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Classroom Activity

Melting ice experiment.

In this activity, students will predict, observe, and compare melt rates of ice under different temperature conditions and in different solutions.

Cool and warm water

Ice cubes (4-6 per group, uniform size and shape)

Food coloring

Thermometers

Colander, mesh strainer, or other similar device

Small bowls (2 per group)

Cloth or paper towels

(Optional) pitchers for pouring water

(Optional) basin for catching poured water

(Optional) funnels

• This activity requires flowing water. If available, a faucet with cold and warm water can be used. Otherwise, use pitchers with warm and cold water. However, note that the rate at which water is poured from a pitcher can vary greatly. Pouring through a funnel can help regulate the flow of water.
• Consider having towels on hand for cleaning up spills and splashes.
• Safety: Hot water can scald. Make sure students are using water that is below 110° F (43° C).
• Use the leftover water from this activity to water a plant or save it for another activity instead of dumping it down the drain.

The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest body of ice in the world right behind the Antarctic ice sheet. As the ice sheet melts, the water flows into the ocean, contributing to global sea level rise.

As glacier ice melts, some of the water can reach the ground below the ice, forming a river that channels glacier water into the ocean. As it flows into the ocean, this cold, fresh meltwater will rise above the warmer, salty ocean water because freshwater is less dense than salt water.

The rising cold water then draws in the warmer ocean water, melting the face of the glacier from the bottom up. This creates an overhang of ice, the edges of which will eventually break off in a process called calving, which quickly adds more ice to the ocean. As ocean waters warm, this calving process speeds up.

This narrated animation shows warm ocean water is melting glaciers from below, causing their edges to break off in a process called calving. Credit: NASA | Watch on YouTube

Understanding these different factors that contribute to Greenland's melting ice sheet is an important part of improving estimates of sea level rise. The Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) mission was designed to help scientists do just that using a combination of water temperature probes, precise glacier elevation measurements, airborne marine gravity, and ship-based observations of the sea floor geometry. The mission, which ran from 2016 to 2022, provided a data set that scientists can now use to model ocean/ice interactions and improve estimates of global sea level rise.

Part 1: Still Water

Part 2: flowing water, part 3: salt and freshwater.

• Introduce or ask students what they know about glaciers, ice melt, and sea level rise. Consider using the lesson What’s Causing Sea-Level Rise? and having students read 10 Interesting Things About Glaciers from NASA's Climate Kids website prior to this activity. If necessary, remind students that glaciers are huge, long-lasting masses of ice sitting on landmasses that form over many years. Snow accumulates and compresses into glacier ice under the weight of newer layers of snowfall above. Glaciers are not to be confused with icebergs, which are large chunks of glaciers or ice sheets that have broken off and float freely in the ocean.

Fill one container with room-temperature water and a second container with hot water. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

Place an ice cube in each container of water and time how long it takes the ice to melt. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

• Ice cube placed in a dish of room temperature water
• Ice cube placed in a dish of hot water
• Ice cube placed under flowing room temperature water
• Ice cube placed under flowing hot water
• Fill one dish with room temperature water.
• Measure and record the temperature.
• Gently place an ice cube in the dish and record how long it takes for the ice cube to melt. There should be enough water in the dish so the ice cube floats.
• Measure and record the water temperature after the ice has melted.
• Repeat the procedure using hot water. These two steps can be done at the same time if students are able to monitor and record the melt time for both cubes of ice.
• Ask students to share their results and observations.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

• Mix water with food coloring and freeze into ice cubes (two per group or two as a class demo).
• Tell students they are going to add a colored ice cube to a saltwater solution and to a freshwater solution and allow the ice to fully melt. Ask them to make predictions about what will happen.
• In a clear beaker or plastic container, add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water and stir until the salt is dissolved. Allow time for any water movement to stop.
• Pour the same amount of freshwater into a clear beaker or plastic container. Allow time for any water movement to stop.
• Gently add one ice cube to each container, taking care to not disturb the water too much.
• Have students observe each container and take notes. It may be helpful for students to place a white sheet of paper behind the containers to see more details.

The cup on the left (with blue food coloring) contained ice melted in a saltwater solution while the one on the right (with the red food coloring) contained ice melted in a freshwater solution. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech | + Expand image

• If necessary, explain to students that because one container has salt water, and one has freshwater, the less dense meltwater floats on salt water but has the same density and mixes with the freshwater.
• Connect this phenomenon to the movement of fresh meltwater from under a glacier into warm ocean water.
• Which ice cube melted fastest? Which melted slowest? How could these results be altered? Changing the flow rate and temperature of the water will change how quickly the ice melts.
• What do these results tell you about the melting of glaciers in different conditions? Currents of warm ocean water will melt glaciers faster than still water.
• What would happen to cold meltwater that flows out from under a glacier into salty ocean water? The freshwater will rise because of its lower density, drawing in warmer ocean water against the face of the glacier.
• Students should accurately measure and record temperature and melt times.
• High school chemistry students should accurately calculate what the final temperature of the water in the containers will be in Part 1 by using specific heat capacity.
• Ask students to investigate whether ice exposed to warm or room temperature air would melt more quickly or more slowly than ice exposed to still or flowing warm or room temperature water.
• Lower elementary: Ask students to predict what would happen if some of the water was removed from the containers in Part 1 and placed in the freezer. Freeze some of the water to confirm their predictions.
• Upper elementary: Remove some of the salt water from Part 3 and place it on a flat, non-porous surface to dry. Ask students to predict what will happen when the water evaporates. Repeat the process with freshwater. Allow water to dry overnight and compare predictions to observations of what occurred.
• Middle school: Ask students to draw or describe the changes in particle motion, temperature, and state(s) of matter at the beginning and end of their observations.
• High school: Using the known masses and temperatures of the ice cubes and water in Part 1, have students calculate the final temperature of the water in the room temperature bowl and the hot water bowl using the formula m 1 CΔT 1  = m 2 CΔT 2 . Then, have them compare their calculations to observed results.

Explore More

What's Causing Sea-Level Rise? Land Ice Vs. Sea Ice

Students learn the difference between land ice and sea ice and make a model to see how the melting of each impacts global sea level.

Subject Science

Time 30 mins - 1 hr

10 Interesting Things About Glaciers

Learn all about glaciers in this slideshow from NASA's Climate Kids website

Time Less than 30 mins

Lessons in Sea-Level Rise

What is sea-level rise and how does it affect us? This "Teachable Moment" looks at the science behind sea-level rise and offers lessons and tools for teaching students about this important climate topic.

