Video: Thermal Expansion & Sea Level Rise

This video and accompanying lesson plan demonstrate a simple experiment to calculate the coefficient of thermal expansion of tap water. The activity is designed for a high school science class, but can also be done with younger (middle school) or older (lower division university) learners. The experiment uses common household implements, and requires basic algebraic manipulation to complete the calculations. Coefficients of thermal expansion vary as a function of pressure, temperature, and composition. Once learners have calculated the coefficient of thermal expansion for their experiment they can use tabulated coefficients to make predictions about real-world scenarios, such as the effect of increased ocean temperature on global sea level.

The video is also located on Youtube: https://youtu.be/7q2SGL_qmbg
With accompanying resources at PRI: https://www.priweb.org/science-education-programs-and-resources/teach-climate-science