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INVESTIGATION PROBLEM
How has our collective understanding of the elements changed?
Your job in this investigation to compare the similarities and differences between the view of the elements that our ancient ancestors held and our modern view of elements pictured in the periodic table. Our Universe is rich in chemicals and this investigation asks you to gather evidence about the ways our ancestors have thought about the matter in the world. As we cross Threshold #3, the Universe becomes more chemically complex. The death of stars creates more elements to join with Hydrogen and Helium. This opens limitless possibilities and makes for a more interesting Universe. As you learn about the change, we would like you to think about our ancestors: how did they think about the elements in the Universe? In the last unit, you explored the changes in our collective understanding of the structure and nature of the Universe. Now you need to investigate another change in our collective understanding this time related to chemical elements. For over 2,000 years, people thought that all the matter in the Universe was made up of four elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. This idea fell out of favor with the rise of modern chemistry between 1700-1900. Eventually, a Russian chemist named Mendeleev created the periodic table with 69 elements in 1879. So, how do these two views compare? Why did the views change?
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 3 INVESTIGATION / INVESTIGATION PROBLEM 5

Comparing two views of the elements

You are going to be using different texts and sources to compare the ancient and modern views about the elements. Since comparing is an important skill for historians and scientists and frankly all of us lets take a few minutes to discuss how to do comparisons well. There are many types of comparison that historians do. They can compare people or events within the same time period. For example, we could compare different leaders living at the same time, such as Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, Hitler, and Hirohito. Or we could compare people or events at different time periods. For example, we could compare the changes caused by the death of stars with that of the Big Bang. In this investigation, we are going to ask you to compare views that people held at different time periods. When historians conduct comparisons, there are a few steps that they take. First, they select a problem to investigate. Then, they select the cases that theyll compare and the points around which they will compare the cases. Next, they gather up sources and evidence to learn about the cases. As they research they look for similarities and differences to make their initial comparisons. Often they create a table or chart to help them see similarities and differences. Finally, they explain what makes the two cases similar or different. That is what youre going to do in this investigation.

This investigation is in five parts

01 02 03 04 05

Begin by gathering your initial thinking about how our view of the elements changed. Capture your own conjectures your best guesses about how our view compares to people thousands of years ago. Read the materials in the Library to investigate the similarities and differences in views about the elements. Use your journal to capture your thinking about these different views. Review what you discovered about views of the elements.

Create and then complete a chart for comparison.  resent your explanation to your classmates and your teacher, and read P others explanations from this investigation.

BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 3 INVESTIGATION / INVESTIGATION PROBLEM

Part I: Capture your conjectures

Remember: Most scientific and historical investigations begin with an investigator making conjectures guesses about what theyll find once they conduct the investigation and gather more information. These are your conjectures that you will check later to see how the sources supported, extended or challenged these views. 1.  Many of our ancient ancestors once thought that all the matter in the Universe was made up of or came from four elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. In your journal, capture your thinking about this view.

 Journal: Take five minutes, and capture your thinking about this view. Why might someone hold that view? How would they test it? Is it logical? Is there evidence for it? Do you think they used intuition? Or could it have been through some authority? How would they picture the relationship among the four elements? 2.  Later this idea fell out of favor as we our collective understanding of the elements changed and grew. Eventually, we pictured the elements in the Periodic Table. In your journal, capture your initial thinking about this view.

 Journal: Take five minutes, and capture your thinking about this view. What do you know about the Periodic Table? What would someone have to know, understand and be able to do to read the table? Or to create the table?

Part II. Read the materials in the investigation library

1.  Review David Christians main talk, What did the stars give us?: At the end of the lecture, David says to us, You should be thinking about evidence. I dont think Ive given a single piece of evidence during this talk. Why should you believe me [about the elements and the stars]? Im a historian not a scientist. Think about it.

 Journal: Use your journal to think about Davids challenge to us. What do you think about his challenge to you? What type of evidence would you need to understand about the elements that the stars gave us? The elements, he said, are like the building blocks of the Universe. Well, what makes something an element? What would evidence of elements look like? Feel like? Seem like? 2.  Investigate Aristotle and the Ancients view of the Universe: Our early ancestors had views of the building blocks of the Universe, and we are going to investigate their early views.

BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 3 INVESTIGATION / INVESTIGATION PROBLEM

  Read Text 1: Aristotle on Simple Bodies and Elementary Qualities: Read Aristotles description of the simple bodies and elementary qualities. Study the picture that shows the relationship among Earth, Air, Water and Fire and the four qualities. What are the main ideas found in this excerpt? What is he saying about the relationships between these qualities and the four elements?

 Journal: Use your journal to capture your thinking about Aristotles view. First, make sure you can explain his point of view by identifying the major claims he is making or that are shown in the graphic. Then, try to explain how he would have or could have supported those claims. What ideas or experiences might make these claims seem logical or based on evidence?
 Read Text 2: Holmyard on the Four Elements and their Qualities: Read Eric John Holmyards essay on the way that our ancient ancestors viewed the elements. What do you think is the main idea of Holmyards essay?

 Journal: Using your investigators notebook, write a short summary of Holmyards explanation. Make sure that you can explain the picture of the four elements on page 10. You might imagine trying to explain this reasoning to another person and why this idea of the elements made perfect sense to people for so very long. 3. Investigate the Periodic Table: Use the investigations texts.

 Read Text 3: Mendeleevs Periodic Tables

 Use Text 4: Bill Bryson on Mendeleevs Beautiful Table: Study the pictures that Mendeleev created to capture the elements. Look at his picture and try to figure out what he was doing and what was he seeing. Then, read Bill Brysons description of how Mendeleev worked and what he accomplished. Think about what Bryson helped you see about Mendeleevs work that you were not able to see as you looked at Mendeleevs table yourself.

 Journal: Using your journal, summarize what you think Mendeleev did in creating the Periodic Table of the Elements. Summarize what Bryson said about Mendeleev including why you think he describes it as a beautiful table? Also try to identify what makes Mendeleevs picture different from the ancient one.

BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 3 INVESTIGATION / INVESTIGATION PROBLEM

  Use Text 5: Moseleys Modification from The Disappearing Spoon

 Journal: Using your journal, try to explain how Moseley built upon the previous work of the other scientists we have read about. What parts of his discovery supported or extended previous work? What parts of discovery challenged previous work? What types of methods did Moseley use to discover the true meaning of an elements atomic number? What role did the University of Manchester and its scientists play in Moseleys work and discovery? Do you think he would have made this discovery if he had worked at a different university?

Part III. Review your journal

1.  Review your journal: Before reaching conclusions, good investigators review their notes.

Dont forget to begin with your initial conjectures about why people held the four elements view and what someone would have to know, understand or be able to do to create and use the Periodic table.

Review all the sources and your notes in the journal. What are you beginning to think makes these two views similar? What makes them different?

2. Identify the points for comparison: What are the points around which you are  going to compare these views? Some ideas to look for similarities and differences:
Claims about what is an element. Claims about what elements do. Claims about how we see or know about the elements. Claims about how the elements are related. Ways people created their picture of the elements. Ways people tested or supported their claims Types of tools people used to see or know the elements. Strengths of each view Weaknesses of each view Reasons why people would hold a view Reasons why a new view would develop

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Part IV. Create and complete a chart

1.  Create a chart for comparison: Make a chart to compare the two points of view and begin to complete the charts. This will be a first draft of the chart so do not worry about making it neat. However, make sure to include your evidence for each point by using the sources in your investigation.

Example:
Points of Comparison Claims about what is an element Claims about what elements do. Claims about how we see or know about the elements Strengths of the view Weaknesses of the view Four Element (Aristotle) Periodic Table (Mendeleev/ Moseley)

1.  Polish your comparative chart:

Part V: Evaluate your own and others explanations

Investigations do not end with your answer, but you should let others read your explanation and you should read and evaluate others. Your teacher will arrange for you to compare your explanation with others.

BIG HISTORY PROJECT / UNIT 3 INVESTIGATION / INVESTIGATION PROBLEM

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