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
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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.
Materials: A battery, bulb, and wires OR a warm/cool cup comparison setup; Paper for a simple energy-path note. 1. Say the goal of Heating experiments and Q = mcΔT in plain words once. 2. Adult shows one energy transfer (circuit lights, or heat moving to a cooler hand nearby) and names the path. 3. Child traces or describes three energy paths and says what changed. 4. Fresh check: one fresh energy-path description. Record and stop. Done: three energy-path notes with a before/after change. Proof: parent note of examples and results. Stop: End after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
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Learning resources
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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.
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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