Source Institutions
Source Institutions
Add to list Go to activity
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.]
- Under 5 minutes
- 45 to 60 minutes
- 1 cent - $1 per group of students
- Ages 11 - 18
- Activity, Demonstration, Experiment/Lab Activity, Model
- English
Quick Guide
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
Subjects
-
Earth and Space Science
-
Earth Structure
- Oceans and Water
- Atmosphere
-
Earth Structure
-
Physical Sciences
-
Heat and Thermodynamics
- Heat Transfer
- Energy
-
States of Matter
- Changes of Phase
-
Heat and Thermodynamics
-
The Nature of Science
-
The Scientific Process
- Conducting Investigations
- Formulating Explanations
- Communicating Results
-
The Scientific Process
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