Physical Science

Water

The chemical formula for water is H20. The three states of water are liquid, gas, and solid. The most common state of water is a liquid. The gas state of water is called vapor. It occurs when water boils. The solid state of water is ice. It occurs when water freezes. Water is in oceans, seas, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. Precipitation is any form of water that falls from the sky like rain and snow. The Disney Fairy Silvermist is a water fairy. Barbie and her sisters like to ski in the snow. Pinypon dolls like to ice skate. Water is boiled in a teapot on a stove which would release vapor into the air. A bath and sink provide water. Monster High Abbey Bominable likes ice and snow. Polly Pocket swims in a pool and uses an umbrella when it rains. Elsa is a snow queen and Olaf is a snowman.

Light

Light is a bright form of energy given off by something like the sun, fire, or a lamp that makes it possible to see. The sun is the main source of light on Earth. Some other things that give off light are candles, flashlights, lanterns, and holiday lights. Light is made of billions of tiny particles called photons that travel from one place to another in waves. Light travels very fast. Colors depend on light. Visible light is the light that humans can see. Other animals can see different types of light. Humans see the light that is not absorbed by objects. Green plants are green because they absorb all of the colors of the visible spectrum except the green color. Light is a type of energy called electromagnetic radiation. The Disney Fairy Iridessa is a light fairy. My Little Pony Sunset Shimmer, Celestia, and Sunny Rays have cutie marks with a sun.

Density

Density is a physical property of matter (liquid, solid, or gas). It tells you how concentrated something is. Density is a measure of how much mass is in a certain volume. Mass is how much matter is in an object. Volume is the amount of space in an object. The equation for density is mass over volume. In the experiment with the Project Mc2 doll named McKeyla McAlister, you can see how density works. Different liquids have different densities. It depends on the mass of the molecules that make up a liquid and how closely they are packed together. Denser matter has less empty space in it. Oil and water do not mix. Density affects whether something floats or sinks. Water sinks because it is denser than oil. The oil has less molecules than water so it forms a layer over the water. The molecules of oil are further apart and not packed as tightly as the molecules of water.

Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a gas with the chemical formula CO2. Carbon dioxide is important to plants for photosynthesis and to animals for respiration. Photosynthesis is the process in which green plants convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen. Respiration is the process by which animals exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with their environment. People use carbon dioxide in different ways. Carbon dioxide released by baking powder or yeast can be used to make cake batter rise. Carbon dioxide is used in some fire extinguishers to blanket a fire because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen and the burning material is unable to get the oxygen it needs to continue burning. Carbon dioxide is used to decaffeinate coffee. The solid form of carbon dioxide, known as dry ice, is used for freezing scientific materials at very cold temperatures. Carbonation is a process of dissolving carbon dioxide in water. Carbonated drinks like tonic water, sparkling water, and soft drinks have carbon dioxide added to them under pressure. The carbon dioxide comes out in the liquid as bubbles which makes the liquid fizzy. For the Project MC2 doll Bryden Bandweth, her experiment is to make a glow stick. You use tonic water as a carbonated drink to make bubbles in the glow stick.

Volcano

A volcano is a mountain or hill that has a vent or opening at the top that can erupt when pressure builds up. Rocks, lava, ash, and gas from layers below the Earth’s surface escape when an eruption occurs. They shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air. Magma is molten rock within the Earth's crust. When magma erupts through the earth's surface it is called lava. Lava is hot liquid rock. Lava can be thick and move slow or thin and move fast. Ash consists of small bits of powdered rock that looks like dark smoke coming from the volcano. Volcanoes are found on the Earth's surface or any other planet's or moon's surface. The largest volcano on Earth is Mauna Loa in Hawaii. The largest volcano in our solar system is found on Mars. For the Project MC2 doll, Adrienne Attoms, her experiment is a volcano using baking soda and vinegar. Baking soda and vinegar react with each other because of an acid-base reaction. One of the products this reaction creates is carbon dioxide. You see carbon dioxide gas bubbling and foaming as soon as you mix baking soda and vinegar together.

Force

Force is an important part of physics. Some kind of force is used to hang, sit, move, spin, or balance. Force is a push or pull. Whenever there is an interaction between 2 objects, there is a force upon each of the objects. The Project MC2 doll Camryn Coyle likes to skateboard. She has a blueprint of how to build the skateboard. As you skateboard, you use an applied force to push off the ground with your feet. Forces like gravity, weight, and friction are also used when skateboarding. Gravity is a force which pulls two objects toward each other. Earth’s gravity pulls things toward the center of the Earth. It helps keep you on the ground and causes objects to fall. The weight of an object is the force on the object due to gravity. Friction is a force that holds back the movement of an object. Friction acts in the direction opposite to that of the motion.

