Hot or Not
Students learn the purpose of a fever in the body's immune system and how it protects the body against germs. The students continue to explore temperature by creating a model thermometer and completing a temperature conversion worksheet. They come to see how engineers are involved in designing helpful medical instruments such as thermometers.
What can a fever do?Copyright National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Environmental Health Perspectives http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109-8/focusfig_thermometer.JPG
Engineers have developed many tools and instruments to help doctors diagnose diseases. Thermometers are one of the quickest ways to determine if your body is sick or suffering from an infection of some kind. Engineers designed thermometers by capitalizing on the physical properties of certain fluids and the knowledge that most fluids expand when they are exposed to heat.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe the purpose of a fever in the body's immune system.
- Create a model of a thermometer and describe its function.
- Give examples of engineering that have helped with the immune system.
- Convert degrees of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit.