Title: Thermal Energy Transfer
Principle(s) Investigated: Energy, Thermal energy, Kinetic energy, Types of Thermal energy Transfer, Conduction, Convection, and Radiation
Standards:
Performance Expectations:
MS-PS3-3 Apply scientific principals to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy
transfer.
MS-PS3-4 Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.
MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Science and Engineering Practices:
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
Engaging in Argument from Evidence
Crosscutting Concepts:
Energy and Matter
Systems and System Models
Materials:
Lab Station 1: Hot and Cold Water (convection in Water)
Lab Station 2: Cold Water and a Balloon (convection in Gas)
Lab Station 3: Butter Boat (conduction in Metal)
Lab Station 4: Heat on Water (radiation)
Procedure:
In this task, students will be faced with Hilton’s question: Why does a refrigerator get warmer when you leave the door open? Students will move through a series of 4 lab stations to explore three different ways that thermal energy can transfer from one system to another. In the end, students should be able to apply their observations and inferences to answer Hilton’s refrigerator question.
1. Set up lab stations with the appropriate lab equipment and lab station student direction handouts.
2. Place students in their project groups. Designate student roles and review the norms.
3. Ask a student volunteer in each group to read the letter from Hilton to the Science Wizard.
4. As a class or table group, take a vote to see if students think Mom or Hilton is correct about why the refrigerator warms up when the door is open. Remind students that after completing the lab stations, they may want to change their vote.
5. Students will complete their investigation handout.
Student prior knowledge:
Students know from prior lesson activities the following academic vocabulary; particle, particle drawing, source (e.g., heat source, and flame source), thermal energy, temperature, kinetic energy, thermal energy transfer, transfer, conduction, convection, radiation. Students have prior knowledge from using PhET simulation the relationship between kinetic energy, temperature, and thermal energy. Students know from prior activities/lessons that motion energy is properly called kinetic energy. Particles of matter with more kinetic energy can be drawn with longer arrows attached to them and the slower particles with shorter arrows attached to them.
Explanation:
At the macroscopic level, energy can be seen or felt or heard as motion, light, sound, electrical fields, magnetic fields, and thermal energy. At the microscopic level, energy can be modeled either as particle motion or as particles stored in force fields (electric, magnetic, or gravitational). The goal of this lesson is to help students make connections between the concepts of energy, particle motion, temperature, and the transfer of the energy in motion from one place to another. Moving particles or motion energy will be identified as kinetic energy. Temperature will be identified as the average kinetic energy of particles of matter. Through investigations, students will determine that there is a relationship between the temperature of a system and the total energy in the system, depending on the amount of matter present. As the learning sequence continues, students will connect the concepts that all matter (above absolute zero) contains thermal energy, or random motion of particles, and that thermal energy transfer is the transfer of energy from an area of higher temperature (more particle movement) to an area of lower temperature (less particle movement).
In this task, students will be faced with Hilton’s question: Why does a refrigerator get warmer when you leave the door open? Students will move through a series of 4 lab stations to explore three different ways that thermal energy can transfer from one system to another. In the end, students should be able to apply their observations and inferences to answer Hilton’s refrigerator question.
Questions and Answers:
What/Where is the radiator on a car? And what is its purpose?
Possible answer: A car's radiator is located near the front of the engine compartment [hood] and is used along with a water pump to move coolant liquid through the engine block in order to cool the engine. As the engine heats up due to fuel combustion, heat is transferred through conduction to the coolant, which is circulated back to the radiator where it is cooled before being circulated back to the engine.
Describe ways people try to cause or prevent heating and cooling by conduction, convection and radiation in everyday life.
Possible answer:
What might be some examples of cooling and heating "mechanisms" that occur in nature? What do animals do if they need to cool off or warm up?
Possible answer:
Applications to Everyday Life:
The world we live in is full of energy. Energy is one of the most fundamental parts of our universe. Plants and animals need energy to grow and reproduce. Cars need energy to move. Refrigerators need energy to keep things cool. We need energy to cook our food. Everything around us and everything we do is connected to energy in one form or another.
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