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Year 7

Cooling

I can describe and explain what happens to very hot water as it cools.

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New
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Year 7

Cooling

I can describe and explain what happens to very hot water as it cools.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The higher the temperature of a hot drink, the faster its particles are moving.
  2. A hot drink makes the particles in the air around it move more quickly.
  3. The particles of a hot drink begin to move less quickly as they transfer energy to the air particles.
  4. The greater the temperature difference between a hot drink and the air, the faster it cools down.

Keywords

  • Surroundings - the space around an object

  • Cooling rate - how quickly the temperature of an object falls

  • Cooling curve - a line graph that shows how a cooling object’s temperature changes with time

  • Energy - a solid object has energy in its thermal store because its particles are vibrating

  • Dissipate - to spread out

Common misconception

The energy of hot objects disappears (is destroyed) as they cool.

Placing a cup of hot water into a surrounding bowl of cold water that is warmed without the waters mixing demonstrates how surroundings are heated as energy is dissipated.


To help you plan your year 7 science lesson on: Cooling, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A data logger can be used to measure a cooling curve of hot water, with a graph projected onto a screen shown in real time (or over the course of a whole lesson).
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Teacher tip
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Equipment

Kettle, beaker, thermometer, clamp and stand, timer.

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Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In a piece of pure copper, what is there in the tiny gaps between particles of copper?
air
liquid copper
Correct answer: nothing
solid copper
Q2.
Starting with the slowest, sort the following states of matter of water in order of increasing speed of the particles of water in each.
1 - ice (solid state of water)
2 - water (liquid state of water)
3 - steam (gas state of water)
Q3.
Which of the following options help to prevent a thermometer falling onto the floor between measurements in an investigation?
Correct answer: Holding it in a clamp and stand.
Correct answer: Putting it in a tray.
Resting it against the side of a beaker.
Correct answer: Using a triangular plastic cap on the end of it.
Q4.
Starting with the weakest, sort the following states of matter of iron in order of increasing strength of the force holding particles together.
1 - gas state of iron
2 - liquid state of iron
3 - solid state of iron
Q5.
What is the approximate temperature of a classroom?
10°C
Correct answer: 20°C
30°C
40°C
Q6.
Match each of the following examples to the correct temperature.
Correct Answer:the core temperature of a human,37°C
tick

37°C

Correct Answer:a hot shower,41°C
tick

41°C

Correct Answer:a hot cup of tea,83°C
tick

83°C

Correct Answer:an ice cube in a freezer,-8°C
tick

-8°C

Correct Answer:the North Sea,6°C
tick

6°C

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
When boiling water is poured from a kettle into a mug, why is the temperature of the water in the mug always less than 100°C?
The mug does not have a lid.
The mug does not have a heating element.
There is less water in the mug than the kettle.
Correct answer: The boiling water cools as it heats up the mug.
Q2.
Which of the following describes a cooling rate?
Correct answer: Decrease in temperature in one minute.
Increase in temperature in one hour.
Decrease in temperature from start to finish.
Increase in temperature from start to finish.
Q3.
A cooling curve shows how a cooling object's temperature changes with .
Correct Answer: time
Q4.
What does a steeper line on a cooling curve tell you about how quickly the temperature of a substance is falling?
Correct answer: The steeper the line, the faster the temperature is falling.
The steeper the line, the slower the temperature is falling.
The steepness of the line does not show how quickly the temperature is falling.
Q5.
Raising the temperature of water increases the amount of __________ it has.
Correct answer: energy
heat
particles
power
Q6.
When an object cools down, its energy is into the surroundings.
Correct Answer: dissipated, dissipate, dissipates

Additional material

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