THE BEACON SCHOOL DATA

No Materials Control Student Project

For our part of the insulation project we created an environment in our box that used absolutely no materials. Essentially, we acted as one control. We knew that our data would be useful because it would stand as an example again all of the other tests that used various different materials. We realized that after everyone finished their tests we could compare all of the results to our data in order to see how effective one form of insulation was compared to no insulation at all. When we first go our box we had to remove the Styrofoam that was already in the box. The Styrofoam alone also acted as one example of a control, but we were doing our test with the absolutely no excess materials.

After we got the box ready we actually plugged in our box that turned on the light bulb that was planted in the center of our box. We waited until the box heated up to 90 degrees Celsius. Then we used the already existing temperature probe and the Data Studio program to take temperature readings every 50 seconds as the box cooled down to about 35 degrees Celsius. When we were done, we printed out the chart that contained all of our data. We saw that without any insulation whatsoever, the box cooled down very quickly. We also noticed that the box cooled off very fast between 0 minutes and 2 minutes. By the time the box was cooled off for 10 minutes the dropping temperature rate became very study, dropping between 1 or 2 degrees Celsius between each two minute intervals. Since we didn’t use any materials, we cannot say whether or not one thing worked better than another, but what we are sure is that any insulation is better than no insulation.

1 Layer Styrofoam Control Student Project

We used a wooden box with an internal light bulb and screen. We used one layer of quarter inch Styrofoam inside as insulation. The procedure of this experiment was to get the wooden box with the insulation in place to standard room temperature. We then turned on the light bulb and let the temperature increase to 55 degrees Celsius. Next, we turned off the light inside and recorded the failing temperature readings. Our results were pretty accurate, but our insulation was poor. After 500 seconds the temperature decreased dramatically. In comparison of the control of 2 quarter inch layers of Styrofoam, our experiment was poor. Our group recommendation would be use more Styrofoam and the better your house will be insulated. We assure this recommendation due to the results we got.

Student Report One

Insulation Materials Used:
Black Sweat Pants
Napkins
Black fleece gloves
Blue Fleece blanket

Reasons for Materials Used: When making decisions on what materials to bring in for this experiment, we choose the materials based on the color, knowing that darker colors trap and absorb heat. We also inferred that the more layers and the heavier they are the longer it would take to release the head from the box.

Procedure for the Experiment: The first step to the experiment was placing the materials inside of the box, layer by layer deciding which to start with and which to end with. Once we had all the layers put in the box; we took the room temperature so that we could start to heat the box for about a minute with the heating gun. We then had the light bulb on in the middle while trying to cover the box. We turned the light on to trap some of the heat in the box; we did not want any air interfering with our temperature.

Once the box was closed we realized that there was still ways for the air to get in the box, and vice versa with the heat escaping. We took some plastic bags and stuffed them into the sides where the box had a gap. To make sure that everything was very secure we took masking tape and covered all the way around the box a few times, making sure to cover the area where the probe was stuck in the box.. Lastly we waited while the computer took the measurements of the temperature, hoping the temperature would not decline at a rapid rate.

Results from the Experience: The box kept the heat 5 degrees above our starting room temperature for 5,940 seconds (99 minutes, or 1 hour and 39 minutes). The heat was raised from our starting temperature of 27.0 degrees Celsius, to 65.67 degrees Celsius in a matter of a minute. The temperature then decreased rapidly down to 39.25 780 seconds later; from there the temperature stayed steady at around the mid-30s.

Control vs. Our Results: The control that was used for this experiment was Styrofoam which kept the heat 5 degrees above starting temperature for only 68 minutes, as opposed to our materials that kept the heat in for an hour and 39 minutes. The Styrofoam was only one layer and probably took longer than the materials we had to heat. Also since it heated quickly it cooled down quicker. An object that has lower specific heat, heats up quicker resulting in cooling down quicker.

Challenges/Problems Faced: The main problem that our group had as well as many other groups, was not realizing to securely close up any openings in the box when it was covered. Once we figured out the air was going in and heat was going out of the box we were quick to react and keep that from happening anymore.

Recommendations: Based on the things that we learned in doing this experiment we thought that it might be more efficient to make the covers to the boxes differently, covering the whole thing. That was our only problem other than that, everything worked very well and smoothly.

Student Report Two

For our group’s box, we chose materials that we thought would reflect heat. The order of the day was simplicity so we decided on two substances, shredded newspaper and aluminum foil. We chose newspaper for filler because of the availability and the ease at which it can be torn and packed. The aluminum foil was used as a shell for deflection of heat without adding much material.