Grades 5-12

Time 30-60 mins

Collection: Climate Change Lessons for Educators

Explore a collection of standards-aligned STEM lessons for students that get them investigating climate change along with NASA.

How Melting Ice Causes Sea Level Rise

Learn the difference between land ice and sea ice, then do an experiment to see how the melting of each contributes to global sea level rise.

Collection: Climate Change Activities for Students

Learn about climate change and its impacts with these projects, videos, and slideshows for students.

Teachable Moments: Reflecting On Greenland’s Melting Glaciers as OMG Mission Concludes

Explore how the OMG mission discovered what's behind one of the largest contributors to global sea level rise. Plus, learn what it means for communities around the world and how to get students engaged.

NASA Greenland Mission Completes Six Years of Mapping Unknown Terrain

To learn how ocean water is melting glaciers, NASA’s Oceans Melting Greenland mission extensively surveyed the coastline of the world’s largest island.

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Science project, heat transfer experiment.

Heat energy is constantly being transferred from one substance to another.  Heat energy always moves from the hotter material to the colder material.  When you hold an ice cube, it might feel like the coldness is creeping up your hand, but it’s actually the other way around—the heat of your body transfers to the ice cube, which results in the ice cube obtaining a higher temperature and eventually melting.

Conduction is the most efficient form of heat transfer. In conduction, molecules of the warmer substance are moving faster than the molecules of the cooler substance. When the faster moving molecules collide with the slower moving molecules of the cooler substance, some of energy of the warmer substance is passed on. The cooler molecules that were directly collided with are moving faster, and when they collide with the surrounding cool molecules, they start moving faster too. Conduction is kind of like the game “telephone,” where the message is passed on by every individual in the circle.

The speed of conduction depends on how different the temperatures of the two objects are, how far apart they are, and what type of materials are conducting the heat. For instance, metal is a far better conductor than Styrofoam. That’s why metal is used for cooking and Styrofoam is used for the disposable coffee cups.

• Refrigerated butter or margarine
• Long metal spoon
• Large glass Jar
• Hot tap water
• Using tiny bits of cold butter, secure the three beads to the spoon handle. Make a hypothesis as to which bead will fall off the spoon first.
• Have a grown-up fill the jar with enough hot water so that just the bowl of the spoon is submerged.
• Place the spoon in the water, set the timer, and watch.

You are likely to see bead A drop off first, then bead B, and then bead C. The time it takes to do this depends on how warm your water is, and the type of butter and spoon you used.

Remember that conduction involves direct collisions between the molecules. For your particular heat transfer experiment, the source of the heat energy is the warm water. The molecules of the warm water first collide with the metal molecules in the bowl of the spoon. The molecules in the bowl of the spoon are moving faster, and they are closest to the molecules in the lowest part of the handle, so that is the next place the heat energy is transferred. The first of part of handle to get the conducted heat energy is under bead A, so the butter under that bead softened, and the bead fell off. The heat energy continued travelling along the spoon, reaching the butter under bead B next and bead C.

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Introduction:

Heat conduction is the process of transferring heat energy from one area of a substance to another through collisions between particles. This phenomenon plays a crucial role in understanding thermodynamics and various real-world applications. In this article, we will discuss three simple and educational heat conduction experiments you can perform at home or in the classroom.

1. The Metal Spoon Test

– Metal spoons (at least 3, each made of different metals)

– A pot of boiling water

– A timer

1. Place the metal spoons into the pot of boiling water, ensuring that their handles do not touch.

2. Once the spoons are submerged in the water, start the timer.

3. After about two minutes, carefully remove each spoon from the pot using protective gloves to avoid burns.

4. Observe which spoon handle became hot faster than others.

In this experiment, metals with higher thermal conductivity will transfer heat faster along their length, causing some spoon handles to get hot more quickly.

2. The Ice Cube Melting Race

– Ice cubes (at least 4)

– Blocks of different materials (such as wood, metal, plastic, and Styrofoam)

– A stopwatch or timer

1. Place one ice cube on top of each material block on a level surface.

2. Start the stopwatch or timer when all ice cubes are positioned.

3. Observe and compare which ice cube melts fastest.

The materials with higher thermal conductivity will absorb heat from their surroundings and transfer it to the ice faster, causing more rapid melting.

3. The Insulation Test

– Four small plastic containers with lids

– Aluminum foil

– Bubble wrap

– Cloth or fabric

– Thermometer

– Hot water

1. Line the insides of three containers with aluminum foil, bubble wrap, and cloth respectively, leaving the fourth container unmodified.

2. Fill each container with an equal amount of hot water and seal them using their lids.

3. Place a thermometer inside each container to measure the initial water temperature.

4. Check the temperature every five minutes for 30 minutes and record your readings.

This experiment demonstrates the insulating properties of materials as they slow down heat transfer. Containers with better insulation will conserve heat, resulting in a more gradual decline in their water temperature.

Conclusion:

These simple heat conduction experiments provide valuable insights into the thermodynamics of heat transfer. By performing these experiments, it’s possible to gain a better understanding of how different materials conduct heat and their various applications in daily life. Remember to handle hot materials carefully and use protective gear to avoid burns or other injuries while conducting these experiments.

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• Science Experiments

A Guide to 3 Simple Heat Conduction Experiments

Last Updated: November 24, 2023 Fact Checked

• Bunsen Burner

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 183,188 times.

Whether you realize it or not, heat conduction is an important part of our lives. You probably use it every single day when you’re cooking a meal or using a radiator. The transfer of heat from a heat source to an object is basic heat conduction. If you’re looking for a way to test it yourself or explain it to a child there are a few simple experiments you can choose from.

Performing a Heat Conduction Experiment With Hot Water

• You need to get spoons that are relatively long. If you put the spoon in the pot the handle should be coming out of the pot by about three or four inches.
• If you want a precise measurement for heat conduction you can also use thermometers. In that case, you’ll need three thermometers and electrical tape.

• While any pot will work, a shallow, broad pot might help you balance the butter on the spoons more easily.

• If you are using thermometers to measure the heat conduction, tape the thermometers to the handles of each spoon before you put them in the water.

• Metal conducts heat better than wood, which conducts heat better than plastic.
• If you are using thermometers, check your thermometer readings after a few minutes. The same results will appear with specific numbers.

Performing a Heat Conduction Experiment With a Balloon

• The balloon pops because the candle heated up the balloon, which weakened the balloon.

• The candle is warming the water rather than popping the balloon. That’s why water isn’t going flying everywhere. The balloon conducts heat and is able to transfer it to the water without damaging the balloon.
• If you hold the candle to the balloon long enough it will pop, but it will take much longer than a balloon filled without air.

