Put empty milk jugs to good use. Scholars consider the characteristics they might change about a milk jug to improve light absorption. They design a passive solar water heater using the milk jug and then measure the temperature change in...

Scholars collect data from heating sand and water before forming testable hypotheses about why sand heats up faster. Afterward, they develop and run experiments to test their hypotheses.

Cool it! A virtual lab has users conduct an experiment to find the specific heat capacity for an unknown substance. The substance is an engine coolant, and calculating the specific heat capacity lets learners determine if it is a better...

Why do the bases in DNA pair up the way they do? Unravel the mystery of the double helix in a virtual lab. Young scientists follow in the footsteps of Watson and Crick to determine the free energy associated with DNA base pair binding....

Would you like milk with that? Young scientists consider thermal energy transfer to create the perfect cup of coffee. They calculate the amount of milk needed to reach a specified temperature and then test their calculations using a...

Knowing an item's specific heat capacity helps determine its uses, such as a low heat capacity for a soup spoon and a high heat capacity for home insulation. Scholars find the specific heat capacity of a metal ball in the 10th lesson of...

Learn the ins and outs of the properties of water through an engaging slide show. The lesson presents different facts about water including phase change, heat of fusion, heat of vaporization, and specific heat among others. 

When the chemists who designed hand warmers were working, they had to consider how much heat they could give off to keep people warm  — and not burn anyone in the process. How is this heat given off in a chemical reaction measured?...

If you want to keep warm, learn how chemistry can help you choose materials when building a house. The video informs pupils how to interpret a u-value in relation to a given material. In addition, the instructor explains specific heat...

The laws of thermodynamics raise the temperature in your classroom when physics pupils complete this learning exercise! They demonstrate their understanding by calculating specific heat capacity, final temperature, amount of work done,...

This worksheet would make a nifty quiz on the laws of thermodynamics. Nine multiple choice questions assess high schoolers' understanding of energy transfer, specific heat capacity, phase change, fusion, and vaporization. It is short but...

Matter and the energy held by molecules is explained here. The information provided about the transfer of energy between substances and the resulting temperature change will be useful to your students.  They will be able to work through...

Students conduct a series of investigation on latent heat of fusion. In this chemistry lesson, students explain how thermal storage systems work. They draw and interpret graphs.

In this thermochemistry worksheet, students answer 6 questions about specific heat, heat capacity and molar heat capacity. They also complete a crossword puzzle given 20 clues about topics related to thermochemistry. Students solve a...

In this calorimetry worksheet, students determine the specific heat of an unknown liquid. Students calculate the change in enthalpy for given reactions. This worksheet has 20 problems to solve.