Unit C: Heat and Temperature

   Unit Checklist

Unit C: Key Ideas

Focus On: Heat and Temperature

This unit has four sections that are dedicated to helping you understand the basics of heat and temperature. Each section has a key idea indicated by its title, and is broken down into lessons. Click on each of key idea tabs below to view the lesson titles and some key questions you will investigate.

Section 1 Key Idea: Heat affects substances and can change the states of matter.

Lesson C1: Why is Heat So Important?
Key Question – What is heat and what role does it play in meeting human needs and technology?

Lesson C2: Heat and the States of Matter
Key Question – What effect does heat have on different substances?

Lesson C3: Thermal Energy
Key Question – Are heat and temperature the same thing?

Lesson C4: How Thermal Energy Affects Our World
Key Question – What does an engineer need to know about the effects of thermal energy?
Section 2 Key Idea: Thermal energy transfers in different ways.

Lesson C5: Heat Transfer: Conduction
Key Question – Ouch! Why do you get burnt when you touch something hot?

Lesson C6: Heat Transfer: Convection
Key Question – How do you heat an entire house with only one furnace?

Lesson C7: Heat Transfer: Radiation
Key Question – How does heat travel through space to us from the Sun?

Section 3 Key Idea: Controlling thermal energy offers many advantages.

Lesson C8: Thermal Energy: Natural Sources
Key Question – Where is thermal energy naturally produced?

Lesson C9: Solar Energy: A Good Choice?
Key Question – What role can solar energy play in our need for energy?

Lesson C10: Thermal Energy: Technology
Key Question – How can we use technology to get the most out of thermal energy?

Lesson C11: Controlling the Flow of Thermal Energy
Key Question – How can we keep heat where we want want it and prevent it from escaping?

Section 4 Key Idea: Different energy sources can provide the heat humans require.

Lesson C12: Energy Sources
Key Question – How can we create all the energy that society needs?

Lesson C13: Energy Conservation
Key Question – Are heat and energy so plentiful that we can waste them?