Mixing Hot and Cold: Investigating Energy Transfer

In this hands-on lesson, students will model transfer of kinetic energy by preparing and measuring the temperature of two equal quantities of water, before mixing them together and then measuring the final temperature. After completing the investigation, students will look at their data as well as the class data to find a pattern and define the pattern using a mathematic equation. The class will have a meaning-making discussion and then students will create a visual (drawn) model of what is happening at the particle level during this investigation.