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What you will learn
- Temperature change uses Q = mcΔT.
- A phase change uses latent heat without changing temperature.
- Heating power controls the rate of energy transfer.
← Thermal PhysicsFree game · no account needed
Thermal Physics · reward round
Phase Chase
Drag the heater lever and land the pot in the green band. On a slope, Q = mcΔT buys temperature. On a melting or boiling plateau the same joules buy Q = mL and the line goes flat — budget for it, because the energy meter pays for both.
Score0best 0 · streak 0× · clean run = +3
Q = m·c·ΔT20.0°C0.30 kg · c 4186 J/(kg·K) · +0.00 °C/s
Energy budget90kJof 90 kJ · level 1/5 · 60 s left
Score 0 · level 1/5 · budget 90 kJ · 60 s on the clock
How the physics works
Away from a phase change, heat raises temperature: Q = mcΔT, with c = 4186 J/(kg·K) for liquid water and 2100 J/(kg·K) for ice. The slope of the trace is exactly P/(mc) — double the lever and the line climbs twice as fast, and a smaller c (gallium’s is 370) makes the same power look explosive.
At the melting point the temperature stops dead while Q = mLf is paid in full — 334 kJ/kg for ice, which is why level 2’s flat stretch eats more energy than the whole climb before it. Boiling is worse: Lv = 2256 kJ/kg, so a forgotten lever near 100 °C quietly converts your entire budget into steam.
The game tracks one number per pot — its enthalpy — and reads temperature and phase off the piecewise curve, so the plateaus are not scripted: they fall out of the same bookkeeping a game engine would use. The dashed ghost line integrates that law forward under your current lever setting, and the mystery level works because the plateau’s height is a fingerprint: every substance melts at its own temperature.
Game 21 · Thermal Physics learning guide
Turn the playthrough into a physics lesson.
Learning objectiveManage heater power and a finite energy budget to bring a substance into a target temperature and phase band.
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How to play
- Read the target state and the available energy budget.
- Drag the heater lever, use the arrow controls, or cut power to zero.
- Follow the heating curve and stop inside the target band before the budget runs out.
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Quick classroom check
Why can a substance absorb energy during melting while its temperature remains constant?
Suitable forSecondary and upper-secondary physics · heating and changes of state
Continue this topic
Move from play to explanation and exam-style practice.
Teachers can share the page link with a class. The game is free and does not require an account.