Cell size is limited by the surface area to volume ratio, but why is this true? Scholars measure the surface area and volume of cubes before placing them into liquid. After a set amount of time, they measure the uptake by diffusion for...

Several factors affect the rate of a chemical reaction including temperature, surface area, and concentration. Using an experimental approach, learners explore the effect concentration has on this rate while maintaining consistency with...

How exciting would it be for your chemistry class to produce their own "gold"? This experiment allows pupils to witness the chemical reaction of copper pennies as they react with zinc and sodium hydroxide to produce "gold" tokens. It is...

Your chemistry class is sure to love this experiment on column chromatography, as demonstrated with chalk sticks and felt tip markers. Pupils use sidewalk chalk (another inexpensive form of chalk stick) to demonstrate adsorption and the...

Without wind, the weather man wouldn't have much to talk about! Blow away your junior meteorologists with a creative demonstration of how wind works. The activity uses an empty soda bottle and compressible Styrofoam peanuts to illustrate...

Is butter better? In terms of saturation, young chemists find out! Using titration methods, they will compare the degree of saturation of butter with that of margarine. Knowing the unsaturation, they can make conclusions about the...

Where does all the heat go when the sun goes down? An interesting lesson has learners explore this question by monitoring the infrared radiation emitted over time. They learn that hot spots cool more quickly that cooler spots.

Use chemistry to change pennies into gold coins! The experimental procedure leads learners through the process of changing copper pennies to silver and then to gold. They record the mass of each coin through every step of the experiment.

Students learn how material properties change as the size of the material decreases to the nanoscale. This experiment investigates the effects of surface area on reaction rates.

Using the same method for measuring friction that was used in the previous lesson (Discovering Friction), students design and conduct an experiment to determine if the amount of area over which an object contacts a surface it is moving...

This lesson offers an interesting, hands-on experience for middle school students studying cylinders. Students will create cylinders, and measure and compare their volumes.

Find out the approximate surface area of your skin in this exercise, and how much atmospheric force is exerted upon it.

By comparing the feet of different water birds you can discover how they propel the birds through the water. This Science Buddies project show you how to modify swim fins to simulate ducks' feet, greebes' feet, and the feet of...

Here is a hands-on experiment that lets you discover how and why gravity works by making your own little parachutes.

This site from the National Aeornautics and Space Administration provides a fun activity for the subject. "Clouds often hide large areas of the Earth's surface. We can use radar to make detailed maps of Earth right through clouds or...