A student seals the tip of a syringe with a finger and slowly pushes the plunger halfway in. No air can get out. What happened to the air inside the syringe?

Two sealed syringes are pushed with the same force. The one holding air moves in easily, but the one holding water barely moves. What best explains the difference?

A basketball feels soft. After several pushes on the pump, the ball feels much firmer, but its size barely changes. What best explains why the ball became firmer?

True or False: Air is matter and takes up space, even though its particles are too small to be seen.

A class claims that air is made of pieces too small to be seen, with space between them. What observation with a syringe best supports that claim?

A soft basketball is placed on a balance scale. It is then pumped up and weighed again on the same scale. The ball now weighs a little more. What does this measurement show?

A student pushes the plunger of a sealed syringe partway in and then lets go. The plunger springs back out on its own. What best explains this?

A syringe is sealed at the tip with a cap. A student pulls the plunger outward, and no air can get in. What happens to the space between the particles of air inside?

A student wants to build a model of the air trapped inside a sealed syringe. What should the model show?

A syringe is filled with air to the 20 mL mark and its tip is sealed. A student pushes the plunger until it reaches the 10 mL mark and holds it there. What is inside the syringe now?

A sealed syringe of air is held in a clamp. The clamp slowly squeezes the plunger halfway in. No air enters or leaves. What happens to the space between the particles of air inside?

A flat bicycle tire is pumped up with a floor pump until it is hard. The rubber tire barely changes size. What best explains why the tire is now hard?

True or False: When the plunger of a sealed syringe is pulled out, each particle of air inside gets bigger.

A student leaves the tip of a syringe open and pushes the plunger. It slides all the way down with almost no resistance. Why is this different from pushing a sealed syringe?

Two basketballs are the same size on the outside. One is soft and one is firm. What is different about the air inside the firm ball?

As a student keeps pushing the plunger of a sealed syringe, each push gets harder and the plunger will not go all the way down. What best explains this?

A hand pump is connected to a ball. When the handle is pressed down, the air inside the pump barrel is forced into the ball. What is happening to that air as the handle moves down?

A student claims that some air escaped from a basketball overnight. What observation best supports that claim?

True or False: Squeezing the air inside a sealed syringe changes that air into a liquid.

What observation about a basketball best supports the idea that air is made of pieces too small to be seen?