This week we conducted a guided inquiry to find a good insulator for hot water. The set up that I used included 4 mugs with a hot water covered with different materials (cotton shirt, rubber square, aluminum foil, paper) each of equivalent thickness. I needed to make sure that thickness was held somewhat constant so that it would not become another independent variable in this inquiry activity. The best insulator in my set up was the rubber square but I could not tell if it was because it provided a better seal compared to the other materials or if it truly was the best insulator. I had wished I could try styrofoam but I could not find a piece that was the same thickness so I had to scrap it. I do not like to use more than one independent variable in an experiment. I need to know that no other factors are involved when conducting an experiment and this was the best way. 

If I were to do this in my classroom then I would do the opposite and have them find a good insulator for cool beverages. A cooler is made out of a certain type of material as well as the handheld coolers so I would want my students to become engineers and create a handheld insulator that is cheap but efficient. This type of activity can bring math in the mix and the students could actually make something they can possibly sell in the school to teachers for a fund raiser. It would be great to see how creative they get! This would for sure allow them to really understand the concept of heat transfer and with a project like this they will never forget the content.  I do not teach a grade where this is apart of the curriculum so I am wondering how everyone else teaches as well as how you all build engagement around a concept like this. I almost want to do this as an end of the year project just to keep them focused until the end!

                  

MOMENTUM, DIFFERENT SURFACES, AND MARBLES!!!!!

This week we had to complete a guided inquiry and I chose different surfaces to test.  I chose a carpet square, wool, wood plank, a strip of tile, sandpaper, rubber pad, and a piece of paper. One discovery I made was that rubber slowed down the velocity of the marble, which in turn decreased the momentum (ρ = mν) more than the sandpaper did. The next slowest velocity came from the wool piece, and again when the velocity decreases so does the momentum. When I checked what the friction coefficients were I quickly realized that rubber did in fact have a higher friction coefficient than sandpaper so my evidence was supported with research. The other surfaces actually did not change the velocity of the marble much, and in turn the momentum was pretty similar to each other. I felt this experiment went well! There wasn't anything too challenging with setup or with running the experiment. The results were supported with the friction coefficients so again it went well! I could see myself bringing this into my classroom to use with my students for sure. 

The only thing I would do if I were to bring this into my classroom is to have my students change try out different IV's such as different size marbles or change the ramp angle. Testing all these different variables could add a design project to teaching this concept. I could give each group a students their own IV to test out and then they can present their findings to the class and the data can be analyzed to explain how mass, ramp angle, and different surfaces affect momentum.

 If I do it in the next few days Ill keep you posted!