Heat Transfer Lab Report

Purpose:

The purpose of the lab was to further understand the transfer of heat through the observation of sand and water.

Hypothesis:

I predict that the water will heat faster than the sand. I also predict that the water will cool down quicker.

Materials:

·         2 thermometers

·         2 beakers, 400 mL

·         Water, 300 mL

·         Metric ruler

·         String

·         Ring stand and two ring clamps

·         Sand, 300 mL

·         Lamp with 150-W bulb

·         Clock or stopwatch

·         Graph paper

Procedure:

1.      Fill one beaker with 300 mL of dry sand

2.      Fill the second beaker with 300 mL of water at room temperature

3.      Arrange the beakers side by side beneath the ring stand

4.      Place one thermometer in each beaker

5.      Suspend the thermometers from the ring stand with string

6.      Position the lamp so that it is about 20 cm above the sand and water. There should be no more than 8 cm between the beakers.

7.      Record the temperature of the sand and water in the data table

8.      Turn on the lamp. Read the temperature of the sand and water every minute for 15 minutes. Record the temperatures in the Light On column in the data table.

9.      Turn the light off. Read the temperature of the sand and water every minute for another 15 minute. Record the temperatures in the Light Off column.

Results:

·         The water heated up within the first 8 minutes.

·         The temperature of the sand did not appear to rise.

·         Once the lamp had been shut off, the temperature of the water rose at the 20 minute mark.

·         Once again, the temperature of the sand did not change.

Conclusion:

The purpose of this lab was to observe the transfer of heat by comparing the heating and cooling of sand and water. My hypothesis was that the water would heat and cool faster than the sand. The results showed that the water heated and cooled while the sand’s temperature remained the same. Although the results supported the hypothesis, the information gathered stated otherwise. Sand is supposed to heat up faster than water. This is because in general the land surface, being less reflective and more absorbent, will absorb a great deal of solar radiation, and will have a significant increase in temperature on a bright sunny day. The ocean, at the same time, will reflect a greater portion of the radiation, causing it to take longer to absorb the heat. The results most likely ended up like this because a lamp was used instead of radiation from the sun. The data collected showed that the temperature of the sand remained at 25°C and the temperature of the water rose from 23°C to 24°C. The temperature then decreased back to 23°C. This lab helped me understand why the sand at the beach is normally hot while the water is typically cold. . Knowledge like this is good to have when you are at the beach so you can somewhat predict how cold or warm the water will be based on how warm the sand is.