Me Heating Bill

Heat and Temperature

Objectives - To understand the three methods of heat transfer.

Timing - Up to 8 lessons

Discuss with your teacher and with your class, the difference between heat and temperature. What does each one mean? What are the units? Consider a large and a small saucepan, full of water. What is the temperature of each one when the water boils? Which one takes the most energy to boil? Why? (You will look at energy again in the "Leccie" and "Car" sections).

If you have a hot and a cold object in contact with one another, which way does the heat get transferred? What would then happen to the temperature of the hot and cold object

Your teacher will show you some thermocolour paper. A thermogram is a range of colours which can be used to represent temperature. Try holding the paper against objects at different temperatures to see what happens. How could you make a thermometer out of this?

Go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/physics/energy/heat_energy_rev3.shtml and write down the definition of and equation for specific heat capacity. What does specific heat capacity depend on? You could also use http://www.s-cool.co.uk/topic_quicklearn.asp?loc=ql&topic_id=17&quicklearn_id=2&subject_id=2&ebt=&ebn=&ebs=&ebl=&elc= but it's an A-level site! Alternatively look at the "Measuring Heat" Information Sheet.

Your teacher may get you to do an experiment to find the specific heat capacity of aluminium, brass and water although you may do this at A-level - Activity Sheet 2 - "Measuring Specific Heat Capacity" may help you. (You can look at the wasteful energy transfer in the "Insulating a House" section).

Try the questions on the "Specific Heat Capacity" sheet.

You should remember from KS3 that temperature does not change during a change of state. (If you don't, you should see your teacher about using datalogging to record the temperature as ice melts, water boils or stearic acid solidifies). Also refer to the "Changing State" Information Sheet.

Go to the previous sites to find out where the energy goes if it doesn't change the temperature. What is this energy called and write down an equation for it. What does it depend on?