Moore, Timothy
Moore, Timothy
Instructor: Mrs. Tammy Moore
Class: General Science
15 March 2009
The Existence of Atoms Supported by Observations of Density
Observation of density to understand the existence of atoms.
Abstract
[A little starter to get you going: My assumption that atoms exist made sense in light of the observations that I made in this lab. Now keep on going based on what you observed from the lab and what interpretations the data led to.]
Introduction
[A little starter to get you going: Density is how tightly packed the atoms are in a substance.
The more tightly packed a substance is, the greater its density will be. Differences in density will create a layering as a lighter density substance rises above a more dense substance. Democritus, and ancient
Greek scientist/philosopher, had the idea that substances are made up of individual particles called atoms. The way those particles are packed together will determine each objects’ characteristics. Ok, take it from here.]
Methods and Procedures
Materials
 Vegetable oil
 Water
 Maple or corn syrup
 A grape
 A piece of cork

Moore, Timothy
 An ice cube
 A small rock
 A tall glass
 Eye protection such as goggles or safety glasses
I took a glass and filled it about ¼ of the way with vegetable oil. I then added another quarter of the way of water. Next, I slowly added corn syrup to the glass. I noted my observations of the behavior of these layers.
I dropped in the rock, the grape, the ice cube, and the piece of cork into the glass. In noted the observations of these objects in the layers of the glass.
DATA and OBSERVATIONS
I observed that [Describe what you saw. If possible, include photos or a sketch of the layering of the substances and where the objects that you dropped in ended up. Be sure to label the objects if it is not obvious what they are].
Conclusion
[Place your conclusion here. Dr. Wile gives you a starter in the text which I will paste here for you: If substances were not composed of smaller particles (like atoms), it would be hard to understand how one substance could pass through another substance. However, if you imagine every substance to be made up of little grains (like sand), then passing through a substance would just be a matter of fitting between the grains or pushing the grains out of the way. Thus, if you assume the existence of atoms, results of experiments like the one you just did are easy to understand.].
References
Wile, Jay. 2008. Exploring Creation with General Science, ed 2