Rates of reaction: Collision Theory Simulation

Rates of reaction: Collision Theory Simulation
Publication Date: January, 2011
Type of Resource: Interactive/Simulation

This online resource demonstrates the collision theory of chemical reactions.

The resource is a web-based java application that allows students to model the effects of temperature on the rate of collisions in a closed system to see how this affects chemical reaction rates.

Users can alter the number of particles in their model and change the temperature of the reaction, and by observing the simulation they can see how the number of collisions are affected.

See the Additional Information section about how to access the resource.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S10U07 (Year 10)

Additional Information

This free simulation is part of the PheT collection located on the Hippocampus.org site. To run these Java-based simulations your browser must support it. If they don't contact your local IT support.

This resource would probably be more suited for higher ability students at Year 10 as it includes the consideration of activation energy. Also, the use of the simulation itself is not totally straightforward with a number of options provided for the student. However, it is clever how it links the concepts together. It could also be used in class teaching where students could be asked to predict the effect of the various changes.

Australian Curriculum:
  • Year 10 > Science Understanding > Chemical Sciences > Different types of chemical reactions are used to produce a range of products... > ACSSU187