Name: Roland G. Cadavona S.Y.

: 2020-2021
Section: BSCE 1-1 Grade: ________

Exercise

a.6. Scenario: You are living in a city and wanted to know if the air is polluted. What are some
practical ways you can take to do this?

Living in a city is for sure a deluxe, but little do we know that there is something bad behind it.
Cities are actually more polluted due to being active to different pollutants contributor. Which
means it is very important for us to be aware if the air is polluted in wherever we are in the city.
These are some practical ways and signs to determine if the air is polluted in a city:

Breathing Difficulties
- The simplest way to tell if air is polluted is to look at how it affects us. Respiratory problems,
congestion of the sinuses and sneezing, prolonged coughing or wheezing, or just plain old
difficulty when breathing could all be signs of air pollution.
Smog
- Smog and smoke discolors the air, producing soot, which clings to buildings and plants and is
capable of doing damage to them. It can also be a cause of shortness of breath, since it
permeates the air and makes it more difficult for you to breathe.
Unpleasant Odor
- Pollutants often have unpleasant or unusual odors, especially Sulphur dioxide, which has a
festering, rotten smell and is a contributing factor to acid rain.
Watery Eyes
- If your eyes are constantly streaming, it could be because a high level of bacteria or pollutants
in the air.

b.3.1. Activity 1
Look for a water kettle (in your home or your friend’s) used to boil water for coffee or other
purposes which has been used for the past 2 years or more. Take a look at the inner bottom and
inner sides of the kettle.

a. Note and write what you observe?

- There is a hardened white powdery material deposited in the inner sides and inner bottom of
the water kettle
 b. What do you think are the materials deposited in them?
- The water we boil in the kettle is rich with other minerals, and I think, those minerals are the
materials deposited in the kettle.

c. Where do you think did these come from?

- These minerals came from the impurities of the water. And as the water boils, minerals don’t
evaporate like water does, hence, these minerals become residues which remain and harden
inside the kettle.

b.3.2. Activity 2

1. Gather five 1-liter (or 1.5-liter will also do) PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles in a
junk shop.

2. Wash them clean with detergents in water. Let them stand (inverted) without caps to drain
and dry.

3. Number, label and fill each bottle with the following:

Bottle #1 Pure hard water (water from a water pump)

Bottle #2 Urea solution (2 tablespoon of urea in 1 or 1.5 liter of tap water)

Bottle #3 Water dissolved with clayey soil (a fistful of clay soil. Shake well to dissolve the soil
particles.

Bottle #4 Water with a fistful of sandy loam soil (morong).

Bottle #5 Water with 1 tablespoon of any pesticide or herbicide or fungicide you use in the
farm. (WARNING: If not sure how to handle the chemicals, ask your father to do this step
for Don’t smell, touch or taste them. Pesticides are poisonous. Please be very careful).
 Bottle #6 Water with 1 fistful of clay soil and 1 fistful of sandy loam soil. Shake well.

DOCUMENTATION

3. Place the bottles in a spot where they will not be disturbed by any motion. Allow the
bottles to stand for 5 days. Observe and note your observations daily, i.e.
appearance, color, presence of particulates or any indicator that the water is mixed
with something.

a. Write a note about your observation for each.

Bottle #1 Pure hard water

Appearance: Crystal Clear

Presence of particulates: No sign of particulates or any

indicator that water is mix with something.
Bottle #2 Urea solution

Appearance: Cloudy Like Water

Presence of particulates: No sign of particulates or any

indicator that water is mix with something.

Bottle #3 Water dissolved with clayey soil

Appearance: There is a layer of clay and clear water formed

as the clay sink in the bottom.

Presence of particulates: The presence clay particles are very

visible and you can easily tell that it is a
mixture of water and other material.

Bottle #4 Water with a fistful of sandy loam soil

Appearance: There is a layer of sandy loam soil and cloudy

like water formed as the sandy loam soil sink
in the bottom.

Presence of particulates: The presence soil particles are very

visible and you can easily tell that it is a
mixture of water and other material.
 Bottle #5 Water with 1 tablespoon of any pesticide
or herbicide or fungicide you use in the farm.

Appearance: It has a yellow semi-transparent appearance

Presence of particulates: No presence of particulates but the

yellowish color indicates that it is a mixture
of water and other material.

Bottle #6 Water with 1 fistful of clay soil and a

fistful of sandy loam soil.

Appearance: There is a layer of (soil & clay) and cloudy like

water formed as the (soil & clay) sink in the
bottom.

Presence of particulates: The presence (soil & clay) particles

are very visible and you can easily tell that it
is a mixture of water and other material.

Final
Results
b. Suppose you did not see these bottles prepared. Can you tell if the liquid inside
are mixtures of some kind? Why? Why not?

- In Bottles 1 and 2, you cannot tell if the liquid inside are mixtures of some kind
because it is crystal clear and there is no presence of particulate or any indicator
that is a mixture of water and other material.
- But in Bottles 3, 4, 5 and 6, you can easily tell that the liquid inside are mixtures
of some kind because of the color in Bottle 5, and the presence of particulates in
Bottles 3,4 and 6, which indicates that it is a mixture of water and other material.

c. What does this activity tell you about water pollution or contamination?

- This activity tells us that we cannot really tell if the water is polluted or
contaminated just by its appearance. Sometimes the water may look clean but in
reality and do further examination, the water is polluted or contaminated.