Unit 13 Module 2: Heat Energy

“I’m too cold. Get me a sweater!” “This soup’s too hot!” “Phew, I’m sweating.” “Yowtch, that pan handle burned me!” If you’ve ever made any of the above comments, then you were talking about thermal energy. Very clever of you, don’t you think? Thermal energy is basically the energy of the molecules moving inside something. The faster the molecules are moving, the more thermal energy that something has. The slower they are moving, the less thermal energy that something has.

I’m sure at some point you’ve said, “Wow, my internal thermal energy is way high! I need a liquid with a low thermal energy.” What…you’ve never said that?! Oh, wait. I bet it sounded like this when you said it, “Wow, I’m hot! I need a cool drink.” Whenever we talk about the temperature of something we are talking about its thermal energy. Let’s get started by watching this video:

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	Special Science Teleclass: Thermodynamics This is a recording of a recent live teleclass I did with thousands of kids from all over the world. I’ve included it here so you can participate and learn, too! You’ll discover how to boil water at room temperature, heat up ice to freeze it, make a fire water balloon, and build a real … Continue reading "Special Science Teleclass: Thermodynamics"
	Sensing Temperature Temperature is a way of talking about, measuring, and comparing the thermal energy of objects.
	Balloon Gymnastics Is it warmer upstairs or downstairs? If you’re thinking warm air rises, then it’s got to be upstairs, right? If you’ve ever stood on a ladder inside your house and compared it to the temperature under the table, you’ve probably felt a difference. So why is it cold on the mountain and warm in the … Continue reading "Balloon Gymnastics"
	Homemade Thermostat If you can remember thermostats before they went ‘digital’, then you may know about bi-metallic strips – a piece of material made from of two strips of different metals which expand at different rates as they are heated (usually steel and copper). The result is that the flat strip bends one way if heated, and … Continue reading "Homemade Thermostat"
	Ghost Coin This spooky idea takes almost no time, requires a dime and a bottle, and has the potential for creating quite a stir in your next magic show. The idea is basically this: when you place a coin on a bottle, it starts dancing around. But there’s more to this trick than meets the scientist’s eye. … Continue reading "Ghost Coin"
	Food Dye Currents When something feels hot to you, the molecules in that something are moving very fast. When something feels cool to you, the molecules in that object aren’t moving quite so fast. Believe it or not, your body perceives how fast molecules are moving by how hot or cold something feels. Your body has a variety … Continue reading "Food Dye Currents"
	Making Clouds Indoor Rain Clouds Making indoor rain clouds demonstrates the idea of temperature, the measure of how hot or cold something is. Here’s how to do it: Take two clear glasses that fit snugly together when stacked. (Cylindrical glasses with straight sides work well.) Fill one glass half-full with ice water and the other half-full with … Continue reading "Making Clouds"
	Boiling Room Temperature Water The triple point is where a molecule can be in all three states of matter at the exact same time, all in equilibrium. Imagine having a glass of liquid water happily together with both ice cubes and steam bubbles inside, forever! The ice would never melt, the liquid water would remain the same temperature, and … Continue reading "Boiling Room Temperature Water"
	Stairstep Candles Fire is a chemical reaction (combustion) involving hot gases and plasma. The three things you need for a flame are oxygen, fuel, and a spark. When the fuel (gaseous wax) and oxygen (from the air) combine in a flame, one of the gases produced is carbon dioxide. Most people think of carbon dioxide as dry … Continue reading "Stairstep Candles"
	Liquid Crystals If you’ve completed the Soaking Up Rays experiment, you might still be a bit baffled as to why there’s a difference between black and white. Here’s a great way to actually “see” radiation by using liquid crystal thermal sheets. You’ll need to find a liquid crystal sheet that has a temperature range near body temperature … Continue reading "Liquid Crystals"
	Football Ice Cream Is it hot where you live in the summer? What if I gave you a recipe for making ice cream that doesn’t require an expensive ice cream maker, hours of churning, and can be made to any flavor you can dream up? (Even dairy-free if needed?) If you’ve got a backyard full of busy kids … Continue reading "Football Ice Cream"

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