Thermal Insulation RPA

Question 1

Method (changing type of material)

Answer 1

1) Boil water in a kettle
2) Add 80cm cubed (or fixed volume) of the boiled water straight from the kettle to a beaker and add a cardboard lid on top to place a thermometer through
3) With a thermometer record the initial temperature
4) Start stopwatch and keep recording temperature using thermometer every 3 mins up to 15 mins and calculate temperature change by doing initial temperature- final temperature
5) Repeat steps 1-4 4 more times, this time wrapping a fixed mass of different insulating material around the beaker each time
6) Compare temperature change for each of the 5 different beakers (types of insulating material)

DV= temperature change
CV= mass off insulating material, volume of water, beaker, initial temperature of water
IV= type of insulating material

Question 2

Method (changing layers of insulating material)

Answer 2

1) Boil kettle with water
2) Wrap one layer of fixed mass of insulating material around beaker
3) Pour in fixed volume of boiled water straight from the kettle into the beaker then add a cardboard lid with a hole in on top to place the thermometer through
4) use thermometer to record initial temperature of water
5) start stopwatch and with thermometer record temperature of water every 3 mins up to 15 mins
6) calculate temperature change by doing initial temperature- final temperature
7) repeat steps 1-6, each time adding an extra layer of the same mass and same type of insulating material

CV= type of insulating material, mass of insulating material added each time, beaker, initial temperature of water, same volume of water
DV= temperature change for each different number of layers of insulating material
IV= number of layers of insulating material

Question 3

Examples of insulating materials used

Answer 3

Newspaper
Polystyrene
Cardboard
Cotton wool
Tin foil
Bubble wrap

Question 4

Why leave one beaker with no insulating material wrapped around it

Answer 4

Acts as control beaker to be able to compare change in temperature for beakers with and without insulation

Question 5

Why leave one beaker with no insulating material wrapped around it

Answer 5

Acts as control beaker to be able to compare change in temperature for beakers with and without insulation

Question 6

How to prevent unwanted heat loss from beaker

Answer 6

Use cardboard lid (ensure it has small hole in for thermometer to fit through)

Question 7

How to know which insulating material/ number of layers is most effective

Answer 7

Compare temperature change
Smallest temperature change means most effective