Student Guide
Exploring heat transfer on Earth’s surfaces
What types of light does the Sun emit? What types of light have the most energy? How does the Sun's energy transfer make the Earth's surface warmer, and how do different surface features (like ice, forests, water, rock) and human actions affect this heating process?
- 2 flashlights
- 2 Hand Boilers
- 2 Infrared thermometers
- 2 Heat Lamps (lamp + bulb)
- Equal-sized “coasters” of wood, slate, and aluminum
- Bag of sand - fill one of the empty plastic dishes with a layer of sand equal in volume to the coasters
- 3 additional empty plastic dishes to add your own materials such as water, ice, live plants, dirt, etc.
- Internet access - YouTube videos in stations 1 and 4, PhET Energy Forms and Changes Simulator in station 3