Observing Heat Conduction
Grade:
Time:
Topic:
Concept:
SOL:Science:
Rationale:
Goals:
Objective:
Materials:
2 ice cubes of equal size
2 paper cups of equal size
2 Styrofoam cups of equal size
science journal
Time: about 5 minutes preparation, 45 minutes observation time
Procedure:
Put an ice cube inside one of the paper cups.
Slip the second paper cup inside the first one so that it rests on top of the ice cube.
Do the same using the Styrofoam cups.
Lift the top cups and observe the ice cubes once every 5 minutes. Continue until one of the ice cubes completely melts.
Write down the differences you notice in your science journal. Draw a diagram showing what occurred.
Why:
Styrofoam is a better insulator that paper. It traps more air, which is a poor conductor of heat energy. The Styrofoam is less dense than the paper. The students should find that the ice cube in the paper cups melts first.