Gun Min Lee

Period 3
May 14, 2015
Physical Science Performance Task
Did you know physical science has been part of your life since you were a baby?
Physical science is the sciences concerned with the study of abiotic natural objects
including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and related subjects. (Google) Some topics of
physical science are velocity, forces, atomic structure, chemical reactions, periodic table,
density, and buoyancy. Physical science is important because it relates in our everyday
lives and it explains several topics like forms of energy such as potential energy, nuclear
energy, and kinetic energy. Physical science gave us inventions like cars, bulbs, satellites,
bikes, watches, LEDs, cell phones, televisions, computers, and airplanes. Some physical
sciences I apply in my life are motion, chemical reactions, periodic table, density, and
buoyancy.
You have your own reference point every day! You need motion, direction, and
location. You have to be specific in your reference directions in order to go to your right
destination. Distance is the total length you traveled from your reference point including
all the extra turns or curves you took. Displacement is the straight line between your
reference point and ending point. The slope of a graph shows the speed or motion of an
object at a rate. Velocity is the speed with the direction. Acceleration is the increasing rate
of change in speed. To find the average velocity you have to divide displacement by time.
There is also a constant speed. Constant speed is a moving object that does not change its
speed. To find the acceleration you do final speed subtracts initial speed divided by time.
Deceleration is the decreasing rate of change in speed. Motion is a change in an objects
position. Friction is also a part of motion because it decreases the motion. Friction resists
motion of one surface across another surface. Friction works in the opposite direction of
the force. Force is constant and also a push or pull. Some directions are West, East,
North, South, right, and left. Newtons First Law of Motion states, An object at rest
remains at rest unless acted on by another surface or force. Without a reference point,
you cannot find the distance. The reference point plays a role in my life by my house
being the reference point and having reference directions to go to your destinations. It is
applied everyday like a GPS. It tells us where we end and how we are going to arrive
there. I am always going to go home then the displacement will be zero. If I go out of
state, then the distance will be a certain number. Another example was the hike at the

Grand Canyon. The top of Grand Canyon was my reference point. My school stayed
down the Grand Canyon for a couple of days. Then, we came back to our reference point
which was the top of the Grand Canyon. The distance is a number higher than one but the
displacement is zero because the reference point was there and the ending point.
Liquids can boil and freeze in specific temperatures. When the temperature rises it
boils and when the temperature drops, it freezes. It changed to a different state of matter.
Endothermic and exothermic chemical reactions could happen to any object. Chemical
reactions make a new substance and exothermic or endothermic reactions happen to the
object. There are also physical changes that affect the shape and size of the object.
Reactions are an action in a reverse direction/matter. Reactant is a person/thing that
reacts. A product is the whole thing put together into one object. The Law of
Conservation of Matter can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be rearranged.
When matter goes through a physical change or chemical change, the amount of
substances that you begin with must equal the amount of the substances that you end
with. An example is when my mom cooks spaghetti and you have to boil the water to
make the noodles smooth. The water evaporates into air on top of the lid. The water
changed to a different state of water which was gas called water vapor. Another example
is when it is a hot day and your beverages are not cold. We can freeze water to make ice
cubes to put in a cooler to make our beverages icy cold. Also, you can put cold packs.
When you twist or shake the pack, the chemicals in the start to react. They undergo an
endothermic reaction; they take heat from their surroundings. This makes the pack cold.
Do you know why you can predict if an object will float or sink? Density and
buoyancy can help you solve that answer. Buoyancy is a force that acts against in an
upward direction. Density is a measure of how tightly packed and how heavy the
molecules are. It is measured in mass per unit. There is a formula that is triangle with
DMV. DMV is density, mass, and volume. The density of an object is defined by weight
per volume. You can find density by diving the mass and volume. Water takes the shape
of any water bottle or any container they are in. Gravity is what keeps you and objects
down from floating around like in space. The Archimedes Principle is the law of
buoyancy. It states that an object is buoyed up by a force that equals to the weight of the
fluid displaced. Archimedes was an ancient Greek scientist that discovered the basic
principles of density and buoyancy. To find mass you multiply the density and volume of
the object. To find volume, you divide the mass and density of the object. The states of
buoyancy are positive, negative, and neutral. Positive buoyancy floats, negative sinks,
and neutral floats nor sinks. The weight of the object goes down but the buoyant force
pushes it up. Buoyancy plays a role in my life by having a swimming pool in my

apartment and seeing what items float or sink. The density of water is one. When the toys
sink, the density of the object is more than one. Buoyancy is the force that goes up
against the force of gravity. When I bathe my baby cousin, he plays with his toys in the
bath. All his toys float, so I know the density is less than water which is also less than
one. Also, if I take a swim then I will know I will float because I am lighter than water.
Did you know metals, non-metals, and inert gases are everywhere? The periodic
table is organized by their atomic Dmitri Mendeleev invented the periodic table of
elements. Each element are measured in AMU (atomic mass unit) One atomic mass unit
is equal to one proton. Periodic tables have families and periods. Families also known as
groups or columns have similar properties and have the same number of valence
electrons. Valence electrons are the outermost electrons in the electron clouds. Neutrons
are a kind of glue for the protons in the nucleus. Neutrons and protons make the atomic
mass. The atomic number gives the protons and electrons. To find the neutrons, you do
mass number subtract atomic number. Families are from top to bottom. Periods are from
left to right. Periods do not have similar properties. The first element in a period is always
active and the last element is an inactive gas. Metals have properties like being shiny,
ductile, malleable, and good conductors of heat and electricity. Non-metals and inert
gases have properties like being not ductile, malleable, dull, brittle, and bad conductors of
heat and electricity. Non- metals and inert gases are at the far right of the periodic table.
The periodic table is mostly made up of metals. Metals play a role in my life by getting a
magnet to see what others magnet repels or attracts to the metal. If you have a South and
South metal then it will repel because they are the same sides, you need to have different
sides to make the metals attract and stick to each other. Another example is when I know
what metals conduct heat faster in the kitchen. All kitchen pans are made of metal so they
conduct heat good with the stove fire on. The metal attracts the heat from the stove fire
and cooks the food faster. I get to have my delicious dinner which is spaghetti!
In conclusion, physical science is extremely important in our everyday lives.
Physical science can be related to your life various ways. Physical science is important
because science creates the laws of science and inventions we use today like cars, bulbs,
satellites, bikes, watches, LEDs, cell phones, televisions, computers, and airplanes. Some
examples of physical science are buoyancy, density, chemical reactions, and forces. Some
real-life examples are your house being the reference point, objects sinking or floating,
and seeing what metals repel or attract. Physical science is anything or anyone doing any
tasks in their daily life. Physical science is essential to everyones life.