Phases of Matter

To build upon the excitement of Halloween, we did a dry ice lab today in class. Students first learned about different materials and how they conduct heat (aluminum vs. plastic). When ice went on an aluminum plate that felt cold and a plastic plate that felt warm, students predicted ice would melt faster on the warm plate. However, the aluminum plate melted an ice cube in almost exactly 3 minutes while the other plate still had the ice after 20 minutes. This is all due to how aluminum conducts heat better. Next, we explored dry ice, at -109.3 degrees F and its unique properties, including not melting, but sublimating instead (going right from a solid to a gas).Finally, taking what we learned from reading about how root beer is made, we combined our science and reading to make our own root beer for our Halloween party!