Differential Heating

The purpose of this differential heating lab is to see which of the given materials would heat up faster or remain the same when heated by our heat lamp. in previous years, when this lab has been conducted for the most part, results were the same as our results. Our background knowledge consisted of knowing about which of the given materials were more flammable.

Hypothesis: if differential heating occurs, then different materials will heat at different rates. I would assume that the leaves would heat up the fastest because i think that the leaves would be the most flammable out of all the other materials. I think the water temp would stay the same because water is less flammable and generally takes a long time to heat up. Materials: 6 beakers 6 thermometers light source sand dirt tape water bark dust ring stand gravel leaves Procedure: first we filled each of the six beakers half full with the six different materials provided. Then we placed a thermometer 1/2 way into each beaker with the materials. Then we taped a thermometer to each of the beakers so the thermometer stays in the middle of the beaker. Next we placed all of the beakers directly under the light source and then turned the light source on. Afterwards, we recorded the temperature of each material every three minutes for eighteen minutes total. After the eighteen minutes, we turned the light off but remained recording temperatures every three minutes as the materials cooled for eighteen more minutes. After we finished recording our data we prepared a line graph of temperatures for each material over the thirty six minute time period of heating and cooling. Data: Data Chart Conclusion: My hypothesis was correct in saying that the temperature of the water would stay the same while the other materials temperature changed while heating and cooling. i was surprised to find that sand didn’t heat up the fastest since it is usually so hot to walk on during the day and cold at night. Not all of our beakers were directly under the light so some uneven heating may have occurred. If the lab could be redone I would place each individual material under the light source, rotating turns so that the heating would be equal and I would have more accurate results. There was also a possibility that some of the thermometers may have been broken so the temperatures may not have been accurate.