How do scientists detect planets around distant stars? Use this model to explore how a star’s movement and light intensity are affected by an orbiting planet. Explore the effects of changing the orbiting angle (tilt), type, and size of the planet on the star’s velocity and light intensity. Use the habitability analyzer to determine whether […]
Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a polymeric plastic material. There are many different types of materials. Each material has a particular molecular structure, which is responsible for the material’s mechanical properties. The molecular structure of each material affects how it responds to an applied force at the macroscopic level.
Observe how molecules with hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions move in a mixture of oil and water, and the effects on potential energy.
Explore the role of polarity in the strength of intermolecular attractions. While all molecules are attracted to each other, some attractions are stronger than others. Non-polar molecules are attracted through a London dispersion attraction; polar molecules are attracted through both the London dispersion force and the stronger dipole-dipole attraction. The force of attractions between molecules […]
Explore how the types of atoms forming a bond affect the distribution of electrons and overall shape of the molecule.
Explore how hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions cause proteins to fold into specific shapes. Proteins, made up of amino acids, are used for many different purposes in the cell. The cell is an aqueous (water-filled) environment. Some amino acids have polar (hydrophilic) side chains while others have non-polar (hydrophobic) side chains. The hydrophilic amino acids interact […]
Generate all hydrophilic (polar), all hydrophobic (non-polar), or random proteins and observe how the protein folds in response to these molecular properties. Explore how the potential energy of the system changes over time to draw conclusions about how proteins develop stable structures.
Observe a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen atoms, and watch how potential and kinetic energy change.
Carefully observe changes in kinetic and potential energy as hydrogen and oxygen molecules react.
Explore different types of attractions between molecules. While all molecules are attracted to each other, some attractions are stronger than others. Non-polar molecules are attracted through a London dispersion attraction; polar molecules are attracted through both the London dispersion force and the stronger dipole-dipole attraction. The dipole-dipole attraction is often thought of as “opposite charges […]