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  • Air Pollution and Environmental Equity

    Book Chapter |

    Airborne pollutants include “criteria” pollutants, such as ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and lead, and toxic pollutants like benzene and mercury. The Environmental…

  • Let's Try It Out in the Air

    Book Chapter |

    The lessons in this chapter challenge students' common misconception that air is "nothing." Using two engaging trade books with "stop-and-try-it" formats, students participate in activities, collect evidence, and…

  • Falling Objects and Air Resistance

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this lab is for students to apply what they know about the core idea of forces and motion to determine ”How Does the Surface Area of a Parachute Affect the Force Due to Air Resistance as an Object Falls…

  • Model of Air Inside a Jar

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the particle model of matter. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that air is made up of particles that are widely spaced with…

  • Getting a Sense of Local Air Quality

    Journal Article |

  • Heat Exchange in Air, Water, and Soil

    Book Chapter |

    The Earth is composed, at least at the surface, of soil/rock, water, and air. How do the heat exchange properties of these three very different substances compare, and what effect, if any, do they have on climate and…

  • Does a Magnet Work Without Air?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about magnetism. It is designed to reveal whether students think air is necessary for magnetic interaction. Because some students think gravity affects…

  • Lab 15: Air Masses and Weather Conditions

    Book Chapter |

    In this lab investigation, students are introduced to the disciplinary core idea of Weather and Climate as they determine how the motions and complex interactions of air masses result in changes in weather conditions.…

  • Air Mass Matters: Creating a Need-to-Know

    Book Chapter |

    Air has weight and exerts a pressure of 10 N/cm2 (or 14.7 lbs/in2) at sea level. Gases are not “no thing.” Gases have mass, occupy space, exert pressure, and are composed of molecules separated by truly “empty” space.…

  • The Origin of Federal Air Pollution Policy

    Journal Article |

  • Clearing the Air

    Journal Article |

    Using probeware and online simulations to understand the greenhouse effect.

  • Big Air

    Journal Article |

    This article presents a projectile motion lesson for high school physics that guides students through phases of exploration, concept development, and application. Students release a marble on a toy race-car track and…

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