Energy Transfer and Temperature

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Materials Matter
Investigate

Have you ever heated water in a pan? How about

cooking oil? Do the two liquids get hot at the same rate?
How can you tell?

We tend to think of temperature as a measure of how

hot or cold a substance is, but temperature has more to
do with the kinetic energy of the particles that make up a
substance. You can alter the kinetic energy of a
substance by adding or taking away heat.

In this investigation, you will test three different liquids to

see if they lose heat at the same rate.

Question:
Will three different liquids lose heat at the same rate?

Hypothesis:

Materials: Independent Variable:

1 Timing device
3 Foam cups
1 Beaker, 250 mL Dependent Variable:
Corn syrup, 75 mL
Water, 75 mL
Cooking oil, 75 mL
3 Immersion thermometers
Paper towels Controls:
9 Ice cubes, same size

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 Energy Transfer and Temperature
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Procedures and Data

In the space below, plan out your investigation.

Initial 60 s 120 s 180 s 240 s 300 s 360 s

Temp.

Water

Cooking Oil

Corn Syrup

In the space below, create a graph that shows your temperatures over time.

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 Energy Transfer and Temperature
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Data Analysis

Answer the questions below.

1. From your data, what did you observe about the temperatures of the liquids after ice was
added?

2. What does this experiment tell you about the amount of energy transfer that is required to
change the temperatures of three different liquids?

3. Temperature is the average kinetic energy of all the particles in a material, measured by a
thermometer in degrees, and kinetic energy is the energy of motion. What does this
experiment indicate about the relationship between temperature and moving particles within
each liquid?