Compare Radiation & Conduction

(Part 1)

Contrasting Case Activity 4aWeather & Water, Investigation 4

Conduct experiment• Record original temperature of sand and

water.

• Record temperature of sand and water when the light is turned off after 15 minutes.

• Record temperature of sand and water after they have been sitting without the light for 10 – 15 minutes.

SunlightMiranda stepped out into the

sun. She felt warm and wondered how the sun was getting her warm even though she wasn’t being touched by

anything.

Explain how Miranda was being heated.

MicrowaveEli pulled a cold slice of pizza out of the fridge. Not wanting to eat it cold, he put it in the microwave for two minutes. When he pulled out the pizza, he wondered how it became warm even though nothing touched the pizza. He also noticed that the microwave was not hot even though the pizza was.

Explain how the pizza was heated.

Sunlight and microwaveHow were the situations where Miranda

was heated by the sun and the pizza was heated by the microwave similar?

How were they different?

Hot spoonMilan was making pasta. He was stirring it with a metal spoon. He walked away for several minutes and when he came back and grabbed the spoon, it was hot. He wondered why the top of the spoon was hot even though this part was not in the water.

Explain why the spoon was hot.

Ice cubeBrianna was hot

during a summer day. She grabbed an ice cube and held it in her hand to help cool her off. As she held it, her hand became colder and

the ice cube melted.

Explain why the ice cube melted.

Spoon and ice cubeHow were the situations where the spoon

became hot and the ice cube melted similar?

How were they different?

Radiation• Travels in rays

• Transfer of energy

• When radiation hits an object, some of the energy is changed into heat

• Can travel through space without moving through objects that are touching.

• Light is an example of radiation

Conduction• Travels by contact

• Transfer of heat

• Heat travels from warmer areas to cooler areas.

• Must travel through objects that are touching.

• Heat moving up a handle of a metal spoon in a pot of boiling water is an example of conduction.

Radiation vs. conductionUsing your Radiation and Conduction cards,

compare and contrast the two concepts.

Homework: Sand and water• Students compare and contrast sand and

water in the experiment for homework.

• Which substance changed more?• Why?• Why did the other substance not change

temperature as much?