Our first task in the preparation of the test was to cover the inside box with a thin sheet of aluminum foil. After the sheeting was done the filling and packing of the box with shredded newspaper was done to create the main heat barrier of the box. Once the barrier was made a thick layer of aluminum foil was laid down to seal off the box.

When the box was done a bit of improvising was needed because a hole had to be punched into the aluminum to fit the heat gun that was needed to heat the box. After the box was heated to the needed degree the heat gun was removed and a piece of packed steel wool was placed over the hole and covered by another sheet of aluminum foil. The temperature of the box was recorded every forty-five seconds.

The results of the test data can be viewed as inconclusive, but the results as a whole were found to be quite pleasing. The materials we used far exceeded the expectations of everyone in the group. While the box insulated with Styrofoam clocked in at an hour and six minutes, our box clocked in at around an hour and a half, if not longer.

The control that was used was a box insulated with Styrofoam that was heated to thirty degrees Celsius above room temperature and then was allowed to cool down to five degrees above the room temperature.

There was one large problem that was faced during our test that was not really overcome. The computer being used to record the constant change in temperature inside the insulated box went to “sleep” and stayed in this suspended mode for an indeterminable amount of time. When the computer was “awoken” it immediately took a temperature reading at that moment and calculated it into the next recording point. Because of that our data and graphs show a sudden massive drop in temperature of approximately fifteen degrees in a matter of a forty-five second period. Since this error could not be corrected there is no solid data to show how long our box “Kept the Heat.”

The final recommendation of our group is that the substances we used (aluminum foil and shredded newspaper) served the purpose well for what they are normally used.

Student Report Three

For the “Keep the Heat” experiment, various types of materials were used to try and insulate the box. Done somewhat systematically, we created certain layers of materials to prevent as little heat as possible from escaping. For example, with the use of wax paper, we wrapped the innermost part of the available space in order to create an un-breathable layer as opposed to using a fabric. Once placed, we added a thick layer of wool all around the box followed by a thin layer of polyester (a scarf) and one of cotton (a second scarf). After these layers were tightly secured in place, a sufficient amount of empty space remained near the top, which was stuffed with strips of suede. The top of the box, now being the most un-insulated area, we used Saran Wrap (plastic) to cover it up. However, this became a problem when it came down to applying the heat because the top was entirely covered, so we had to make a hole. In order to have succeeded in creating an efficient insulator, we had to beat the control, which was Styrofoam, and this kept the heat in for roughly 68 minutes. After heating up the box and closing it we watched the computer take the temperature every minute. In the end our group not only made the best insulator, but we smashed the original record of one hour and eight minutes.

Based on our method of insulation, it appears that applying numerous and various types of layers in the best way to “keep the heat” as opposed to just one. In addition, making sure there is little empty and unused space is a good way of insuring the less heat will escape.

Student Report Four

The materials that were used in the test were cotton balls and aluminum foil. The aluminum foil was put on both sides of the box and on the bottom, then the cotton balls were put into the aluminum foil box that was made inside of the wooden box. Aluminum foil was placed on top to serve as a lid for the aluminum foil box. The box was heated to 54.49 degrees Celsius and a lid was placed over it. What we did then was record the temperature at two-minute intervals to see how well the aluminum foil and cotton balls kept the heat inside the box. At the end of the run, we had recorded the box for 74 minutes and the temperature had fallen to 30.49 degrees Celsius. The control was just the wooden box with 2.25 inch Styrofoam in the box as insulation. It took the box with just Styrofoam in it 68 minutes to drop in temperature while our box with cotton balls and aluminum foil 74 minutes to cool down.

The challenges that we faced were primarily how to insulate the box the best way possible as to not let any heat out. We chose two materials as they are recyclable and when combined, form a very good insulation unit. Our final recommendation would be cotton balls and aluminum foil make a good insulation unit, however it could be modified so that it was triple layered as to insure the best insulation possible.

Student Report Five

The material that we tested was regular kitchen aluminum foil. An aluminum foil sheet was first used to line the inside wall surrounding the light and the inside of the outside wall that made the box. In between those two layers, between the walls, we placed lots of densely packed aluminum foil balls.

To perform the experiment we first set up the box, the computer and the aluminum foil by lining the box and making the balls. When we were finished with that we took our initial temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, turned the light on and heated the box to 85 degrees Celsius, measuring and graphing the temperature using the computer. We stopped, turned off the light and started the graph again to record how long it took for the temperature to return to within five degrees of its initial temperature.

The temperature in the box took 32 minutes to go from 55 degrees Celsius to 30.1 degrees Celsius. Our insulation material retained the heat for less amount of time than the control standard, Styrofoam. We had hoped that the aluminum foil would retain the heat for a longer period of time, but it was not successful. Even though the foil does not get cold fast, it also does not get hot fast and the experiment was not successful.

