The materials I selected to test in this experiment were aluminum foil, a face cloth, construction paper and cardboard. I hypothesized that the cardboard would be the best insulator because it is thicker than the other materials being tested. I believe that the thickness of the cardboard will cause it to trap the heat in the cup and allow the water to stay hot the longest. After allowing the hot water to remain in each cup for thirty minutes, I checked the temperature in each cup and realized that my hypothesis was wrong the material that served as the best insulator was the face cloth.
If I were to do this experiment with my fifth grade students I would definitely complete it in a whole group setting. Allowing my students to work with boiling hot water would cause some safety issues. To prevent my students from being injured I would conduct the experiment and allow my students to watch, ask and answer questions.
Other items that I could test would be hot chocolate, pudding or oatmeal. I think that solid substances will stay hotter longer than liquids because the particles in solids are closely packed which will cause the heat to stay in the substance longer.
I would want my students to learn that certain materials insulates heat better that others. The type of material that they select to store hot chocolate will affect how long the hot chocolate stays hot. I also want them to make connections about how insulators are used in their homes, clothing and other materials that they use in their daily lives.
Hello Claxton,
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of safety first for the students. I was wondering if you could maybe use water that is warmer than room temperature but not hot enough to burn anyone. Maybe you could also change the experiment by using cold water.
Thanks, Adam