Eric Braun - Curious Pearl Explains States of Matter: 4D an Augmented Reality Science Experience

Curious Pearl here! Do you like science? I sure do! I have all sorts of fun tools to help me and investigate, but my favorite tool is my science notebook. Thats where I write down questions and facts that help me learn more about science. Would you like to join me on my science adventures?

Youre in for a special surprise!

Isnt summer the best? There is lots of time for playing and riding my bike. I get to hang out with my little brother, Peter, too.

Peter likes summer as much as I do. And Peter loves ice pops. He loves them like the sky loves the stars. Like I love science!

Today Peter and I were playing outside with our friends. Suddenly, Peter screamed, We need ice pops!

That sounds serious! I told my friends. I better find some ice pops.

I went inside to find an ice pop. But we didnt have any. I grabbed cheese and crackers. I got apples and peanut butter.

Ice pops! Ice pops! he cried.

All right, I said. Lets make some ice pops out of juice.

We cant turn juice into an ice pop! Peter said.

Sure we can, I said. Its just a of MATTER.

What is the matter? he asked.

Nothing is the matter, I said. But everything is MATTER. Juice, ice pops, air, chairs, and even people are made of matter.

Wait, Peter said. Air? Air isnt made of anything.

Yes, even air! Its a . I knocked my knuckles on it. And so are ice pops.

Peter shook his head. I still dont get how air is matter, he said.

I was about to explain it to him. But then I realized I didnt really get it either.

Lets see what we can observe about these states of matter, I said.

Well, if air is matter, it doesnt have any shape, Peter said.

Eureka! Thats true! I said. Eureka is a scientific word. I use it when I make a new discovery.

I pulled out my trusty science notebook and pencil.

Gas, like air, has no shape. You can move through it.

Compare that to liquid, I said.

Liquid just sort of sloshes and changes shape, Peter said. If we poured it on the floor, it would be flat like the floor too.

Please dont pour it on the floor, I said. You never know what little brothers will do!

The orange juice in the ice pop mold is shaped like the mold, I noted.

Peter stuck his finger into one of the molds. And you can poke your finger into it, he said.

I wrote about liquids in my science notebook.

Liquid changes shape to fit its container. Like air, things can move through liquid.

Are the ice pops ready to go in the freezer yet? Peter asked.

Yes, I said. But first, tell me what you observe about solids.

Solids are solid! he said, grinning.

Eureka! Thats true! I said. But what does that mean?

Peter patted the counter, testing it. He tapped his foot on the floor another solid. He picked up the ice pop molds and felt them.

I think solid means it has its own shape, and you cant change it, he said.

Good thinking! I replied.

I was about to make a note in my notebook. But just then, Peter dropped the ice pop molds. Orange juice splattered all over! And guess what else? One of the molds broke in half.

So you can change a solids shape, I said.

Solids do not change shape to fit a container. But you can break, carve, or sculpt them to change their shape.

You cant move through a solid.

I helped Peter clean up the mess. Then we poured orange juice into another set of ice pop molds. We put the molds into the freezer.

They will take some time to , I told Peter. Lets eat lunch while we wait. I took out a box of cheesy macaroni. Next, I poured water into a pot. Then I found Mom to help me turn on the stove.

Peter said, One time, I lost an ice pop in bed.

Yuck! I replied.

Yeah, he said. When I found it again, it had liquid. But when does that happen, exactly?

Eureka! Good observation! I said. Liquids freeze at a freezing point. When water freezes, it becomes a solid ice. Waters freezing point is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius). Thats also its melting point. So if the temperature of ice goes above 32 degrees F (0 degrees C), it will turn into a liquid.

What about gas? Peter asked. Can anything turn into a gas?

Look! I said. I pointed to the water boiling on the stove. Steam was rising from the pot. Liquid turns into a gas at its boiling point. Waters boiling point is 212 degrees F (100 degrees C).

Time for another note in my science notebook!

Matter changes state when its temperature changes enough.

Even the ice pop molds would become a liquid if they got hot enough, I said.

But I still dont get how air is supposed to be matter, Peter said. Its like nothing.

After lunch, Peter and I searched online. We learned about changes, depending on how close together the atoms are.

Huh? Peter said.

Ill show you, I said.

I explained the drawings to Peter. Atoms in a solid are very close together. They cant move, and you cant get through them. In a liquid, the atoms are farther apart. They can move a little bit. The atoms in a gas are even farther apart. Its easy to pass through a gas like air or steam.