What happens when you pour water in the center of a circle of candy? Mrs. Pope connects the colorful result to the principle of diffusion, where particles flow outwards to become evenly spread out.
Explore what candy and semiconductors have in common! Diffusion is the movement of molecules from areas of high concentration to low concentration. Candy is a high concentration of sugar and coloring, when placed in water, the molecules will gradually try and move towards the plain water. With microchips, we can expose a semiconductor like silicon to gas or liquid containing other elements to chemically alter the composition of the wafer.
Vocabulary for Students to Define: Molecules, High & Low Concentration, Conductivity, Diffusion, Etching, Mask, Resist, Semiconductor, Microchip
Teacher Guide for Lesson & Experiment
Student Handouts
