Lesson: Thermal Convection Physics

Students will be able to

• recognize the qualitative relationship between the proximities of different parts of a fluid to a heat source and the temperatures of those parts,
• recognize the qualitative relationship between the temperature of a fluid and the density of a fluid,
• recognize the qualitative effect of the relative densities of different parts of a fluid on the motions of those parts,
• describe qualitatively how a constant heat source applied to a fluid from below results in circulatory bulk motion of the fluid,
• qualitatively compare the kinetic and gravitational potential energies of particles within different parts of fluids that are undergoing thermal convection.