List of Materials:
-Bamboo Wood-
-Copper-
-Plastic-
-Brass-
-Aluminum-
Predictions of the rankings:
1. Aluminum will be the best conductor of heat.
2. Brass will be the second best conductor of heat.
3. Copper will be the third best conductor of heat.
4. Plastic will be the fourth best conductor of heat.
5. Bamboo wood will be the worst conductor of heat.
Real Rankings:
-Bamboo Wood-
-Copper-
-Plastic-
-Brass-
-Aluminum-
Predictions of the rankings:
1. Aluminum will be the best conductor of heat.
2. Brass will be the second best conductor of heat.
3. Copper will be the third best conductor of heat.
4. Plastic will be the fourth best conductor of heat.
5. Bamboo wood will be the worst conductor of heat.
Real Rankings:
What we did: We put butter on the top of each rod. The heat energy would go through the rod and how hot the rod was it would warm up the butter. The butter would slide down the rod so the order of how they slid down meant how good of a conductor it was.
Questions:
Answers:
1. The Energy of the heat plate went into the water and warmed it up. The heat of the water heated up the rod so the rod got warmer. The rod got warm enough so the butter could melt. Some rods warmed up faster than others.
2. My results were different than my predictions because I used a different stradegdy to figure out which butter would slide down first.
3. The two best materials were copper and aluminum because they heat up real fast and well. Think of a metal frying pan. You don't want to touch it after it's been on a stove it will be really hot. The two rods are different metals. So they get really hot really fast.
4.The two worst conductors are the plastic and the aluminum. Those two are bad conductors because they don't heat up real well. That's why you never put a plastic or wood plate in the microwave oven. They just don't heat up fast. It takes them awhile because the wood or plastic has different energy.
5. I think the water is a good conductor because water has special chemicals that let the energy go through it.
6. I think it matters that it is a good conductor because think of wires that carry electricity. The electricity goes through the wires. Think if the wire was plastic. The electricity wouldn't move at all.
Questions:
- Describe how the heat energy transferred from the hot plate to the butter.
- How did the results compare to your predictions.
- Which of the tested materials were the two best conductors? What is your evidence?
- Which of the tested materials were the two worst conductors? What is your evidence?
- Do you think water is a good or poor conductor? Why?
- Why do you think it matters which material is a good or bad conductor? How do we use conductors in our life?
Answers:
1. The Energy of the heat plate went into the water and warmed it up. The heat of the water heated up the rod so the rod got warmer. The rod got warm enough so the butter could melt. Some rods warmed up faster than others.
2. My results were different than my predictions because I used a different stradegdy to figure out which butter would slide down first.
3. The two best materials were copper and aluminum because they heat up real fast and well. Think of a metal frying pan. You don't want to touch it after it's been on a stove it will be really hot. The two rods are different metals. So they get really hot really fast.
4.The two worst conductors are the plastic and the aluminum. Those two are bad conductors because they don't heat up real well. That's why you never put a plastic or wood plate in the microwave oven. They just don't heat up fast. It takes them awhile because the wood or plastic has different energy.
5. I think the water is a good conductor because water has special chemicals that let the energy go through it.
6. I think it matters that it is a good conductor because think of wires that carry electricity. The electricity goes through the wires. Think if the wire was plastic. The electricity wouldn't move at all.