required practical 2

Cards (5)

  • Investigating the effectiveness of thermal insulators

    1. Place a small beaker inside a larger beaker
    2. Use a kettle to boil water
    3. Transfer 80 cm^3 of hot water into the small beaker
    4. Use a piece of cardboard as a lid for the large beaker with a hole for a thermometer
    5. Place the thermometer through the hole with the bulb in the hot water
    6. Record the starting temperature and start a stopwatch
    7. Record the temperature every 3 minutes for 15 minutes
    8. Repeat the experiment using an insulating material (e.g. bubble wrap) between the beakers
    9. Test a range of insulating materials (e.g. cotton wool, polystyrene balls)
    10. Use the same mass of insulating material in each case
  • Independent variable

    The variable that is changed in the experiment
  • Dependent variable
    The variable that is measured for each change in the independent variable
  • Control variables

    Variables that are kept constant in the experiment
  • Investigating how the thickness of a material affects thermal insulation

    1. Start with a beaker containing 80 cm^3 of hot water
    2. Measure the temperature of the water every 3 minutes for 15 minutes
    3. Repeat the experiment with 2 layers of newspaper around the beaker
    4. Repeat the experiment with 4 layers and 6 layers of newspaper