Chemistry

10/3/24

How might cultural and historical contexts have shaped scientific discoveries in making the periodic table?

The periodic table was shaped by European male scientists like Dmitri Mendeleev. Their work reflected the opportunities available to white men in Europe. If more diverse contributors were involved, the table’s development might have been different. Excluding women and other races limited diverse ideas in science. More inclusion could have led to faster discoveries or different approaches.

Airplane Lab

For the airplane lab, I answered the question of how increasing the mass of a paper airplane affects the distance it travels. First, I created my hypothesis, which was that the more weight added to a paper airplane, the more drag there would be. After that, I gathered my materials, which were a paper airplane and 8 paper clips, and threw my paper airplane 5 times until all 8 paper clips were attached to the plane. I recorded my data each time, and the data showed that increasing the mass of a paper airplane doesn't change the distance it travels, making my original hypothesis wrong.

Smores Lab

For the smores lab, I answered the question of will chemical changes occur when making a smores treat. First, I listed the ingredients for marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate, and recorded them all. Next, I came up with my hypothesis, which was that there'd be a chemical change if I make a smores treat. Then, I started working through the lab procedures, which were breaking a graham cracker in half, unwrapping a chocolate bar and breaking it to match the size of the graham cracker, piercing a stick into the marshmallow and cooking it, and squeezing the marshmallow in between the graham cracker and chocolate to create the smore. For each procedure, I recorded if it was a chemical or physical change, and determined that there was a chemical change.

History of the Periodic Table

For the history of the periodic table project, we had multiple options on things to do like a tweet or a drawing, and I chose Mount Rushmore. I created a Mount Rushmore of chemistry, including Dmitry Mendeleev, Johann Dobereiner, Julius Lothar Meyer, and John Dalton. I picked Mendeleev because he ws the founder of the periodic table, I picked Dobereiner because he created groups, I picked Meyer because he created periodic law, and I picked Dalton because he created atomic weights.

Element Art

For the element art project, we had to create a drawing based off of an element that we picked. I created my drawing based off of the element aetinium, and I drew an X-Ray machine since aetinium is used in radioimmunotherapy and research. I also included the element number for aetinium, which was 89.

Bohr Model

For the Bohr Model project, I had to create a physical Bohr model based on an element. I created my Bohr model based off of the element Iodine, and I had to cut up 74 neutrons from straws and attach them to 4 rings using string.

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