Performing a Heat Conduction Experiment With a Bunsen Burner

• You can buy wax and metal tacks at a craft store.

• You should have six tacks connected to the metal rod in all.

• If you have heat resistant gloves and no other way to secure the metal rod over the burner, you can hold the rod there. Keep a steady hand.

• This experiment illustrates how metal conducts heat. You can visualize how one end of the metal rod got hot rather than the entire rod heating up at an equal pace. This is based on where the Bunsen burner was placed. If you placed the burner in the middle of the rod, the heat would start in the middle and extend outwards in either direction. [11] X Research source

Community Q&A

• Use Eye protection if you're handling a Bunsen burner. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Handle the Bunsen burner with care. Place on a safety flame when not heating. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://www.stemlittleexplorers.com/en/heat-conduction-experiment/
• ↑ https://coolscienceexperimentshq.com/conducting-heat/
• ↑ https://www.abc.net.au/science/surfingscientist/pdf/teachdemos_7.pdf
• ↑ https://www.scienceworld.ca/resource/fireproof-balloons/
• ↑ http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ExperimentOnHeatConduction/

About This Article

Heat conduction occurs when heat transfers from a source to an object. You can perform an experiment that shows heat conduction using a pot of water and spoons. Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and then removing it from the heat. Then, place 1 wooden spoon, 1 plastic spoon, and 1 metal spoon in the water so the bowl on each spoon is sticking up out of the water and resting on the side of the pot. Place a slice of butter into each of the spoon bowls and wait a few minutes. When you check the spoons, you'll notice that the butter is more melted in the metal spoon than it is in the wooden and plastic spoons. This is because metal conducts heat better than wood and plastic. You'll also notice that the butter is more melted in the wooden spoon than in the plastic spoon, since wood conducts heat better than plastic. To learn how to do a heat conduction experiment with a balloon, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Melting Ice Experiment

Our countdown to Christmas continues for day 23 of Advent. I’m sharing a Christmas science idea with you at the beginning of each day until Christmas. Day 23’s activity is a  Melting Ice Experiment . 

Melting Ice Experiment 

In our snow science experiment, we looked at which location would melt the snow first. The difference between the locations was their temperature. What if we kept the location temperatures the same – could something else effect how quickly the snow {or ice since all of our snow is gone} melted? This experiment looks at conduction. Which surfaces conduct/transfer heat more easily?

Here’s what you need:

• metal {like a pot or pan}
• plastic {like a cutting board, a lid, or a bowl}
• paper {like a paper plate}
• glass {like a bowl or a cutting board}

Choose a variety of surfaces for your ice to melt on. Compare metal, plastic, glass, and paper to see which makes a better conductor of heat. We used two different plastic cutting boards, a glass cutting board, a paper plate, a plastic lid, a glass bowl, and a metal pot.

Before placing the ice on the surfaces, have your child place his hand on the different materials. Which one feels the coldest? Which one feels the warmest? We used a thermometer to test the surface temperatures. They were all around room temperature {between 71 and 74°F}. The metal pot was cooler to the touch than the other surfaces.

Ask your child to make a hypothesis {a prediction} about where the ice will melt faster. On which surface will the ice melt the fastest? Do you think it’s the surface that felt the warmest? Or maybe it’s the surface that felt the coolest? Or maybe one of the other surfaces?

Add the ice cubes to the surfaces. Which ice cube begins to melt first? How long does it take? Which one melts next?

The ice cube in the metal pot was the first to melt. It happened very quickly. The other ice cubes took much longer to melt.

Our next ice cube to barely begin to melt was on the thin glass cutting board. The other ice cubes were still frozen. This is what the ice cube in the metal pot looked like.

Why did the ice in the metal pot melt first? The metal pot was the best conductor of heat. Conduction is the transfer of heat through a material {object, air, liquid}. The material itself doesn’t move. Heat moves from a high temperature material to a lower temperature material. The metal pot allowed the heat to move from the room through the pot and to the ice more easily than the other surfaces.

I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 24’s Christmas science activity.

More Christmas Activities for Kids

• Catch all of our Christmas Science Advent Calendar ideas .
• Explore pine needles and Christmas trees and take our Christmas science challenge.
• Turn your child’s art into a great Christmas project with these 15 Christmas ideas with children’s art .
• Check out all of our Christmas ideas .

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Heat Transfer – Conduction, Convection, Radiation

Heat transfer occurs when thermal energy moves from one place to another. Atoms and molecules inherently have kinetic and thermal energy, so all matter participates in heat transfer. There are three main types of heat transfer, plus other processes that move energy from high temperature to low temperature.

What Is Heat Transfer?

Heat transfer is the movement of heat due to a temperature difference between a system and its surroundings. The energy transfer is always from higher temperature to lower temperature, due to the second law of thermodynamics . The units of heat transfer are the joule (J), calorie (cal), and kilocalorie (kcal). The unit for the rate of heat transfer is the kilowatt (KW).

The Three Types of Heat Transfer With Examples

The three types of heat transfer differ according to the nature of the medium that transmits heat:

• Conduction requires contact.
• Convection requires fluid flow.
• Radiation does not require any medium.
• Conduction is heat transfer directly between neighboring atoms or molecules. Usually, it is heat transfer through a solid. For example, the metal handle of a pan on a stove becomes hot due to convection. Touching the hot pan conducts heat to your hand.
• Convection is heat transfer via the movement of a fluid, such as air or water. Heating water on a stove is a good example. The water at the top of the pot becomes hot because water near the heat source rises. Another example is the movement of air around a campfire. Hot air rises, transferring heat upward. Meanwhile, the partial vacuum left by this movement draws in cool outside air that feeds the fire with fresh oxygen.
• Radiation is the emission of electromagnetic radiation. While it occurs through a medium, it does not require one. For example, it’s warm outside on a sunny day because solar radiation crosses space and heats the atmosphere. The burner element of a stove also emits radiation. However, some heat from a burner comes from conduction between the hot element and a metal pan. Most real-life processes involve multiple forms of heat transfer.

Conduction requires that molecules touch each other, making it a slower process than convection or radiation. Atoms and molecules with a lot of energy have more kinetic energy and engage in more collisions with other matter. They are “hot.” When hot matter interacts with cold matter, some energy gets transferred during the collision. This drives conduction. Forms of matter that readily conduct heat are called thermal conductors .

