Dear Scientists,
I’ve told you before that we know a thing by its properties. Rather than just saying a thing is a thing because it look like that thing, we have to think about the parts of the thing and closely study how they interact to make the thing the whole that it is. Think about polygons. They are what they are because of the their sides and angles. For some substances, however, properties aren’t easily seen. For these substances, we have to think of creative ways we can carry out tests or experiments to reveal those hidden properties.
This is what we’ll do today. We’ll look at four different powders and reveal their properties by burning them, tasting them, mixing them with water, and mixing them with chemicals. We’re not just interested in the reactions (although reactions can sometimes be pretty cool!), we’re interested in what the reaction tells us about the true properties of the substance.
Sincerely,
Mr. Heimbuck
letters to my class 