HS-PS3-4 lessons
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).
The Next Generation Science Standards code HS-PS3-4 asks students to: “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).” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Hot Stuff: Heat, Temperature and Cooling Grade 9 · partly supports this standard
- Does hotter always mean more heat? 60–70 min
Teams mix hot, warm and cold water in lidded foam cups, predict each final temperature from the masses, and check the prediction with a thermometer. They find that a small amount of very hot water can warm less than a large amount of warm water, and settle the difference between temperature and thermal energy with Q = mcΔT.
- Why is the sand too hot to stand on when the sea is still cool? 65–75 min
Teams warm 200 g of dry sand or steel washers in a hot-tap-water bath, drop them into 100 g of cold water, and use an energy balance to calculate each material's specific heat capacity, with an uncertainty. They compare their values with water's 4.18 J/g·°C and explain why land heats faster than sea.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code HS-PS3-4 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
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