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Learning chemistry within Minecraft game

Date:
February 15, 2017
Source:
University of Texas at Dallas
Summary:
Scientists are exploring whether teaching real-world science through a popular computer game may offer a more engaging and effective educational approach than traditional concepts of instruction. A group of 39 college students from diverse majors played an enhanced version of the popular video game “Minecraft” and learned chemistry in the process, despite being given no in-class science instruction.

A University of Texas at Dallas team is exploring whether teaching real-world ….

How Minecraft could help teach chemistry’s building blocks of life

Mineral Salt

Let’s begin our study of the nature of chemical reactions using the traditional device for each alchemist.

Evaporator

This is the Evaporator. In the picture below under Electrolyzer. Saucer with salt water from a practical task is a small model that works like a real Evaporator. Sometimes, to accelerate the evaporation of water to the Evaporator, energy is supplied through the heat carrier. For example, put a bath in a jar with hot water and put a fire under the vessel or install any other thermo-elements.

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Zinc oxide

Zinc oxide (zinc oxide) ZnO is a colorless crystalline powder, insoluble in water, yellowing upon heating and subliming at 1800 ° C.

When heated, the substance changes color: white at room temperature, zinc oxide turns yellow.

In Minecraft Zinc Oxide can be obtained from Netherrack or by reacting pure zinc from mieralSalt (Which is obtained with Evaporator from ordinary water and subsequent decomposition into Chemical Dissolver) with oxygen in the Chemical Combiner.

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Minecraft Robot

Minecraft Runorobot with Scratch2 and MQTT.

In details about our different types of robots.

Materials v 0.1

Periodic Table

Our Mod is based in the chemical part on the ALCHEMISTRY V 0.6.1.

Below is a complete list of training materials for the 1st stage of Chemistry.

Materials

Also added the textbooks:

Physics-Teacher’s-Manual

Silicon dioxide

Powder of Silicon with strong heating burns into Silicon Dioxide (pages 446-448, 877-878, 928 of a chemical textbook).

Si + O₂ = SiO₂ + Q

The formula describes the chemical reaction, on the left side of the substance before the reaction. On the right side of the substance after the reaction. Such reactions can be carried out using our Chemical Combiner.

Q is the heat energy released during combustion, the wave of which causes the molecules surrounding the combustion source to move faster. Man perceives burning as light and heat.

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Silicon

Silicon is the most common element of the earth’s surface after Oxygen. It occupies up to 30% of the entire lithosphere. The serial number in the periodic system of chemical elements 14. Silicon is located under Carbon in the same group and subgroup.

In Maincraft Silicon contained in Netherrack, DYE (lapis), ender_pearl. For some mods, you can use itemSilicon.

In which row and group is Silicon located?

In nature, silicon occurs in the form of silica-based compounds silicon_dioxide SiO₂. The main minerals and rocks formed by silicon dioxide are sand (river and quartz), quartz and quartzites, flint, feldspars.

In Maincraft silicon_dioxide can be obtained from sand, quartz, end_stone, blockGlass, cobblestone, stoneGranite, stoneDiorite, Magma, stoneAndesite, stone.

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Protein

Protein can be obtained from threads of spider and flax, from wool, condensed Milk (which is obtained in Evaporator) and egg. To get more elements and their variety, it is better to lay more items.

From each block of wool, two proteins are obtained, regardless of the color of the coat. Further decomposition is best done by laying 4 protein substances in Chemical Dissolver, because it is more likely to get sulfur out and more other simple chemical elements.

In the top line, what happens if you lay only one Protein in the Chemical Dissolver. The lower yield of 4 Proteins. As you can see, we also got Sulfur (16th serial number in the periodic table of Mendeleyev and 3rd row).

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Medium Storage Crate

To place all the obtained chemical elements in a strict order, we need to make a high-tech solution for storing reagents, components and substances.

For the first time, we will use the Medium Storage Crate. Its dimensions are sufficient to place all non-radioactive chemical elements in the first compartment. And various natural and artificially synthesized chemicals in the second compartment.

Black Diamond, Diamond,
Starch, Cellulose
Mineral Salt

In the second compartment we will have allocate synthesized and natural composite chemicals and materials in the order adopted in our narrative. Creating an intuitive and subject index of the studied educational material on chemistry.

We will place pure chemical elements in the order accepted in the periodic system of Mendeleyev (pages 299-301, 55-57, 875-876 of a chemical textbook). For simplicity and space saving, as well as for reasons of greater visibility, we will use grouped groups and subgroups to show reacts with the most common element in the universe and having the serial number 1 and the same core charge – Hydrogen.

In total we will have 8 groups and they will all be in columns.

We will have 10 columns. The first 8 are assigned to 8 valence groups. And columns 9 and 10 for the remaining 6 elements (Co, Ni, Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt).

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LEGO BOOST ROBOT

Build. Code. Play.

Video

We got our set among the first (a week ago). Everything is ready to test the hardware and software system Robot from LEGO.

Promotional video

A suitable case for LEGO BOOST.