1. Warm-up #1 (In Journals) What is Science?

2. Warm-Up #2 A B D C Which is really Gold? Explain your reasoning. Which is really Silver? Explain your reasoning.

3. Is it Gold or Silver? Have you heard of fool’s gold? Maybe you have seen a piece of it. This mineral is actually pyrite, and it was passed off as real gold. However, there are simple tests that you can do to keep from being tricked. Minerals can be identified by their properties. Some properties, such as color, vary from sample to sample. Other properties, such as density and specific gravity remain consistent across samples. In this activity you will use the scientific method to determine if several samples are gold or silver.

4. Question How can I determine if an unknown mineral is gold or silver? Hypothesis Write a hypothesis that is a possible answer to the question above. Explain your reasoning.

5. Data Table Unknown Gold GoldUnknown Silver Silver Mass (g)XXXXX Volume (ml)XXXXX Density (g/ml)19.010.5

6. Data Table Unknown Gold GoldUnknown Silver Silver Mass (g)XXXXX Volume (ml)XXXXX Density (g/ml)19.010.5 Weight in air (N) ( optional) XXXXX Weight in water (N) ( optional) XXXXX Specific Gravity ( optional) 19.010.5

7. Testing Density 1.Find the mass of each sample by laying the mineral on the balance. Record the mass of each sample in your data table. 2.Using a pour cup filled with water and a small beaker positioned under the spout of the pour cup, carefully place one of the mineral samples into the pour cup. Be sure not to splash any water out of the cup. Then pour the water collected in the beaker into a graduated cylinder to accurately measure the volume of the mineral. Record the volume on the data table. Repeat this step with the second mineral. 3.Use the following equation to calculate the density of each mineral and record on the data table. Density = mass / volume

8. Testing Specific Gravity 1.Tie a string around the mineral sample and leave a loop at the loose end. Suspend the mineral from the spring scale using the loop, and find its weight in air. Do not remove the sample from the spring scale yet. Record the data on your data table. 2.Using the water in your pour cup, submerge the mineral, still attached to the spring scale and find its weight in water. Record the data on your data table. 3.Repeat the above two steps with the second mineral. 4.Calculate the specific gravity of the mineral using the this equation and record on the data table: Specific gravity = weight in air / (weight in air – weight in water)

9. Analysis & Conclusions 1.Were your unknown mineral samples actual gold or silver? 2.How did your determine if they were gold or silver? 3.Was your hypothesis correct? Explain. 4.Are there any other properties you may be able to use to determine if an unknown sample is gold or silver?

10. Closure How does the Gold and Silver Activity connect to the Question “What is Science?”