STEAM – round 3
This round we have been focusing on Carbon. Carbon is a very important and special element because every living thing is made out of carbon. If there isn’t any carbon there won’t be life on earth. Carbon is present in the atmosphere as the gas carbon dioxide (co2), which make up approximately 0.04% of the atmosphere. Related to that we also studied about the carbon cycle. Carbon is a virtually important molecule in the carbon cycle. The global moment of carbon between the abiotic environment, including the atmosphere and ocean and organisms, is known as the carbon cycle. The carbon cycle is what makes up life. Now I’ll you more about it. Carbon dioxide are from animal respiration, plant respiration, combustion, and Auto and factory emissions. Where does it go?. They go up to the atmosphere. How does it cycle?
- Trees are the one who takes carbon dioxide and use it to make food. They absorbed carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Animals then eat the food and carbon is stored in their bodies or released as CO2 through respiration. After trees eat the carbon dioxide then they will also release back the oxygen, which is what we use to breathe. We, human use oxygen to breathe and release back some carbon dioxide through farting.
- Decomposer also plays an important role in the carbon cycle. It breaks down the dead organisms and returns the carbon in their bodies to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide by respiration. If there isn’t any decomposer, there will be less carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere and there would be less carbon dioxide for plants to take in for photosynthesis.
- During the combustion of fossil fuel carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. These are what I know about the carbon cycle.
We also did one experiment related to carbon. It is called the Black Snake experiment.
Processes of Making the Black Snake
- Mix the sugar and baking soda together in one bowl or anything that you can use to mix something
- Next, Pour the sand in another bowl and pour the Alcohol into the sand to wet it
- Pour the sugar and soda mixture on the sand
- At last, Ignite it with a match
Result
- It creates the Blacksnake
- The sugar needs something hot like fire to break down itself and I think sugar also need oxygen to break down itself. When oxygen is used, carbon dioxide and water vapor is released.
- The baking soda also reacts with heat, so when the fire heat it, it produces the solid sodium carbonate that’s why it makes the snake looks solid.
- Because my teacher told me that, Carbon dioxide is black, so carbon dioxide is what makes the snake black.
- Altogether, these three reactions produce the solid components of the snake, color of the snake and hot gasses that expand the BLACKSNAKE!!