Examples of Conduction

Conduction is a common process in everyday life. For example:

• Holding an ice cube immediately makes your hands feel cold. Meanwhile, the heat transferred from your skin to the ice melts it into liquid water.
• Walking barefoot on a hot road or sunny beach burns your feet because the solid material transmits heat into your foot.
• Iron clothes transfers heat from the iron to the fabric.
• The handle of a coffee cup filled with hot coffee becomes warm or even hot via conduction through the mug material.

Conduction Equation

One equation for conduction calculates heat transfer per unit of time from thermal conductivity, area, thickness of the material, and the temperature difference between two regions:

Q = [K ∙ A ∙ (T hot – T cold )] / d

• Q is heat transfer per unit time
• K is the coefficient of thermal conductivity of the substance
• A is the area of heat transfer
• T hot  is the temperature of the hot region
• T cold  is the temperature of the cold region
• d is the thickness of the body

Convection is the movement of fluid molecules from higher temperature to lower temperature regions. Changing the temperature of a fluid affects its density, producing convection currents. If the volume of a fluid increases, than its density decreases and it becomes buoyant.

Examples of Convection

Convection is a familiar process on Earth, primarily involving air or water. However, it applies to other fluids, such as refrigeration gases and magma. Examples of convection include:

• Boiling water undergoes convection as less dense hot molecules rise through higher density cooler molecules.
• Hot air rises and cooler air sinks and replaces it.
• Convection drives global circulation in the oceans between the equators and poles.
• A convection oven circulates hot air and cooks more evenly than one that only uses heating elements or a gas flame.

Convection Equation

The equation for the rate of convection relates area and the difference between the fluid temperature and surface temperature:

Q = h c  ∙ A ∙ (T s  – T f )

• Q is the heat transfer per unit time
• h c  is the coefficient of convective heat transfer
• T s  is the surface temperature
• T f  is the fluid temperature

Radiation is the release of electromagnetic energy. Another name for thermal radiation is radiant heat. Unlike conduction or convection, radiation requires no medium for heat transfer. So, radiation occurs both within a medium (solid, liquid, gas) or through a vacuum.

Examples of Radiation

There are many examples of radiation:

• A microwave oven emits microwave radiation, which increases the thermal energy in food
• The Sun emits light (including ultraviolet radiation) and heat
• Uranium-238 emits alpha radiation as it decays into thorium-234

Radiation Equation

The Stephan-Boltzmann law describes relationship between the power and temperature of thermal radiation:

P = e ∙ σ ∙ A· (Tr – Tc) 4

• P is the net power of radiation
• A is the area of radiation
• Tr is the radiator temperature
• Tc is the surrounding temperature
• e is emissivity
• σ is Stefan’s constant (σ = 5.67 × 10 -8 Wm -2 K -4 )

More Heat Transfer – Chemical Bonds and Phase Transitions

While conduction, convection, and radiation are the three modes of heat transfer, other processes absorb and release heat. For example, atoms release energy when chemical bonds break and absorb energy in order to form bonds. Releasing energy is an exergonic process, while absorbing energy is an endergonic process. Sometimes the energy is light or sound, but most of the time it’s heat, making these processes exothermic and endothermic .

Phase transitions between the states of matter also involve the absorption or release of energy. A great example of this is evaporative cooling, where the phase transition from a liquid into a vapor absorbs thermal energy from the environment.

• Faghri, Amir; Zhang, Yuwen; Howell, John (2010). Advanced Heat and Mass Transfer . Columbia, MO: Global Digital Press. ISBN 978-0-9842760-0-4.
• Geankoplis, Christie John (2003). Transport Processes and Separation Principles (4th ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-101367-X.
• Peng, Z.; Doroodchi, E.; Moghtaderi, B. (2020). “Heat transfer modelling in Discrete Element Method (DEM)-based simulations of thermal processes: Theory and model development”. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science . 79: 100847. doi: 10.1016/j.pecs.2020.100847
• Welty, James R.; Wicks, Charles E.; Wilson, Robert Elliott (1976). Fundamentals of Momentum, Heat, and Mass Transfer (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-93354-0.

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FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

• TeachEngineering
• Insulation Materials Investigation

Hands-on Activity Insulation Materials Investigation

Grade Level: 11 (9-12)

(can be split into two 45-minute sessions)

Expendable Cost/Group: US $2.00

Group Size: 2

Activity Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Physics, Science and Technology

NGSS Performance Expectations:

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, pre-req knowledge, introduction/motivation, vocabulary/definitions, activity extensions, additional multimedia support, user comments & tips.

Engineers, architects and contractors take insulation into account in the design and construction of any building. Engineers create materials that prevent the transfer of heat by conduction, convection and radiation in order to keep cool things cool or warm things warm. We don't want the cold air sneaking into our homes in the winter, and we don't want it escaping in the summer! These materials are installed in homes and other buildings to help lower the energy costs of heating and cooling. Engineers also design thermal insulation for countless other products and purposes, including pipe insulation (so water does not freeze in the pipes or heated water does not lose heat), handling food and beverages, space travel, and even your clothing!

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Describe the purpose of insulation materials as they relate to heat transfer.
• Describe the basic attributes that are common to insulation materials.
• Describe how engineers make decisions about insulation materials.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

State Standards

Texas - science.

Each pair of students needs:

• small glass laboratory beakers (1 or 5 or more, depending on the chosen set-up)
• stopwatch or a similar timing device
• low-temperature hot plate
• Insulation Materials Investigation Worksheet
• blank paper and pencils

To share with the entire class:

• assortment of materials to test as possible insulation materials, such as tissues, newspaper, cotton balls, Styrofoam, aluminum foil, cloth, shaving cream, petroleum jelly, snack foods (such as cheese curls), etc.

A basic understanding of temperature and heat is required. Students should know that heat is a form of energy that flows from hot to cold objects. Students must also understand the three methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and thermal radiation.

How many of you have ever crawled around your attic (or a crawl space) before? Can you describe some things that you saw there? (Wait for responses, expect students to mention insulation.)

What does the insulation do? (Listen to student responses.) How does the insulation keep the house cool (or warm)? (Listen to student ideas.) Have you seen insulation used in other places, for other purposes?

It may surprise you to find out that a lot of science and engineering go into designing insulation—it's much more than just pink fiberglass fluff strewn about. One of the main things that engineers focus on is making sure that buildings are correctly insulated. Reducing energy consumption is always a hot topic. Using insulation is a great way to reduce energy expenditures; without it, we would quickly find ourselves in an energy crisis across the U.S. In fact, sometimes that still happens when prolonged heat waves or severe frigid weather overwhelms the electric grid with energy demands for air conditioning or heating, especially in large cities!

