Inquiry | Insulator

This week, we have been conducting experiments as our inquiry focus. We conducted an experiment to find out the insulation of different materials.

First, we sorted ourselves into groups of 3 or 4 and chose what material we were going to test. The different materials are plastic, glass, tin, polystyrene, and paper cups. The first experiment we did was 'Keeping it warm'.

Next, we measured 100ml of warm water from the tap and poured it into our container. We placed the thermometer inside of the cup and started our stopwatch. We recorded the temperature of the water every 2 minutes for 20 minutes.

Then, we moved onto the second experiment called 'Keeping it cool'. We used the same material from the previous experiment. We measured 50ml of water and poured it into our container. Then we recorded the room temperature with the thermometer, and put 3 ice cubes in the container. We recorded the temperature of the water every 2 minutes for 20 minutes.

After that, we discussed what the insulators were for each material and compared the results.

We enjoyed conducting these experiments and using the thermometers to record the temperatures of the water. One thing we could work on is conducting quality experiments.

LI: to learn and practise experimental methods.

LI: to determine the insulative properties of materials.