Part 1: Engage (Anchoring Phenomenon)
Teacher Notes - Implementation:
- Estimated Time: 50-60 minutes
- Materials: Device with internet access (1 per student or pair), New Haven Apizza Thermodynamics simulation, Student Handout (digital or printed).
New Haven, Connecticut is famous for its unique “apizza” (pronounced ah-beets). Unlike typical pizza, apizza is cooked in an extremely hot, coal-fired brick oven. The result is a thin crust that is noticeably charred (but not burnt!) on the bottom, with toppings that are quickly cooked on top. The cooking time is incredibly fast, often taking only a few minutes.
Questions for Consideration:
- How does the type of fuel used (e.g., coal vs. wood) affect the temperature of the oven?
- Why is the oven floor made of firebrick instead of a metal like steel, and how does this impact the cooking process?
- How does the thickness of the pizza crust change how quickly the entire pizza cooks?
Part 2: Explore (Simulation Investigation)
In this section, you will use the New Haven Apizza Thermodynamics simulation to investigate how different variables affect the transfer of thermal energy and the final state of the pizza.
Your Goal: Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that thermal energy transfers between the hot oven components and the cold pizza, resulting in a more uniform energy distribution.
Step 2.1: Initial Observations
Open the simulation and identify the three main variables you can control:
- Fuel Source (Target Temp): Wood (400 °C) vs. Coal (1000 °C)
- Oven Material (Specific Heat): Steel (Fast) vs. Brick (Slow)
- Pizza Thickness: Thin vs. Thick
Step 2.2: Planning the Investigation
Before collecting data, outline your experimental design. You need to determine how changing these variables affects the temperature of the pizza over time.
- Independent Variable: Which variable will you change in your first set of trials?
- Dependent Variable: What are you measuring to see the effect?
- Control Variables: Which variables must remain constant to ensure a fair test?
Step 2.3: Data Collection
Use the data table below (or create your own) to record the initial and final temperatures of the oven floor, oven dome, and the pizza (bottom crust, inside, and top) for different combinations of variables. Note: Record the final temperatures when the pizza reaches a “cooked” state or the temperatures stabilize.
| Trial | Fuel Source | Oven Material | Pizza Thickness | Initial Floor Temp (°C) | Final Floor Temp (°C) | Initial Pizza Temp (°C) | Final Pizza Inside Temp (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coal (1000 °C) | Firebrick | Thin | ||||
| 2 | Wood (400 °C) | Firebrick | Thin | ||||
| 3 | Coal (1000 °C) | Steel | Thin | ||||
| 4 | Coal (1000 °C) | Firebrick | Thick |
Part 3: Explain (Sensemaking)
Using the data you collected in Part 2, answer the following questions to explain the physics of baking New Haven apizza.
- Energy Distribution: According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, thermal energy always flows from a hotter object to a colder object until they reach the same temperature (a more uniform energy distribution).
- Look at your data for Trial 1. How did the temperature of the oven floor change compared to the temperature of the pizza?
- Does this observation support the idea that thermal energy was transferred? Explain your reasoning.
- Specific Heat Capacity: The oven material slider allows you to change between materials like Steel (low specific heat) and Firebrick (high specific heat). Specific heat is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a substance.
- Compare Trial 1 (Firebrick) and Trial 3 (Steel). How did the choice of oven material affect the rate at which the pizza cooked and the final temperatures?
- Explain why firebrick, with its high specific heat, is ideal for transferring a large amount of energy steadily to the pizza crust to create a char without instantly burning it.
- Modes of Heat Transfer: The explanation panel in the simulation describes three modes of heat transfer: Conduction (from the floor), Radiation (from the dome), and Convection.
- How does the thickness of the pizza (Trial 1 vs. Trial 4) affect how quickly conduction can transfer heat to the inside of the pizza?
Part 4: Elaborate/Evaluate (Argumentation & Modeling)
Teacher Notes - NGSS Alignment:
- SEPs: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
- DCIs: PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer; PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes
- CCCs: Systems and System Models
Evidence Statements Addressed:
- 1.a: Students describe the purpose of the investigation, which includes the idea that the transfer of thermal energy when two components of different temperature are combined within a closed system results in a more uniform energy distribution among the components in the system (second law of thermodynamics).
- How student work demonstrates this: In Step 2.2, students define the goal of their investigation and explicitly identify how they will measure temperature changes to observe energy transfer within the oven system.
- 2.a.i: The measurement of the reduction of temperature of the hot object and the increase in temperature of the cold object to show that the thermal energy lost by the hot object is equal to the thermal energy gained by the cold object and that the distribution of thermal energy is more uniform after the interaction of the hot and cold components.
- How student work demonstrates this: The data table in Step 2.3 requires students to document the initial and final temperatures of both the hot oven components and the cold pizza, providing empirical evidence of the temperature shift toward uniformity.
- 2.a.ii: The heat capacity of the components in the system.
- How student work demonstrates this: In Part 3, Question 2, students explicitly compare trials using materials with different specific heat capacities (Steel vs. Firebrick) and explain how this property affects the rate of thermal energy transfer.
- 3.a.ii: The data that will be collected, including masses of components and initial and final temperatures.
- How student work demonstrates this: The experimental design and data table require tracking specific initial and final temperatures across controlled variables.
- 4.a: Students collect and record data that can be used to calculate the change in thermal energy of each of the two components of the system.
- How student work demonstrates this: The completed data table provides the quantitative values needed to model the change in thermal energy.
Extension Options:
- Mathematical Modeling: Have advanced students calculate the actual heat transferred ($Q = mc\Delta T$) using estimated masses for the pizza and the specific heat values provided in the simulation interface.
- Engineering Challenge: Challenge students to design an oven optimized for a different type of food (e.g., a thick loaf of bread) by selecting the ideal fuel source and oven material based on their data.
Final Task: Construct a scientific explanation to answer the following prompt: “How does a traditional coal-fired brick oven utilize the principles of thermal energy transfer to create the signature New Haven apizza?”
Your explanation must include:
- A claim answering the prompt.
- Specific evidence from your data table regarding initial and final temperatures.
- Reasoning that connects your evidence to the concepts of the Second Law of Thermodynamics (uniform energy distribution), specific heat capacity of materials, and the different modes of heat transfer (conduction and radiation).