It's Our Air - 1-2 Combustion & Combustion Equations

COMBUSTION EQUATIONS ACTIVITY

In the hands-on activity, students use molecular model sets to become familiar with some simple chemical equations describing combustion, and to see how the burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
What is combustion?
What molecules does combustion produce?
What are some of the benefits of combustion for humans?

TIME NEEDED: 45 minutes

Tab/Accordion Items

Video: Combustion (included)
Molecule sets
Worksheet (included))

TOPICS: combustion, combustion equations, conservation of mass, combustion’s relationship to air pollution, our dependence on combustion.

TYPES: hands-on demonstration, video

NC ESSENTIAL STANDARDS for Earth/Environmental Science:

EEn.2.5.1. Summarize the structure and composition of our atmosphere
EEn.2.5.5 Explain how human activities affect air quality

[video:https://vimeo.com/95327936]

DOWNLOAD VIDEO FILE

COMBUSTION VIDEO

A video introduces to the concept of combustion as a chemical reaction and illustrates how combustion causes the rearrangement of atoms from one set of molecules to another set of molecules, and how air pollution can result when other gases in our atmosphere and other substances in fuel are added into the combustion mix.

Video downloads are able to display subtitles. We recommend using VLC media player for optimal playback of subtitles.


COMBUSTION & COMBUSTION EQUATIONS - TEACHER TO TEACHER TIPS

The quick video below has tips for doing this activity from Mark Townley, an award-winning, North Carolina high school teacher. Mark helped develop It’s Our Air and has used each of these activities with his students.

[video:https://vimeo.com/185546489]


 

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OTHER MODULE 1 (AIR POLLUTANTS & THEIR SOURCES) ACTIVITIES AND VIDEOS

1-1 What Is Air?

1-2 Combustion and Combustion Equations (this activity)

1-3 Parts Per Million

1-4 The Criteria Pollutants and a Closer Look at Ozone

1-5 NC & Local Sources of Air Pollution

1-6 Making and Using Ozone Indicators

1-7 Sampling Particulate Matter