The Heat Is On

I was to conduct an experiment using hot water and four items I thought to be good insulators.  I chose to use a washcloth folded in half, a paper towel folded into a square, tin foil, and a plastic bag.  I first placed some water on the stove to get it hot.  Then, I added ½ cup of water to each cup.  Next, I attached each material I was testing to the top of the cup held on by a rubber band.  I then placed ½ cup of water into a separate cup to check the starting water temperature.  I predicted that the tin foil would be the best insulator. (See picture below of set up) I based my prediction upon that tin foil was used to keep food items hot after removing from the oven.  I also thought that it would be the best because it did not have large air spaces in it.  I believed that the tin foil was loose less heat than the other materials I tested, but I was wrong.

           

After the experiment was set up I began a time span of 30 minutes.  The beginning temperature was 147 degrees Fahrenheit.   Once my 30 minutes was up, I placed a thermometer into the cup but not removing the material on top.  I tried to keep as much heat in before measuring the temperature change.  I tested each cup one at a time.  After recording my data I concluded that my prediction was wrong.  The tin foil was not the best insulator, but the wash cloth folded in half was the best insulator.  (See table for all results).

Material on top of cup	Starting Temperature (in degrees Farenheit)	Ending Temperature (in degrees Farenheit)	Total change in temperature (in degrees Farenheit)
Tin Foil	147	94	53
Wash Cloth (folded in half)	147	101	46
Plastic Ziploc Bag	147	89	58
Paper Towel (folded into a square)	147	99	48

I believe the type of heat transfer was conduction because the energy was transferred from one molecule to the next.  We were testing insulators to see what was able to keep the most heat in.

I did come up with some questions I will test in the future.  The wash cloth I tested was thick and had a high thread count.  I want to test the different thread counts to see if the cotton is a good conductor of heat.  I want to know if the lowest thread count will still be a good conductor or does the thread count even matter.  I also want to test the different paper towels.  The paper towel I tested was Viva and it was a thick and absorbent.  I want to check and see if the quality of the paper towel will affect whether it is a good insulator.

Some other items I would like to test would be hot chocolate, Cheez Wiz melted cheese, oatmeal, and peas.  I would also like to check these items in different cups such as a plastic cup, ceramic cup, a Tervis cup, and a styrofoam cup.  I would like to know if the cups would play a huge role in the experiement.

This experiment would be hard for me to set up in a Pre-K class.  We are using hot materials and the students do not understand heat and temperature.  They know when they feel bad they sometimes have a temperature.  I have tried to come up with a way to implement this into my class, but have had no luck.  I am open for sugestions though :)

If I taught this to my Pre-K students I would like them to learn that temperature is used to measure hot and cold.  I would show this by me using a thermometer with different substances.  I would talk about how a thermometer worked.  then, maybe I can come up with an experiment for them to do based on temperature.  The substances I will use will relate to their daily lives such as outside temperature and temperature of milk.