Materials and Resources
Supplies

• Red dyed water
• Blue dyed water 
• Corn oil
• Lite corn syrup
• Rubbing alcohol
• Lite pancake syrup
• Test tubes
• Graduated cylinders
• Triple beam balances
• Two cubes of different material that are similar in looks (such as steel and aluminum) and an odd shaped slab of one of the cube’s material
• Rulers
• Hot air guns
• Glue
• Scissors
• Tissue paper for hot air balloons
• Blow dryer or other sources of heat (for example, hot air popcorn poppers)
• Other supplies that might show up on student’s list, such as straws, strings, paper cups, plastic, balsa wood, cellophane, 22-gauge electrical wires, and so forth

 Internet Resources

• Explore Learning
  www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=362&*
  An interactive simulation about density in which students calculate the density of unknown objects by finding the mass and volume; students are also asked to create charts and answer questions based on the data
• Explore Learning
  www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&ResourceID=23&*
  An interactive simulation showing the effects of weight on a floating log; students calculate how much weight can be added to a floating log before it sinks
• ChemConnections
  http://mc2.cchem.berkeley.edu/Java/molecules/index.html*
  An interactive simulation about the effects of mass, number of objects, and temperature on internal pressure
• Air Travelers
  www.omsi.edu/explore/physics/air*
  An introduction to the basic principles of buoyancy, properties of gases, temperature, and the technology involved in hot air ballooning
• It’s a Matter of Density
  http://teachertech.rice.edu/Participants/louviere/Lessons/les6.html*
  A lab activity about measuring density of liquids and regular and irregular solids
• Virtual Chembook
  www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/123Adensitygas.html*
  Information on the density of gases and how temperature affects the density, including a link to a hot air balloon site that demonstrates this principle in action as well as other density demonstrations
• How Stuff Works
  http://travel.howstuffworks.com/hot-air-balloon.htm*
  Information on how hot air balloons work and the scientific principles involved
• Gander Academy
  www.cdli.ca/CITE/balloon.htm*
  A description of Web sites that explain the science and history that pertains to hot air balloons
• NASA
  http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/970106a.html*
  An explanation of how buoyant force and the ideal gas laws apply to hot air balloons
• Nova
  www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/balloon/science/density*
  Explains in concise language why hot air balloons float and sink
• Nova
  www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/balloon/science*
  A more involved explanation of the science of hot air balloons
• Community Learning Network
  www.cln.org/themes/hot_balloons.html*
  Resources for hot air balloon site, including one resource that shows different models of hot air balloons that you can make
• Overflite
  www.overflite.com/science.html*
  An example of how to build a hot air balloon, including mathematical information that pertains to hot air balloons
• Balloon Zone
  www.balloonzone.com/balloonparts.html*
  Describes parts of a hot air balloon

Technology—Hardware

• Digital camera for taking pictures throughout the design stages so students can use the images in their presentations
• Computer(s) for conducting research for hot air balloons, density activities, brochures, and multimedia presentations
• Internet connection for research and wiki creation
• Projection system to present density Web sites and project instructions
• Scanner to scan charts, graphs, diagrams, and hand-drawn pictures that can be used in the brochure and multimedia presentations
• Video camera to film the “Got Gas?” Hot Air Balloon Rally

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