Lesson plan
How Big is a Mole?
Students will be able to make sense of very large numbers by comparing to common objects.
Overview
Students make sense of the mole, 6.02 x 10^23 particles, by comparing it to everyday objects. The lesson opens by asking how far a dozen candy bars, books, or shoes would stretch and how far a mole of them would go. Students choose a common object, use dimensional analysis to calculate how many kilometers a mole of it would stretch, then choose a distance such as trips to the Moon and calculate how many times a mole of the object would cover it. They present the calculations on posters, check one another's work in a gallery walk, and discuss why chemists use the mole.
Lesson Objectives
- Make sense of very large numbers by comparing them to common objects.
Standards
NGSS · 1
- HS-PS1-7Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction.
CCSS Math · 2
- HSN-Q.A.1Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays.
- HSN-Q.A.2Define appropriate quantities for the purpose of descriptive modeling.
CCSS ELA · 2
- L.9-10.1Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or Speaking.
- L.9-10.2Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.