THE PLATEAU PROBLEM

Aleena Abid Hrutu Chaudhary Abi Subramanian 7-TA February 21, 2013 Mr. Kinjo/ Mrs. Shoults

Question
What happens to the temperature of water while it changes state?

Variables
Controlled- beaker, amount of water, hot plate, amount of ice, clock or watch, Manipulated- the temperature changing over time Responding- the temperature

Apparatus
2 laboratory thermometers stirring rod hot plate kettle 2 beakers (250 mL) clock or watch

Materials
crushed ice ice-cold water hot water (almost boiling)

Procedure
1. Make a data table like the one shown here. You will need space for at least five observations. 2. Fill one beaker with hot water from the kettle, and put it on the hot plate to boil. 3. In the other beaker, make a slush of crushed ice and a little cold water.

4. With a stirring rod, stir the contents of each beaker for several seconds, and then measure and record the temperature. Lift the thermometer off the bottom of the beaker to ensure that you are measuring the temperature of the contents, not the container. 5. Repeat the temperature measurements every 3 min. For a fair test, make sure that you stir and measure exactly the same way each time. Record each result. 6. Stop heating the boiling water before it all boils away. Unplug the hot plate, and carefully set aside the hot beaker to cool.

Observations Time(min)
0 3 6 9 12

Melting Point
3 1 0 -1 -1

Boiling Point
32 35 45 64 71

Analyze Questions
1. (a) the responding variable in this lab would be the temperature after it boils every 3 minutes and we check it with a thermometer, because after we boiled/melted the ice we would observe the temperature. (B) The manipulated variable in this lab would be the temperature of the water, I know the responding variable is also the temperature but the manipulated variable is the temperature changing then what it was before. 2. Did on a separate sheet of paper 3. Did on a separate sheet of paper

4. Did on a separate sheet of paper 5. (A) 1 error might be handling error, like in our experiment when we were measuring the water, we couldnt let the thermometer touch the bottom of the beaker or it would measure the temperature of the beaker, so the temperature could have changed if we handled it differently. Another might be time, in our experiment we were suppose to check the temperature every 3 minutes, but say if we accidently checked after 5 or 6 minutes the temperature would have changed a little but are lab still wont be as accurate. (B) An error might be an environment change, like if we measured the cold water in a hot environment, and then a mild environment, the temperature couldve changed a lot. Another might be if we forgot to plug in the hot plate, and we took the temperature and it was the same for the 3 times we tried and we finally figured out we forgot to plug it, and then we plugged it the temperature would change a lot and are experiment wouldnt be accurate.

6.

Water - Melting/Boiling Points

Boiling Water Temperature, 0C 80 60 40 20 0 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 Time, minutes

3
2 1 0 -1 -2

Melting Ice Temperature, 0C

100

Boiling water Melting Ice

7. We did question 6 in our observations