So, what makes a good insulator? That's where the physics of heat transfer comes in. Today, we will talk about the three types of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and thermal radiation, and see how they relate to our insulating materials experiment.

Let's first talk about the science that relates to heat transfer, so we can understand why insulating materials are so important in the first place. In short, when heat is applied to an object, one of two things occurs: either the temperature of the object rises or it goes through a phase transition. For today's activity, we will focus primarily on the heat added to change the phase for H 2 0 from solid (ice) to liquid (water).

A thermal insulator is a material that conducts heat poorly. Can you think of a good example? (Listen to student ideas.) Well, Styrofoam is a good example. You can comfortably hold a hot cup of coffee or a piece of metal surrounded by just a centimeter of Styrofoam. Heat flows very slowly through it so that the temperature of your hand does not rise very much. Styrofoam gets its insulating ability by trapping spaces of air in bubbles. We use thermal insulators to maintain temperature differences by not allowing much heat to flow. What is the purpose of insulation? Well, heat always flows from a hot body to a cold body, and so the purpose of insulation to slow the flow . That is important for both comfort and survival.

Now, what about the engineering? When engineers design insulation, they are working against heat transfer, trying to stop it as best they can. Insulation is rated in terms of thermal resistance , which is called the R-value of the insulation. The higher the R-value, the higher the resistance to heat flow and the more effective the insulator.

Physicists create all kinds of amazing insulators, but it is the job of engineers to design practical, cost-effective and safe materials that can be put to everyday use into homes or other buildings. What types of insulation materials have you seen? (Listen to student suggestions.) Here are some different types of common insulation materials:

• Blankets, in the form of batts or rolls, are made from mineral fibers, fiberglass or rock wool.
• Blown-in loose-fill insulation is made from cellulose, fiberglass or rock wool. It is often used to fill in wall cavities or unfinished attic floors.
• Foam insulation is typically sprayed using professional equipment. It comes in two forms: open-cell and closed-cell. Open-cell allows water vapor to move through more easily, but has a lower R-value.
• Rigid insulation is made from fibrous materials or plastic foams, and manufactured in board-like forms and molded pipe-coverings.
• Reflective insulation systems are fabricated from aluminum foils with various backings.
• Radiant barriers are installed to reduce summer heat gain and winter heat loss. Radiant barriers have low emittance and high reflectance.

So—what is the purpose of insulating materials? (Wait for students to answer.) Yes—they are designed to slow down heat transfer. Today, you are going to compare different materials to see which prevents the most heat transfer between an ice cube and a glass beaker!

During this activity, students test the insulation properties of various materials by using ice cubes. The purpose of the experiment is to get students to think about heat transfer and how that relates to the insulation properties of different materials, and why engineers take this into account.

Each set-up includes five (or more) different insulating materials placed in glass beakers. Students time how long it takes a single ice cube to melt in each beaker. You can run the experiment two different ways:

• Each group prepares and oversees a set of five beakers and four different insulation materials. Students record the time it takes for ice cubes to melt for each of the materials in its set-up. (One beaker is a control.) Or: 
• Minimize the time and materials required by using only one set-up of five beakers (or more, depending on class size) and different materials for the entire class, and give each group one beaker from the set-up. Each group measures the time it takes for its ice cube to melt and data is pooled for analysis. (One beaker is a control.)

Regardless of the scenario, students write-up lab reports that include initial hypotheses about which material they expect to make the best insulator, a data table, and conclusions drawn from the data.

Before the Activity

• Make sure that you have a method of producing identical ice cubes. Ice trays work as long as each cube is filled to the same depth prior to freezing. Leave the ice cubes in the freezer until you are ready to pass them out.
• Gather materials for each group, including an assortment of materials to use as "insulators."
• Make copies of the Insulation Materials Investigation Worksheet , one per group.

With the Students

• Have students examine each material that you have available. Ask the class to be silent for two minutes while each student writes down a prediction about which material will turn out to be the best insulator. Require they write one-sentence explanations, defending their choices.
• Divide the class into groups of two students each.
• Give each group five small glass beakers. Have each group choose four different insulating materials they want to test. Direct each group to leave the fifth beaker empty to serve as a control. Ask students to think about what is flawed about using a beaker as a control, and ask them about it when the experiment is over. (See answer at end of Procedure section).
• Have students fill the bottom of each beaker with exactly 1 in (2.25 cm) of a test insulating material. Instruct students to pack the insulating material tightly into the beaker, minimizing the presence of air in the insulation (this applies to materials such as newspaper, cotton balls, junk food, etc., which can be compressed). Explain that the presence of air between insulation materials could skew the results because air has insulating properties of its own! Also explain that students must be precise about the volume of insulating materials placed in each beaker so that the trial results can be fairly compared based on the volume of insulating material used.
• Have students turn their hot plates on low, and place all five beakers onto the hot plate at the same time. It is important that a group's beakers are placed onto the same hot plate at the same time so that each beaker receives the same amount of heat.
• Retrieve the ice cubes from the freezer and give five cubes to each group, instructing them to immediately put one cube into each beaker, and make sure that the cube is resting on top of the material in the bottom of the beaker. Emphasize that groups must keep the temperatures on the hot plates low! Explain that the reason they placed the insulators on the bottom of the beaker was to keep the heat source (hot plate) from reaching the ice cube, in order to assess the effectiveness of the insulating material.
• Depending on the amount of class time available, let the ice cubes melt and collect data by either timing or weighing them. Two options.
• If you have 30+ minutes of class time, have students time how long it takes for the ice cubes in each set-up to melt. The resulting data collected is the melting times for each material. The material in the beaker with the cube that has the longest melting time is considered the best insulator.
• If you are short on time, let the ice cubes melt for at least 20 minutes, then take them out and have the students use triple beam balances to measure the mass of the cubes. If the cubes started close to identical, then the cube with the largest final mass is considered the best insulator.
• While groups are waiting for the ice cubes to melt, have them begin discussing the worksheet questions and composing their answers.
• Instruct students to check back on their ice cubes regularly to increase data accuracy. If conducting one experiment set-up per class, have students share their data on the board so students can compare them and judge the best insulator.
• Have students draw conclusions based on their data and results, and use the worksheet and extra paper to write up lab reports that include their initial hypotheses of the best insulator, data tables with the different times, and their conclusions based on the data. Or, see the alternative and additional concluding activities described in the Assessment section.
• Bonus Question: What is flawed about using a beaker as a control? (Answer: The material of the beaker also has slight insulating properties, and a true control would be a set-up that utilized no insulating materials whatsoever. If we wanted to be more scientific about this experiment, we would place the control ice cube directly on a hot plate, and place the other insulating materials directly on the hot plate as well. But, for this activity, we are mindful of the fire-hazard that some of the insulating materials would become if placed directly on hot plates, so we used beakers.)

conduction: The transfer of heat through a substance by direct contact of atoms or molecules.

convection: The transfer of heat by circulation of a gas (such as air) or liquid (such as water).

radiation: Heat radiated in the form of rays or waves (such as rays from the sun).

