Metals-Silver: This lesson will focus on the properties and application for the silver. Knowledge Check: List some things that are made from silver. Why does silver tarnish?
Metals-Copper: This lesson will focus on the properties and application for the copper.
Knowledge Check:
Name three applications where we find copper used.
What is galvanic corrosion and why was it a problem in the Statue of Liberty?
What elements are in a brass alloy?
The material properties of water are presented in this lesson. Simulations are presented to demonstrate the effect of temperature on the bonding of water molecules.
Knowledge Check
What is the chemical formula for water and what type of bonding does it have?
Is water of polar or non-polar molecule?
Why does ice float?
What is described by the term “specific gravity”?
The characteristics and uses of tin are presented in this lesson. There is focus on the metal joining process called soldering and brazing. Also discussed is the environmental reduction of hazardous materials which affects the alloys used in soldering. Two rather interesting failure mechanisms of tin are presented: tin whiskers and test pest.
Knowledge Check
Why are tin alloys used in the soldering process?
What is the difference between soldering and brazing?
Name some elements that are to be eliminated by the RoHS directive.
What is the alloy that is in pewter?
What is a major factor for the formation of tin whiskers?
Aluminum: Learn about the properties of aluminum. The anodization process will be described. The benefits and strengths of aluminum wire are explained.
Knowledge Check:
What are some differences in the properties of aluminum vs. steel?
Describe the changes to the aluminum surface during anodizing.
Why are the heatsinks used in electronics have black anodization?
Why did aluminum wires lead to house fires in the 1970s?
Metals-Introduction: This introductory lesson will introduce metals as a group and their common properties. It will be shown how the metallic bonding gives metals ductility. It will also be explained why metals are shiny and electrically conductive.
Knowledge Check:
What are some of the common properties of metals?
Explain why metallic bonds results in good electrical conductivity.
What are metal alloys?
Zinc, Cadmium, Mercury: This lesson will cover three different metals in group 12 of the periodic table. In addition to the general properties of these metals, the function of alkaline batteries is described. Also the electroplating process of zinc is presented.
Knowledge Check
What are some of the uses for zinc?
Why are alkaline batteries called “alkaline”?
Describe the zinc electroplating process.
Name two uses of cadmium.
Describe the operation of a mercury tilt switch.
These two elements are side-by-side on the periodic table and share some properties and applications. Learn how both are used in super alloys, batteries, and as ferromagnetic materials. This lesson will describe the NiMH and Li-ion battery. Also described are the properties for ferromagnetism and paramagnetism. Also ferrites and rare earth magnets are introduced.
Knowledge Check:
What are super alloys and why are they called “super”?
Describe ferromagnetism at the material level.
What are “hard” and “soft” magnetic materials?
Describe the internal operation of the Li-ion battery.
Thermal Properties: This lesson described thermal conduction, specific heat and thermal expansion.
Knowledge Check:
What kind of materials are good conductors of heat?
What does having a high specific heat mean?
How does a bi metallic thermometer work?