States of Matter

On Tuesday, our class did an experiment that demonstrated what happens to particles when they are heated up.

For this experiment we used;

• A Bunsen Burner
• A ball and Ring
• A beaker filled with water

To do this experiment, we first set up our Bunsen Burner on a safety mat. The ball and ring sets were made out of brass, and designed so that the ball fit through the ring perfectly.

After our Bunsen Burner was set up, we turned the collar to the blue flame and held the ring over the flame for approximately 1-2 minutes. When the brass ring was heated up, the spaces between each particle grew, making the ring appear to be larger. Because the ring was larger and the ball remained the same size, there was now more space in the ring when the brass ball was in it. We then placed the ring in a beaker filled with cold water and repeated the process with the ball. Just like the ring, the space between the brass particles in the ball grew, and the ball became bigger. This time when we tried to put the ball through the ring, it wasn't as easy 

and the ball only just fit in the ring.