Graded Assignment SCI102A: Physical Science | Unit 5 | Lessons 10 & 12: Laboratory: Heat Transfer & Design a Thermos

5.12 Design a Thermos Lab

(15 points Lab + 15 points extra credit if you make your
own thermos and complete the 2nd section)

Overview: Heat is energy on the move. In this lab, you will explore how heat moves and you
will attempt to slow it down. Watch this video to see how to use common household items to
design and build an insulated container. Compare the data collected in the video lab for the
insulated containers with a non-insulated container (control).

Before Conducting the Lab:

Complete questions 1-3 of the Lab Report

Design a Thermos Video Lab

Watch the video: https://learning.k12.com/d2l/le/content/1548487/viewContent/240330683/

View

It is on page 3
It is on page 3
1. (3pts) Explain the purpose of this video. Describe at least 3 pieces of information that
may be important for building a homemade thermos.
Answer: The purpose of this video was to show you how to design a thermos by
taking making an insulated container and a non-insulated one(control) and
experimenting by putting the same thing inside of both and sealing and closing
them and recording the temp until they both became room temp. This was done
with different materials to see which worked best at retaining heat better.

2. (2 pts.) Write the goal of this lab (question being answered).

HINT: Look at the question in the Mastery Map on the first page of Lesson 5.12 in the LMS.

© 2011, 2007 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 1 of 6

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.
 Graded Assignment SCI102A: Physical Science | Unit 5 | Lessons 10 & 12: Laboratory: Heat Transfer & Design a Thermos

Answer:

The goal is to learn how to make a Thermos.

3. (2 pts.) What experiences have you had with heat transfer and insulation? Think of
different materials you use in your life to help keep things from changing temperature.
HINT: Answering these questions should help you form your hypothesis in number 3.
Answer:
I like to go camping a lot so me and my Family have experimented with different
coolers to see which one keeps our food cold longer depending on the quality of
the cooler. Really it’s which one keeps heat out for the longest period of time
without putting in more Ice.

4. (2 pts.) State your hypothesis.

Hint: This statement should answer the question in #1. The format should be an “If…,
then…” statement.
Your goal is to build the best thermos! Think about the purpose of a thermos – keeping
items the same temperature! Not heating it up (like a stove) or cooling it down (like a
fridge).
Answer: If I make a thermos out of a water bottle and paper towels the ice will melt
faster.

5. (6 pts.) Use the data table below to create a graph showing the temperature changes
for the non-insulated control and the three types of insulation materials.
a. Plot the temperature versus time for each thermos. Use a different color for each
thermos.
b. Color code the data that is plotted to match the data table
c. Draw a trend line for each thermos.

Temperature Data for Insulated Containers

Temperature inside Temp. inside Temp. inside Temperature inside

Time the Control (°C) the container (°C) the container (°C) the container (°C)
(min)
(NO insulation) with Bubble Wrap with Aluminum Foil with Paper Pellets

0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

30 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
60 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

© 2011, 2007 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 6

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.
 Graded Assignment SCI102A: Physical Science | Unit 5 | Lessons 10 & 12: Laboratory: Heat Transfer & Design a Thermos

90 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

120 2.5 0.0 2.0 0.0
150 11.5 3.5 9.5 0.0
180 22.0 22.0 21.0 8.2

© 2011, 2007 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 3 of 6

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.
 Graded Assignment SCI102A: Physical Science | Unit 5 | Lessons 10 & 12: Laboratory: Heat Transfer & Design a Thermos

Temperature Data for Insulated Containers

© 2011, 2007 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 4 of 6

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.
 Graded Assignment SCI102A: Physical Science | Unit 5 | Lessons 10 & 12: Laboratory: Heat Transfer & Design a Thermos

6. MUST DO THIS PART TO EARN THE EXTRA CREDIT! (4 points)

Do this lab for real! Using materials that you can find around your house, create your
own thermos using at least TWO types of insulating materials. Design an experiment to
test how your thermos works to keep ice from melting and compare this to a control
(same type of container, no insulation). Record your data on the data table below (#7).
Insert a picture of your lab below. You must be in the picture along with the
control and the homemade thermos.
(Insert picture here – make it small enough to fit in this space)

Reminder: Now that you have answered these questions, be sure to watch the lab
video. Use the link on p.1 of this lab report.

7. (5 pts) Basic results from YOUR thermos experiment (do not graph this!).
Homemade thermos’ only! No store-bought products allowed. The control and thermos
should be the same type of material (like a plastic bowl), but the control is not insulated with
anything.
Time State of matter in Control State of matter in the Thermos
0 min All ice All ice
30 min
1 hour
1 hour, 30min
2 hours
2 hours, 30min
3 hours

© 2011, 2007 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 5 of 6

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.
 Graded Assignment SCI102A: Physical Science | Unit 5 | Lessons 10 & 12: Laboratory: Heat Transfer & Design a Thermos

8. (2 pts.) Explain the purpose of having a control in the experiment.

Answer:

9. (2 pts.) How did each thermos perform when compared with the control? Include
numbers from the data table and graph to support your answer.
Answer:

10. (2 pts.) Did each thermos work as you expected it to? How could you use this
information to design a better thermos?
Answer:

© 2011, 2007 K12 Inc. All rights reserved. Page 6 of 6

Copying or distributing without K12’s written consent is prohibited.