Classroom Resources: Energy & Thermodynamics
101 – 125 of 140 Classroom Resources
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Colligative Properties, Specific Heat, Freezing Point Depression, Solute & Solvent, Concentration, Heat, Temperature, Calorimetry, 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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Calorimetry, Law of Conservation of Energy, Combustion, Heat of Combustion, Specific Heat, Heat, Exothermic & Endothermic, Bond Energy, Temperature, Measurements, Accuracy, Dimensional Analysis, 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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Redox Reaction, Gibb's Free Energy , Spontaneous Reactions , Reduction, Oxidation, Half Reactions, Galvanic Cells, Electrons, Electron Transfer, Cathode, Anode, Reduction Potentials, Exothermic & Endothermic, Spontaneous vs. Non-spontaneous Reactions, Spontaneous Reactions, Dimensional Analysis | High School
Lesson Plan: How Far Can We Go?
In this lesson students compare energy densities of lead acid and lithium ion batteries to understand the relationship between electrochemical cell potentials and utilization of stored chemical energy.
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Hess's Law, Enthalpy, Exothermic & Endothermic | High School
Lesson Plan: Hess's Law
In this lesson, students learn about the concepts of Hess's Law and how to solve problems involving them.
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Heating Curve, Phase Changes, Intermolecular Forces, Freezing Point, Melting Point, Boiling Point, Heat of Fusion, Heat of Vaporization , Molecular Motion, Temperature, Heat, Specific Heat | High School, Middle 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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Physical Change, Intermolecular Forces, Heating Curve, Phase Changes, Graphing, Heat, Exothermic & Endothermic, Temperature, Freezing Point, Melting Point | 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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Heat of Neutralization, Acid Base Reactions, Exothermic & Endothermic, Temperature, Specific Heat, Calorimetry, Bond Energy, Net Ionic Equation, Molarity, Dimensional Analysis, Measurements, Mole Concept | High School
Lab: Heat of Neutralization
In this lab, students carry out an acid-base reaction to calculate the heat of neutralization based on experimental data. This lab will reinforce the concepts of exothermic and endothermic processes, system and surroundings, and heat of reaction (specifically, neutralization).
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Chemical Change, Exothermic & Endothermic | High School
Demonstration: Gun Cotton
In this demo, students will witness a decomposition reaction of gun cotton; a smokeless flame results.
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Temperature, History, Interdisciplinary, Chemical Change, Temperature, Heat | 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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Reaction Rate, Graphing, Temperature, Concentration | High School, Middle 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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Conservation of Mass, Renewable Energy, Balancing Equations, Chemical Change, Functional Groups, Molecular Structure | High School
Lab: Soap or Fuel?
In this lab, students will transform vegetable oil into a soft soap and into biodiesel fuel. The two reactions emphasize that the products of a chemical reaction are under the control of the chemist. By noting the relationship of the reaction product to the reactants, students will gain a deeper understanding of the law of conservation of matter.
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Atomic Spectra, Activity Series, Emission Spectrum, Ions, Electromagnetic Spectrum, Emission Spectrum, Observations, Inferences | High School
Lab: Flame Test: Going Further
In this lab, students will investigate the colors produced when several mixtures of metallic ions are placed in a flame.
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Activation Energy, Temperature, Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Equilibrium Constants, Establishing Equilibrium, Le Châtelier's Principle, 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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Combustion, Heat of Combustion, Stoichiometry, Balancing Equations, Dimensional Analysis, Interdisciplinary, Culminating Project | High School
Lesson Plan: Redesigning a Car for the Environment
Chemland’s city public transportation board has requested the class to help them determine the direction the city should move towards in reducing the carbon footprint. Students will be divided into groups and will come up with proposals of how to reduce the carbon footprint from carbon dioxide released from vehicles. The groups will represent different ways to reduce the carbon footprint via an alternative fuel source or a new technology. They will debate their findings to determine the direction that the city council should move towards to reduce the carbon footprint.
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Classification of Reactions, Combustion, Heat of Combustion, Balancing Equations | High School
Demonstration: Exploding Pumpkin
In this demonstration, students will witness a chemical reaction create an explosion inside of a pumpkin. They will write balanced equations for the reactions that take place and will complete stoichiometry and thermochemistry calculations.
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Exothermic & Endothermic, Energy Diagrams, Heat, Temperature, Chemical Change | 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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Atomic Theory, Law of Conservation of Energy, Electrons, Electromagnetic Spectrum | High School
Activity: Simulation Activity: Exciting Electrons
In this simulation, students will explore what happens when electrons within a generic atom are excited from their ground state. This is a qualitative investigation, not meant to mimic any particular atom.
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Entropy | High School
Activity: Entropy
In this activity, students will define entropy and be able to recognize entropy changes in chemical reactions.
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Exothermic & Endothermic, Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Enthalpy, Calorimetry, Observations, Inferences | High School, Middle 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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Exothermic & Endothermic, Physical Change, Temperature, Freezing Point, Boiling Point | High School, Middle 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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Renewable Energy, Conservation of Mass, Chemical Change, Volume, Pressure | Middle School, High School
Lab: Power That Stinks
In this lab, students will experiment with creating and capturing biogas, and have an opportunity to look at how energy is created from waste. They will explore the differences between non-renewable and renewable energy sources.
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Electrolysis, Cathode, Anode, Half Reactions, Redox Reaction, Reduction, Oxidation, Electron Transfer, Balancing Equations, Exothermic & Endothermic | High School
Lab: Electrolysis of Water
In this lab, students will perform the electrolysis of water using a battery, test tubes, thumbtacks, and a plastic cup.
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Specific Heat, 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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Exothermic & Endothermic, Chemical Change, Heat, Temperature, Classification of Reactions | 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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Heat, Specific Heat, Temperature, Experimental Design, Scientific Method, Physical Properties | High School, Middle 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.