Activity 1

Experiment 1

Does hot or cold water freeze faster?

Hypothesis: I think that cold water will freeze faster than hot water.

Controls ½ cup of water in each cup

 

Hot water temperature 97.6*F            Freezes in about one hour 15 minutes

Cold water temperature 40*F              Freezes in about one hour

Hot water temperature 96*F               Freezes in one hour 10 minutes

Cold water temperature 37*F             Freezes in about 55 minutes

Hot water temperature 97.8*F           Freezes in one hour

Cold water temperature 39*F             Freezes in about 45 minutes

 

 

Theory:  The cold water did freeze faster than the hot water.  I believe this to be true because it takes time to cool down the hot water and get it to the cooler temperature. 

 

Experiment 2

Does salt water freeze faster or slower than regular water?

Hypothesis:  I think that salt water will freeze faster than regular water.

Controls:  Thermometer, bowls, water, salt

Regular water started out at 40*F

Salt water started out at 50.4*F

Regular water at 41*F

Salt water 51*F

Regular water at 43*F

Salt water at 50*F

The regular water started to freeze after about 25 minutes

At that same time the salt water was still not freezing

Theory:

The salt water took a longer time to freeze than the regular water. 

 

 

Experiment 3

Does hot water or cold-water boil faster?

Hypothesis: I think that hot water will boil faster than cold water.

Controls: Start water at same time

Hot water pan boils in about 55 seconds

Cold water pan boils in about 2:45 minutes

Hot water pan boils in about 1 minute

Cold water pan boils about 2:55 minutes

Hot water pan boils about 1:05 minutes

Cold water pan boils about 3 minutes

 

Theory:

I found out that cold water boils faster than hot water.  I would think that hot water would boil faster because it is already hotter than the colder water. 

 

 

 

Describe the scientific method/process and how each step correlates to your own experiment.

Questions

Hypothesis

Procedure

Experimental Observations

Data Analysis

Conclusion

During these experiments I really thought about these different things and what I already knew.  When I thought about the salt water I thought maybe salt water would take longer to freeze because salt melts ice.  But then I thought about how when I was younger I made homemade ice cream and we used salt to freeze the ice cream instead of in the freezer.  I think it was good for me to do this experiment because I had two good reasons to think each way.  The experiment that really surprised me was does hot or cold water boil faster.  I was for sure that it would have been hot water because you are trying to get the water hot already.  Again I was wrong and it sure was a good thing that I did this experiment because I learned that cold water boils faster than hot water, this will come in handy for cooking. 

 

Talk about the reproducibility of the experiment?  What are the average values?

In this experiment I found that cold water does freeze faster than hot water cold water takes longer to boil than hot water.  I also found out that salt water takes longer to freeze than regular water. 

Write a three paragraph statement about your experiment and connections to a real-world application.  First paragraph:  Intro of the science concepts.   Second paragraph describe your experiment, data, and conclusions.  Third paragraph: Apply your science concepts and knowledge to a real-world application.  After reading these paragraphs, a person should realize why these science concepts are important while gaining knowledge related to the topic.

 

It is very important to remember steps of the scientific method when doing any type of experiment.  They help you understand why and how to do your experiment.  The different steps are questions, hypothesis, procedure, experimental observation, data analysis, and conclusion.  I had to use these steps in my experiments when I found out which freezes faster salt water or regular water, does hot water or cold water freeze faster, and does hot water or cold water boil faster. 

                After doing my experiments it made me realize that the things I expected to happen didn’t.  I thought that hot water would boil much faster than cold water.  I found out that cold water boils faster than hot water, almost two minutes faster each time while I was boiling.  I will definitely remember this the next time I am cooking.  I also found out that regular water freezes faster than salt water.  I wasn’t quite sure on this one because when I was younger and made homemade ice cream and we used salt to make the ice cream freeze but also during the winter we use salt to melt ice.  But during the experiment I found out that regular water freeze much faster than salt water.  I also did an experiment to see if hot water or cold water froze faster.  I figured that cold water would freeze faster because it is already at a cool temperature.  I found out that cold water does freeze faster than hot water. 

                These experiments will definitely help me in out in the future.  When I boil water to make noodles I always turn my sink to hot water thinking that it will boil faster.  I now know that I will use cold water when boiling water.  These experiments really help me understand some basic things that I had no idea about.