Year 8 Science: Gizmo Investigation

Name:_____________________ Date:_____________

Particle Theory and Phase Change

Aim: Observe how water changes phase with heating and cooling. Compare
the structure, spacing, and motion of particles in solids, liquids, and
gases.

Hypothesis: How does the temperature affect the phase of water?

Hint: consider what happens to liquid water when it is placed in extremely cold and hot conditions.
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Diagram:

Pot

Lid
Click to heat and Chill water
Water

Worksheet adapted from Gizmo (2014)

Warm up activity
1. Press Heat to heat up the water. Wait until the temperature stops rising and observe.
What happens?

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2. Why do you think the lid lifts up?

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3. Now press Chill to remove heat energy from the water. What happens now?
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Worksheet adapted from Explore Learning, 2014.

Activity One
Select the Chill option in the Temperature Control and wait for the water to reach -200C.

1. Observe: In the experiment, solid ice is grey, liquid water is blue, and water vapor gas is
light blue. Heat or Chill the water as needed to reach the temperatures below.

A. What phase is the water in at -20 C? (Highlight one): solid liquid gas

B. What phase is the water in at 30 C? (Highlight one): solid liquid gas

C. What phase is the water in at 105 C? (Highlight one): solid liquid gas

2. Predict: Predict the phase of water at the six temperatures given below. List your predictions
in the Predicted phase row of the table. Then fill in the Actual phase row using the
Experiment.

Temperature -10 C 10 C 50 C 90 C 110 C 120 C

Predicted phase
(solid, liquid, or gas)
Actual phase
(solid, liquid, or gas)

3. Analyse: While testing your predictions, you may have noticed that there were specific
temperatures at which the phase of the water always changed.

A. At what temperature does water melt (change from solid to liquid)?

B. At what temperature does water boil (change from liquid to gas)?

C. At what temperature does water condense (change from gas to liquid)?

D. At what temperature does water freeze (change from liquid to solid)?

4. Extend your thinking: Describe an example of a phase change youve seen in real life.

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Worksheet adapted from Explore Learning, 2014.

Activity Two
Select the Chill option in the Temperature Control and wait for the water to freeze
completely.

1. Observe: Water is made of small particles called water molecules. Use the magnifying
glass to see the molecules of ice. Then click Heat to observe the liquid and gas phases. In
the boxes below, draw the water molecules as they appear in each of the phases.

Solid Liquid Gas

2. Analyse: Based on your diagrams, why do solids have a fixed shape while liquids and gases

do not?

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3. Draw conclusions: Which phase always fills its container?___________________________

Which phases do not always fill their containers? __________________________________

4. Apply: Can you think why the water molecules get faster and further apart as they are

heated?

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Worksheet adapted from Explore Learning, 2014.