Description
For our second project of the year, we created a board game that incorporated chemical reactions in a Rube Goldberg-like style along with chemistry trivia questions. The requirements for the board game were a chemical change in energy, a physical change in energy, a single and double replacement reaction, lighting of a LED, and a release of gas.
We began by brainstorming a theme for our game and ideas of what reactions we wanted to use. After changing our ideas multiple times, we decided to use the theme of plants and nature, with the green LED representing a sprouting plant. Our trivia cards that allowed players to move along the board were different levels of difficulty based on how much the plant on the card was grown (seed, sprout, flower). The instructions and idea of the game are further explained below.
We began by brainstorming a theme for our game and ideas of what reactions we wanted to use. After changing our ideas multiple times, we decided to use the theme of plants and nature, with the green LED representing a sprouting plant. Our trivia cards that allowed players to move along the board were different levels of difficulty based on how much the plant on the card was grown (seed, sprout, flower). The instructions and idea of the game are further explained below.
Evidence
Content
We used our study of different types of chemical reactions to complete this project, as well as other chemistry topics like elements and balancing equations to create trivia questions. The first concept we used was the release of a gas. We used sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid to create carbon dioxide. We then did a single replacement reaction to destroy a metal, aluminum. A single replacement reaction is when an element replaces its like element in an ionic compound or acid. It can be represented by AB+C->CB+A. We destroyed aluminum using copper chloride, which turned it into copper and aluminum chloride. A double displacement reaction is when two aqueous, ionic compounds exchange ions and form two new ionic compounds (AB+CD->AD+CB). In our game, hydrogen chloride and sodium hydroxide reacted to form sodium chloride and water, neutralizing the base. Each of our reactions is further explained in the document using their element symbols. We used the non-chemistry concept of engineering to create our Rube Goldberg system and presentation skills when we demonstrated the game to judges and families.
Reflection
Overall, the project was a success although we had a few problems. Our first problem was time constraint. We spent too much time during the beginning of the project brainstorming a theme and setup of the game rather than discussing which reactions we would use and how we would build our Rube Goldberg. We also had a few conflicts with delegating work, as there were sometimes not enough tasks to be completed at one time so that we could make the most progress. I will continue to work on working efficiently from the start of a project, not just when the deadline is coming closer. This could help the group be most successful.
Something we did well was discuss ideas without conflict. When we were brainstorming and did not agree on an idea, we were able to quickly compromise and combine everyone's ideas to make the board game better. This came up when we were creating the lever for our chain of reactions. I gained the skill of using a chemical reaction to create a complete breadboard circuit during this process. It took a few trial and errors, but was very critical to the completion of the project.
Something we did well was discuss ideas without conflict. When we were brainstorming and did not agree on an idea, we were able to quickly compromise and combine everyone's ideas to make the board game better. This came up when we were creating the lever for our chain of reactions. I gained the skill of using a chemical reaction to create a complete breadboard circuit during this process. It took a few trial and errors, but was very critical to the completion of the project.