Energy Forms and Changes: Heat Transfer
Heat or cool an iron block, a brick and water, put them together and watch thermal energy flow with a live energy chart.
Drag the iron block, brick and water beaker onto the burner and turn it up. Put them side by side to see heat flow from hot to cold. Watch the energy bars.
About the Energy Forms and Changes: Heat Transfer
Free energy forms and changes: heat transfer. Heat or cool an iron block, a brick and water, put them together and watch thermal energy flow with a live energy chart. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for physics, the energy forms and changes: heat transfer runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Heat or cool an iron block, a brick and water, put them together and watch thermal energy flow with a live energy chart. Use it to explore physics ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Energy Forms and Changes: Heat Transfer
- Use the controls to change Heater (− cooler, + heater), Material of block 1. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Pick an option such as Iron, Brick, Aluminium to switch modes or load an example.
- Press "Reset temperatures" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Heat the iron and the water for the same time.
- Put a hot iron block next to a cold brick.
- Switch the heater to a cooler.
Key ideas you can learn
- Heat flows from hot objects to cold ones.
- Different materials store different amounts of heat (specific heat capacity).
- Water heats up slowly because its specific heat is large.
- Energy is transferred but not lost.
Where this is used in the real world
Cooking, engines, building insulation and climate all depend on how heat moves between materials.
Who is this simulation for?
Physics students in middle school, high school and first-year university, teachers who want a quick demonstration for the projector, and anyone revising for exams. It works well for flipped classrooms because students can explore before the lesson.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does water heat up more slowly than iron?
Water has a much larger specific heat capacity, so it needs more energy for each degree of warming.
What is conduction?
Heat transfer by direct contact between objects or parts of an object.
Is the Energy Forms and Changes: Heat Transfer free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Energy Forms and Changes: Heat Transfer work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.