Paint It Black 9-5 Project 1

Purpose The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the relationship between heat conservation and color. The questions that I will be answering are: Is there a relationship between heat conservation and color? Which color is the best at conserving heat? Which color is the worst at conserving heat. For this experiment I am going to conduct an experiment using empty tin cans. I am going to paint 6 tin cans of the same size different colors and leave one the original color. I am going to pour boiling water into them and then take measurements at five minute intervals to see which color can conserves heat the best and which color can conserve heat the worst.

Hypotheses I am going to investigate the relationship between colors and heat conservation. I have formed the following hypotheses: I predict that the can painted black will be the best at conserving heat. I predict that after one hour, that the water in the can painted black, will have the highest temperature out of the water in all the other cans. I predict that the can painted white will be the worst at conserving heat. I predict that after one hour, the water in the can painted white, will have the lowest temperature out of the water in all the other cans.

Materials 7 tin cans 1 paint brush 6 different color paints (black, red, orange, green, blue, and white). old paper to protect working surface plastic glass to rinse paint brush in cold water kettle stove water to boil measuring cup (1 cup measure) pan to place tins on candy thermometer paper to record results clock with second hand pencil

Method Part 1. To Paint Cans. Gather all materials (cans, paint, paint brush, old paper, water, glass). Prepare a work space (I used our kitchen table). Spread paper on table. Pour water into plastic cup. Start to paint tin cans. Paint cans; black, white, red, orange, blue, and green. Let dry for two nights. Paint second coat of paint on each can. Leave one can its original color for comparison. 10) Clean up materials and put cans away until ready to do experiment.

Method Part 2 Part 2. Conduct Trials 3 Times Prepare work space (I used the kitchen table). Gather all materials (cans, pan to place them on, water, kettle, thermometer, paper, pencil, clock with second hand, measuring cup). Pour water into kettle. Place on stove to boil. Place cans on pan on table. Once kettle is boiled, pour 1 cup of boiling water into each can. Place thermometer in each can and record starting temperature. Make charts on paper with pencil to record results in. Wait five minutes. Insert thermometer into each can and record temperature in degrees Celsius on chart. Repeat step 10 every five minutes, until you reach an hour.

Controlled Variables The control variables for an experiment are the things that remain the same. The control variables that I have identified for my experiment include: The cans were all the same size. The paint was all water based craft paint. The experiment was conducted in the same location for each trial. The thermometer used was the same one for each reading. The amount of water in each can was the same. The number of layers of paint were the same for each can.

Manipulated Variables The manipulated variables are things that change. For this experiment the manipulated variable would be the: The different color paint on the cans.

Responding Variables The responding variables are things that result from the changes in the manipulated variables. The decreases in water temperature that occurred every five minutes in each differently colored can.

Average Results To find the average results for this experiment I added up the results for each 5 minute interval for each color and divided by three. I recorded the average results in the below table.

Degrees Celsius Measured in 5 Minute Intervals Color Silver (No Paint ) White Green Blue Orange Red Black

Analysis For this experiment I have included the following types of graphs which represent my results. I have used my average results for my graphs as these results give a representation of all three trials. Bar Graph. This graph shows the average temperature after 60 minutes for each can. Line Graph. Shows the reader the drop in temperature for each color can.

Bar Graph Average Ending Temperature

Line Graph Average Temperatures

Conclusions The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the relationship between colors and heat conservation. By using my materials (different colored cans and hot water), my results showed that there is a relationship between color and heat conservation. The initial temperature of water poured into each can was consistent at 75 degrees Celsius. After one hour my results showed that the water in the can painted black had a higher temperature then the water in the other cans. My results also showed that the water in the cans painted white, green, blue, and the unpainted can had a lower temperature then the water in the red, orange, and black cans.

Review of Hypotheses My hypotheses were: 1) I predict that the can painted black will be the best at conserving heat. This hypothesis was correct as the black can had the highest ending temperature. It didn't have the highest for some time intervals but after 30 minutes it was able to conserve heat better then the rest. 2) I predict that after one hour, that the water in the can painted black, will have the highest temperature out of the water in all the other cans. The resulting ending temperature was 30 degrees Celsius 3) I predict that the can painted white will be the worst at conserving heat. This hypothesis was partially correct as white was one of the colored can that was the worst at conserving heat. 4) I predict that after one hour, the water in the can painted white, will have the lowest temperature out of the water in all the other cans. This hypothesis was partially correct as the ending temperature was 25 degrees Celsius and this was the same for the can's painted white, blue, green, and unpainted. Possible explanations for my results would be that the darker colors absorbs heat from the boiling water the best and then reflects the heat back into the water. The lighter colors did not absorb as much of the heat so there was less heat to be reflected back into the water of these cans. Several of the cans ended up with the same ending temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, I think that this may be because once all the heat from the water is gone there is no more heat to be absorbed and the water stayed at room temperature.

Sources of Error Human error. When I was painting the cans, I may not have had consistent layers on each can. I did two layers of paint for each can but I may have had heavier coats on some cans. The paint. I used all water based craft paint however there were different brand names, so the actual paints may not have been consistent for each can. I did not measure the actual room temperature when I did the three trials of the experiment. For the third trial the room temperature was 25 degrees but I am not certain if this was the temperature for the other two trials, however our thermostat is consistently set. Human error. I measured the water using a measuring jug so I had to read the water level each time; it is possible that I may have misjudged the amounts. Human error. I only had three thermometers to use, all different brand names, and because I only had three it was impossible to measure each can at the exact same moment.

Ways to Improve I would try to reduce human error by: –I would make a better effort to have all the coats of paint the same. –I could have an assistant check the level of the water with me when I was measuring it to reduce the chance of error. –I would buy seven thermometers so that i could measure each can at exactly the same time. I would buy all of the same brand name paint. I would measure the room temperature before each trial and make sure that it was the same each time.

The End