Natural Science - Year II
Unit 46: Measuring Heat Lab
Lab Assignment for Unit 46
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Unit 46 Laboratory Activity: Measuring Heat
Goal: To observe heat flow from one object to another.
Materials
- Styrofoam or ceramic cups (better insulators than glass or metal) able to hold 2 cups of water each.
- Heat source (stove?) for boiling water; teakettle or pan
- Glass measuring cups which can stand boiling water temperatures
- Thermometer
Procedure
- Measure one cup of tap water (room temperature) into one of your insulator cups.
- Record the temperature of the water in the insulator cup.
- Heat water in a pan on the stove or in the microwave until it is hot but not boiling.
- Measure 1 cup of the hot water into your glass measuring cup.
- Measure and immediately record the temperature of the hot water.
- Add the hot water to your room temperature water in the insulating cup.
- Immediately record the water temperature of the mixed water.
- Record the temperature in the insulating cup every 15 seconds until it stops changing.
- Repeat this experiment at least twice. You should use twice as much hot as cold water the second time, and twice as much cold water as hot water the third time.
Report
Be sure to cover the standard topics: describe your equipment and procedure. Record your measurements in a table form (a suggested layout is shown below), and give at least one sample of your calculations.
| Trial | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Cold water | 1 cup | 1/2 cup | 1 cup | |
| Cold water temperature | ||||
| Hot water | 1 cup | 1 cup | 1/2 cup | |
| Hot water temperature | ||||
| Water temperature, 0 secs | ||||
| Water temperature, 15 secs | ||||
| Water temperature, 30 secs | ||||
| Water temperature, 45 secs | ||||
| Water temperature, 60 secs | ||||
| Water temperature, 75 secs | ||||
| Final temperature change of cold water | ||||
| Final temperature change of hot water |
Answer the following questions in your report:
- Is the final temperature of the water ever hotter than the hot water or colder than the cold water you start with?
- Does the final temperature of the water depend on the amounts of water you mixed?
- Repeat the procedure one more time, using any proportion of hot and cold water you like, but try to predict the final temperature of the water before you do the experiment. How far from your estimate is you final result?
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