Tag Archives: heat

Chapter 23 Lab #64: Purpose: To determine the specific heat of brass and the heat of vaporization of nitrogen.

Chapter 23 Lab #63: Students will determine the heat of vaporization of water.

Chapter 23 Lab #62: Students will measure the heat of fusion of water.

Additional Demos to expand on the properties of heat.

PurposeIn this activity, students will see that water will boil when pressure is lowered.Discussion
Whereas evaporation is a change of phase from liquid to gas at the surface of a liquid, boiling is a rapid change of phase at and below the surface of a liquid. The temperature at which water boils depends on atmospheric pressure [...]

PurposeIn this activity, you will investigate curious heat transfer ability of different surfaces.
Discussion
If you walk around the house with bare feet, you probably notice that a tile floor feels much colder than a carpeted floor or rug. It’s hard to believe that they might actually have the same temperature. The tile feels colder because it [...]

Purpose
In this experiment, you will compare the ability of different surfaces to absorb thermal radiation.
Discussion
Does the color of a surface make a difference in how well it absorbs thermal radiation? If so, how? The answer to these questions could help you decide what to wear on a hot, sunny day and what color to [...]

In this experiment, you will compare the ability of different surfaces to radiate thermal energy. Does the color of a surface make a difference in how well it radiates thermal energy? If so, how? The answer to these questions could help you decide what color coffee pot will best keep its heat and what color might be used to radiate heat away from a computer chip. In this experiment, we will compare the thermal radiation ability of two surfaces: silver and black. We’ll do this by filling cans with these surfaces with hot water, then letting the water cool down. We’ll measure the temperature of the water in both cans while they’re cooling down and see if there’s a difference in the rate at which the temperatures decrease.

Thermodynamics and the thermal properties of matter are inextricably linked to daily living. Most everyone has an innate sense of hot and cold, checks the temperature outdoors before deciding what to wear, knows that spilled water will eventually evaporate and not to expect a snow storm on a hot July day.