States of Matter – Virtual Laboratory Exercise
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/E17/E17.html
Background Information: How does thermal energy affect the state of a substance?
Matter consists of atoms and molecules and all substances consist of matter. Changing
the state of a substance requires energy. Adding or removing thermal energy from a substance
causes a change of state. Energy affects the attraction between the atoms or molecules and
their rate of movement. A substance’s temperature determines whether it occurs in a solid,
liquid, or gas state.
A substance changes from a solid to a liquid at its melting point, from a liquid to a gas at
its boiling point, and from a liquid to a solid at its freezing point. A different amount of energy
is needed to change the state of different substances. For example, it takes much more energy
to melt a solid metal into a liquid than to melt an ice cube into water.
In this virtual lab you will examine how energy affects the state, the atomic or molecular
activity, and the temperature of a substance.
Objectives:

Explore how thermal energy affects different states of matter

Describe how the temperature of a substance is affected by changing states of matter.

Interpret and analyze temperature vs. time graphs.

Observe how the movement of atoms or molecules is affected by changes in thermal
energy
Hypothesis: What will happen as heat is added to solid ice?
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Procedure
1. Click on the link at the top of this page to go to the virtual lab
2. Click the video button to watch the video about melting and boiling points of substances
3. Select the water button. The selected substance appears in its solid form inside the
energy box. The energy box is able to add thermal energy to the substance or remove
thermal energy from the substance at a constant rate. Inside the energy box, a sensor
senses the temperature of the substance
4. In your lab write up, make a prediction about what you think will happen as heat is added
to the solid ice. This is your hypothesis.
5. Click on the heat button on the energy box. Observe what happens to the state of the
substance, the molecular activity of the substance, and the temperature of the
substance. Record this information on the observations table in your lab write up.
6. Click on the heat button again. Observe what happens to the state of the substance, the
molecular activity of the substance, and the temperature of the substance. Record this
information on the observations table in your lab write up.
7. Click on the heat button for the third time. Observe what happens to the state of the
substance, the molecular activity of the substance, and the temperature of the
substance. Record this information on the observations table in your lab write up.
8. Click on the cool button on the energy box. Observe what happens to the state of the
substance, the molecular activity of the substance, and the temperature of the
substance. Record this information on the observations table in your lab write up.
9. Click on the graph button to see a printout of a temperature vs. time graph that shows
what happened when heat was added and removed from the substance. Use information
from the graph to determine the melting point, boiling point, and freezing point of the
substance. Record this information on the data table in your lab write up
10. Repeat steps 1-9 for mercury, then for iron
Observations: Record what happens to each substance as you add and remove thermal energy.
State of the
Substance
Water
Mercury
Iron
Molecular Activity of
the Substance
Temperature of the
substance
Data: Use the graph to find the melting point, the boiling point, and the freezing point of each
substance.
substance
water
mercury
iron
melting point
boiling point
freezing point