Classroom Resources: Energy & Thermodynamics

26 – 50 of 54 Classroom Resources

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  Observations, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Molecular Motion | Middle School, High School

  Activity: What Makes Something Feel Warm

  In this lesson students actively engage in thinking about energy issues in chemistry and the nature of energy (thermal) transfer. The idea that temperature is a measure of heat content will be challenged, and students will be given the opportunity to collect data that will allow them to clearly see that different materials transfer energy at different rates.

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  Observations, Inferences, Temperature, Molecular Motion | Middle School, High School

  Demonstration: What is Temperature?

  In this demonstration, students will observe food dye mixing with water at different temperatures.

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  Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Physical Change, Temperature | Middle School

  Lab: Lemon Ice

  This activity explores the interaction between salt and water (ice) as a way to further investigate their impact on the state of matter of a substance. Students will use salt and ice to create a slushy lemonade drink without the use of a freezer. They will learn through this hands-on experiment how salt and ice can rapidly cool a liquid.

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  Le Châtelier's Principle, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature, Establishing Equilibrium, Equilibrium Constants, Reaction Quotient | High School

  Demonstration: Le Châtelier’s Principle

  In this demonstration, students will witness a system at equilibrium and apply different stresses to see how the equilibrium shifts.

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  Observations, Chemical Change, Conservation of Mass, Chemical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Kitchen Reaction

  In this lab students will observe an endothermic chemical reaction involving baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid). Students will investigate the signs a chemical reaction has occurred (gas production, change in temperature). Students will perform the lab in an open system so they can see the change of mass due to gas production. This lab is a lead into the topic of conservation of mass. After the lab is completed, the teacher should do a demonstration of the exothermic reaction Hydrogen peroxide and potassium iodide.

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  Calorimetry, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Understanding Specific Heat

  In this lab, students will get a general idea of specific heat by investigating the mixing of two liquids at different temperatures. In one case, the same liquids will be mixed, in another case different liquids will be mixed.

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  Solute & Solvent, Concentration, Colligative Properties, Calorimetry, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Freezing Point Depression, Error Analysis | High School

  Lesson Plan: The Hot and Cold of it All

  In this lesson students will analyze the effectiveness of different brands of antifreeze/coolants and their ability to protect an engine in cold climates. Students will conduct a lab investigation to examine the freezing point depression in samples that have been diluted with distilled water. Students will also determine the specific heat capacities of antifreeze/coolant products as compared to pure water and explain how it relates to thermal energy transfer in the internal combustion engine.

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  Combustion, Exothermic & Endothermic, Calorimetry, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Heat of Combustion, Accuracy, Dimensional Analysis, Measurements, Law of Conservation of Energy, Bond Energy, Error Analysis | High School

  Lab: How Much Energy is in Your Snack Food?

  In this lab, students will find the amount of heat energy stored in foods and compare heat calories with food calories.

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  Melting Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Intermolecular Forces, Heating Curve, Molecular Motion, Boiling Point, Heat of Vaporization , Heat of Fusion | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Simulation Activity: Heating Curve of Water

  In this simulation, students will investigate qualitatively and quantitatively what happens as water changes states.

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  Melting Point, Freezing Point, Phase Changes, Physical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature, Intermolecular Forces, Heating Curve, Graphing | High School

  Lab: Heating & Cooling Curve

  In this lab, students will create a phase change graph by adding and removing heat to observe and record data during actual phase changes.

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  Molarity, Net Ionic Equation, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat of Neutralization, Calorimetry, Specific Heat, Temperature, Mole Concept, Dimensional Analysis, Measurements, Acid Base Reactions, Bond Energy | High School

  Lab: Heat of Neutralization

  In this lab, students carry out an acid base reaction to calculate the heat of neutralization.

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  History, Temperature, Interdisciplinary, Chemical Change, Heat, Temperature | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Greenhouse Gas Simulation

  In this lab, students will create two simulations of the Earth’s atmosphere. They will compare a control model with a one that has an increased presence of carbon dioxide gas in order to analyze how this effects temperature. They will also complete research in order to learn more about the makeup of the Earth’s atmosphere.

