The air quality team will investigate "particulates" in the classroom using a particulate collector that they will make.
Air Quality Team
You will need: particulate collectors (prepared in advance by your teacher), microscope or hand lens, mm-ruled graph paper
Your task is to examine particulates that have been collected from the air in your classroom over a period of a week.
1. Examine the slides that have been placed about the room during the past week to collect particulates. Using a microscope or hand magnifier, determine:
The average number of particles per square mm
The types of particles (small, medium, large; colors; shapes)
2. Are there differences depending on where the collectors were located? What hypotheses can you make to account for differences? If you wish, put out several new collectors to test your hypotheses.
Making Particulate Collectors
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*Advance Preparation of
Particulate Collectors: About
seven to ten days before the activity, prepare particulate collectors by
cutting two windows in index cards as shown. Cover each window with clear
sticky tape. Hang or tape three or four cards in different locations around
the room (e.g., near the window or door, in a quiet corner, on the teacher's
desk). Expose the collectors to the air for at least seven days. Cut pieces
of 1 mm2 graph paper
and place them over the tape on the sticky side. Use a microscope to view the
particles collected. The 1 mm2 graph paper can be used as a scale while viewing the particulates. |
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