Introduction to Matter: Mixtures, Elements, and compounds
Overview
This module is a brief introduction to the definitions of mixture, compound, and element and includes a Ted Ed video on What's in a Mixture: the science of macaroni salad.
Mixtures, Elements, and Compounds
I like to ask students after they watch the Macaroni Salad (What's in a Mixture?) video how they would classify milk. They will often go further, asking "whole milk or skim?" We typically have a lively discussion.
A mixture is a combination of materials that can be separated using physical methods like filtering, washing, using magnets, etc.
A compound is two or more atoms "chemically" connected and we need to use chemical methods to separate or purify.
An element is pure matter, or only one type of atom.
Watch Ted Ed's What's In a Mixture for a primer on mixtures and how we separate them.