Convection Currents Convection Currents Purpose Purpose To observe

Convection Currents

Convection Currents Purpose: Purpose To observe the movement of water due to convection. Materials: Materials • plastic shoebox • Beaker of ice • Beaker of hot water • Room temperature water • Food coloring

Convection Currents 1. Open your journal to the next blank page. 2. Title the page “Observing Convection Currents”

Convection Currents 1. Fill the shoebox ½ way with room temperature water. 2. Place the beaker of hot water and the beaker of ice into the shoe box that is half filled with room temperature water.

Convection Currents 1. Place 5 drops of food coloring near the beaker filled with ice. 2. Observe and record your observations in your notebook. 3. Include a LABELED diagram. Food coloring

Convection Currents 1. Return the materials according to your teachers instructions. 2. WRITE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS in your notebook, then answer them as completely as possible. Use details from the investigation to support what you say.

Convection Currents Using Evidence to Describe Your Thinking: 1. What patterns did you observe as the water moved? (Describe them) 2. What caused the water to move the way it did? What was the effect of the water movement? (Explain it) 3. How would the movement be different if this were on a larger scale like the ocean? (Explain why you think this) 4. What would happen if the water in the jars became the same temperature as the water in the plastic shoebox? (Explain why you think this) 5. What is the relationship between density and convection? (How does density affect convection? )

Credit: The investigation was modified from http: //www. washingtonesds. org/cms/lib 4/WA 07001775/Centricity/Dom ain/117/Convection%20 Currents%20 lab. pdf