Objective – Explain how heat is transferred by radiation.
What is the Best Absorber?
Question
Which material absorbs heat best – aluminum foil, white paper, or black paper.
Variable
Material that covers the test tube.
Vocabulary
Absorb (Absorption) – An object that holds onto heat.
Analyze (Analysis) – Review the data from an experiment to find out what they mean.
Data – Information from an experiment.
Hypothesis – Proposed answer to question or solution to problem; your best guess.
Observe (Observation) – To watch or look at something to get information.
Radiation – Heat transferred by an electromagnetic wave.
Materials
Three test tubes
Aluminum foil
White paper
Black paper
Tape
Scissors
Procedure
Test tube holder
Tape
Rubber stopper
Thermometer
Heat lamp
1. Tightly wrap a clean, dry test tube in each material. Use
just enough to cover fully the glass. Place the wrapper in
place with the clear tape.
2. Fill the test tube with room temperature water. Make sure
the outside of the test tube is kept perfectly dry. Place a
stopper in each test tube. Place them in the test tube holder.
3. Expose the test tubes to the heat lamp for twenty
minutes. Make sure the heat lamp is shining directly on the test tubes.
4. After twenty minutes, turn off the heat lamp. Take out the stoppers and measure quickly the
final temperature of the water in each tube, one-by-one.
5. Complete the questions on the worksheet.
~1~
Objective – Explain how heat is transferred by radiation.
Names _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Absent _______________________________________________________________________
What is the Best Absorber?
I. Gather (collect data/evidence)
Complete the table while you are doing the heat activity.
Data Table
Test Tube
Temp at 20 Minutes
White Paper
o
F.
Black Paper
o
F.
Aluminum Foil
o
F.
II. Reasoning (Analysis/Analyze/What does the data I gathered mean?) Review the
data/evidence in Table I. Write your analysis of what it means.
III. Communication (Conclusion/This is what my data means) Come to a conclusion and
use your evidence from Part II to support your conclusion. You will be answering the question –
Which material absorbs heat best – aluminum foil, white paper, or black paper.
~2~