Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT
Plan and carry out experiments to measure energy transferred during heating, including using the equation Q = mcΔT, recording temperature changes over time, and evaluating sources of error
Lesson
Set out your lesson
“Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT means practising the idea at the table with a simple hands-on check. We will demo once, then your child tries.”
Bring to the table
- A battery, bulb, and wires OR a warm/cool cup comparison setup
- Paper for a simple energy-path note
Extra for the adult
Worked example. Battery → wires → bulb: chemical energy becomes light (and some heat).
Optional challenge. For Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT, add one harder example after success.
What to notice. Keep one parent note: examples tried; results; support used. This session samples Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT, not mastery.
Share and support
Family records and proof options
Keep a record of your learning
Save photos, notes, and attendance. Export a proof packet for compliance or portfolio reviews.
Practice this concept
Start practiceHeating experiments and Q = mcΔT practice
Practice key ideas from Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT.
Free · no login · no ads · Practice answers and completion are not saved. Parent observation remains the lesson record.
Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
PhET Interactive Simulations · Practice link — not the full lesson
Energy Forms and Changes
Before you open · source notes
Energy Forms and Changes supports hands-on exploration for Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT. Not every lab worksheet.
Free interactive page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner what they changed in the sim or page and what they observed.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public PhET Interactive Simulations page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
PhET Interactive Simulations. “Energy Forms and Changes.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Uses a thermometer and stopwatch to record temperature change over time in a heating experiment
- Applies Q = mcΔT to calculate the energy transferred to a substance being heated
- Identifies sources of energy loss in a heating experiment (e.g. heat to surroundings) and suggests improvements
- Plots a temperature-time graph and identifies the energy transfer rate from its gradient
“If your child heated 100 ml of water in a beaker and recorded the temperature every minute, could they plot the results on a graph and use the data to work out roughly how much energy was transferred to the water?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Energy
- Age range
- Ages 12–13
Standards