Styrofoam was used as the control for our experiment in order to assure reliable results. The Styrofoam was more successful at heating the box than the aluminum foil we used because it retained heat for 68 minutes, unlike the aluminum foil which retained heat for 32 minutes.

As one team member was trying the save the data on the laptop, we were still recording our results, but once data was saved on the laptop, recording stopped. After about two to three minutes, we realized this and had to continue recording the data from another point. We managed to work around it, although it did make our experiment less accurate since the aluminum foil had more time to cool off.

Based on the numbers it would not be smart to use aluminum foil as insulation in a house because it does not hold heat well. A better option would be Styrofoam. Foil would also be more effective if it had been layered instead of balled as other classmates found out.

Student Report Six

We were asked to come up with a new form of insulation for Habitat for Humanity that was able to be recycled and was not Styrofoam, which was used as our control. We decided to use plastic bags as our insulation.

First, we carefully took out the Styrofoam insulation that had previously been installed. We then stuffed all four empty sides with plastic bags. We made sure that the bags were either spread out or crunched together according to which every way we found it best to cover the area. Then we plugged in the light bulb located inside the box. The heat that the light bulb emitted was trapped inside the box once we covered it with a wooden lid and secured it shut. The plastic bags were supposed to help trap the heat inside which would therefore insulate it. The longer it took for the heat to escape the box, the better the insulation was.

We were faced with some challenges during our experiment. We had to use our teacher’s heating gun in order to speed up our results because the light bulb was taking too long to heat up the box. Also, although we tried, we were not sure if the wooden lid was held on tight enough to keep the heat from escaping. It took about 20 minutes for all the heat to fully escape from our box. Our control, the box insulated with Styrofoam layers, took 68 minutes to loose the heat. According to these results this group can conclude that our idea of having plastic bags as a new form of insulation may not be very effective. Although plastic bags are a useful recyclable material, they do not make good insulation unless you don’t mind being cold.

Student Report Seven

In the insulating box, we used something called “woolies”, a material from old pillowcases as to now they use feathers or other special materials This was chosen because it was light and can easily be compacted to trap heat even better than other materials. We were given a box with the specified dimensions that were given in the guidelines. We first took aluminum foil and wrapped it around the lining closest to the light to create a first defense again the heat, since metal absorbs heat fast. The aluminum would absorb the heat then release it slowly to the woolies. We turned on the lamp, then waited until it rose 60 degrees Celsius above its starting temperature. Once that was done, the light was shut off and waited until the temperature came within 5 degrees Celsius of our starting temperature of 26 degrees Celsius. The results were that it took 83.3 minutes to come within 5 degrees Celsius of our original temperature. The control was 2.25 inches of Styrofoam and it was raised to 30 degrees Celsius and took over an hour to come down to 5 degrees Celsius. The main significant challenge was the amount of woolies we needed to accomplish this. We over estimated and got it right. Based on the research we recommend the use of this substance since it is cheap to manufacture, recyclable and a great insulator.

Student Report Eight

For the Keep the Heat Insulation Project, our group decided to use clothing as our insulation. We basically took old shirts and sweaters and stuffed them into the box until it was filled enough, which just so happened to be when we run out of clothes. We chose clothing because being people who wear it, we knew that they kept us warm, so why not use as insulation? If you have old clothing that you do not want anymore, there is a new reason to keep it now.

After heating the box with the insulation to about 80 degrees, we unplugged the light bulb and watched as the temperature slowly decreased. The test took about 40 minutes to grom from 80 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius. Our control was Styrofoam where there was 2.25 of it in the box. The Styrofoam took 68 minutes for it to go from about 56 degrees Celsius to about 31 degrees Celsius. It had an R-value of 3.

Our group did not face many challenges. One thing that we did discuss was how we were going to go about putting clothes in the box. If we put the clothing in layers around where the light bulb was located, we would get better results than if we were to just stuff it in. As we all know, having layers of clothing traps the heat between them and would keep the temperature in the box from dropping quickly. Another thing we talked about was the type of clothing. In our experiment, we used a variety of pieces. Some of them were definitely warmer than others. For example, we used cotton tee shirts and sweaters. The sweater is clearly warmer and thicker than the tee shirt. Maybe our results would have changed if we were to use warmer articles of clothing. We feel that clothing is a very good choice for insulation. It is easy to obtain and always available.

