Mass, Temperature & Thermal Energy
Aligned to MS-PS3-4 — Next Generation Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
The thermal energy a sample gains or loses depends on its mass, how much its temperature changes, and the material it is made of. More mass needs more energy for the same temperature rise.
Worked examples
Example 1
Heating 200 g of water on a stove takes twice as long as heating 100 g by the same number of degrees, because the larger mass needs twice as much thermal energy.
Example 2
Different substances need different amounts of energy. The same flame raises a pan's metal handle far faster than the water inside it.
Example 3
Temperature is not the same as thermal energy. A spark is thousands of degrees and carries almost none, because there is so little of it.
Practice questions
- Plan an investigation comparing how fast equal masses of water and sand heat up.
- Observe and record the temperature change of two different masses given the same heating time.
- Explain how mass and temperature change together determine the energy a sample absorbs.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Masa, Temperatura y Energía Térmica
La energía térmica que una muestra gana o pierde depende de su masa, de cuánto cambia su temperatura y del material del que está hecha. Más masa necesita más energía para el mismo aumento de temperatura.
Ejemplo 1: Calentar 200 g de agua en una estufa toma el doble de tiempo que calentar 100 g la misma cantidad de grados, porque la masa mayor necesita el doble de energía térmica.
Ejemplo 2: Distintas sustancias necesitan distintas cantidades de energía. La misma flama calienta el mango de metal de una olla mucho más rápido que el agua adentro.
Ejemplo 3: La temperatura no es lo mismo que la energía térmica. Una chispa está a miles de grados y casi no lleva energía, porque hay muy poca de ella.
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