Knowledge and Skills Statement
As an educator, it is helpful to understand kinetic energy more deeply. The kinetic energy of an object is proportional to its mass and increases with the square of its speed. Thermal energy is produced by the motion of the particles in a substance and the temperature of a substance is a measure of the average kinetic energy of its particles.
Research
Robertson, Bill. “Science 101.” Science and Children 46, no. 4 (December 2008): 56–59. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43175016.
Summary: This article explains what causes different states of matter. It explains how craft store plastic balls and adhesive magnets mimic how molecules behave in solids, liquids, and gases. Adding heat causes molecules to move faster and can cause matter to change into a gaseous state. Removing heat causes molecules to move slower, which can cause matter to change into a liquid and eventually a solid.