Measuring Air Pollution- HOMEWORK

Purpose: To determine the amount of foreign air particles in a specific are and
analys the implications of air pollution.

Question to think about before performe the experiment

What do you think are the most common particules that we can find in the air?

Background Information:
Breathing is crucial for human existence, but is the air we breathe clean? This experiment
will provide us with an example of how “dirty” our air is. Students have the opportunity to
choose a location where they would like to examine the air quality.

Required Materials:
• White posterboard (paper plates could • String
also work)
• Vaseline
• Scissors
• Permanent marker
• Hole punch
• Notebook
• Magnifying glass
• Pencil

Procedure:
1.Cut the poster board into 3 pieces of 8 x 8 cm squares.
2. Draw a square with the marker on each cut out piece of poster board, a little smaller than
the square itself.
3. Punch a hole in the top of each piece of poster board and tie pieces of string in the holes
so you can hang the cut outs in the area of your choice.
4. Smear a thin layer of Vaseline inside the drawn square on each cut out and hang them in
different places within the area you’ve decided to examine. Record the areas you’ve hung
each cut out in your notebook.
5.Place the pieces of paper in the following palces: one in the kitchen, one close to an
open window and the last one in another area of your choice depending on where you
would like to examine how clean the air is.
6. Wait 6 days to collect your squares and examine your results.

RESULTS :
Using your magnifying glass, count the number of particles that are visible that are stuck to
your squares. In your notebook or in the space provided below, draw the particles where
you would find them from each individual square.

Square 1 Square 2 Square 3

WINDOW KITCHEN ANY OTHER PLACE

PLACES TOTAL NUMBER OF PARTICLES

Kitchen

Window

Your chosen place

 Carry out simple graphical techniques to allow comparison
between sites.

Critical Thinking:
1) Which cardboard has the most particles? And which particle are the most common?
2) What do you think this area is the most contamitated?
3) Do particle counts vary in one place to another?
4) Which of these particles causes most impact to
(a) the environment
(b) to the people people
5) What factors might make the results less valid?

Bibliography :
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution/
https://content.instructables.com/pdfs/EGB/41HI/JEEUCYXA/Air-Quality-Classroom-
Experiment.pdf
https://www.intechopen.com/books/the-impact-of-air-pollution-on-health-economy-
environment-and-agricultural-sources/the-effects-of-air-pollutants-on-vegetation-and-the-
role-of-vegetation-in-reducing-atmospheric-pollu