This CELL explores heat, temperature, and the transfer of heat through conduction, convection, and radiation. Students will perform investigations focused on the relationship between kinetic energy and temperature, and the relationship of heat to kinetic energy and temperature. Through the processes of experimentation and summarization, students will learn to use their results to create rules to explain these relationships.

Students will understand through experimentation that temperature is a measure of the kinetic energy of molecules, and that heat is the difference in temperature between molecules of higher kinetic energy and molecules of lower kinetic energy. Students will learn to calculate the rate of heat transfer and use this formula to draw conclusions as they explore different types and processes of heat transfer. Investigations focusing on heat conductivity as a property of matter will promote understanding that the chemical composition of matter determines its ability to transfer heat. Students will also learn how this property is used in daily life to control the rate of heat transfer between substances through the use of insulating materials. In investigations focusing on the Law of Conservation of Energy, students will discover that chemical reactions can be classified as endothermic or exothermic by whether they result in the release or the absorption of heat, and explore why temperature change is a sign of chemical change. In later investigations, students will explore how the body uses endothermic and exothermic processes to control body heat and will have the opportunity to explore how the Joule-Thompson effect can be used to change the temperature of expired air. Finally, students will investigate how altering other physical properties of matter such as mass and surface area can affect the rate of heat transfer.

Through performing experiments, observing chemical and physical changes, and participating in class discussions, students will begin to comprehend that the transfer of heat is an integral part of all aspects of scientific study. This CELL will promote students’ awareness of the daily occurrences of heat transfer which affect their lives, building continuity between laboratory investigations and real-world applications and encouraging independent investigation.

___________________________________________________________________

Investigation 1: Temperature and Heat

Investigation One introduces students to the concept that heat is the transfer of energy. Through observation and experimentation, students will learn that a thermometer measures temperature through the transfer of kinetic energy to or from the substance in contact with its bulb. By adding food coloring to different temperatures of water, students will discover the relationship between temperature and kinetic energy.

Investigation 1: Teacher’s Video (15:16)

 Investigation 1: Student’s Video (11:02)

___________________________________________________________________

Investigation 2: Transferring Heat      

In Investigation Two, students continue their study of heat. Students will learn that heat is transferred through the processes of conduction, radiation, and convection, and that the ability of matter to conduct heat is a property of matter. Students will explore these concepts through experimentation to determine the heat conduction abilities of items made of different types of matter. Students will then apply what they learned by constructing a thermos from a beaker of water using various insulating materials. Students will evaluate the insulating abilities of their thermos by calculating and comparing its average rate of heat transfer with that of an uninsulated beaker of water.

Investigation 2: Teacher’s Video (10:50)

Investigation 2: Student’s Video (16:43)

___________________________________________________________________

 

Investigation 3: Converting Heat    

Investigation Three introduces students to the Law of Conservation of Energy. Students will explore the Law of Conservation of Energy by performing experiments that demonstrate the difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions. Students will learn that both endothermic and exothermic chemical reactions are often accompanied by changes in temperature as well as other signs of chemical change.

Investigation 3: Teacher’s Video (8:22)

Investigation 3: Student’s Video (11:19)

 

Click on the image below to open Investigation 3 CAP

___________________________________________________________________

 

Investigation 4: Heat and the Body

Investigation Four provides students an opportunity to expand their understanding of heat as energy by exploring how the body regulates temperature through the evaporation of sweat. Students will learn that evaporative cooling is an ongoing process in the body even when perspiration is not visibly present on the skin. Students will also be provided with an opportunity to explore the Joule-Thompson effect in gases through experimentation with their own respiration, observing that gases that are compressed and then allowed to expand experience changes in temperature.

Investigation 4: Teacher’s Video (10:20)

 Investigation 4: Student’s Video (14:53)

___________________________________________________________________

 

Investigation 5: Matter and Heat

Investigation Five is designed to demonstrate that the property of heat conduction in liquids is affected by other physical properties such as mass and surface area. Students will explore the effect of mass on the average rate of heat transfer of water by changing mass while holding the surface area in contact with water constant. Students will then hold mass constant while changing surface area. Students will discover that as mass increases, the rate of heat transfer decreases, and that increasing surface area increases the rate of heat transfer.

Investigation 5: Teacher’s Video (5:40)

 Investigation 5: Student’s Video (12:35)

___________________________________________________________________

 

Investigation 6: Performance Assessment

Investigation Six consists of a performance assessment designed to evaluate students’ understanding of the science concepts addressed in the first five Investigations of the CELL. During this exploration, students will use the knowledge gained about heat, heat transfer, temperature, and endothermic and exothermic reactions to design and test an energy-efficient fish tank against a prototype.

Investigation 6: Performance Assessment – Teachers Only (6:49)