Butter & Spoon Race
Science in the kitchen
EDU4PSH
Josephine Madden 15306905
Haining Lu
15661575
Group 12
VELS reference

Working towards Level 4.

“Students explain change in terms of cause and effect. They identify the characteristics of
physical and chemical changes.”

“Students design their own simple experiments to collect data and draw conclusions.”

“Students approach data collection systematically, and analyse data qualitatively in terms of
errors of measurement. They use a range of simple measuring instruments and materials, and
demonstrate understanding of their personal responsibility in using them. They identify and
describe safety requirements and procedures associated with experiments and the use of
standard equipment.”
Our experiment is relevant for level 4 students as it deals with the
investigation of a physical change.--- The butter melts due to the
heat conducted through different materials. Students collect data and
analyse it systematically to reach a conclusion about the experiment.
Students consider the safety issues regarding the use of boiling
water.
Introduction




We chose this experiment so that students can explore the
scientific properties of different materials used in the home. The
experiment looks at how different materials conduct heat.
The materials are safe and easily accessible and are all things that
would be found in the kitchen. Young students may need assistance
with using boiling water.
Students can observe results quickly and can take turns playing
different roles in the experiment.
Students will begin to think about why we use different materials
when dealing with heat.
Procedure

Purpose
The purpose of this
experiment is to
investigate which of
the materials is the
best conductor of
heat.

Hypothesis
Metal is the best
conductor of heat.
Materials

Alloy spoon

Small bowl

Steel spoon

Butter

Plastic spoon

Boiling water

Wooden spoon
/ chopstick

Stop watch
Method

Place small amount of
butter on the end of
each spoon.

Place spoons together in
a bowl.

Boil water.

Pour boiling water into
the bowl, filling it up to
the top.
Method cont.

Observe the melting
time of the butter on
each spoon.

Record melting times.

Repeat method 4
times and create a
table to compare
results.
Results
We repeated the experiment 4 times in order to come up with a consistent result.
The following data shows what we recorded observing the 4 experiments. The
information indicates the time it took for the butter to melt off each spoon /
chopstick.
Material
Experiment 1
Experiment 2
Experiment 3
Experiment 4
Steel spoon
1m 29s
1m 30s
42s
42s
Alloy spoon
3m
4m 30s
2m 50s
1m
Wooden
chopstick
More than 10m
More than 10m
More than 10m
2m 50s
Plastic spoon
More than 10m
More than 10m
More than 10m
5m
Conclusion / Discussion
Conclusion
 In this experiment we observed a physical change that occurs when
different materials are exposed to heat. The results were
consistent with our hypothesis proving that metal is the best
conductor of heat.
Discussion
 The metals proved to be the best conductors of heat with the
butter melting off the steel spoon first and the alloy spoon second
in all four experiments. We found that plastic and wood did not
conduct heat well. It was difficult to differentiate between the
wood and plastic because in most of the experiments the butter
did not melt off these materials at all. On the last experiment the
butter melted off the wood before the plastic.
Errors and Limitations

Steam
The steam rising from the boiling water contributed to the melting of the butter. We tried to
cover the water with a plate to avoid the steam affecting the butter, but as all the spoons were
exposed to the same steam, we decided to leave the spoons exposed.

Water Temperature
The water temperature must be just boiling otherwise the melting time will be affected.

Spoon Thickness and shape
The thickness of the spoons used for this experiment was mostly consistent, although identical
spoons of different materials may have produced more accurate results.

Amount of butter
We found the larger amounts of butter took a longer time to melt. For this reason it is
important to measure the butter amounts carefully to make sure each spoon has the same
amount.We used smaller amounts on the last experiment which appears to have affected the
results for wood and plastic.

Use of different metals
Different metals conduct heat at slightly different rates. This is why we used two different metals
for the experiment. More investigation is necessary to discover which metal is the best
conductor of heat.
Delegation
Reference



Baxter N. (2008) Science Experiment, Leicestershire: Bookmart
Limited
http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/assessment/ppoint/science/index.html#lev
el4
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/
science/scicontinuum/level4.htm