In this lesson, you will learn about air: the thing that occupies all of the “empty” space around you. Through a series of visuals and demonstrations, you will discover what it is, where it came from, and how it moves. First, you will see how it takes up space by trying to pour water into a space filled with air. Then, since air is invisible, you will use two different tools to see how heating and cooling air can make it move.
Related topics and things that you might want to know already:
Everything in the Universe is made up of tiny, little particles. When particles get hot, they expand and rise. When particles get cold, they contract and sink.
Air is a gas, and gases have certain properties: they take up space, they move freely, and their particles don’t cling very closely.
- Particle Behavior – Solids, Liquids, and Gases
- Force Direction of Solids, Liquids, and Gases
- Air Pressure
Substances that are less dense float above substances that are more dense.
What you’ll learn:
- Air takes up space.
- When air gets hot, it becomes less dense and can float on top of cool air.
- Cool air wants to be where warm air is.
Pre-lesson discussion questions:
- What is air?
- Is air a solid, a liquid, or a gas?
- What is air made of?
- Does air take up space?
- Does air move?
