Fifth Through Eighth Grade:
Middle School Science and Physical Science
News Flash! Storms catch skiers on mountain! Yesterday, a fast-moving storm with freezing temperatures caught skiers unaware on the ski slopes. A local rescue team required more than 24 hours to get everyone off the mountain and take them to local hospitals for emergency aid. A hospital spokesperson stated that injuries ranged from hypothermia and cold feet to cases of frostbite on toes. All will recover.
How are headlines like this possible? Why did some of the skiers come away cold
and some risk injury, including loss of toes?
Investigation
You have been hired by the local ski resort to investigate what happened and what
can be done to prevent injuries. Early information shows almost all the skiers were
wearing the same type of boot, but the type and quality of their socks varied a
great deal, ranging from nylon stockings to wool ski socks. Could the type of sock
make such a huge difference in protecting their feet? How will you test this?
We know that heat energy flows or moves from a high concentration to a low
concentration, and that our bodies are a high concentration of heat. In the winter,
we wear clothes that insulate us and keep the warmth close to our skin. Insulation
slows the flow of heat energy into the surrounding environment from our bodies.
Cotton, down, nylon, silk, and wool are some of the many materials used in clothing.
But not all of them insulate the same.
Objectives
In this experiment, you will:
• Compare the insulating properties and physical characteristics of cotton, wool, and
nylon using socks
• Study the effect of water on the insulating properties of these fabrics
• Examine the physical characteristics of various socks using a ProScope,a digital
USB microscope
• Learn to use a Vernier Temperature Probe
• Determine which material is the best insulator
• Report your findings in a presentation format using iPhoto software
Sock ItTo Me
News Flash! Storms catch skiers on mountain! Yesterday, a fast-moving storm with freezing temperatures caught skiers unaware on the ski slopes. A local rescue team required more than 24 hours to get everyone off the mountain and take them to local hospitals for emergency aid. A hospital spokesperson stated that injuries ranged from hypothermia and cold feet to cases of frostbite on toes. All will recover. Science CSI:Concentrated Science Investigation,
Lesson 1
Materials
• Macintosh computer with Mac OS X
• iPhoto
• Bodelin ProScope with 50X lens
• Bodelin USB Shot software
• Vernier Temperature Probe
• Vernier Go! Link interface
• Vernier Logger Lite software
• Inkjet or laser printer (optional)
• One glass or plastic bottle
• One one-hole stopper
• Two wool socks, two nylon socks, and two cotton socks
• Hot water from faucet (40–50oC)
• Room temperature water
Procedure
- In your science journal, write down which sock you think will be the best insulator
and explain why.
- Obtain and wear goggles.
- Touch the tip of the ProScope with the 50X lens to each type of fabric to create an image. In your science journal, describe what you see for each sock. Based on what you observe, modify your hypothesis if necessary. Print your images and place them in your journal (optional).
- Prepare the computer to collect temperature data:
a Connect the Temperature Probe to Go! Link.
b Connect Go! Link to the computer.
c Open the Logger Lite software.
d Choose Data Collection from the Experiment menu and set the experiment length to 600 seconds.
e Click Done.
- Obtain a bottle and a one-hole stopper to perform the first data run.
Note: Steps 5 and 6 must be performed quickly for good results.
a Fill the bottle up to the neck of the bottle with hot water.
b Insert the rubber stopper tightly into the bottle,then insert the Temperature Probe into the hole in the stopper.
c Use a paper towel to dry the outside of the bottle.
Fifth Through Eighth Grade:
Middle School Science and Physical Science 4
- Collect your first data run:
a Click the Collect button to begin data collection. Data collection will last for 600 seconds.
b When data collection ends, click the Examine button .The Examine box appears on the screen. As you move the pointer across the graph, the temperature and time values are displayed in the Examine box.
c Move the pointer around the graph until you find the maximum and minimum
temperatures. Record the maximum and minimum temperatures in the data table
as your control data.
d Close the Examine box by clicking the upper-left corner of the box.
e Store this run by clicking the Store button .
- Remove the one-hole stopper and Temperature Probe from the bottle. Refill the bottle with hot water and replace the Temperature Probe into the bottle.This time place your bottle in one of the socks. Make sure to cover as much of the bottle as possible. As soon as you have the bottle in the sock, repeat Step 6, only this time record your ending temperature as your first experimental data run.
- Repeat Step 6 for the other socks. Make sure to record your data at the completion
of each of the experimental runs.
- For the wet sock trials, wet each of the socks with water and wring the excess water from the sock. Examine each sock with the ProScope for changes in the material. Record an image for each sock. Print the images and place them in your journal (optional). Make sure you identify each of your images. Later, you will transfer the image files to an iPhoto album.
- If time permits, repeat Step 6, placing the bottle in the different wet socks. Record
your data and print the final graph. (Printing is optional.)
- Locate the Snap folder created by USB Shot and import it into iPhoto for analysis
and captioning. Make sure you have identified the images before you transfer them
to iPhoto.
- After all the experiments are done, compile the data into a single iPhoto slideshow.
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