Physical and Chemical Weathering

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

The slowest changes are the biggest ones.

What you'll learn

Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through physical processes (like freezing water expanding in cracks) and chemical processes (like acid rain dissolving limestone).

Key words

water cycle
The way water moves from clouds to rain to rivers and back.
weathering
When rocks slowly break apart from wind, water, and weather.
rock cycle
The slow process where rocks change from one type to another.

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: which will erode faster?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

thermometer
rain gauge
plastic tray

⚠️ Safety first

Check glassware for chips before use and carry it with both hands.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Set up a weather station: use a thermometer, rain gauge (a jar with a ruler), and wind sock (a plastic bag on a stick). Record data for one week.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Draw a detailed diagram of what you observe.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion: what did your results show? Did they match your prediction?

Question 1 of 3

What causes weathering?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What is the difference between weather and climate?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What is erosion?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: The Rock Cycle All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the slowest change you can think of?”

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Physical and Chemical Weathering

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