Level 3: Heat on the move

Heat and matter · level 3 of 8 · rough age 9-10 (a guide for parents; anyone can start anywhere)

Heat always moves from hot to cold, and it has three ways to travel: through solids by conduction, carried by moving air and water by convection, and across empty space by radiation. This level takes each in turn, then puts all three together to keep a rover warm on a Mars night.

Lesson	You will be able to
Heat flows from hot to cold	Predict which way heat flows, and when it stops
Conduction	Explain conduction, and why metal feels colder than wood
Insulators	Choose good insulators, and explain how a vacuum flask works
Convection	Explain convection currents in air and water
Radiation	Explain how the Sun's heat crosses space, and which surfaces absorb it best
Keeping a rover warm	Use all three to explain how a rover survives the night

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