Embedded Files
Summary
Summary
Students reinforce their knowledge of the different parts of the digestive system and explore the concept of simulation by developing a pill coating that can withstand the churning actions and acidic environment found in the stomach. Teams test the coating durability by using a clear soda to simulate stomach acid. This engineering curriculum meets Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Engineering Connection
Engineering Connection
Surprisingly, much design goes in to developing pill tablet coatings and the systems that apply these coatings. Varying the material or thickness of a coating can dramatically affect a medication's effect on the body. Engineers play an integral role in this process, from developing and testing chemicals for coatings to designing the complex systems used to mass produce uniformly-coated pills.
Protective Pill Coatings Teacher Background Sheet (pdf)
Protective Pill Coatings Teacher Background Sheet (doc)
Dissolving Pill
Summary
Summary
In a class demonstration, the teacher places different pill types ("chalk" pill, gel pill, and gel tablet) into separate glass beakers of vinegar, representing human stomach acid. After 20-30 minutes, the pills dissolve. Students observe which dissolve the fastest, and discuss the remnants of the various pills. What they learn contributes to their ongoing objective to answer the challenge question presented in lesson 1 of this unit.
In the acidic human stomach, do different pill types dissolve faster than others?
Engineering Connection
Engineering Connection
Biomedical engineers use experiments to discover how various chemical substances react in the human body, for example, the absorption of medication and how the body breaks down the outer coatings of pills and capsules. To test new medicines, scientists use solutions with chemical compositions similar to the environments found in the human body to model various body reactions. Engineers also create all sorts of devices and tools used in experiments, and creative medicine delivery materials and equipment, including syringes and patches, and even the factories for making different types of pills and bottling liquids.
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe what happens to a pill in the human stomach.
- Explain which pill form is absorbed the fastest.
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