Re: Pb

["S.Goelzer" <sgoelzer@COEBROWNACADEMY.COM>]

> S.Goelzer wrote
>
> "Heresy or not, thermal energy  has a fluid-like properties even
> though it is not a fluid."

Brian McInnes wrote:

> What is (are) the fluid-like property(ies)?  Please be more explicit.

Caloric Theory.

A quick google search:

<http://www.westga.edu/~chem/courses/xids/lectures/Heat/>
<http://www.treasure-troves.com/physics/CaloricTheory.html>
<http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/8/0,5716,19018+1+18725,00.html>

Which is of course wrong, but my experience is that most of my students come to class with
some variation of caloric theory to explain how matter cools and heats. Asking my 4 year
old daughter why the spoon placed in her soup became hot resulted in her inventing that
"the hot from the soup went up the spoon". Replacing this misconception with kinetic
theory  and work/energy principle is most difficult.



*****************************
S.Goelzer
Physics Teacher
Coe - Brown Northwood Academy
Northwood NH 03261
603-942-5531 ext43
sgoelzer@coebrownacademy.com
*****************************