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Rube Goldberg Invention

9/29/2014

This a drawing of my Rube Goldberg Project. It is making a stapler staple two pieces of paper.

"The numbers in this graphic organizer connect to the numbers in the drawing on the left."

Reflection:

1. What was the most surprising thing you learned about energy during this entire unit? Why was it surprising?

2. What was your favorite part of this energy unit? Why was it your favorite?

3. Where is energy found?

4. How would you define energy?

(If you have time, go check out the other Rube Goldberg inventions in the hallway. Compare and contrast them to yours. What do you like better? What ideas can you take from theirs?)

1. The most surprising thing for me was that a battery is a type of chemical energy not electrical energy. That was surprising to me because a battery powers electronics so I thought it was electrical energy.
2. My favorite part was the insulated bottle experiment because I liked that we had a competition for it and I like competitions. I also liked that we got to cover a water bottle with whatever was on the middle tables.
3. Everywhere because you have to have energy to live even things that aren't living have energy. I also know that energy is everywhere because if the wasn't energy in something it would be useless so energy has to be everywhere.
4. Energy is different forms of action.

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Insulated Bottles

9/26/2014

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Answer the following reflection/synthesis questions:

What was your maximum temperature (use your Data Chart, not the picture)?
What was your minimum temperature (use your Data Chart, not the picture)?
What is your range? If you had any penalties or gifts, include those in your total.
What materials did you use in your insulated bottle (type them in order from your first layer, second layer, and third layer.)? Why did you choose the materials that you did?
What are some materials that you didn't choose? Why didn't you choose them?
Explain any blips on your graph (if you have them). Why do you think it did that?
Is an insulator a good or a poor conductor of heat energy? This is an important question, so really think before you answer it!

1.The maximum temp. was 112.3 F.
2. The minimum temp. was 84.9 F.
3. The range of the temps. was 27.4 F.
4. We used fur, aluminum foil, Carpet insulator, and Polyester because we thought they were good insulators. We choose them because there all thick and warm so we thought they were good insulators.
5. We didn't use wax paper, nylon, wool, bubble wrap, cotton, paper, and foam because other groups took them. Also we didn't choose them because we thought fur, aluminum foil, and Carpet insulator were better insulators.
6. The blips on my graph were created by moving the bottles and then keeping it still. I know that moving the bottle makes the graph mess up its reading.
7. An insulator is a poor conductor of heat energy because an insulator is the opposite of a conductor. Also when you conduct electricity it creates heat, but when you insulate you are trying to stop heat from getting out.

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Conductors of Heat

9/24/2014

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Aluminum
Redish-brown Copper
Goldish-brown Brass
White Plastic
Bamboo

I think the butter on the aluminum rod will slide down the fastest. Then the copper, then the brass, then the plastic, and finally the bamboo. I think this will be the order because I know that copper, aluminum, and brass are good conductors and plastic and bamboo barely conduct anything.

Answer the following reflection/synthesis questions at the end:

How did heat energy transfer to the butter in this experiment?
What connections can you make between this experiment and yesterday's experiment? "Both today's experiment and yesterday's experiment... The main differences were..."
How did your results compare to your predictions?
Which of the tested materials were the two best conductors? What is your evidence?
Which of the tested materials were the two worst conductors? What is your evidence?
Do you think water is a good or poor conductor? Why? Can you think of any evidence to support your answer?
Why do you think it matters which material is a good or bad conductor? How do we use conductors in our life?

The heat from the water made the butter slide down the rods. I also know that some of the rods are better conductors than other rods.
Both today's experiment and yesterday's experiment were alike because for both experiments we used graphs to show are data. The main differences were that on experiment used butter and rods the other used hot and cold water.
My predictions were (1)Aluminum,(2)Copper,(3)Brass,(4)plastic,(5)bamboo I got 3,4,5 right and 1 and 2 wrong. I also know that Copper is a better conductor of heat than Aluminum.
Copper and Aluminum because they are better conductors of heat than brass,plastic, and bamboo. I also know the metal is a better conductor and those two materials are metal.
Bamboo and plastic because they are not types of metal. I know the metal is a better conductor than other materials.
Poor because water can't conduct anything. I also know that metal is a good conductor and that when you try to make it conduct something the water doesn't change anything.
It matters because if you use a bad conductor your experiment will go slower. We use conductors in our life to power technology.