R-value: A measure of the resistance of an insulating or building material to heat flow (its thermal resistance). The higher the R-value, the greater the resistance to heat flow and the more effective the insulator.

thermal insulator: A material that conducts heat poorly.

Worksheets : During the activity, have student teams use the attached Insulation Materials Investigation Worksheet to record their initial hypotheses about which material they expect to make the best insulator, data (ice cube melting times or, alternatively, ice cube masses), and conclusions drawn from the data. After the experiment is over, have them discuss with teammates the questions on the worksheets. Then have one teammate write-up the odd-numbered answers and the other write-up the even-numbered answers. The questions (and answers) are also listed below, as follow-up questions.

Follow-Up Questions : As an alternative to students writing up answers to the worksheet questions, lead a concluding class discussion, asking them to contribute from their results to answer the following questions.

• Based on your data, which material turned out to be the best insulator? Why? (Answer: The ice cube with the longest melting time indicates the best insulator. Or, alternatively, the ice cube with the largest final mass.)
• Based on your data, which material turned out to be the worst insulator? Why? (Answer: The ice cube with the shortest melting time was the worst insulator. Or, alternatively, the ice cube with the smallest final mass.)
• As an engineer, what conclusions might you draw from your data? (Possible answers: Insulators that did a good job of protecting the ice cube from melting would be appropriate for use in cold climates, and could protect people and their homes during cold weather. Conversely, insulators that did a poor job of preventing the ice cube from melting would be suitable for warmer climates.)
• How did your results differ from the predictions you made before conducting the experiment?
• What were some controls in this experiment? (Possible answers: beaker size, ice cube volume, insulation material volume, hot plate temperature.)
• What method of heat transfer caused the ice to melt? (Answer: Conduction)
• What heat processes (convection, conduction, radiation) do you think are most prevalent in and around the beaker? (Answer: Conduction is heat transfer that occurs between substances that are in direct contact with each other, such as a beaker on a hot plate. Therefore, conduction is the main method of heat transfer at work in this experiment. However, if we look hard enough, we might find evidence of convection or radiation as well. Radiation is heat transfer by electromagnetic waves traveling through space, so if you feel warmth on your hands as they hover above the hot plate you are experiencing warming through radiation. Convection occurs when gases or liquids begin to move via convective currents due to heat transfer. As the ice is heated, in cases of poor insulation it may have turned entirely to water, in which case, convection may have begun.)
• How does this experiment help us determine the best insulator? (Answer: The best insulator is the one that does the best job of protecting the ice cube from heat transfer. Therefore, this experiment reveals the best insulator through data collection on the length of time it takes the ice cubes to melt, or by comparing the masses of the ice cubes at the end of a given amount of time.)
• How might you improve upon this experiment? (Possible answer: The beaker has its own insulation properties, and therefore, impacted the data in this experiment. To better test the effectiveness of various materials for insulation, we would need to place the material being tested for insulation properties directly on the heat source. That way, the beaker would not impact the data.)
• What else could you test using this experiment? (Possible answer: We could measure the mass of the ice cubes at various time intervals to compare the rate of heat transfer between various insulation materials.)
• What are some causes of error from the hot plates? (Answer: The hot plates may not have uniform temperatures; the inside of a hot plate might be warmer than its outer edge. Additionally, each hot plate is different, so data cannot be confidently compared across hot plates.)
• In engineering, why is it useful to know the insulation properties of different materials? (Answer: Understanding the insulation properties of different materials helps engineers meet the varying needs of their clients. In some cases [perhaps depending on the clients' location or project constraints or requirements], engineers employ materials with poorer insulation properties, whereas in other cases, engineers are looking to create thermal envelopes with excellent insulation.)
• List at least three attributes that insulating materials have in common. (Possible answer: Insulating materials 1] conduct heat poorly, 2] have high R-values, and 3] slow the flow of heat transfer.)

Recommendations : Provided students (or show the class with an overhead projector) the US Recommended Insulation Levels Chart (or print the same chart from this Energy Star website: https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_sealing.hm_improvement_insulation_table ). Referring to the chart, have students answer the following questions:

• Why are different R-levels recommended based on geographic location? Why does the tip of Florida have a recommended R-value of 1, while Michigan is recommended at 5 or 6? (Possible answer: Different levels of insulation are needed based on climate. In colder regions, more insulation is needed to keep homes warm. The website states that, "Insulation levels are specified by R-value. R-value is a measure of insulation's ability to resist heat traveling through it. The higher the R-value the better the thermal performance of the insulation." Therefore, an R-level of 5 or 6 in Michigan requires better insulation performance than the low R-level in Florida, where air temperatures are warmer.)
• As an engineer, based on your answer to the first question as well as the data you gathered, which insulator from your experiment would you recommend for use as insulation for a home in Florida? (Use your imagination—obviously real engineers would not recommend cotton balls or Cheetos as the new popular insulating material for homes!) What about in Michigan? (Good answers are based on the length of time it took the ice cube to melt. For example, a set-up in which the ice cube melted most quickly indicates a poor insulator, and therefore would be more suitable for Florida).
• Have students examine the map and chart information to discuss and compare what they know to the information provided. Find locations where they have lived and share whether or not the map verifies the type of insulation they have seen in those regions.

Safety Issues

Even though students should be using low-temperature hot plates, they should take care in allowing any of the insulation test materials to touch the plates. 

While fiberglass has been used as home insulation for a long time, newer, more efficient, safer and greener alternatives are now widely available. Have students research these alternative insulation materials that have been designed by engineers. Examples: new types of batting (such as recycled denim), foam, and loose-fill (recycled paper cellulose). Require reports to describe R-factors, cost, durability and environmental impact. Discuss other issues, such as indoor air quality, sealing the thermal envelope, and adding rigidity to a structure.

Show students the 5:39-minute "Mainstream Green: Insulation" video to learn about the many different insulation products now available: http://www.fanboyreport.com/article/category/videos/517150696/

Students learn about the definition of heat as a form of energy and how it exists in everyday life. They learn about the three types of heat transfer—conduction, convection and radiation—as well as the connection between heat and insulation.

