Let's Learn Science: Oxygen Analyzer Lesson Plan for 6th Grade

The precise measurement of oxygen is important to know in several scenarios, including astronauts’ respiration, food safety and packaging, and for preventing blindness in newborn babies, among others. In 1940, the U.S. military sought a device that would measure the amount of oxygen in the air for use in airplanes and submarines. Linus C. Pauling creaed one that used two glass bulbs filled with air that were connected like a dumbbell and suspended on a thin quartz fiber near a magnet. Because of oxygen’s magnetic properties, the oxygen in the glass bulbs moved towards the magnet, which in turn twisted the bulbs. A photo cell measured the amount of rotation; the more the bulbs rotated, the more oxygen was in the air. A special mounting system was also created to protect the instrument from shocks and vibrations in planes and ships. Unfortunately, the process of making these models was very challenging and so the U.S. government looked to Dr. Arnold O. Beckman for help in manufacturing the instrument. Beckman used microscopically thin quartz fibers that were invisible to the naked eye. In order to work with them, a gum label was wet and put near the quartz fiber to locate it. Once the gum labels were on both ends of the fiber, it was easier to work with the fiber under a microscope. Beckman also built a small glass blowing machine to help create more consistently and accurately sized glass bulbs for the instrument. These innovations helped produce oxygen analyzers in a faster and more efficient way, delivering 100 per month to the Navy by the end of the war.

We can better understand the importance of the oxygen analyzer and how it works by learning more about respiration in the following lesson plan.

AMBF Collection Area: Oxygen Analyzer

Grade: Middle School, recommended 6th Grade

Subject Area: Science, English Language Arts

Duration: 1 hour

1. Students will understand that oxygen is a component of Earth’s atmosphere and plays many important biological and chemical roles.
2. Students will understand the role that oxygen plays in respiration and that humans require it for basic functions and increased amounts for higher levels of physical activity.
3. Students will understand why it is important to monitor oxygen levels in an enclosed space and some common applications of the Beckman Oxygen Analyzer.

Next Generation Science Standards:

MS-LS1-7: Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

MS-LS2-3: Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem

Common Core State Standards English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.

Click here to see three dimensional digital modeling of the oxygen analyzer.

1. Warm-up Discussion: What is oxygen? What is air and how are they different? What things need oxygen? Can you think of things or processes other than living organisms that need oxygen (fires need oxygen, oxygen causes rust)?

2. Pass out the respiration student hand out (available in the Printable PDFs section above) and work through it as a class. Suggested comprehension and discussion questions following the activity:

• Do we need more oxygen when sitting still or exercising? Why?
• What do you think would happen if the oxygen level in a space was less than 20%? Would this be a positive or negative effect?

3. Discuss the invention of the oxygen analyzer and some popular applications, namely use in submarines and incubation chambers.

4. Make connections to the oxygen cycle. In our ecosystem – what things consume oxygen? What things produce oxygen?

5. As a whole class, review the lesson and share:

• What surprised you today?
• What is something new you learned?

• Have students split up into groups to research explore some important chemical reactions which require oxygen.
  • Combustion (fire)
  • Oxidation (rust)
  • Cellular Respiration, have another group look up anaerobic respiration to see how cells produce energy when not enough oxygen is present.
• Students divide into groups and explore at a deeper level applications of the oxygen analyzer and scenarios where oxygen concentration is critical.
  • Submarines
  • Spaceships
  • Incubation Chambers
  • SCUBA Tanks

ANALIZADOR DE OXIGENO

Realizar mediciones de oxígeno con precisión es de vital importancia para diversos campos y aplicaciones, entre ellos la respiración de astronautas, la seguridad y el envasado de alimentos, y la prevención de la ceguera en recién nacidos. En 1940, el ejército de los Estados Unidos solicitó al químico Linus C. Pauling la creación de un dispositivo que midiera la cantidad de oxígeno en el aire para aviones y submarinos. La máquina que creó Pauling empleaba dos bombillas de vidrio llenas de aire conectadas en forma de mancuerna y suspendidas sobre una fina fibra de cuarzo cerca de un imán. Debido a las propiedades magnéticas del oxígeno, el oxígeno en las bombillas de vidrio se movía hacia el imán, que a su vez hacía girar las bombillas. Una fotocélula medía la rotación: cuanto más giraban las bombillas, más oxígeno había en el aire. Pauling también creó un sistema de montaje especial para proteger el instrumento de golpes y vibraciones en aviones y embarcaciones. Desafortunadamente, armar estos modelos fue un gran desafío, por lo que el gobierno de los EE. UU. buscó la ayuda del Dr. Arnold O. Beckman para fabricar el instrumento. Beckman utilizó fibras de cuarzo microscópicamente delgadas que eran invisibles a simple vista. Para trabajar con ellas, se humedecía un identificador adhesivo y se colocaba cerca de la fibra de cuarzo para ubicarla. Una vez colocados los identificadores adhesivos en ambos extremos de la fibra, era más fácil trabajar con la fibra en un microscopio. Beckman también construyó una pequeña máquina de soplado de vidrio para ayudar a producir de forma consistente bombillas de vidrio de tamaño preciso para el instrumento. Estas innovaciones ayudaron en la fabricación de analizadores de oxígeno de forma más rápida y eficaz, e hicieron posible, para el final de la guerra, la entrega de 100 ejemplares por mes a la Armada británica.

This lesson plan was developed using inspiration and some source material from here. Thank you to the following contributors and content curators: Christopher Gear, Alison Mondrach, M. Ed., Scott Pawlowski, Kaerie Ray, Kelsey Talbot, Nicole Zawadzki, and Mariana Zechini.

Keywords: Beckman, learning resources, elearning, online, education, science, history, STEM, STEAM, teaching materials