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Transferring Heat Energy from Warm to Cold Water?

9/22/2014

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Answer the following reflection/synthesis questions when you are done with the lab:

What happened to the temperature of the cold water over time? What about the warm water?
What happened on the graph to show what happened with the water temperatures?
What did you notice happened at the end of the experiment?
How did the cold water get warmer? How did the warm water get colder?
Did the water go through the red Solo cup? How do you know?
Which direction did the heat energy move?

    1.The cold water stayed at its same temperature but went up gradually by a tiny bit. The warm water started off by going up a lot then at the end it went way down and then the cold and warm water were at the same temperature.
    2.If the warm water got colder on the graph it would be shown as the red line going down the graph. I also know that the graph every 5 seconds the graph would show a reading.
    3. At the end of the experiment I noticed that the warm water was about as warm as the cold water. I also noticed that the warm water started to stop going down so much.
    4. I think that the air took the heat from the warm water so the warm water got colder and the cold water just stayed the same temperature but it got a little bit warmer. I also know that the cold water stayed the same temp. because if the hot water didn't get any colder once both temps. were the same than the cold water wouldn't get any colder.
    5. No because water or heat can't go through a cup. I also know that cold can't get hot, but hot can get cold.
    6. Down because heat can't get hotter it can only get colder. I also know that the air took the heat from the warm water so the heat would go down.

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Energy Transfers

9/19/2014

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Answer the following Reflection/Synthesis Questions below the first video:

What was your favorite station? Why?
Which object was most difficult to figure out? Why was it so hard to figure out the energy transfers in this object?
Which three stations do you feel very confident that you figured out correctly? Describe one and explain what made it so obvious.
Was it always possible to know for sure what kinds of energy transfers occurred?
Go to our classroom YouTube channel and spend a little time watching other students' videos of stations that you think you and your partner(s) might have gotten wrong. Try to find a group or two that explained a particular station better than you did. Which group do you want to give a shout out to for doing a good job explaining a particular station? List their names, the station they explained, and the URL to their video so I can watch it!

    1. My favorite station was the plasma ball because when you touch the ball one of those electrical currents comes toward your finger. Also I think that when you touch the ball the energy wants to go toward your finger.
    2. The drinking bird because I thought that the water turns into chemicals that are in the bird. I didn't know that the the there was no chemicals and that it had something to do with heat.
    3. The Dominoes, the Pop-up toys, and pull-back toy cars because they all showed the energy transfers and you could see the energy transfers. The Dominoes because all they did was fall on each other and make sound.
    4. No because there could be transfers you couldn't even see and their could be byproducts you don't even know about. Also because there could be energy transfers in the objects.

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Finding Eight Forms Of Energy Around Westgate

9/12/2014

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Where is energy found?
What forms of energy are easiest to notice? Which ones are hardest to notice?
Do some items possess more than one form of energy? If so, which ones?
Why is energy important?

    1. We found the items Around Westgate, but you can probably find them around the world. Specifacally outside near the playground and in other classrooms around the school.
    2. Types of energy that were easy to notice like light and motion energy. Types of energy that are not easy to find are chemical and heat energy.
    3. The sun, tire swing, someone sliding down a slide are examples of items that possess more than one energy form. I noticed that gravitational energy is usually also a type of motion.
    4. Energy is important because we wouldn't be able to move,see,feel any heat, and computers. We probably wouldn't be able to do anything.

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Rube Goldberg Invention

Insulated Bottles

Conductors of Heat

Transferring Heat Energy from Warm to Cold Water?

Energy Transfers

Finding Eight Forms Of Energy Around Westgate

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