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Teaching Tips:

Avoiding the "Foot-Shootings"

Often a poor choice of words or a mis-use of words can leave an incorrect impression in the minds of our students. In other words, sometimes through our own carelessness, we “shoot ourselves in the foot!” Throughout this course, we will make note of places where these might occur.

Heat rises.

Nope! Heat causes molecules in the air to move more quickly and the air becomes less dense. Being less dense, warm air rises.

Cold water is heavier than warm water, so it sinks.

Close, but be careful! Cold water is denser than warm water, so it sinks. It is important that we differentiate between weight and density. However, if you actually have the same volume of each, the cold water will actually weigh slightly more, because there are more molecules per volume.

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