Plastic

After reading about polymer materials, engineer trainees examine how plastics have been integrated into everyday products. In groups, they compile a list of products made entirely without plastics and then, as a closing activity, try to...

First, young chemists practice polymer identification by density and flame tests. With the data collected, they propose a method of separating polyethylene from other plastics and determine what property makes it desirable for recycling....

Students are challenged to investigate the physical and chemical properties of plastics and use them to design a system that could be used to separate them. 1st year chemistry students use density for separation, students gathered...

Peruse the properties of polymers with your materials engineers, chemistry aces, or emerging ecologists. The inquiries in this resource include puncturing polyethylene plastic bags, dissolving polystyrene cups, creating a polymer...

When you hear Leonardo da Vinci mentioned, chances are that you think of the Mona Lisa, or flying machines—but what about plastic? Learners blend heavy cream and vinegar over heat to replicate da Vinci's early organic plastic recipe.

Some plastics market as green, but are they really? Turns out, the question is a complicated one. A video lesson describes how these new plastics may have some decomposing properties but need a little boost from industry. The lesson...

Plastics in our oceans not only create unsightly litter, but they also threaten habitats. A video episode maps the location of the majority of the plastic debris and explains the impact the debris has on our world. The lesson also...

Inspire environmentally conscious young minds with an exceptional video, which traces the life cycles of three different plastic bottles after they are thrown away and move through the earth with different journeys through a...

Plastic is fantastic! But, why does it behave the way it does? Science sleuths investigate the behavior of plastic in response to applied forces using an interactive. The resource allows users to bend a sample of plastic using three...

While plastics don't biodegrade, they do photodegrade, creating issues in Earth's oceans. The final video in the Healthy Oceans series explains why plastic in oceans causes so many issues. the narrator explains the impact of plastic...