Where Does Energy Go?

A photo of a paper spiral suspended over a square light.
Learning Goals

Learning Goals:

  1. Students will understand that hot air rises
  2. Students will understand why hot water and hot air rise and cold air and cold water sink.
  3. Students will learn that wind is produced by warm air rising and cold air sinking.
  4. Students will learn that the energy of moving hot air can be converted into other forms of energy.
  5. Students will understand that energy from the sun can be converted into heat.
  6. Students will discuss the effects of the chimney stack phenomenon.
Materials List

Handouts

Classroom Supplies

  • Pencils
  • Paper
  • Scissors
  • 4 Glass bottles or jars that can be inverted on top of one another
  • Food coloring (red, blue, yellow)
  • Water
  • A Solar bag
  • A Swedish or German candle spinner
  • A Lamp without a shade
  • Needle and string
  • Radiometer

Important Links

Lesson 2 of 5 / Time: 6 periods of 50 mins

This lesson consists of six demonstration activities that show examples of ways in which water and air absorb heat to transfer energy from one place to another. These demonstration activities act as unique phenomena in which students can generate questions to lead subsequent investigations with each activity in learning centers. Through gaining content from investigations with these phenomena, students will gain insight into how energy conversions work in a solar updraft tower.

 

Solar Updraft Towers

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