This week my focus for guided inquiry was which material was the best insulator. I chose plastic wrap, aluminum foil, a kitchen towel, and notebook paper to test my question. My hypothesis was that the aluminum foil would be the best insulator and notebook paper would be the worst. I chose aluminum foil because many baking pans are made out of aluminum. My thinking was that they helped disperse the heat evenly and held in the heat to help food cook. I knew notebook paper was very thin, making it a poor insulator.
I began the experiment by lining up four mugs that were exactly the same on the counter. I measured and placed a line inside each mug to ensure that I had the same amount of water in each mug. I then heated the water to boiling in a tea kettle. This allowed me to know the exact starting temperature of the water. Once the water began to boil I immediately poured it into the mugs, and quickly placed each material on top, securing it with a rubber band. I waited thirty minutes then used a thermometer to check the temperature of each mug of water.
I found that the kitchen towel was the better insulator. This makes sense, though, many people wrap casserole dishes in towels to keep them warm. I was correct in thinking that notebook paper was the worst insulator.
I would love to test this with macaroni and cheese. I have a two year old niece who loves macaroni, and I feel that it takes forever for it cool off. I believe that pasta, due to its consistency, may stay warmer longer than water. This may be my next experiment.
i used almost the same materials as you. I used aluminum foil, plastic wrap, a kitchen towel, and card stock. My results were that the aluminum foil was the best insulator, the kitchen towel and the plastic wrap tied for second, and the card stock was the worst insulator of heat. I wonder what we did differently to get different results. I also brought the tea kettle to a boil, but I measured a cup of water and then poured the hot water into the mug and covered it. I liked how you placed a line inside each mug to make sure you had the same amount of water. I wish I would have thought of that because I know some heat was lost from the water while I was measuring out the amount.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if using different brands of aluminum foil changed the results? It could also change the results if my kitchen towel was thicker than yours.
ReplyDeletePasta noodles. Yes! I agree they take forever to cool down. I bet they would be a good insulator, maybe because of the air pocket inside? Good idea to test next time....
ReplyDeleteWell, now you know if you want to take mac n cheese to your niece and have it ready to eat when you get there, wrap it in looseleaf paper instead of foil and it will be good to go when you get there!
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