Modeling Reactions

Modeling allows us to make our own sense of what and why something is happening. Conceptual models are shared and explicit representations or analogies of phenomena and are used by scientists to help them understand the world around us. Models are used in all areas of science and offer external versions of mental concepts. Models are not a perfect representation; they are a simplified version of a system that highlights certain areas while ignoring others.

Chemical reactions are processes that involve the rearranging of atoms to make new substances. People often imagine that they only occur in a test tube in a science laboratory, but in reality, chemical reactions happen everywhere around us. For example, our bodies use them to function, and even some types of weather are chemical reactions. The following activities are aimed to help introduce students to chemical reactions and help them understand exactly what they are!