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  Concentration, Reaction Rate, Temperature, Graphing | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Starch-Iodine Clock Reaction

  In this lab, students perform an iodine clock reaction to determine how concentration and temperature effect the reaction rate.

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  Le Châtelier's Principle, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature, Activation Energy, Establishing Equilibrium, Equilibrium Constants, Reaction Quotient | High School

  Activity: Reversible Reactions Simulation

  In this activity, students will investigate how temperature, activation energy, initial amounts of products and reactants, and type of reaction (exo- or endothermic) effect the equilibrium position of a reaction using a simulation.

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  Chemical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature, Energy Diagrams | High School

  Lab: Exothermic and Endothermic Lab

  In this lab, students determine whether mixing two chemicals is endothermic or exothermic. One is a physical change, one is a chemical change.

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  Observations, Inferences, Exothermic & Endothermic, Calorimetry, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Enthalpy | Middle School, High School

  Demonstration: Energy in Hot and Cold Packs

  In this demonstration, students will observe temperature changes in chemical hot and cold packs and discuss processes of endothermic and exothermic changes. They will also see that common household products can be used to make a hot and cold pack.

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  Freezing Point, Physical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic, Temperature, Boiling Point | Middle School, High School

  Demonstration: Energy

  In this demonstration, students will observe the exothermic and endothermic properties of state changes of substances with different freezing and boiling points.

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  Observations, Density, Phase Changes, Physical Change, Sublimation, Temperature | Middle School

  Lesson Plan: Dry Ice

  In this lesson, students will investigate how dry ice undergoes a phase change from solid to gas, skipping the liquid phase under normal temperature and pressure.

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  Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature | High School

  Demonstration: Dramatic Demonstration of Thermal Conductivity and Specific Heat Capacity

  In this demonstration, students will observe the high thermal conductivity and low heat capacity of copper metal.

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  Classification of Reactions, Chemical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Designing Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions

  In this lab, students will design and test an experiment for producing either an endothermic or an exothermic reaction. The goal of the lab is for students to successfully construct a reproducible procedure for a reaction that either releases or absorbs thermal energy, and that can be supported with data.

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  Physical Properties, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Scientific Method, Experimental Design | Middle School, High School

  Lesson Plan: Designing & Engineering a Fast Defroster

  In this activity students use their understanding of energy transfer to “design a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations.”  And “evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem, based on scientific knowledge, student-generated sources of evidence, prioritized criteria, and tradeoff considerations.”  The real world problem is to help a cook who is trying to make a meal, but realizes some of the ingredients are frozen and must be thawed before he can begin.

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  Exothermic & Endothermic, Calorimetry, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Scientific Method, Graphing, Experimental Design | High School

  Lab: Cool Science: Building and Testing a Model Radiator

  In this lab students construct a model of a car radiator to investigate parameters that lead to efficient cooling. Students investigate multiple variables as they experiment with various radiator designs. This lesson focuses on thermochemistry calculations and engineering practices.

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  Observations, Physical Change, Solute & Solvent, Intermolecular Forces, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Temperature, Saturated/Unsaturated/Supersaturated | Middle School, High School

  Lesson Plan: Particle Modeling of Hand Warmers

  In this lesson, students will create a particulate model of matter that explains energy changes and transfer during a physical process, such as the crystallization of a solid from a supersaturated solution.

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  Observations, Phase Changes, Physical Change, Temperature | Elementary School, Middle School

  Lab: Condensation

  In this lab, students will explore the process of condensation. Students will investigate how water vapor condenses, and then they will conduct a comparison test to see if cooling water vapor has an effect on the rate of condensation.

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  Observations, Physical Properties, Physical Change, Chemical Change, Chemical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic, Temperature | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Observing a Chemical Reaction

  In this lab, students will practice making careful observations and measurements while witnessing a chemical change.