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Transfer of Heat by Radiation

Equipment

1  Quad Temperature Sensor  PS-2143

1  Radiation Cans  TD-8570
Required but not included:
3  Beaker, 400-mL
2  Beaker Tongs
1  Hot Plate
1  Towel or Other Insulating Material
1 L  Water
Optional: Aluminum Foil

Background

Heat energy is transferred in three different processes: conduction, convection, and radiation.
Conduction is a thermal process in which heat energy is transferred from a hot object to a colder
object through direct contact (Figure 1). Convection is a thermal process in which heat energy is
transferred from one place to another through the movement of fluids (Figure 2). Radiation is a
thermal process in which heat energy is converted to electromagnetic radiation (photons) which
are emitted from an object's surface (Figure 3). These photons, in turn, can heat other objects
similar to how the Sun heats the Earth's surface.

In this lab you will explore how

heat energy is lost by a hot object and
show how radiation is affected by the
different surfaces of a hot object.
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Temperature Calibration

1. Prepare three flexible white thermistors by inserting each one through a coffee stirrer and
taping them as shown in Figure 4. You can use any plastic or wooden rod and tape the
thermistor to the side of the rod, without taping over the end of the thermistor.

2. Connect the three temperature probes to the Quad Temperature Sensor using ports 1, 2,
and 3 on the sensor, and then connect the Quad Temperature Sensor to the interface using
a PASPORT extension cable.

3. In PASCO Capstone, open the Calibration at left.

4. Choose to calibrate all three of the temperature probes.

5. Select Two Standards.

6. Prepare an ice bath (1 liter of mostly ice and a little water) and a beaker of boiling water.
Temporarily tape all three of the temperature probes together so they will be in the same
place in the baths.

7. For the first calibration point, put all the probes into the ice water and gently stir them
around the ice. The temperature should be 0°C.

8. For the second calibration point, put all the probes into the boiling water. The
temperature should be 100°C at 1 atm of pressure.

Figure 4: Preparation of Temperature Sensor

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Setup

Safety:

* Each group member should wear safety goggles while performing this experiment.

* Always use tongs or other hot item gripping devices when handling or moving hot
water containers and hot plates, including the radiation cans used in this experiment.

1.
In Capstone, set the sample rate to 20 Hz. Create a Digits Display with Temperature 1.
Create a graph of Temperature 1, Temperature 2, and Temperature 3.

2. Put the dry temperature sensors on the table and record room temperature. Record this
value.

3. Fill each of the three 400 ml beakers with 300 mL of water and then place the beakers
onto the hot plate. Set the hot plate to its highest setting and allow the water in the
beakers to come to a boil.

4. Place the towel or other insulating material on the lab table (away
from the hot plate), and then set the silver, black, and white
F
radiation cans on the insulating material approximately 30 cm
apart.

5. Once the water in the beakers is boiling, switch off the hot plate.

6. While one group member holds the silver can in place using
another pair of tongs, fill the can the 300 mL of hot water from one
of the 400-mL beakers (Figure 5).

7. In the same manner, fill the white can and the black can with 300
mL each of hot water. Then place one temperature probe in each
can, letting the taped end act as a hook as shown in Figure 6. Put
T1 in the silver can, T2 in the black can, and T3 in the white can.
Immediately start recording.

Figure 6: Temperature
Probe Hooked on Can
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Procedure

1. Start recording.

2. While recording, constantly gently stir the water with the temperature probe. Observe the
starting temperatures of the three cans. Are the starting temperatures the same? If not,
which can is hotter and why is there a difference between the two starting temperatures?

3. Stop recording data after the temperature has dropped to about half-way between the
starting temperature and room temperature.

4. Create a table as shown below. Create User-Entered Data sets called “Can Color”, “Can
Mass” with units of g, and “Can+Water Mass” with units of g. Then create a calculation
in the last column:

Water Mass = [Can+Water Mass (g)]-[Can Mass (g)]

Can Mass Can+Water Mass Water Mass

Can Color
(g) (g) (g)
Silver
Black
White
Foil

5. After stopping, weigh each can with the water in it and record the masses in Table I.
Then weigh each can without water. Be sure to use the beaker tongs when handling the
hot radiation cans and beakers.

Analysis

1. Create a graph of Temperature 1 vs. Time. Then create a new plot area and select
Temperature 2 on the vertical axis. Then create another new plot area and select
Temperature 3 on the vertical axis.

2. Which can cooled the fastest? To answer this question, determine which of the three cans
started with the coolest temperature. Use the coordinate tool and the delta tool to measure
how long it took this can to cool by 15°C. Then measure how long it took for the other
cans, taking the measurement from the same starting temperature of the first can and
finding how long it took to cool by 15°C. It is important to compare each can between the
same two temperatures.

3. When the cans were cooling, which processes were transferring heat? Which process do
you think was dominant?

4. When the cans were cooling, did they cool faster at the beginning of the experiment or
toward the end of the experiment? Why?
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Further Study:

1. Tightly swap all three of the cans with aluminum foil and tape the foil closed.

2. Put hot water in all the cans and record the cooling as before.

3. How does the cooling compare to the cans without the foil?

Figure 7: Foil Wrapped around a Can

Conclusions

1. In general, what color can cools the fastest? Was one of the colors much faster than the
others?

2. If you want something to keep warm, what kind of surface should you put on it?

3. Why are radiators on cars black?

4. Why do you wrap a potato in foil after baking it?