In the present work, we demonstrate the phenomenon of temperature difference power generation, which is achieved by the reversible conversion between thermal and electrical energy.

We present an example of one of the modelling projects we assign to students in our differential equations classes. Students are asked to determine how to run a cost-efficient hot water heating system. We consider a cylindrical tank filled with water and heated by a heating element immersed in it. Together with students we discuss physical laws…

An internet poster recently floated the idea that friction with a recently denser interstellar medium causes global warming. Despite its superficially ridiculous nature, refuting this proposition is an interesting quantitative exercise.

Thermal cameras have shown to have utility in secondary school classrooms and undergraduate courses. In this paper, the author argues for their potential in the primary school classroom and presents a range of activities that can be undertaken with thermal cameras (or supplied images). With limited access in mind, the activities in this paper have…

Changing where, when, and how objects are studied is central to lab-based science (Knorr Cetina, 1999). Science involves changing the scale of objects--particularly scales of size, time, and intensity--from what is experienced in the world. Similar to investigations conducted in science laboratories, classroom investigations involve…

In this research, an educational approach to the concept of energy is proposed. It is based on the history of physics. In 1854 Hermann Hemlholtz gave a popular lecture on the recent discovery that energy is conserved. Such lecture is used as a guide to introduce the pupils within several nuances of this concept. Not much mathematics is used, so…

Tofu, a traditional Chinese food, is now popular worldwide. However, few people notice the chemistry that is involved in its production. To shed light on this, we have designed a simple demonstration for lower-level undergraduates in organic chemistry or biochemistry courses to help them understand the chemistry principles that underlie the…

Of all the conceivable ideal-gas processes, almost all introductory physics textbooks as well as more advanced texts on thermodynamics emphasize only four: isochoric, isobaric, isothermal, and adiabatic (isentropic). These are processes in which a state variable--volume, pressure, temperature, or entropy--remains constant. It turns out that these…

After waiting in a long line for your favourite cup of coffee, you finally sit down with your mug and find that the coffee is still scalding hot! How long do you need to wait before you can enjoy it? Once it cools enough, how much time do you have to enjoy it? Are there ways to speed up the process? These questions motivate the presented modelling…

The French natural philosopher Henri Victor Regnault (1810-1878) was one of many researchers who contributed to the development of the thermometer in the 19th century. In this paper, we use an example from Regnault's work to explore how the history of thermometry can provide a context for teaching upper-secondary chemistry students about the…

The aim of this study is to present the implementation steps of an engineering design process-based activity. The activity was implemented with 6th-grade students; 21 students were involved. Various visuals were used to attract the students' attention during the introduction of the activity, and discussions were held about engineers and…

Personal experience, common sense, and science all confirm that temperatures are rising across the United States and around the world. Record-setting heat waves are occurring with greater frequency and lasting longer than ever before. This working paper is the first in a series focusing on the ways that environmental conditions shape young…

Tychonov's 1935 solution of the heat equation, exhibiting nontrivial heat fluxes spontaneously appearing along an isolated conducting rod initially held at zero degrees, has intrigued some specialists for almost a century. No doubt those practicing heat engineers who took mathematics seriously were initially relieved to learn that the construction…

This article considers starting with an existing SIMIODE modeling scenario [Winkel, B. (2015). 1-031-CoolIt-ModelingScenario. SIMIODE (Version 2.0). "QUBES Educational Resources." https://doi.org/10.25334/3WG8-EC31] that develops Newton's law of cooling by considering data on the cooling of a beaker of water in a room, and expanding upon…

This study focused on developing physics test instruments for senior high school students on the topics of temperature and heat. The study aimed to determine (i) the quality of the test instrument content, (ii) the feasibility of the test instrument, and (iii) students' graphic representation abilities on "Temperature and Heat" topics.…