H 2 O Soak Up the Science Exhibit Themes, Descriptions and Curriculum Links

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1 H 2 O Soak Up the Science Exhibit Themes, Descriptions and Curriculum Links Questacon s H 2 O Soak Up the Science exhibition in Gallery 8 (based in Canberra), contains hands-on exhibits that are suitable for visitors aged 8 years through to adults. Each exhibit explores the physical properties of water and how these properties have shaped our environment. This document lists H 2 O exhibit names, descriptions, key themes and subject areas, plus how H 2 O links to the Australian National Science Curriculum. The following suggestions and questions are also useful for strengthening the educational experience for students and encouraging them to connect exhibit concepts to what they encounter in their everyday lives. How much water do you use every day? Should we count how much water is used to manufacture something? Is it easy to extract freshwater from saltwater? What do you notice about raindrops trickling down a window? Does it take much energy to boil a cup of water? If we run out of water in our dams, how can we obtain an alternative supply?

2 H 2 O Soak Up the Science Exhibit Name Boil Water Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Turn handles to generate energy and heat a 100 ml sample of water until it starts to boil. The amount of energy required to heat then boil 100 ml of water is unexpectedly high. Consider how much energy is required to boil a kettle of water to make a mug of tea or coffee. water, boil, steam, phase change, energy, vaporise, latent heat Physics thermodynamics (heat) Chemistry chemical energy Convection Press a button to change the position of a heat source at the base of a clear water tank. Watch how the water moves as a result of newly-created convection currents and how older convection currents in the tank change or collapse. Convection currents in water (or air) cycle around as water cools down and sinks, then warms up and rises. water, current,, convection, ocean, heat, cycle, weather Physics thermodynamics (heat) Earth science geology (volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion & rocks) Coriolis The Coriolis effect is what you observe when water moves a certain way due to rotation. In this circular fountain, nozzles on the central spindle and nozzles extending out from the central spindle, spray jets of water angled towards the centre. When the fountain is spun around, the jets of water travel in unexpected ways, demonstrating the Coriolis effect. water, Coriolis, spin, cyclone Physics forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Earth science atmosphere & meteorology (weather) Digital Waterfall/ World of Water Water is more precious and scarce than we realise. Search for data on rainfall, water footprint, the amount of freshwater available and the percentage of people with access to freshwater and see the results on a large, dynamic display. water resources, rainfall, data, water footprint, population Evaporation When water evaporates, it absorbs energy to change state from liquid water to water vapour gas. Watch water evaporate via a thermal camera and observe energy being absorbed as (as latent heat) as the water changes state from liquid water to water vapour gas. evaporation, water, heat, phase change, latent heat, state, matter

3 H 2 O Soak Up the Science Exhibit Name Flow Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Fluid dynamics describe how water flows around obstacles, or how streams flow when they split and recombine. Arrange rock pictures on the screen and observe how animated water flows through the system you created. Try to control, divert, capture and stop the flow of simulated water. water, flow, catchment, multimedia, scienceart Technology Future Cities Water efficient technologies need to be considered when planning cities and their water use. Build a route for stormwater in a multimedia maze containing water harvesting and recycling technologies. How may water efficient cities be designed in the future? water, sustainable, technology, efficiency, urban, conservation Groundwater Removing groundwater to use above ground can impact on groundwater resources. A scaled model of a rural property with water tank, stream and groundwater reserve shows the connectivity of surface and groundwater. water, technology, pump, rural, artesian, groundwater H 2 Rocket Use electricity to split water molecules into hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. The hydrogen gas can then be used to fire a toy rocket into the air. After the hydrogen and oxygen gas have combusted, they recombine to form water, which you can see as droplets of water inside the rocket container. water, electrolysis, hydrogen, oxygen, energy, chemical formula, photosynthesis Chemistry chemical energy Physics forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Hidden Water Calculate how much water is used to manufacture items in our daily lives, from food to clothing and cars. This multimedia exhibit allows users to select an item and guess the amount of embedded water in that object (i.e., the volume of water used to manufacture a pair of jeans). water, manufacturing, conservation, efficiency, embedded content, consumer Chemistry environmental chemistry Technology

4 H 2 O Soak Up the Science Exhibit Name Hydrotram Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas A spectacular water sculpture representing the water cycle has simulated thunderstorms and rainfall, to create flowing water that moves around systems representing agricultural and urban landscapes. water cycle, rainfall, science-art Earth science atmosphere & meteorology (weather) Meander Water tends to flow or meander in S-shaped streams when the surface is almost horizontal. This influences how streams and rivers meander through landscapes. Tilt two very large trays panels and forth to see how water runs across the panels when they are tilted or flat. Water flows or meanders more on more horizontal surfaces, but flows in straighter streams on steeply tilted surfaces, possibly due to: surface tension, previously wet surfaces, the way the flow starts and pressure changes within the trickle. water, flow, river, meander, erosion, deposition Earth science geology (volcanoes, earthquakes, erosion & rocks) Reverse Osmosis Extracting freshwater from brackish or salt water using reverse osmosis is an energy-intensive technique. Turn a handle to generate enough energy to separate a small amount of freshwater from a brackish source of water. water, technology, osmosis, filter, membrane, energy, molecules Chemistry chemical energy Suck and Push It is easier and more energy efficient to pump water from below than to try and draw it up from above. Try to either pump (push up) or suck (pull up) water in two very tall pipes. Compare whether one pumping method requires more energy or is more successful in moving water furthest up the pipe water, pressure, energy, pump, groundwater Physics forces & motion (inertia, gravity, push, pull, acceleration) Tilt a Filta Use oversized filters to model and explore how the size of holes in membranes controls water filtration. The exhibit contains a range of ball sizes that can pass through one or more different-sized filters. water, filter, membrane, molecules

