For my experiment I chose to use a cotton wash cloth, a plastic sandwich baggie, the plastic bubble wrap from the thermometer and a piece a newspaper (Figure 2). Out of the materials I selected I predicted from best to worst as, the bubble wrap, sandwich bag, wash cloth then the newspaper.  I chose the bubble wrap and the wash cloth based on my text readings.  The bubble wrap since as stated to have the best insulation you need to have a material with many small spaces, such as “Styrofoam, glass wool and wool cloth” (Tilley, B., Enger, E. & Ross, F., 2008).  Instead of the wool cloth I had to use a cotton washcloth. As for the sandwich bag I thought I might be able to make a vacuum.    The newspaper I chose to thinking it was not going to be a great insulator since the paper would be difficult to get around the cup. Also, I figured the paper would get wet due to the condensation from the hot water, but the paper did not get wet. So I do believe I did not get a great seal around the cups edge.

The results of my experiment are found in Figure 1.  My results were not really accurate with I had predicted.  I was correct in assuming the bubble wrap would hold the heat the best. The second best insulator was the cotton washcloth. I would predict if it was wool it would have held the temperature almost exactly where it started.  Lastly, I found the sandwich bag and the newspaper where close to even with their temperatures as seen in figure 1. But after thinking about what I read about insulators, I did realize that my prediction of the sandwich bag was a little off.  There is nothing about plastic as being an insulator. Overall I was pleased with the results I discovered. 

Overall I was very pleased with my results of my experiment. If I was to perform the experiment again I think I might try using plastic wrap and creating a vacuum as well as many using aluminum foil. The plastic wrap could have created a small vacuum in the sense of no air escaping or entering.  I think the temperature would have remanded the same and would have been the best insulator between the two. But on the other hand the text book did not say anything about plastic being a good insulator. I wonder if anyone from our class did use plastic wrap.  I would have liked to see a dramatic drop in the temperature and I believe I could have found this using the aluminum foil.  Again like I stated above I think I would not be able to get a tight seal around the cup with aluminum foil. 

Material	Original Temperature	Ending Temperature
Wash Cloth	40 ° C	37 ° C
Sandwich Bag	40 ° C	34 ° C
Bubble Wrap	40 ° C	38 ° C
Newspaper	40 ° C	35 ° C

Figure 1

 

Figure 2

All four cups after the 30 minutes.

   





Reference

Tillery, B. W., Enger, E. D., & Ross, F. C. (2008). Integrated science (4th ed.). New York:
           

            McGraw-Hill.

Week 2 Scientific Inquiry Experiment

When choosing a question to explore I chose the effect different surfaces affect the momentum of marbles. To test the marbles momentum I first knew my velocity of the marble would be different due to human error. I would not be able to guide the marble at the same speed every time.  So I decided to use a straw which I cut in half.  I then took the marble and placed it at the top of the straw.  To make sure I had the same height in the straw I used the other piece to make sure I was always at the same height. So the next questions I chose to answer were how far will the marble go on the coffee table, bathroom tile and finally carpet?  I chose these questions because I knew each would have a different effect to the momentum due to friction. I found threw my questions that the marble traveled the furthest to shortest in the following order, coffee table, tile and carpet. 

When I tested the marble on the coffee table the marble continued all the way across the table until it fell off.  I came to the conclusion the table allowed for the most momentum due to less friction resistance.  The tile was the most interesting. The momentum moved the marble over the divots in the tile but then started to slow down and then slightly seemed to bounce and change direction and the marbles momentum slowed.  The tile was the most surprising result for me. The carpet was obviously created the most resistance in momentum due to friction.

The modifications I would change you to probably use a more stable ramp to let the marble go down. The straw worked fine it was just temporary. But within the classroom I would want to use something more structured. I liked the questions which were posed to us. I do not think I would want to change much about the experiment if I was going to teach 2^nd thru 6^th grade. But for myself I still think just allowing the students to find answers on their own in kindergarten is a little challenging. In kindergarten I could use the questions and reword them into simpler terms and use them as science stations, using small groups with a teacher/aid with the students only for guidance.   With each experiment I could start with information about how it relates to the students’ lives.   Such as, momentum I could use the story about falling up the stairs. Then at the end of the experiments students can find how it fits into their lives.

 I would like to see the students learn how the definitions and meanings relate to real life or on their own. It would be great for the students to understand and learn about velocity, mass, and momentum on their own, and to be able to describe/define them to me in their own words.  I believe I was able to come away with this myself since I was able to see the effects of each.