4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

Rubber Band Elasticity and

Temperature
|
Background info |
Problem | Review of Literature | Question | Hypothesis | Materials |
Procedures |

 |
Setup Pictures | Data |
Graph | Results |
Discussion |
Return to Research Page |
Related Research |

Background Info: 

In almost every office around the

world you can find a rubber band.  Today
rubber bands are most commonly used to
hold multiple items together.  The rubber
band’s elasticity, water resistance,
and lightness have made it a universal commodity. 
Modifications to the
original rubber band patented in England on March 17, 1845 by

Stephen Perry
include aerobic bands, bracelets, and projectiles.  Close to 21 million
tons of
rubber were produced in 2005 (“History”).  On average, most rubber bands are
made out of natural rubber, which performs better under extreme heat than
synthetic
rubber (Bartleby 2001).          

Rubber has been widely used

throughout the past era.  During World War I
Germany created a synthetic rubber
to be used in its weapons, but it was too costly.

After trade was cut to the

East Indies in World War II, which produced most of the
United States natural
rubber, the Allies decided to begin manufacturing rubber. 
Synthetic rubber was
less costly and continues to account for the majority of the
world’s rubber
production today.

Statement of the Problem:                                                        

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

            The purpose of this experiment is to

see how the change in temperature affects
the elasticity of a rubber band.

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Review of Literature:    

While experimenting, we have to

keep in mind the different variables involved
in the range of elasticity of the
rubber band.  Vulcanization of the rubber will allow it
to be stretched further
without breaking (CEC 2007).  By making sure the water level
is a constant
variable we will be able to tell how dependent the rubber bands elasticity
is
on the change of temperature.  When implied force is put on the rubber band an
increase and decrease of temperature will show its elasticity effect
(McGraw-Hill
2001).  To preserve the longest life span of the rubber band when
not using it, it’s best
to place it in a refrigerator, where no force is put on
it.  In addition, we must take into
account the condition of the rubber band as
the temperature increases in order to
decrease the probability of error. 
“Whether a material expands or contracts when it is
heated can be ascribed to a
property of the material called its entropy” (Shakhashiri). 
Using the theory
on entropy in connection with the elasticity of the rubber band, it can

be said
that the higher the temperature the higher the entropy level and lower the
orderliness of the molecules that make up the rubber. Rubber bands in general
stretch

more in the presence of heat as Frye states, “rubber contracts when it gets colder. The
molecules in the rubber band
get closer together. This affects the elasticity…” This

means that the

band will not be able to stretch as far or support as much weight.  We
will
need to make sure that all these factors remain constant throughout the experiment

to present the most valid results.

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

 
Question:

How does the temperature of a rubber

band affect the distance it stretches when
submersed in water and supporting a constant
weight?

 
Hypothesis:

We believe that, as the temperature of

the water increases, the rubber band will
become more elastic, and therefore it
will stretch further.  The temperature of the water

is the independent
variable, and the length of the band is the dependent variable.
Knowing that
the rubber bands are made out of natural rubber, we think that they will

stretch further under warmer temperatures without breaking.

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Materials:
1.     
One natural Rubber Band

2.     
Weights
3.     
 2 wire metals (which are bendable)

4.     
White board marker
5.     
One 1000mL beaker

6.     
Thermometer
7.     
Paper and pencil

8.     
Calculator
9.     
Water/Ice

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Procedure:

            First, collect the above materials, and find

a room at room temperature (about
23° Celsius).  The three constants in the lab
are the weight, wire, rubber band, and

water level.  It is important to separately

weigh the weights, wires, and rubber band. 

After weighing, tie the larger wire

around the rubber band (see photos below), and with
the smaller wire connect
the weight onto the other side of the rubber band.  Place the

rubber band flat

on a table and mark two lines from where the rubber band’s elasticity
will be
measured. Then measure the length of the rubber band within the marks just

drawn.  
Next, observe the 1000ml beaker and convert the distance the rubber band

could
stretch from ml to cm.  Then the experiment can begin.  Begin by testing the
coldest temperatures.  To do this, fill the beaker with ice cubes.  Once the ice
has

melted, put the thermometer in the water to check its temperature (it should
be

approximately 3° C).  Place the apparatus into the beaker once it has
reached the right

water temperature.  Wait a few seconds and observe how far

the rubber band has
stretched.  The elasticity will be measured from the marks drawn
on the rubber band. 

