Museum of Innovation and Science

Chilling Out with Condensation

Manufacturing refrigerators in Erie, PA, 1939

Chilling Out with Evaporation

The first 2-door combination refrigerator and freezer, 1947

An Absorbing Experiment

Refrigeration has changed the course of modern life in many ways, from reducing the likelihood of food-borne illnesses to revolutionizing trade and interstate commerce. Foods that were previously only available to the wealth due to their scarcity, either over distance or time, were now available for anyone who could afford refrigeration technology. As refrigeration has modernized, so too has food safety and the decrease of food-borne illnesses due to improper storage techniques.

In the following activities, students will be encouraged to explore not only the history and science behind refrigeration, but also how food safety practices have translated to a reduction in disease.


·        Discuss how refrigeration techniques, as well as refrigerators themselves, have evolved over time from their invention to modern day

·        Explain how a refrigerator transfers heat to keep food cold

·        Be able to argue the pros and cons of different food preservation techniques

·        Recognize when food is spoiled and understand how that happens even when food has been preserved

·        4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy is conserved as it is transferred and/or converted from one form to another. 

o  Clarification Statement: Examples of forms of energy could include sound, light, heat, and electrical.]

o  Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include quantitative measurements of energy.

·        MS-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and phase (state) of a substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

o  Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on qualitative particulate-level models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases kinetic energy of the particles until a change of phase occurs. Examples of models could include drawings and diagrams. Examples of particles could include ions, molecules, or atoms. Examples of substances could include sodium chloride, water, carbon dioxide, and helium.

·        MS-PS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.* 

o  Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a Styrofoam cup.

o  Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.

·        HS-PS3-4. Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence 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). 

o  Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on analyzing data from student investigations and using mathematical thinking to describe the energy changes both quantitatively and
conceptually. Examples of investigations could include mixing liquids at different initial temperatures or adding objects at different temperatures to water.

o  Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to investigations based on materials and tools provided to students.

Keeping Cool--Refrigeration in Modern Life

education standards