Gold Seal Lesson:
Moles And Things

Copernicus Education Gateway

Subject:

Science

Grade:

9-12

ICLE Standards:

Physical Science: Develop an understanding of the structure of atoms and matter.

Algebra: Develop an understanding of dimensional analysis.

Performance Task:

A mole is the name of a very large number, 6.02 x 10 23 . In this task, you are to find the size of one mole of some common objects. The example below shows how to find the size of a mole of pennies.

Example: Find the distance covered by a mole of pennies placed end to end.
Solution: One penny = 0.75 inches in diameter
One mole of pennies = 6.02 x 10 23 pennies
0.75 inches X 6.02 x 10 23 pennies X 1 foot X 1 mile
Penny mole 12 inches 5,280 feet = 7.13 x 10 18 miles
Therefore, 1 mole of pennies = 7.13 x 10 18 miles

You are to pair up with another student to complete this task. Identify at least two small objects for which you can find the physical dimensions. Make the measurements and compare the size of one mole of the objects. The size of your mole could be in terms of length (e.g. the example above), surface area or volume. Show all work in reaching your answers. Make an oral presentation of your results to the class.

Knowledge / Skills:

Measure properties of the environment using dimensional quantities such as time, length, mass, pressure, volume, acceleration, etc. Compare quantities and consider the error involved with measuring environmental properties.  (s23)

Understand the concept and interpretation of the mole and the gram atomic mass, gram molecular mass, and molar volume of a gas.  (s104)

Use the technique of dimensional analysis to convert units of measure (e.g., convert km/hr to m/min).  Understand and use various techniques for estimating, making and converting measure; and using these to perform dimensional analysis.   (m33)

Present information in well-organized fashion that will be clear to the target audience.  (ela11)

Rubric:

4 Points  =  The students complete the task on their own. They demonstrate an understanding of the concept of mole. Their work is logical and organized. They correctly use dimensional analysis and make no computational errors. The students make a fluent presentation to their classmates.

3 Points  =  The students needs some assistance to complete the task. They demonstrate only a limited understanding of the concept of mole. They have difficulty using dimensional analysis and make some minor computational errors. Their work is fairly logical and organized. The students have some minor difficulty expressing their results orally to their classmates.

2 Points  =  The students need considerable assistance to complete the task. They demonstrate very little understanding of the concept of mole. The students have little grasp of dimensional analysis and make several errors in their computations. Their work is neither logical nor organized. The students' oral presentation to the class is poorly presented.

1 Point  =  Even with assistance, the students are unable to complete the task. They demonstrate no understanding of the concept of a mole and are unable to use dimensional analysis. Their work is disorganized and vague. The oral presentation is either lacking or "foolishly" done.

Keywords:

CHEMISTRY
MOLECULES
MEASUREMENT
CONVERSION
ORAL PRESENTATION
ALGEBRAIC OPERATIONS

Grades:

Kg [] - 1 [] - 2 [] - 3 [] - 4 [] - 5 [] - 6 [] - 7 [] - 8 [] - 9 [X] - 10 [X] - 11 [X] - 12 [X]

ICLE Application:

D

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