Hot vs. Cold: A Colorful Test of Temperature

Today, our class explored how temperature affects the movement of molecules through a hands-on experiment. Students observed how food coloring spread in cold and hot water and noticed that the color spread much faster in hot water. This led us to our key finding: hotter temperatures cause molecules to move faster, which makes the food coloring spread more quickly.

We also revisited an interesting question from Lucy last week: “What happens when two objects that are the exact same temperature touch?” We discussed that in this situation, the materials would reach thermal equilibrium, meaning neither one would change temperature because they are already equal.

Students worked thoughtfully and used the scientific method. They made hypotheses and recorded their observations in their science journals. Over the coming weeks, we will continue our study of heat as energy, learning about conduction, convection, radiation, and temperature.

Have a fantastic break!

  

The Summit Preparatory School is a fully accredited, non-religious, private school offering a full-time seated independent education for students in Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, and the greater Southwest Missouri area. Our preparatory school setting offers an enriching early childhood, elementary, middle school, and high school curriculum in a supportive environment. We have state of the art facilities, highly-qualified teachers and staff, and a large range of educational programming. Interested in enrolling your child? Learn more about our admissions process.

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