pH Scale
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Original Sim and Translations |
Topics
- pH
- Dilution
- Concentration
- Acids
- Bases
Description
Test the pH of things like coffee, spit, and soap to determine whether each is acidic, basic, or neutral. Visualize the relative number of hydroxide ions and hydronium ions in solution. Switch between logarithmic and linear scales. Investigate whether changing the volume or diluting with water affects the pH. Or you can design your own liquid!
Sample Learning Goals
- Determine if a liquid is acidic, basic, or neutral
- Place acids or bases in relative order
- Describe on a molecular scale, with illustrations, how the water equilibrium varies with pH
- Determine concentration of hydroxide, hydronium and water at a given pH
- Relate liquid color to pH
- Predict (qualitatively and quantitatively) how dilution and volume will affect the pH and concentration of hydroxide, hydronium and water
Teacher Tips
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Overview of sim controls, model simplifications, and insights into student thinking ( PDF ). |
Video Primer
Teacher-Submitted Activities
pH Scale inquiry-based intro to acid-base |
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Trish Loeblein | HS UG-Intro MS |
MC Remote Lab HW |
Biology Earth Science Chemistry |
Concept questions for Physics using PhET (Inquiry Based) |
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Trish Loeblein | HS UG-Intro |
MC | Physics |
How do PhET simulations fit in my middle school program? |
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Sarah Borenstein | MS | Other | Earth Science Physics Biology Chemistry |
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PhET Sims Aligned to the Chemistry Curriculum |
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Julia Chamberlain | HS UG-Intro |
Other | Chemistry | |
pH Learning Goals by developement team (Inquiry Based) |
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Trish Loeblein, Laurie Langdon | Other | Other | Chemistry | |
MS and HS TEK to Sim Alignment | Elyse Zimmer | HS MS |
Other | Biology Physics Chemistry |
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Effects of pH | Marquita Watkins | UG-Intro | HW Lab Guided |
Chemistry Biology |
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Ácidos e bases | Caio Rômulo Freitas Silva; Caroline de Goes Sampaio | HS | Demo | Chemistry | ||
Investigation of Acids & pH | Jon Tietz | HS | HW Guided Lab |
Chemistry | ||
On the molecular level, what is the difference between acids and bases? | Chris Justus | HS | Guided | Chemistry | ||
What effect does dilution of an acid or base have on the pH of the solution? | Chris Justus | HS | Guided | Chemistry | ||
Student Guide for PhET - pH Scale in html5 | Brian Libby | MS HS |
HW Guided |
Chemistry | ||
pH Scale Guided Inquiry Activity | Tony Tracy | UG-Intro HS |
HW Guided Lab |
Chemistry | ||
Exploring the pH Scale | Lyric Portwood | MS HS |
Guided | Chemistry | ||
Introduction to acids & bases | Donna Brewster | HS | Guided | Chemistry | ||
Escala de pH, introducción a ácidos y bases con indagación |
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Trish Leoblien, traducción de Diana López | UG-Intro MS HS |
Guided MC |
Chemistry |
¿Cómo una disolución afecta los niveles de pH en ácidos y bases? |
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Joselyn Gianatasio, traducción Diana López | HS MS |
Guided | Chemistry | |
SECUNDARIA: Alineación PhET con programas de la SEP México (2011 y 2017) |
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Diana López | MS HS |
Other | Mathematics Physics Biology Chemistry |
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PREPARATORIA: Alineación de PhET con programas de la DGB México (2017) |
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Diana López | UG-Intro HS |
Other | Physics Chemistry Mathematics |
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Preguntas de razonamiento para todas las simulaciones HTML5 |
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Diana López | UG-Adv K-5 UG-Intro Grad MS HS |
HW Discuss |
Chemistry Mathematics Physics Astronomy |
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EXERCÍCIO DE VERIFICAÇÃO DE CARACTERÍSTICAS ÁCIDO BASE | Marcelo Guerra | MS | Discuss HW |
Chemistry | ||
Indicador de pH de substâncias do cotidiano. | Antonio Marley de Araújo Stedile, Maria Cleide da Silva Barroso | HS UG-Intro MS |
Lab Demo HW Guided |
Chemistry | ||
Logaritmo e Função Logaritmo | Wedson Francelino Ribeiro Noronha, Francisco Régis Vieira Alves | UG-Intro HS |
Discuss Lab |
Mathematics | ||
Atividade de simulação de Ácidos e Bases | Marcelo Henrique Freitas Saraiva Guerra; Ana Karine Portela Vasconcelos | MS | Guided | Chemistry | ||
Escala de PH - Alcalino acidez | walter Manuel Trujillo Yaipen | UG-Adv Other Grad HS K-5 MS UG-Intro |
Other Guided Lab HW |
Physics Chemistry Other |
Browse legacy activities.
HTML5 sims can run on iPads and Chromebooks, as well as PC, Mac, and Linux systems.
iPad:
iOS 12+ Safari
iPad compatible sims
Android:
Not officially supported. If you are using the HTML5 sims on Android, we recommend using the latest version of Google Chrome.
Chromebook:
Latest version of Google Chrome
The HTML5 and Flash PhET sims are supported on all Chromebooks.
Chromebook compatible sims
Windows Systems:
Microsoft Edge, latest version of Firefox, latest version of Google Chrome.
Macintosh Systems:
macOS 10.13+, Safari 13+, latest version of Chrome.
Linux Systems:
Not officially supported. Please contact phethelp@colorado.edu with troubleshooting issues.
Design Team | Third-party Libraries | Thanks To |
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