Moon

The moon is an object made of rock about 239,000 miles away from Earth. It takes about 1 month for the moon to go around Earth. As the moon circles around Earth, we see the shape of the moon change each night depending on how much of its surface is lit by the sun. The moon’s changes in shape are called its phases. A full moon is when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth away from the sun. A dark moon is when the moon and sun are on the same side of Earth. In other phases like a crescent moon, we see part of the moon sunlit and part of it in shadow. Here is Barbie I Can Be Astronaut. An astronaut is a person who is trained to travel in a spacecraft. Here is a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) doll. Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story is named after Buzz Aldrin who was the 2nd astronaut to walk on the moon. Lalaloopsy Dot Starlight is an astronomer and Haley Galaxy is an alien girl. Here is My Little Pony Princess Luna also known as Nightmare Moon. These G1 My Little Pony Moon Dancers have a moon and stars for cutie marks.

Planets

A planet is a big round body in space that orbits the sun. The 8 planets in order from the sun are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Mercury has craters that cover its surface. Venus has volcanoes and is the hottest planet. Earth has water, air, and can support living things. Mars is called the red planet due to its rusty sand and rocks. Mars has a large canyon and a large volcano. Jupiter is the largest planet. Saturn is known for its 7 rings. Uranus is a greenish-blue planet with 27 known moons. Neptune has a very active climate with storms and strong winds that blow clouds around it. The planets are made of rock or gas. Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are made of rock. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are made of gas. The Out of this World (O.O.T.W.) toys have a galaxy theme.

Machines

A machine is a tool with parts that uses energy to do work. A machine can be powered by mechanical, chemical, thermal, or electrical means. A simple machine is a tool that makes work easier by using less force over a greater distance. Six types of simple machines are screw (a rod with ridges used to lower, raise, or hold something), wheel and axle (a rod in the middle of a wheel so a wheel can turn), lever (a rod that is supported by a hinge to lift or move something), inclined plane (a ramp), pulley (a tool with a grooved wheel and a cord to move something up or down), and wedge (a tool with a slanted side and a sharp edge to cut something). Simple machines that work together are compound machines. Tinkerbell is a tinker fairy. Her talent is fixing and experimenting with machines and their parts. A bicycle, scooter, car, shopping cart, computer, hair dyer, microwave, phone, vacuum, karaoke machine, tv, washing machine, dryer, iron, and clock are compound machines.

Dinosaurs

Millions of years ago there were dinosaurs. They were a group of animals like reptiles. They came in different shapes and sizes. We know about dinosaurs today because some of their bones and teeth have been preserved in rock as fossils. A fossil is the remains of an animal, plant, or other organism that once lived long ago. A paleontologist is a scientist who studies fossils. Here is Barbie paleontologist and some toy dinosaurs.

Minerals

Minerals are solids found in nature made of elements like silicon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The Earth's crust has lots of minerals. Rocks are made of minerals. Some rocks like quartz and marble contain one kind of mineral. Other rocks like granite contain a combination of minerals. Monster High Rochelle Goyle is a gargoyle and made of rock. The Project Mc2 Rock Sugar Jewelry is a set to make rock candy. Rocky candy is made of large sugar crystals. Sugar is a crystalline solid, but it is not generally considered a mineral because it comes from plants. Sugar crystals are made by humans by drying the sugar cane and processing it. White granulated sugar usually does not have minerals in it, while brown sugar undergoes less processing and contains a small amount of minerals like calcium and potassium that occur naturally in the sugar cane plant.

Wind

Wind is the movement of air. Wind is caused by pressure differences in the air. Air is made of gas molecules like nitrogen and oxygen that move in a direction and this is called wind. Air moves from an area of high pressure towards an area of low pressure. When air moves between areas with large differences in air pressure, high winds occur. Differences in air pressure are mainly caused by differences in temperature. Cool air causes high air pressure and warm air causes low air pressure. When warm air rises, cool air moves in and replaces the warm air, producing wind. Barbie likes to wind surf, which is to glide on water using a surfboard attached to a sail. Windsurfing is powered by wind on a sail. The Calico Critters windmill is a building with blades that turn in the wind and generate energy. A windmill converts wind into usable energy through the rotation of a wheel made up of blades. Windmills can be used to grind grain, pump water, or generate electricity.