Exploring thermal energy

Here are some things to think about as we begin the study of thermal energy:

  1. Before the invention of electric blankets, people used to take a hot brick to bed, or a hot water bottle. Why a brick? How would the size of the brick matter?
  2. The instructions for roasting a turkey recommend taking it out of the oven before it is entirely done, and then waiting a half hour before serving. How are we cooking the turkey, if it isn't in the oven? What is going on inside the turkey?
  3. Everything in a hot oven is at the same temperature. If you touch the oven rack, you get burned, and yet you can touch a hot piece of aluminum foil without getting burned. They are both metals, and good conductors. Why can you get away with touching the aluminum foil, and not the rack?
Write something about your discussion to some of these questions -- what you decided, which questions you were sure of, and which ones didn't seem to make sense.

Check the box when you are done:  

Energy content of a hot object