In my experiment, I covered my mugs in aluminum foil, a wash cloth, plastic wrap, and a bounty paper towel.
The results of my experiment are listed in the data table below.
I discovered that the best insulator of heat was the aluminum foil and the worst was the plastic wrap.
|
| Original Temperature | Final Temperature | Temperature Change |
| Aluminum Foil | 94o F | 89o F | 5o F |
| Cloth | 94o F | 88o F | 6o F |
| Plastic Wrap | 94o F | 84o F | 10o F |
| Bounty Paper Towel | 94o F | 86o F | 8o F |
If I were to repeat this experiment, I might try other things such as glass, wood, metal, cardboard, rug, etc.
I think using materials such as these would also make it more interesting for my students.
I believe that by using out of the box materials such as these, my students will have to think critically about the outcome of the experiment.
I would assume that glass would be a good insulator since “it has many small air spaces” making it difficult for the molecules to move through (Tillery, Enger, & Ross. 2008. pg 86).
I also like the idea of trying to have the students keep food warm.
This would be a great real world scenario.
The question that I would pose to the students is, “The only thing you have for lunch today is a hot dog and you want it to stay as warm as possible.
What would you wrap it in to ensure that you had a nice warm lunch?”
I think some items such as water have the potential (when left uncovered) to cool faster than the food because of its state of matter.
Since water is a liquid, the particles are free to leave the mug allowing the water to cool faster.
References:
Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill.
Lauren
ReplyDeleteWere you surprised that the cloth was a fairly good insulator? I was! I expected it to insulate better than a piece of paper (which was my other choice) but in my experiment my cloth (a t-shirt) had a temperature change of 12 degrees whereas the foil had a change of 14 degrees! I did not expect it to be my top insulator!
I agree, kids, especially middle schoolers, love food. They love junk food. Most do not concern themselves with healthy food while picking out their lunch. I love the idea of giving them the task to keep their lunch warm until they are ready to eat it. What do you think if they were given the challenge of eating the same thing everyday for 1 week, and testing out different materials to keep their lunch warm? This will add a personal component to the experiment and might make them more determined to find the best insulator!
I think it is odd how much foil insulates heat even though it is a metal. Based on fundamental principles of the properties of metals, you would think that heat would pass right through the foil to the environment. Nonetheless, everyone uses foil top keep food hot because it does work. It must have something to do with the aluminum's reflective properties sending the heat back to its source.
ReplyDeleteI found that aluminum was my second best insulator, after the down vest. I suspect that glass wouldn't work very well since it's actually non-porous. It wouldn't allow for the insulating effect of "many tiny air spaces" the way my down vest does. I also note that my china saucer (more porous than glass, but glazed, so somewhat similar) was my second least efficient insulator.
ReplyDelete