Heat Energy and Temperature - Activities on Heat Flow, Thermometers, and Thermometric Properties

Oct 12, 2026

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Focuses on heat energy and temperature, explaining energy conservation and defining heat as energy transfer driven by temperature differences. Guides students to examine how temperature relates to energy flow direction using thermometers, including calibration concepts and thermometric properties. Presents structured activities: designing and using a simple liquid-in-glass thermometer, distinguishing heat from temperature, and using thermochromatic thermofilm to visualize energy flow and compare hot versus cold.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

B1: Heat Energy and Temperature

Overview and Key Concepts

Suggested Approaches and Discussion Questions

B1 Activity 1: Designing, Constructing and Using a Thermometer

Background and Equipment

Strand B Heat Energy B1: HEAT ENERGY AND TEMPERATURE Overview The energy within a system cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be changed from one form to another. This principle is known as the Conservation of Energy. The chemical energy in a battery, for example, can be transferred into light energy, or into kinetic energy when used to make a mechanical toy move. Heat is a transfer of energy between two bodies due to temperature difference. The temperature of a body isan indication of the direction of the flow of energy when two bodies come in contact with one another. When one body is at a higher temperature, then energy will flow from the region of higher temperature to the region of lower temperature until both bodies attain the same energy level. All of the activities in this section should provide students with opportunities to examine their understandings of heat, temperature, and the role of thermometers. The purpose of these activities is to provide students with an introduction to heat energy and temperature. The calibration process of the thermometer in B1 ACTIVITY 3 (II): CALIBRATING THERMOFILM is not a rigorous one, as the purpose of the activity is only to relate measuring temperature to a visible physical change – athermometric property. Two physical changes are used – the expansion and contraction of liquid, and colour change. Using the smart material thermofilm (also known as thermochromatic film) shows the students that not all thermometers need to be accurate. In B1 ACTIVITY 1: DESIGNING, CONSTRUCTING AND USING A THERMOMETER students use the expansion and contraction of liquids resulting from the transfer of heat energy to construct a simple liquid-in-glass thermometer. In B1 ACTIVITY 2: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HEAT AND TEMPERATURE the students examine the difference between heat energy and temperature. B1 ACTIVITY 3: HOT VERSUS COLD introduces the students to thermofilm as another form of thermometer. Using a standard alcohol-in-glass thermometer, students calibrate the thermofilm and draw up a scale of temperature. They can then use the thermofilm to distinguish between hot and cold, and to explore the relationship between these terms and temperature. In B1 ACTIVITY 3 (III) VISUALISING ENERGY FLOW the students use this film to observe the direction of heat flow with the aid of the scale they have drawn up in B1 ACTIVITY 3 (II): CALIBRATING THERMOFILM. NOTE: Energy inAction is an online schools resource from SEAI. If you’re reading a printout and wish to view this online to access links, [visit](visit www.seai.ie/energyinaction)[ ](visit www.seai.ie/energyinaction)[www.seai.ie/energyinaction](visit www.seai.ie/energyinaction) B1 | 1 Strand B Heat Energy B1: HEAT ENERGY AND TEMPERATURE Suggested approaches: • Start with a short brainstorming session to discover what the students think ‘temperature’ is: ? Can they name the unitsitis measuredin? ? Can they name different types ofthermometers, e.g. ameat thermometer, afridge thermometer, a clinical thermometer, astrip thermometer(i.e. temperature stripheld on forehead)? ? Can theygive some reasons we mightneedto measure temperature? • Another approach might be to see if students can relate physical changes to temperature change, e.g. relating the colour of a gas flame to hotness. ? Can theygiveyou a numberofexamples? ? What do they understandbythe termphysical changes? • Introduce the term ‘thermometric property’ and challenge the students to explain it without looking it up. ? Suggest that they‘dissect’the word,i.e. what about‘therm’? What does itsuggest? Thesecondpart,‘metric’– whenmight the word‘meter’be used? ? Check thespellings of‘meter’and‘metre’–do they represent the same concept? • Another approach might be to focus on finding out what ideas the students have about the direction of heat energy. ? Whymight atablefeelinitiallycold when Iput myhand on it? ? How long will it continu

FAQs

What is heat and how does it differ from temperature?

Heat is energy transferred between bodies due to a temperature difference. Temperature indicates the direction of energy flow when two bodies contact each other.

How does the thermometer activity use liquid expansion and contraction?

Students construct a simple liquid-in-glass thermometer where the expansion and contraction of a liquid, caused by transferred heat energy, produces measurable physical changes.

Why are thermochromatic thermofilm and calibration discussed in B1?

Thermofilm shows that not all thermometers need to be highly accurate; calibration links measured temperature to a visible physical change, such as expansion/contraction and colour change.

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by GGG