Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes

Tune in: What will change?

20 minutes

Find out: Experiment time!

20 minutes

Reflection: What did we learn?

Tune in: What will change?

Step 1.

Explain to students that you will holding a paper cup over the candle. What do they think will happen?

Step 2.

Students write their prediction in the first section of the Student Worksheet.

Find out: Experiment time!

Step 1.

Fill the cup about 2/3 full with water.

Step 2.

Light the candle.

Step 3.

Use the tongs to hold the cup close to the candle without letting it touch. Continue to hold the cup over the flame until the water starts to boil (this could take up to 5 minutes).

The water will begin to produce steam and the cup will NOT catch on fire.

Reflection: What did we learn?

The candle flame is hot (obviously). It is heating the air above it, and below the paper cup. That air now has a lot of heat energy.

Heat moves towards cold things. The paper cup is cold compared to the air. So the air gives a lot of its heat energy to the cup.

But the heat energy doesn't stop there. The water inside the cup is now colder than the cup, so the heat energy wants to go towards the water.

This movement of heat energy is known as conduction. As a result, the paper stays cool, because it is not actually keeping any of the heat energy. It is giving all of that energy to the water.

The temperature at which water boils is lower than the temperature at which paper catches on fire or ignites!

Conduction is the transfer of heat or electricity through a substance or between substances that are in direct contact. In this case, the paper cup is in direct contact with the air and the water, and is allowing for the transfer of heat energy through it.

Transferring Heat via Conduction

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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