New things are created all the time while others disappear, does the Law of Conservation of Mass mean your drone might be made out of dinosaurs? The 16th video in a series of 29 begins with a timeline of scientific discoveries related to the Law of Conservation of Mass. Then it explains the experiments that prove it. Finally, it teaches the basics of how to balance chemical equations.

Concepts

conservation of mass, famous scientists, balancing chemical equations

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Before the video, ask students where a growing tree gets its mass from as it grows — maybe it takes mass from the ground for example — and have them write down their answers; after the video, see if they can give the correct answer
• Challenge students to explain where the mass of ice goes when it melts

Classroom Considerations

• Video best fits before learning to balance equations (after video three in the series)

Pros

• Introduces many famous scientists
• Provides a simple explanation for how conservation of mass allows us to balance chemical equations

Cons

• None

Common Core

RST.9-10.4 RST.11-12.4