Flame Testing

Today students learned about excited electrons through flame testing. Electrons can jump energy levels when they are excited - like when they are caught on fire. They are excited for a bit and then they bounce back down to their normal energy level. The energy the lose when going back is emitted as light.

We watched a short video that explains where and how fireworks are made and what materials are used to make them work. More information about how fireworks work can be found here. For more information and some cool videos check out NOVA's fireworks website .

Different elements and metals emit different spectra of light. Students sampled some metals, tried to identify some unknowns, and then mixed and matched their own to see what color combinations they could make. Some samples worked better than others and most people picked copper as their favorite.

We also started talking about atom models today and the "dudes" who came up with these models and how they did it. More information about this topic will be given on Monday.

Tonight's homework is D and J on the gold sheet.