Pico Technology Science experiment: Investigating Heat Loss Due to Radiation
using DrDAQ as a Temperature Probe
Introduction
DrDAQ is being used here as a dual temperature probe. In both KS3 and KS4
science students have to be aware of the heat loss from objects due to
radiation. Radiation is an electromagnetic wave which can travel through a
vacuum. You cannot see it with the human eye but the fire brigade use special
cameras which can see this type of radiation. All hot objects will lose energy
in this way. In hot countries the people wear light coloured clothes and if you
wear black on a hot day you seem to feel hotter. This experiment is examining
whether colour can effect how heat is lost
Equipment required
- DrDAQ data logger
connected to a PC
- Two external temperature probes (DD100)
- One 250 ml conical flask painted black and one with silver foil around it
- A kettle or other resource to boil water
- Two pieces of insulating material to place over the top of the flasks be
(these will have to be made with a small hole to let the temperature probe
into the flask)
- Two clamp stands
Experiment Setup
- Fill both the conical flasks with boiling water
- Place the insulating covers over the top of the flask
- Place the temperature probes in the flasks
- Start recording the temperatures of the flask s (15 minutes should be long
enough)
Diagram showing the experiment setup.
Carrying out the Experiment
Safety is paramount here. Take great care when transferring and handling
boiling water. I suggest clamping the flasks down to avoid the risk of
spillage.
Questions & discussion of results
- Which flask dropped in temperature the quickest? Quote results to prove
your point
- Can you suggest a link between the colour of the flask and how quickly the
heat was lost?
- Use textbooks and/or the internet to find some scientific reasons why one
coloured flask cooled more quickly than another.
Further study
- Can you design an experiment to discover if different coloured flasks full
of water would heat up more quickly than others? Show your teachers your
design
- Why was an insulating cover placed over the top of the flask?
Results & Answers