5 H 2 O Soak Up the Science Exhibit Name Water Ripple Exhibit Description Key Themes Subject Areas Water moves in transverse waves or ripples in response to movement or vibration. A camera runs closed circuit video of visitors in the gallery onto a video screen. As visitors move, a special effect of rippling water is superimposed over video of the visitors to represent these transverse waves. water, ripple, capillary wave, multimedia, science-art Technology Australian Curriculum Links H 2 O Soak Up the Science exhibits link to the Australian National Science Curriculum (particularly Science Inquiry Skills across all school years). Core links indicate content that is directly covered within the exhibition, while optional links indicate content that is dependent on how people use and facilitate various exhibits. Foundation core links Biological sciences (ACSSU002) Living things have basic needs, including food and water Earth and space sciences (ACSSU004) Daily and seasonal changes in our environment, including the weather, affect everyday life Physical sciences (ACSSU005) The way objects move depends on a variety of factors, including their size and shape Foundation optional links Chemical sciences (ACSSU003 ) Objects are made of materials that have observable properties Planning and conducting (ACSIS011) Explore and make observations by using the senses Year 1 core link Earth and space sciences (ACSSU019) Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape Year 1 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE022) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things Year 2 core link Earth and space sciences (ACSSU032) Earth's resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways

6 Year 2 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE035) People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things Year 3 core links Chemical sciences (ACSSU046) A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat Physical sciences (ACSSU049) Heat can be produced in many ways and can move from one object to another Year 3 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE051) Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions Year 4 core link Earth and space sciences (ACSSU075) Earth's surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity Year 4 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE062) Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions Year 5 core links Chemical sciences (ACSSU077) Solids, liquids and gases have different observable properties and behave in different ways Use and influence of science (ACSHE217) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions Year 5 optional links Use and influence of science (ACSHE083) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect people's lives Use and influence of science (ACSHE217) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions Year 6 core links Use and influence of science (ACSHE100) Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples' lives Chemical sciences (ACSSU095) Changes to materials can be reversible, such as melting, freezing, evaporating; or irreversible, such as burning and rusting Year 6 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE220) Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions

7 Year 7 core links Chemical sciences (ACSSU113) Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated using a range of techniques Earth and space sciences (ACSSU222) Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment Year 7 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE121) Science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management Year 8 optional link Use and influence of science (ACSHE136) Science understandings influence the development of practices in areas of human activity such as industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management Year 9 optional links Use and influence of science (ACSHE161) Advances in science and emerging sciences and technologies can significantly affect people's lives, including generating new career opportunities Use and influence of science (ACSHE228) The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research Year 10 core link Earth and space sciences (ACSSU189) Global systems, including the carbon cycle, rely on interactions involving the biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere Year 10 optional links Use and influence of science (ACSHE195) Advances in science and emerging sciences and technologies can significantly affect people's lives, including generating new career opportunities Use and influence of science (ACSHE230) The values and needs of contemporary society can influence the focus of scientific research Senior Secondary Years: Earth and Environmental Science Unit 1: Introduction to Earth systems Science as a Human Endeavour: The use of scientific knowledge is influenced by social, economic, cultural and ethical considerations Science Understanding: Development of the atmosphere and hydrosphere Water is present on the surface of Earth as a result of volcanic outgassing and impact by icy bodies from space, water occurs in three phases (solid, liquid, gas) on Earth s surface

8 Water s unique properties, including its boiling point, density in solid and liquid phase, surface tension and its ability to act as a solvent, and its abundance at the surface of Earth make it an important component of Earth system processes (for example, precipitation, ice sheet formation, evapotranspiration, solution of salts) Unit 2: Earth processes energy transfers and transformations Science as a Human Endeavour: Scientific knowledge can be used to develop and evaluate projected economic, social and environmental impacts and to design action for sustainability Science Understanding: Energy for Earth processes Thermal and light energy from the Sun drives important Earth processes including evaporation and photosynthesis Science Understanding: Energy for atmospheric and hydrologic processes The movement of atmospheric air masses due to heating and cooling, and Earth s rotation and revolution Unit 3: Living on Earth extracting, using and managing Earth resources Science Understanding: Use of renewable Earth resources The availability and quality of fresh water can be influenced by human activities (for example, urbanisation, over-extraction, pollution) and natural processes (for example, siltation, drought, algal blooms) at local and regional scales Producing, harvesting, transporting and processing of resources for consumption, and assimilating the associated wastes, involves the use of resources, the concept of an ecological footprint is used to measure the magnitude of this demand