Magical Melting Ice Blocks (Mara)
Mara Desso
Principle(s) Illustrated
Heat conductivity
States of matter
Temperature vs. heat
Standards
HS-PS3-1
HS-PS3-2.
HS-PS3-4.
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known.
Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as a combination of energy associated with the motions of particles (objects) and energy associated with the relative positions of particles (objects).
Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
Questioning Script
Prior knowledge & experience:
Students have likely experienced feeling something hot versus feeling something cold. They have also witnessed transfers of energy such as when boiling water to cook pasta. Many students have the misconception however that heat is the same as temperature.
Root question:
Which block will melt the ice faster?
Target response:
The cold block is aluminum and is a very good conductor of heat. Even though it feels cold, it is transferring the heat from your body to the ice faster, so the ice melts faster. The warmer block is made of plastic which does not conduct heat nearly as well as the metal and takes longer to melt the ice cube.
Common Misconceptions:
Students often confuse heat and temperature. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles of an object while heat is thermal energy that can be transferred through an object.
Photographs and Movies
