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[Phys-l] heat labs?



As our school year begins, I am looking for a good lab to do for my HEAT
topic. I teach physics in HIGH SCHOOL, and all of my labs are LOW TECH.
I've had some difficulty finding good labs to perform that are different
from the ones typically done in chemistry:

heat ice to boiling, then make a phase diagram
determine the specific heat of a metal

I don't want the labs to be too easy, like mixing hot/cold water and
predict final temperature.

I have tried the burning food lab, where you burn a peanut under a beaker
of water to determine the energy (calorie) content of various foods, then
compare it to the nutrition label on package. Interesting consumer
physics, but very messy and the results are poor due to all the heat loss.

I read an experiment somewhere (source?) about an immersion heater placed
in water. This deals with the conversion of electric energy to heat
energy. This might work, but I teach heat before electricity. Has anyone
ever tried this lab? Do students like it, and are the results good?

Are there any other types of heat lab activities (quantitative or
qualitative) appropriate for this age level.? I would appreciate any
suggestions. Thanks in advance!