Friday, March 30, 2007

Dr. Spacey's Great Bolts of Fire Experiment






3 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. The 2 bolts of different sizes used in the experiment.
2. The bolts in the water bath to be boiled.
3. The bolts in the water bath viewed from above.
4. The large bolt in the testtube
5. The thermometer measuring temperature in the test tube (these 2 steps were repeated for the small bolt)
Results: the large bolt and the small bolt started at the same temperature. The large bolt had more heat energy and therefore it heated the water in the testtube to a higher temperature than the small bolt did.
Conclusion: The amount of heat energy in an object depends on more than just the temperature it is at, it also depends on the mass of the object.

Anonymous said...

Dr Spacey,
Thank you so much for these pictures. I can see exactly what you did now and agree that cutting down on the volume of water by using test tubes instead of styrofoam cups is a great idea. I notice too how you kept the heat in the tubes by lining the beakers with a paper towel.
Dr B.

Anonymous said...

You know I really wonder why the government gives scientists our tax dollars to measure the temperature of metal bolts and water. They get the chance to play in the lab. while the rest of us have to work for a living. I was reading that post from Dr. Boyle and what do I see but more of the same nonsense - writing papers about the fastest way to mealt an ice cube! Can you please explain this to me, what's the connection here between your "Great bolts of Fire" fun and my reality?
Mr. A. Garnett