holiday*

Week 9 (December 2) - Temperature and heat

Week 10 (December 9) - Temperature and heat

Week 11 (December 16) - Simple machines

*No class December 23 or 30 - Winter Break*

Week 12 (January 6) - Simple and compound machines