Feel the Heat Capacity
Provided by: Paleontological Research Institution|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Videos
Subjects: Physics
Authors: Paleontological Research Institution
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This short video by the Paleontological Research Institution explains the concept of heat capacity and then explains some implications of water's high heat capacity in the environment.
- A simple experiment of heating up two different balloons, one filled with water and one filled with air, demonstrates water's high heat capacity.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The thorough verbal explanation and visual demonstration show the high heat capacity of water, as compared to air.
- The narrator describes all components of the demonstration, easily allowing a teacher to replicate this same set-up in their classroom.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with terms like energy, temperature, and heat.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Before watching the video, consider having students record their predictions about how air and water heat up and store energy. Additionally, students can write their hypothesis for the experiment when prompted by the video.
- To dive deeper into the implications of water's high heat capacity, consider visiting this lesson: Thermal Expansion of Water.
- After watching this video, students can learn about the relationship between heat capacity, thermal expansion, and sea level rise due to climate change. The Sea Level Rise and Climate Change Demo may be a useful lesson plan for connecting these topics.
Water is an essential element in the climate system, especially as a heat regulator between the earth-ocean-atmospheric interface. The resource experiments the differences in heat capacity between air and water and concludes that water is significantly a better heat regulator and can absorb more heat than air. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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