People like to avoid large temperature swings in buildings because it's more comfortable. The heat capacity of the building is useful in reducing swings, especially in solar houses where the incoming energy varies with the amount of sunshine. This model allows you to explore the effect of heat capacity on temperature swings.

Modify an existing molecule and observe how different atoms affect the electron distribution within the model.

When heat energy is transferred from a warm to a cold object, one cools down and the other warms up, but the total energy remains the same. This model allows you to watch this process and explore how to determine the final temperature.

Explore what happens when a force is exerted on a metallic 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.

Explore how mixing two different liquids together can result in less total volume by investigating at the molecular level.

Explore how an mRNA copy is made of DNA. Protein complexes separate the DNA helix to allow complementary mRNA nucleotides to bind to the DNA sequence. The pairing of nucleotides is very specific.

Explore how a protein is made from an mRNA sequence. In translation, the mRNA leaves the nucleus and attaches to a ribosome. Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules bring amino acids to the ribosome. The tRNA pairs up with the mRNA nucleotide sequence in a specific complementary manner, ensuring the correct amino acid sequence in the protein.

Learn to identify different molecular shapes, to understand the interactions that create these shapes, and how to predict a molecule's shape given certain information about it. Explore these concepts using three-dimensional computer models and answer a series of questions to reinforce your understanding.

Add various unknown molecules to oil and water, and observe how the molecules sort themselves in response to interactions with the surrounding environment.

Explore the structure of a gas at the molecular level. Molecules are always in motion. Molecules in a gas move quickly. All molecules are attracted to each other. Molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and biological applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.

Explore the structure of a liquid at the molecular level. Molecules are always in motion. Molecules in a liquid move moderately. All molecules are attracted to each other. Molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and biological applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.

Explore the structure of a solid at the molecular level. Molecules are always in motion, though molecules in a solid move slowly. All molecules are attracted to each other. Molecules can be weakly or strongly attracted to each other. The way that large molecules interact in physical, chemical and biological applications is a direct consequence of the many tiny attractions of the smaller parts.

Explore how changing the DNA sequence can change the amino acid sequence of a protein. Proteins are composed of long strings of amino acids. Proteins are coded for in the DNA. DNA is composed of four different types of nucleotides. Converting the information in DNA into protein is a two-step process, involving transcription and translation. In transcription each mRNA nucleotide pairs with the complementary DNA nucleotide. In translation, each tRNA nucleotide pairs with the complementary mRNA nucleotide. Thus, a change in the DNA sequence can change the amino acid sequence of the protein. There are three basic types of mutations: insertion, deletion and substitution. Some mutations are silent, meaning that there is no change in the protein, while others can cause major changes in the protein.

Access and explore large datasets from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2003). Working with large datasets that emphasize exploration, finding patterns, and modeling is an essential first step in becoming fluent with data. This activity is a great place for students to start, since the dataset is straightforward and students can decide on the data they want to explore, including height, age, weight, and many other health-related attributes. Students begin by selecting and then investigating subsets of the dataset, for example, to find the cholesterol level of U.S. citizens. Then, working with their classmates or individually, students can try their own data science challenges, such as finding health trends in a subset of Americans by their household income, age, or marital status, etc.
This activity is embedded in the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP). Learn more about teaching with CODAP, or use the Getting Started in CODAP tutorial.

Compare the electron distribution, potential energy, and forces of two interacting hydrogen atoms (which can bond) with two helium atoms (which do not).

Explore the interactions that cause water and oil to separate from a mixture. Oil is a non-polar molecule, while water is a polar molecule. 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. When oil and water are mixed, the dipole-dipole interactions are disrupted, but constant molecular motion allows the stronger dipole-dipole attractions to partition the polar molecules from the mixture. The force of attractions between molecules has consequences for their interactions in physical, chemical and biological applications.

Change the charge on spheres to positive or negative and observe how charges affect the interaction between them.

How does an object's speed change as it falls through the atmosphere? When first learning about how objects fall, usually just one force--gravity--is considered. Such a simplification only accurately describes falling motion in a vacuum. This model of a parachute carrying a load incorporates a second force--air resistance--and allows experimentation with two variables that affect its speed: the size of the parachute and the mass of its load. This model graphs both the parachute's height above the Earth's surface and its speed after it is released. Motion continues until a constant speed is achieved, the terminal velocity.