Students investigate the phenomena of evaporation and condensation. They explore the factors that influence the rate at which liquid water forms vapor, particularly the temperature and surface area of the water exposed to the air. Students set up closed chambers containing water, put them in a window or under a lamp, and observe condensation. Through these experiences, students are introduced to ideas that will help them understand the water cycle. Rock is composed of different combinations of minerals.
Smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of bedrock and larger rocks.
Many kinds of changes occur faster under hotter conditions. Materials may be composed of parts that are too small to be seen without magnification. When a new material is made by combining two or more materials, it has properties that are different from the original materials. For that reason, a lot of different materials can be made from a small number of basic kinds of materials. Students investigate one interesting property of the mineral calcite.