Thermal energy—the energy that is generated and measured by heat—is such a wonderful topic that can be approached in many ways. So many questions to explore! What is heat? How does heat travel? What’s the difference between heat and temperature? How do we measure temperature? What are conductors? Insulators? And on and on…
There are times when a video offers the easiest, most accessible way to explain a concept. This is certainly true when it comes to thermal energy. Feel free to share this collection of videos with your students! If you find a video on thermal energy that you think deserves to be added here, please let us know in the Comments section below.
This video covers misconceptions about heat. A wonderful way to start a discussion on thermal energy!
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Here’s a brain teaser: is there really such a thing as COLD? This excellent video answers the question, while introducing the idea that temperature is related to kinetic energy.
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How about a rap song about conduction, convection and radiation? We’re pretty sure your students will love this!
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We’re big fans of Physics Girl and her ability to turn even the most complicated science concepts into something we can all understand. Here she is teamed up with another of our favorite YouTubers, physicist Derek Muller from Veritasium. If you’re a high school science teacher, this is worth a look.
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And last but not least, our friend Jeremy at Sci on the Fly has done a wonderful job of explaining thermodynamics here. (You may recognize the Ice Melting Blocks he’s using in his demo!)
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