Lesson 1 of 6 · Reaction Rates
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🧪 Potion KitchenCollision Theory
Reaction Rates.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
If it bubbles, something invisible is escaping.
Mind = Blown
🧪 If you could remove all the empty space from atoms, the entire human race would fit in a sugar cube.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: will the fizz be loud, soft, or none at all?
What You'll Learn
A reaction occurs only when particles collide with enough energy to break bonds and in the right orientation. Anything that raises the frequency of successful collisions raises the rate — concentration, temperature, surface area, pressure and catalysts all work this way.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- shallow tray
- marbles
- stopwatch
Safety First
- Marbles on the floor are a serious slip hazard — work over a tray and collect strays immediately.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Model collisions by shaking marbles in a tray at different densities and speeds, counting contacts per ten seconds. Relate each variable you change to a real factor affecting reaction rate.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2A collision leads to reaction only if the particles have enough:
Where you see this in real life
This is happening in your kitchen right now — every time food cooks.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find one ingredient in a snack and look up what it does.
For the dinner table
“What's something we cook that mixes things together this way?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Ready?
Collision Theory
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
Full screen — no distractions
Checkout complete lesson on Reaction Rates for 10th Grade
Get the full Reaction Rates track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.