This week I conducted an experiment on heat. I poured 50 ml of water into four coffee mugs. The water was heated to 48 degrees Celsius. I then placed different materials over the top the each mug. The four materials used were foil, cloth, plastic wrap, and wool. I let the mugs sit for 30 minutes and then took the temperature of each mug.
My results were a little surprising. Before I completed the experiment I thought that the wool would be the best insulator because it was the thickest material and most clothing used in the winter is made of wool. I thought the plastic wrap would be the worst insulator because it's typically not used to retain heat. People use plastic wrap to cover cold items. The results of my experiment were the cloth had the highest temperature, then the foil and wool were tied in second, and the plastic wrap was the worst.
If I were to repeat this experiment I would like to use different materials as insulators. I would like to use Styrofoam and cotton. Styrofoam is used in coffee cups to keep the coffee warm but also to make the cup cool to the touch. Cotton is a thick material that is used in clothing to help people maintain body heat. I think the Styrofoam will be the best insulator and reduce the amount of heat that escapes.
I think this experiment would be great as a take home experiment for my students. During the school year I have my students complete about four take home experiments. It would be nice for my students to complete this activity at home and find different materials to test. Parents, of course, would help with this activity.
I was thinking the same thing about the styrofoam. Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to wrap the styrofoam around the top of the mug. If there was a next time, I would definitely try to use different types of cups, maybe plastic, styrofoam, glass, and paper. Although, I would make sure that the cups were the same size and use the same lid for each...which might pose a problem. I think that would be a better approach to insulation than trying to cover the mugs with different materials.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that this type of investigation would work well as a take home experiment.
I thought of styrofoam too, but didn't think it would make a very good seal. However, I would have liked to try some different types of materials, like the crinkly ice cream bags you can get at the supermarket. I would also like to make combinations of materials to see which one is the best.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea about having students complete an at home lab four times a year. I don't do enough of that, but they do complete some projects at home, like an edible cell or a fungus garden.