Slow Changes: Rust and Brown Apples
- Chemistry
- Ages 6–8 · Grades 1–2
- Hands-on experiment
What you’ll find out
- Some changes happen slowly and on their own, like rusting and apples browning.
- Rust needs both water and air.
- Some slow changes cannot be undone, but they can be slowed down.
No sign-up and no real names. In the lesson you check your understanding as you read, run the experiment yourself, and practise until it sticks.
Changes that happen on their own
Some changes happen slowly, all on their own. Leave an iron nail in water for a few days and it turns orange-brown and flaky. That is rust. A nail kept dry stays shiny. Rust needs both water and air, and it cannot be undone.
Slowing a change down
Cut an apple in half and leave it out, and soon the cut side turns brown. Air is changing it. Squeeze lemon juice on another cut apple and it stays pale much longer. The lemon juice slows the change down.
Curriculum links: NGSS 2-PS1-4 · NGSS 5-PS1-4