Laboratory 9: Molecular Motion and Thermal Energy

Lab 9: Molecular Motion & Thermal Energy

Refer to the Beyond Labz application to find the lab bench and the Beyond Labz landing. Follow the instructions on the Beyond Labz worksheet specific to the lab title in order to complete this assignment.

Download the Beyond Labz worksheet for this lab here:

Molecular Motion and Thermal Energy.pdf Download Molecular Motion and Thermal Energy.pdf

Purpose

To calculate the amount of kinetic energy in a system and observe what happens when the system is given more energy. 

Intuition
What do you feel when you touch a hot frying pan? What do you feel when you sit down on your car seat when your car has been sitting in the sun? What do you feel when you pick up a plastic cup full of hot water? These are examples of how you notice thermal energy.

Definitions

Kinetic Energy; Thermal Energy

Context & Theory
All matter contains atoms, which move randomly throughout the substance. These atoms have kinetic energy. Some objects are rigid solids, so the atoms aren’t as free to move around, but the atoms still have the potential to move and, in fact, are moving slightly. The total potential and kinetic energy of an object make up its thermal energy