Lesson 1 of 8 · Thermodynamics
Experiment⭐ 30 XPTemperature Versus Internal Energy
Thermodynamics.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.
Mind = Blown
🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.
What You'll Learn
Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of particles; internal energy is the total energy of all particles in a body. A bath at 40 °C is cooler than a spark at 1,000 °C but holds far more internal energy, because it contains vastly more particles.
Key Words
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Materials Needed
- immersion heater
- two beakers
- balance
- thermometer
- stopwatch
Safety First
- Hot water scalds — allow beakers to cool before moving them.
- Keep the heater fully immersed whenever it is switched on.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Heat 100 g and 500 g of water with the same immersion heater for the same time and record both temperature rises. Explain why the smaller mass reaches the higher temperature despite receiving equal energy.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2A spark at 1,000 °C has less internal energy than a warm bath because it has:
Where you see this in real life
This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.
For the dinner table
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Temperature Versus Internal Energy
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