Observing Convection Currents
Name:_____________
17 pts Total
Safety precautions:
Wear safety goggles.
Tie back loose hair or clothing.
Never reach over a Bunsen burner!
Use beaker tongs to remove hot beakers from ring stands.
You will need:
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Ring stand
Iron ring
Bunsen burner
Striker
Some grains of uncooked rise Or red food coloring with a dropper
A 250 or 400 ml beaker
What to do:
Fill the beaker ¾ full of water and heat it over a Bunsen burner. As the water begins to warm up, sprinkle
some grains of rice in the water. If you have food coloring instead, place a drop of food coloring in the bottom
of the beaker. Observe and answer the following questions.
1. Explain how the rice or food coloring moves in words. (5 points)
2. Draw a picture to illustrate the movement of the rice or food coloring. (5 pts)
3. How do you explain the movement of the rice or food coloring? (5 pts)
4. What happened as the water cooled when you were finished? (2 pts)