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Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Temperature changes the properties of a substance

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Two small glass bottles lay on their sides underwater, coloured ink flows upwards from them
Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Temperature changes the properties of a substance

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  3–4


Substances that are very cold have different properties to substances that are hot.

Watch as the Surfing Scientist uses hot and cold water, food colouring and a fish tank to demonstrate what happens when water at different temperatures is mixed together.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Have you ever been swimming in a lake or pool and noticed that the water towards the surface feels warmer than the water deeper below? Why do you think that happens?
  2. 2.Which colour does the Surfing Scientist add to the cold water? Which colour is added to the hot water? What happens to the water coloured red and the water coloured blue when the lids are removed from the bottles?
  3. 3.Elliot predicted that the blue and red water would combine to make purple water when the lids were removed. Can you explain why the different temperatures of the water prevented this from happening? Would Elliot's prediction have been correct if the water in the bottles and in the tank were the same temperature? You might like to try this and explain your observations.
  4. 4.Draw a picture of the way hot air from a heater moves in a cold room. Use your picture to convince an adult why heaters work more effectively when placed closer to the floor than the ceiling. Can you think of a way to use the evidence presented in this clip to make your claims more convincing?


Acknowledgements

Image credit: 'Stryde Swimming in the Pool', courtesy Jim Larrison (Flickr).


Production Date: 2008


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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