Student Report Nine

When we were given this challenge, we as a group thought about what recyclable, easily accessible materials worked well at keeping the heat. We came to the conclusion that cotton was a good material for trapping heat. As a result we used small cotton balls as our insulation material. For the first step of the experiment, we packed our cotton tightly into the spaces provided for in the insulation box. Using a temperature probe connected to our computer, we took the starting temperature inside the box that was 30 degrees Celsius. Then we turned on the light bulb that was located in the center of the box and allowed the temperature to rise 30 degrees above the starting temperature. Once the temperature in the box reached that temperature, we turned the light off and began recording the time it took for the temperature of the box to decrease to 5 degrees above the starting temperature (30 degrees Celsius). Our final result took 48.3 minutes for the temperature to decrease to that level. For a controlled experiment, 2 layers of quarter inch Styrofoam took 68 minutes to allow the temperature to fall to 5 degrees above the initial temperature.

While trying to complete this experiment, we experienced a few problems. We did not realize how sensitive the temperature probe was. Therefore we did not know that by touching or moving it we would greatly alter our results. Another problem was loosing our data because our computer ran out of power. However, although we did experience several problems, we were able to successfully gather accurate results. Our insulation material worked fairly well, but it might not be the best material used.

Student Report Ten

The material tested was actually two materials. We knew that if we only worked with the one that we had picked at first, it would not be sufficient to help keep the heat inside. Our group decided to work with aluminum foil and toilet paper. We thought that it would help keep a lot of heat in just because aluminum is used mostly to keep food warm. By using another element we predicted that they would work really well. The toilet paper is made of cotton. Our clothes are made of cotton and keep us warm. By using enough toilet paper, we can simulate a “clothing” feel with the toilet paper.

Our results from this experiment seemed to work out pretty well, because it took 6,000 seconds, or 100 minutes, to drop down 55 degrees. We managed to keep the heat in by placing some of our group members’ hands on the lid to help keep the lid from lifting up, considering that the lid that we had did not exactly fit the box it came with. Also we think that both of our materials worked quite well in conserving the heat for a long period of time. The control for this experiment, Styrofoam, took 68 minutes to decrease to its desired temperature.

Some significant challenges faced were the possibility that our two materials will not work just for the simple reason that we had not put enough of it in the box to help maintain the heat. Also, how we were going to be able to keep the heat in without using our bodies to hold the lid down. Our final recommendation, based on our results, would definitely use toilet paper and aluminum foil to help keep heat inside, but make sure that you know how to use both materials so they can work properly.

Student Report Eleven

For this insulation project, our group decided to test newspaper as an insulator. Using the pre-constructed box, ours was lined with newspaper on the inner portion. After this was done, the light bulb within the box was plugged in and served as a heat source for the box. Our starting temperature for the box was 58 degrees Celsius. From that point onward, the amount of time it took for the box to read 33 degrees Celsius and the number of degrees that it decreased by during given intervals of time was monitored. The decrease in temperature within the box was monitored by a probe which was connected to a computer.

Our results indicated that it took 76 minutes and 50 seconds for our newspaper-insulated box to read 33 degrees Celsius. The controls within this experiment were the Styrofoam lining within all of the boxes. Boxes lined with Styrofoam took 68 minutes to get from 55.8 to 30.8 degrees Celsius. Our results show us that newspaper worked slightly better than Styrofoam because the time it took to decrease in temperature was longer.

Challenges faced during this experiment included not having enough time to monitor the complete temperature decrease of our box to 29 degrees Celsius. Due to time shortage, we were forced to settle for 33 degrees Celsius. Our final recommendation based upon our research is that newspaper is not the best form of insulation being that it only worked slightly better than the Styrofoam control.

Student Report Twelve

The materials that our group used were aluminum foil and different types of fabric. We chose aluminum foil because we knew that aluminum, a metal, is a good conductor of heat. We also knew that it lost heat just as quickly. We used different types of fabrics to keep the heat in and stop the aluminum foil from cooling.

First, we got the box and lined the insides outermost layer with a few layers of aluminum foil. Next, in the rest of the box, we stuffed it full of fabric. After that we took the room temperature and heated the box to 30-40 degrees higher than that. Then we turned off the light. We set the computer to take the temperature every minute. Our results were that after 1560 seconds, or after about 26 minutes, our box temperature returned to five degrees above the starting temperature.

There was a few controls. We didn’t change too many variables at once. There was a steady changing variable, the time, and there was a non-steady variable, the temperature. The other control was we had something to compare our results to because there was the original box that had the Styrofoam in it. A significant challenge that our group faced was that our string that was held the top on was broken. We tried to put things on top but then we realized that would be helping insulate the box. Another challenge we faced was that on the bottom of the box, where the wire for the light bulb was, there was a hole. Based upon our research, we would not recommend using aluminum foil and fabric to insulate your homes. Aluminum foil heats up quickly and, even with the fabric, it did not stop the box from cooling down.