they are all made out of synthetic polymers, which were originally developed by a team of american researchers led by chemist wallace carothers in the early 1930s. however, with the development of synthetic polymers came plastics, which revolutionized the civilized world – creating most of the modern items we use today! polymers consist of flexible, stretchable chains of molecules that repeat over and over. cook one batch with a few drops of oil to keep the noodles from sticking together. do you see how the noodles will stretch when slowly pulled and break when pulled abruptly? this causes the chains to connect in more than one place, producing a stronger and more elastic polymer. after draining the water and waiting about five minutes, pull the tangled mass of noodles from the pan and try stretching slowly, then abruptly. to try making your own polymer, obtain some cornstarch, water, and food coloring. pour one cup of water into a container (a pie tin or plastic food container works well) and add a few drops of food coloring.
the substance will become thick and hard to mix, but keep at it. you can have your students investigate this polymer, which has the properties of both a liquid and a solid. when a hand is rested on the top of the ooze? is it elastic? is it affected by temperature? for more ways to learn about polymers, try the following lesson plans. they explore basic concepts of polymer chemistry and work in groups to produce a polymer, slime. students explore the different types of polymers while participating in a hands-on activity. the students, themselves, will be the different atoms and molecules involved in making a polymer to help them learn about the structure of these unique molecules.
for successful polymer production, a deep understanding of polymer physics and the unique behavior of polymers is required so that the material properties are fully exploited. today we are going to learn about the basics of polymers and then go into a bit of detail about two classes of polymers: thermoplastics and thermosets. slide 1 – today we are going to begin a polymer unit, titled “close encounters of the polymer kind.” slide 5 – a thermoset is a polymer in which the final shape of the product becomes set, or cured, due to an irreversible chemical reaction. for the case of water, the water has a certain affinity to the rod. in the case of the polymer chain, their desire to increase their ability to stretch out is greater than their attraction and some net movement has to take place. the barus effect is similar to the weissenberg effect in that it can be explained by the balances of the entropic and enthalpic contributions. you are in a classroom with many students and one of the walls moves in and out. let’s say one of the walls can move in and out.
take a moment to watch the video of the kaye effect. one of the theories as to why this happens is called shear thinning. this time, we are running through the halls and a person in the back wants to move to the front. place the syringe in the beaker of water and begin to slowly draw some out. i need to challenge a volunteer to try to pull one rubber band, and only one rubber band, from the middle of the pile. what happens to the stiffness? are enough difunctional molecules present to react with all of the trifunctional? can you control the properties of that portion? following the same ideas as before, we can vary the properties by varying the ratio of amine and epoxy, which is exactly what we are going to explore in the associated activity. the questions are a review of the information taught during the presentation.
the resources provided here will give you a better understanding of polymers, as well as material resources for parents and educators. polymer education. try these hands on lessons dealing with polymers to get students thinking chemistry and the structure of molecules. akron global polymer academy – polymer lessons for k-12 ; chemical heritage foundation – the site describes various polymers through readings, activities and, polymers lesson plan, polymers lesson plan, polymers for kids, polymer lesson plan elementary, polymer activities for middle school.
students explore the basic characteristics of polymers through the introduction of two polymer categories: thermoplastics and thermosets. during teacher polymers are very big molecules made up of many smaller molecules layered together in a repeating pattern. in fact, the word polymer is greek for ‘many parts.’ a worksheet that is set up for students to find certain polymers in the room or school, for example: organic chemistry lesson plan for elementary school, polymers activity, polymers facts, polymers explained simply, polymers for middle school students, polymer activity high school, what are polymers used for, monomer examples, is dna a polymer?. how do you explain polymers to kids? what are examples of polymers? how do you describe a polymer? what are some polymers used in everyday life?
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