Event-Based Science: Fraud!

Event-Based Science is a new way to teach middle school science. It is an award-winning, standards-based program in which newsworthy events establish the relevance of science topics; authentic tasks create the need-to-know more about those topics; and lively interviews, photographs, Web pages, and inquiry-based science activities create a desire to know more about those topics.

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atom molecule periodic table reaction mixture

Fraud! allows students to explore basic chemistry concepts in the context of an art forgery. After students create a mask, they are placed in the roles of laboratory technicians to analyze the materials in the mask. Science activities will allow students to explore the physical and chemical properties of the various elements, compounds, and mixtures that are used to decorate the masks. Students will love discovering whether or not their classmates' works are frauds.

NSTA Recommends Fraud!

As with all Event-Based Science modules, much of the information that students need is provided in the pages of Fraud!. However, more information is needed. Information about art and chemistry will add to the authenticity of your study.

Below are some World-Wide Web sites where additional information is available. Click on the highlighted words and be linked with helpful sites.

Fraud! Resources

A "pdf" file containing web sites, books, material lists, and correlations with National Science Education Standards.
Use the BACK button in your browser to return to this page.

HTML Version

ADVISORY

In Part 1 of the Science Activity called Rusty Elements, students are asked to burn steel wool and describe changes that occur. They then place some steel wool in a humid environment and describe changes that occur. The teacher's guide indicates that rust is formed in both cases. This is not exactly true.

Burning is a reaction between iron and oxygen that produces iron oxide. Since this iron oxide is black and not the red color of rust, it must be Iron(II) oxide (or ferrous oxide, FeO) which is a black powder. Iron (III) oxide (or ferric oxide Fe₂O₃) is red and is produced when iron rusts.

The purpose of Part I of the activity is to demonstrate that an iron compound is formed by the reaction between iron and oxygen. Also, that the compound is different from the element iron.

Both of these things are true, whether or not the compound is formed by burning or rusting.

Thanks to Joe Muskin for noting this discrepancy.

EBS Breaking News

Click here to use Google News to search and browse 4,500 continuously updated news sources for breaking news about current forgery.

Links to Fraud! related WEB Sites
(Links are checked monthly. They were working on the date of the last update .)

Han van Meegeren (HVM) Read more about the forger who is featured in our Fraud! module. Also see other paintings by van Meegeren. The painting to the right is one example.
Bio: Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) Information about Jan Vermeer.
Careers in Chemistry and the Chemical Sciences Chemistry and the chemical sciences offer access to a varied range of careers. For those who study chemical science to a higher level, the challenges and rewards are significant.
The Periodic Table of the Elements from ChemiCool An up-to-date periodic table with detailed but easy to understand information. The site also has a Chemistry Dictionary, Chemistry Tools, Resources.
Reproductions of Masterpieces and Euro Art Gallery Two sites where legal copies of masterpieces are sold. Legal reproductions can be made if an artists has been dead for at least 70 years.

The Card Players (1938-39)
HVM forgery

Welcome to Sotheby's The home page of the famous art auction house.
Weights and Measures - Powers of ten, metric equivalents, and so on.
Temperature Conversion Calculator - Conversion to and from several temperature scales.
Cool Chemistry Stuff This webpage from Guide to Online Schools

includes bizarre chemistry facts, recent advances in chemistry, some awesome chemistry videos, and cool chemistry websites and resources.

Molecular Modeling - Mathematics and Molecular Modeling, from NYU. Their Quick Tour is particularly nice for high school students.

Secret Worlds: The Universe Within View the Milky Way at 10 million light years from the Earth. Then move through space towards the Earth in successive orders of magnitude until you reach a tall oak tree just outside the buildings of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. After that, begin to move from the actual size of a leaf into a microscopic world that reveals leaf cell walls, the cell nucleus, chromatin, DNA and finally, into the subatomic universe of electrons and protons.
RasMol: Molecular Modeling Software - Free software for Windows, Macs, Unix and VMS which shows 3D images of molecules, especially biological macromolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. A gallery of images is also available at this site.

WWW Chemistry Guide - a comprehensive collection of annotated links for chemists and researchers involved in organic, biochemical, computational, medicinal and/or other chemistry research. We hope the links we have provided here will help you to locate the information you are looking for quickly and easily.
Video - Art Fraud Story

Video of the Forgers Art

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For links to other Event-Based Science books and pages, return to the EBS homepage:

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Fraud!

Links to Fraud! related WEB Sites (Links are checked monthly. They were working on the date of the last update .)

For links to other Event-Based Science books and pages, return to the EBS homepage:

Links to Fraud! related WEB Sites
(Links are checked monthly. They were working on the date of the last update .)