Keep the rubber band submerged in the water as the

temperature rises.  Every 3° C the

water rises, record how far the rubber band

stretches.  Once the water temperature has

reached room temperature take the

rubber band out of the beaker. Mark the water level
on the beaker after taking
the rubber band out.  Then, pour out the water and replace it

with boiling
water.  Fill the beaker with boiling water until it reaches the marked line. 

Place your apparatus back into the beaker and record how far it stretches. Keep
the

rubber band in as the water temperature decreases. Record how far the rubber
band
stretches every 3° C change, until it has reached room temperature. 
Refill beaker with

ice cubes and repeat all procedures, as explained above, for

two more trials.  Finally,

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

plot the data from the three trials and observe how
the rubber band's elasticity changed

with the different temperatures.  By

graphing the results, it is easier to determine if the

hypothesis was correct

or not.

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Setup Pictures:

As seen in the pictures, we tied one end of the rubber

band to the wire, and the other

end was connected to the weights. We then

submerged the band and the weights into
the water that fills the beaker to
1000mL. We recorded the temperature of the water

and measured the length of the

rubber band after each interval of temperature dropped

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

or rose (3° C). The

length we measured was the distance from the top of the water to
where the
rubber band was connected to the weights.

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Data:

Constants:
Rubber band Weight of the Weight of the Weight of the metal device
length weights Rubber band holding the
Rubber band
5.5inches 168grams .5grams 4.6grams
 
Temperature Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
3OC 16cm 16.25cm 15.5cm

6OC 16.25cm 16.25cm 16cm

9OC 16.5cm 16.5cm 16.25cm

12OC 16.5cm 16.75cm 16.5cm

15OC 16.5cm 17.1cm 16.65cm

18OC 16.75cm 17.25cm 16.75cm

21OC 17.25cm 17.5cm 17.1cm

24OC 17.35cm 17.65cm 17.4cm

27OC 17.4cm 17.7cm 17.6cm

30OC 17.5cm 17.75cm 17.75cm

33OC 17.6cm 17.75cm 17.9cm

36OC 17.9cm 18cm 18cm

39OC 17.9cm 17.75cm 18.15cm

42OC 18cm 18cm 18.2cm

45OC 18cm 18cm 18.25cm

 

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

Graph:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  

 Data File (text, tab delimited)

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Results:

Taking
into consideration the fact that we used the same band for repeated

trials, the
elasticity of the band may have been affected. Aside from this, our data

demonstrates that the rubber bands do, in fact, stretch more when submerged in
warmer water.

 
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Discussion:
            The applications of
this study at first seem obscure. But, when viewed in broad

terms, it opens
questions to how changes in temperature affect specific materials.

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

Although the
snap of a rubber band is not usually a cause of worry, the collapse of an

operating bridge is. The experiment also points out the major weakness of a
rubber
band: increased entropy with increased temperature. The question now
becomes: how
do we build a better rubber band?
 
  
  
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Bibliography:
A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry, Volume 1, by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, The
University of Wisconsin
Press, 2537 Daniels Street, Madison, Wisconsin

53704.
Frye, M. (2001, January 31). How does
temperature affect elasticity of a rubber band?

            Retrieved October 30, 2007, from       

<http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-02/981061637.Eg.r.html>.
“History.”
<http://www.therubberband.info/history.php>

McGraw Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. 1960, McGraw-Hill, New

York,
New   York.   Pgs. 672-684.

P. W. Allen, Natural Rubber and the Synthetics (1972); M. Morton, Rubber

Technology

            (3d ed. 1987).    

“Rubber.” The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed. New York: Columbia

University

Press,                      2001–04. <www.bartleby.com/65/>. Oct.2007.

"Secret of Rubber Band." Rubber Bands Specialist. July 2007. Central

Elastic

            Corporation. October 28, 2007.<http://72.14.253.104/searchq=cache:            

hCqiqBxcXoYJ:www.cec.com.my/faq.htm+rubber+band        
+elasticity&hl=en&ct=clnk &cd=8&gl=us&client=firefox-a>.

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 Back to Top!

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4/25/22, 8:11 PM Rubber Band Elasticity and Temperature

Related Research:

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Energy from Rubber bands - Rubber bands related to potential and kinetic
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Scientist Response - Comparing rubber bands and their elasticity
Student Project - Student entry for a science fair; experimenting with heat and
elasticity on a rubberband
The Rubber band's Secret - Informal FAQ of rubber bands and their material
make-up
Rubber bands and Heat - Another experiment design for testing heat

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