Students learn about the nature of thermal energy, temperature and how materials store thermal energy. They discuss the difference between conduction, convection and radiation of thermal energy, and complete activities in which they investigate the difference between temperature, thermal energy and ...

Students are introduced to various types of energy with a focus on thermal energy and types of heat transfer as they are challenged to design a better travel thermos that is cost efficient, aesthetically pleasing and meets the design objective of keeping liquids hot.

Students learn the scientific concepts of temperature, heat and the transfer of heat through conduction, convection and radiation, which are illustrated by comparison to magical spells found in the Harry Potter books.

Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics , 10th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Addison Wesley, 2006. Chapters 15-18: Heat. pp. 289-360.

How Insulation Works. Energy Savers. Last updated February 9, 2011. Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Dept. of Energy. Accessed March 1, 2011. http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/insulation_airsealing/index.cfm/mytopic=11330

How Insulation Works. Tech-FAQ, TopBits.com. Accessed March 1, 2011. (Includes a photo showing many different types of insulation products: batting, rigid foam, chips, etc.) http://www.tech-faq.com/how-insulation-works.html

Hsu, Tom. Foundations of Physics . First edition. Teaching & Learning Systems, School Specialty, Science, CPO Science. 2009, pp. 521-538.

Insulation. Howstuffworks.com. Accessed March 1, 2011. http://www.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/chemistry-terms/insulation-info.htm

Insulation Fact Sheet. Last updated on January 15, 2008. Building Envelope Research, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. DOE/CE-0180 2008. Accessed March 1, 2011. http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/ins_01.html

Insulation—The Stuff on the Fluff. Last updated April 9, 2010. Building Energy Codes Program, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Dept. of Energy. Accessed March 1, 2011.

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

Created through the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering's NSF Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program, grant no. 1130006. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: August 31, 2019

Heat melting ice cubes

• aluminum foil
• materials to test e.g. thin fabric, thick fabric, paper towel, thick plastic, thin plastic (saran wrap)
• plastic tub
• kettle and water

This activity still in prototyping stage.

Best method so far is to use hot water to melt ice cubes, which are nested in different materials. Photos show how to make a nest, with a piece of tin foil and an optional inset of cloth/plastic. The nests are pushed into a ramekin (or other small bowl with a flat base) to shape them. Add ice cubes of the exact same size to each nest, and float the nests in a tub of just-boiled water. Students record which ice cube melts first, second etc. But nests often leak or tip over, in which case that nest is excluded from a group's results. In all groups, the ice cube in the foil nest melts first. Then the ice cube in a plastic sheet, then tissue paper, thin cloth, thick cloth, and lastly bubble wrap. To adapt the method, somehow clip/tape the nests to the side of the tub so they don't fall over. Discussion: The heat energy in the air is transferred to the ice and heats it up and melts it, by conduction. The cloth/thick plastic does not conduct heat well, so slows down how rapidly the ice melts. Tin foil is a metal and is a good conductor - it transfers the heat energy rapidly to the ice, so the ice melts fastest when in a nest made of only tin foil.

Previous experimental method (see last three photos): Each student group is given ice cubes to wrap in different kinds of cloth (fur, thin cloth, or no cloth). https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/k-8/science-… Problems: It takes a long time to completely melt the ice cubes (an hour or more), and the ice cubes must start out exactly the same size to be able to compare their final sizes. Other variables are how quickly the students wrap each ice cube and how hot the classroom is.

Try doing the experiment on a paper towel and measuring the size of the wet patch. But cloths used to wrap the ice cube soak up some of the water. Don't fold the cloth entirely around the ice cube, as depending on where the folds are in the cloth, the liquid will escape onto the paper towel at different rates. Instead of foil nests try in plastic cups BUT need to pack them tight with the test materials or air is included, and somehow stop the paper/cloth absorbing the melted ice.

