Potable water
I can explain what potable water is and describe how it can be obtained from groundwater and sea water.
- Year 10
- AQA
Potable water
I can explain what potable water is and describe how it can be obtained from groundwater and sea water.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- 'Potable' and 'pure' water are not the same material.
- Water used in analysis must not contain any dissolved ions.
- The method used to obtain potable water depends on the water source.
- Filtration and sterilisation are used to obtain potable water from groundwater and fresh water sources.
- Desalination of sea water creates potable water by distillation or reverse osmosis.
Keywords
Pure - A single element or compound that is not mixed with any other substance.
Potable - Water that is safe to drink.
Sterilisation - The process of killing bacteria and other living microorganisms.
Desalination - The process of removing dissolved salts from seawater.
Reverse osmosis - The movement of solvent through a semipermeable membrane by applying excess pressure on the solution. This process can remove dissolved solutes from water.
Common misconception
Pupils tend to think that all water is the same. Pupils tend to forget that non-visible substances are also found in water.
Stress that pure water only contains H₂O molecules. Other waters may include varying amounts of dissolved salts, other solids or micro-organisms. Stress that microbes must be killed for water to be potable, but are too difficult to remove.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The equipment setup shown below shows which separation technique?
Q2.Match each letter on the diagram below to the correct label.
Q3.A single element or compound that is not mixed with any other substance is said to be .
Q4.A substance that dissolves into another substance is described as .
Q5.When a substance dissolves into a liquid (e.g., water), a __________ forms.
Q6.Which of the following techniques can be used to fully isolate components of a mixture or solution?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Water is essential for life.
Which of the following are domestic uses of water?
Q2.All sources of water contain varying amounts of micro-organisms and what other material?
Q3.Water that is safe to drink is classified as .
Q4.Match each step of making potable water, from either groundwater or freshwater, to the correct description.
