Hello there.
In our latest project, Chemistry Coding, our goal was to create a simulator or game, in an app called scratch, that showcased the Kinetic Molecular Theory. As you probably know, there are 3 states of matter; solid, liquid, and gas. The Kinetic Molecular Theory explains how the three states of matter change based on the temperature and the amount of kinetic energy that is added to them. During this project, we also learned about density and how certain math concepts can be applied to the Kinetic Molecular Theory.
Driving Question: How can the behaviour of matter be explained by the Kinetic Molecular Theory and the Atomic Theory.
The Kinetic Molecular Theory explains the behaviour of matter because it states that when you ad energy to matter, it speeds up, and if you take energy away, it slows down, but no matter what, it is always in constant motion.
Curricular Competencies
Questioning and Predicting: At the start of the project, we were tasked with creating a project start mind map in an app called MindNode. A mind map is basically where you write down any questions or existing knowledge that you already have about a topic before you actually start the project. We also had to create a project end mind map (we just added on to our original one). This was where we wrote down everything that we learned and any questions that we still have about the key concepts of the project. I also had to plan ahead and think about what I was actually going to make my simulation do. Since we had to show two or more atoms or molecules in different models, I had to research how the different atoms and molecules I chose reacted at different temperatures.
Scientific Communication: As part of Milestone 2, we had to draw scientifically accurate models of the atoms and molecules the we chose at the start of the project. Once we had drawn our models, we had to take a screen shot of them, put them into Keynote to give them a transparent background, and then swap them out and use them as the sprites in our simulator. Then we had to code how the different atoms and molecules reacted and changed when certain amounts of kinetic energy was added to them.
I chose to do a Bohr model of a Carbon atom and a Silicon Dioxide molecule.
Reasoning and Analysis: I showed this competency in the final version of my matter simulator. I’m happy with my finished product but i do think that I could have added a bit more to it. The final version of my matter simulator shows this competency because it shows how I incorporated the logical predictable patterns of matter that I researched earlier in the project. I also had to think about how I could code easy user interactions. I definitely wish that I had a bit more time do code more commands that would change the state of matter in my simulation.
Even though there are some things that I would have liked to have changed in my matter simulator, I am proud of what I made and I think I learned a lot about the Kinetic Molecular Theory and how atoms and molecules react in different environments.
Here’s the link to my simulator if you want to try it out.