Investigating Convection

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This experiment is designed to illustrate how fluids, including water, have the ability to flow. Learners use a tub, hot plate, ice and blue coloring to examine convection as well as circulation and energy transfer in oceans. Use this experiment as a group demonstration or assign it to small groups to complete individually. This activity is part of a larger lesson plan on "Exploring Polar Oceanography: Ocean Currents and Climate Connections." [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
45 to 60 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
1 cent - $1 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 11 - 18
Resource Types:
Activity, Demonstration, Experiment/Lab Activity, Model
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • One "Tupperware" type tub, preferably "see-through". The size of a shoebox is ideal.
  • 2 – 1000 mL beakers
  • Beaker tongs or a hot glove
  • One hot plate
  • Source of ice (approximately 1 pound)
  • 3 – 400 mL beakers or 6 coffee cups
  • A few crystals of potassium permanganate, blue ink or blue food coloring

Keywords

Subjects

  • Earth and Space Science
    • Earth Structure
      • Oceans and Water
      • Atmosphere
  • Physical Sciences
    • Heat and Thermodynamics
      • Heat Transfer
    • Energy
    • States of Matter
      • Changes of Phase
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Formulating Explanations
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Model Building
  • Nature and Environment

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • see color

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Sillis, Alan

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, MacNeil-Lehrer Productions, 2011