Conduction Countdown

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In this quick SciGirls activity (page 1 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Doghouse Design), learners will be introduced to the concept of thermal conductivity. A metal knife and a plastic knife are each poked into slices of cold butter then placed handle-first into a glass of warm water. Learners predict which butter slice will fall first and watch carefully for the result. Relates to the linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Doghouse Design.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Demonstration
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • two slices of cold butter
  • a metal knife
  • a plastic knife
  • a glass of warm water

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Metallurgy and Materials Engineering
  • Physical Sciences
    • Heat and Thermodynamics
      • Heat and Temperature
      • Heat Transfer
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • About Inquiry
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Food and Cooking

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • DragonflyTV

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2006

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, 436260