--> Gilla: Dela: 2 plates or plate-like objects - One of these should feel cold to the touch and the other warm. Examples are: ordinary plate (cold), saucepan lid (cold), paper plate (warm), plastic bowl lid (warm), frisbee (warm). Short explanation Long explanation. What happens if you compare two plates of the same material but of different sizes? What happens if you compare two identical plates but put a drinking glass over one of the ice cubes? What is the significance of the contact area between the plate and the table? What can you find that conducts heat the best? What can you find that conducts heat the worst? Gilla: Dela: Water bowls Special: Fire bubbles Magic ice cut Screaming dry ice Dry ice in a balloon Special: Dry ice color change Dry ice smoking soap bubble snake Dry ice giant crystal ball bubble Dry ice in water Rainbow milk Gummy bear osmosis Floating ping pong ball Rotating Earth Special: Colored fire Water cycle in a jar Egg drop challenge Taking the pulse Orange candle Glass bottle xylophone Warped spacetime Homemade rainbow Water implosion Warm and cold plates Plastic bag kite Tamed lightning Yeast and a balloon Forever boiling bottle Moon on a pen Moon in a box Inexhaustible bottle Crystal egg geode Leaf pigments chromatography Heavy smoke Popsicle stick bridge Micrometeorites Special: Fire tornado Special: Whoosh bottle Dancing water marbles Brownian motion Flying static ring Water thermometer String telephone Special: Dust explosion Disappearing styrofoam Special: Burning money Special: Burning towel Salt water purifier Fish dissection Hovering soap bubble Homemade sailboat Water mass meeting Plastic bag and pencils Water sucking bottle Water sucking glass Mentos and coke Aristotle's illusion Spinning spiral snake Imploding soda can Carbon dioxide extuingisher Plastic bag parachute Dental impression Impact craters Rolling static soda can Static paper ghost Color changing flower Upside down glass Shrinking chip bag Solar system model Strawberry DNA Electric motor Flashy electric motor Bouncing soap bubbles Toilet paper roll maraca Cloud in a bottle 1 Cloud in a bottle 2 Balloon rocket Water whistle Homemade yogurt Special: Screaming gummy bear Homemade compass Trash airplane Wind-up spinner toy Tea bag rocket Balancing soda can Lung volume test Fireproof balloon Baking powder popper Expanding space Straw propeller Wooden cutlery Levitating match Human reflexes Electromagnet Soil layers Straw potato Straw rocket launcher Traveling flame Straw duck call Solar eclipse Silo of salt Balloon skewer Newspaper tower Microwave light bulb Heavy paper Rubber chicken bone Homemade marble run Drops on a coin Cartesian diver Content of website. 438 IMAGES Winter Science Ice Cube Melting: A Thermal Energy and Conduction Experiment How to Teach Conduction of Heat, or Thermal Energy Winter Science Ice Cube Melting: A Thermal Energy and Conduction Melting Ice Blocks Experiment (ice cubes melting experiment) Winter Science Ice Cube Melting: A Thermal Energy and Conduction Experiment Winter Science Ice Cube Melting: A Thermal Energy and Conduction Experiment VIDEO Big Ice Cube experiment #shprts ice cube experiment #shorts #viral #funny Ice cube 🧊 vs Salt 🧂 experiment # Ice cube experiment / subscribe #ice cube experiment ICE CUBE EXPERIMENT IN KITCHEN Flower and cotton Ice Cube Experiment testing #ice #cube #testing #latestupdate #latest #diy COMMENTS Conduction Demo: Melting ice An aluminum block and a foam block are initially at room temperature, and ice is placed atop each. Since a... This is a demonstration of thermal conductivity. An aluminum block and a foam block ... Don't Melt the Ice! Science Experiment for Kids Kids will need to touch them some to observe them, but excessive handling will melt them, obviously! The second page of the recording sheet has some follow up questions to answer. Our longest lasting ice cube (in styrofoam) lasted for 3 hours and 20 minutes! The control ice cube only lasted an hour and 30 minutes. Conduction Ice Cube Experiment for Kids This simple but handy resource is a great ice cube experiment for kids which demonstrates how conduction works by measuring the time it takes for ice to melt. The Conduction Ice Cube Science Experiment comes with the instructions to carry out this activity, as well as helpful teacher notes for explaining the process of conduction or diffusion. This experiment only requires readily available ... Ice Experiment (SPECIFIC HEAT and CONDUCTION) An ice cube in placed on top of 5 different materials to see which ice cubes melt ... This is a fun experiment that can be done with common household materials! An ice cube in placed on top of 5 ... Educator Guide: Melting Ice Experiment Gently place an ice cube in the dish and record how long it takes for the ice cube to melt. There should be enough water in the dish so the ice cube floats. Measure and record the water temperature after the ice has melted. Repeat the procedure using hot water. These two steps can be done at the same time if students are able to monitor and ... Heat Transfer Experiment This simple heat transfer experiment is a great introduction to the concepts of heat transfer and conduction. ... When you hold an ice cube, it might feel like the coldness is creeping up your hand, but it's actually the other way around—the heat of your body transfers to the ice cube, which results in the ice cube obtaining a higher ... PDF Conduction Experiment to Demonstrate the Heat Conductivity of A Solid 1. Hold an ice cube with a pair of tongs or a pair of pliers. Hold your hand just underneath the ice cube. You will feel cool air. Slowly move your hand downwards to about a metre underneath it. You will also probably feel cool air while moving your hand. 2. Now, place your hand just above the ice cube. You will probably also feel cool air ... Conduction Ice Cube Experiment for Kids The Conduction Ice Cube Science Experiment comes with the instructions to carry out this activity, as well as helpful teacher notes for explaining the process of conduction or diffusion. This experiment only requires readily available materials, making it the perfect experiment either to do at home or in the classroom. ... 3 Ways to Do a Simple Heat Conduction Experiment In this experiment, metals with higher thermal conductivity will transfer heat faster along their length, causing some spoon handles to get hot more quickly. 2. The Ice Cube Melting Race. Materials: - Ice cubes (at least 4) - Blocks of different materials (such as wood, metal, plastic, and Styrofoam) - A stopwatch or timer. Procedure: 1. How to Do a Simple Heat Conduction Experiment: 3 Ideas 3. Turn your Bunsen burner on and secure the rod. Light a match or a lighter and then turn the gas tap on the Bunsen burner slightly to the left to allow gas to release from the spigot. You will hear a slight hissing when the gas is on. Place the flame over the gas spigot and the Bunsen burner will light. Be careful. Science Experiment: Melting Ice Cubes The melting ice cubes science experiment is a fun Christmas science experiment for kids. It can be done in the classroom and is great for science activities ... Heat Transfer Science Activities The Ice Melt: Conduction Experiment. Materials: • Ice cubes (one for each student) • Ziploc bags. Step 1: Have each student take a Ziploc bag and an ice cube. Ask them to put he ice in their bag and seal it tightly. Step 2: Tell the students that the objective is to melt their ice cube as fast as they can. They are only allowed to use their ... Melting Ice Experiment ice. Choose a variety of surfaces for your ice to melt on. Compare metal, plastic, glass, and paper to see which makes a better conductor of heat. We used two different plastic cutting boards, a glass cutting board, a paper plate, a plastic lid, a glass bowl, and a metal pot. Before placing the ice on the surfaces, have your child place his ... Heat Transfer This drives conduction. Forms of matter that readily conduct heat are called thermal conductors. Examples of Conduction. Conduction is a common process in everyday life. For example: Holding an ice cube immediately makes your hands feel cold. Meanwhile, the heat transferred from your skin to the ice melts it into liquid water. Insulation Materials Investigation Students test the insulation properties of different materials by timing how long it takes ice cubes to melt in the presence of various insulating materials. Students learn about the role that thermal insulation materials can play in reducing heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation, as well as the design and implementation of insulating materials in construction and engineering. Melting Ice Blocks Experiment (ice cubes melting experiment) Made for parents and teachersScience Kits and morehttps://elementarysciencen.wixsite.com/sciencekitsMelting Ice Blocks kithttps://amzn.to/3bJZkYkMy Filming e... Heat melting ice cubes Try doing the experiment on a paper towel and measuring the size of the wet patch. But cloths used to wrap the ice cube soak up some of the water. Don't fold the cloth entirely around the ice cube, as depending on where the folds are in the cloth, the liquid will escape onto the paper towel at different rates. Warm and cold plates Short explanation. The plates in your demonstration both have the same temperature as the room, but one feels colder because it conducts heat better. This means that it conducts heat from your hand and makes it cold. It also means that it conducts heat to the ice cube and makes it warm. Convection Currents with Ice Cubes Experiment (Convection ... Convection Currents with Ice Cubes Experiment (Convection currents demonstration and experiments)Made for parents and teachers Science Kits and morehttps://e... Convection Current Experiment Procedure: Mix water and food coloring and pour the colored water into an ice cube tray. This experiment works best if the water is a very dark color. Put the ice cube tray in the freezer until frozen solid. Fill a clear glass with warm water. Add one ice cube to the glass of water. Observe what happens. Ice Cube Convection Experiment A colored ice cube is placed in warm water in order to view the concept of convection. This was an experiment for my Physical Geography class. A colored ice cube is placed in warm water in order ... essay homework paper phd project resume review speech study thesis