Why Does a Fridge Stay Cold?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hey there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why does a fridge stay cold?

The Big Idea

A fridge doesn't make cold. It pumps heat out of the box! Cold is just less heat. So the fridge grabs heat from inside, and dumps it out the back. Take the heat away, and the food stays cold.

Fluid Boils Inside

Step one: a special fluid boils inside. A fridge has a special fluid, called refrigerant. Inside the fridge, it boils into a gas, at a very cold temperature. As it boils, it soaks up heat from your food and the air.

Compressor Squeezes

Step two: the compressor squeezes. The compressor is a pump that squeezes the gas into a smaller space. Squeezing packs it tight, and makes it hot, hotter than the room!

Heat Exits, Fluid Cools

Step three: the heat exits, and the fluid cools. The hot gas flows through coils on the back of the fridge, and dumps its heat into the room. Then it turns back into a cool liquid, and loops around again. The box stays cold!

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at a fridge! Coils inside the box steal heat from the food. The compressor squeezes the gas. Coils in the back let the heat leave. And the door seal keeps the cold air in.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! The back of a fridge feels warm, because that's the stolen heat leaving! Air conditioners and some water coolers use the same loop. Don't stand with the door open. That lets the cold escape. Dusty back coils make a fridge work harder.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Carefully feel the coils on the back of a fridge, not the dusty floor. Ask a grown-up to help you. Do the coils feel warmer than the room? Where do you think that heat came from?

Outro

A fridge keeps food cold by pushing heat away. Cool science, right? Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!