Temperature, Pressure, Compression
Name: _______________________
Heat Transfer, & Phase Change Lab
Period: _________________
__________________________________________________________________
Station #1: Temperature and Movement
1. Draw and label the four beakers. Show where the dye is located in each one.
2. Is there any beaker in which the dye has not moved at all? ____________
3. Why has the dye moved more in some beakers than in other?
4. If the purple dye were not added to the beakers, would there still be movement?
5. From your observations, what happens to a substance when it is heated? (What
happens to the speed of molecular motion?)
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Station #2: Pressure and Temperature
1. These two tanks had a certain amount of air pumped into them yesterday. Is
there an obvious difference in temperature between the two tanks? (TOUCH THE
TANKS!)
2. Record the amount of pressure in tanks A and B. Tank A: _____ Tank B: _____
3. Does temperature necessarily depend on pressure?
4. What happens to the air pressure in your car tires when they are heated up?
5. Does pressure sometimes depend on temperature?
Station #3 Compression and Temperature
1. Read the temperature of the tank from the electronic thermometer and read the
pressure gauge on the tank. Record both measurements.
Temperature: __________
Pressure: ___________
2. As quickly as possible, pump the tank up to 60 PSI.
3. Read and record the temperature and pressure.
Temperature: __________
Pressure: ___________
4. Release the air from the tank hose as quickly as possible until no more air comes
out. Feel the air as it comes out. Describe the air temperature.
5. Read and record temperature and pressure again.
Temperature: __________
Pressure: ___________
6. What would you expect to happen to the temperature of a scuba tank as it is
being filled with compressed air?
7. How would scuba shops deal with #6?
8. What happens to the temperature of a can of hair spray after it is sprayed for
about a minute?
9. Use your own words to describe what compression means.
10. What does decompression mean?
11. What happens to the temperature when something is compressed?
12. What happens to the temperature when something is decompressed?
Station #4 Freezing and Melting
1. Use beaker tongs to pour a little liquid wax (about the size of a dime) into the
foil cup. Describe what happens.
2. Why is there such a major change in the wax just from pouring it out?
3. Where does the heat that kept the wax melted go?
4. What will happen to the whole beaker of liquid wax when the hot plate is
turned off after school? How long will it take?
5. Clean the wax out of the foil cup and place back into the heated beaker. Place
a small ice cube into the foil cup. Describe what happens to the ice after a few
minutes.
6. The ice cube and the liquid water are both H20. Why are they so different?
7. Where does the heat to melt the ice come from?
8. What is the temperature of the ice in the cup?
9. What would happen to an ice cube if it were on 32 F (0 C) in the room? Why?
10. Explain why the wax and the ice behaved so differently even though they were
exposed to the same conditions.
Station #5 Evaporation and Condensation
1. Wet the washcloth under hot water then wring it out and hang it up. What will
happen if you leave it there for about 30 minutes?
2. Where does the water go? How do you know?
3. Feel the washcloth after it has been hanging there for a few minutes. How did
it get so cool if you just used hot water to wet it?
4. Put a couple of ice cubes into a silver cup and add some cool water. Stir for a
few minutes. Describe what happens to the outside of the cup.
5. Where does the water come from? Why?
6. What controls whether water will evaporate or condense?
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Station #6 Heat Transfer
1. Record the temperature in each of the 3 beakers.
A - _______
B - _______
C - ________
2. Predict what the temperature will be in each beaker an hour from now.
A - _______
B - _______
C - ________
3. Predict what the temperature will be in each beaker 24 hours from now.
A - _______
B - _______
C - ________
4. Record the temperature in each of the 3 thermoses.
A - _______
B - _______
C - ________
5. Predict what the temperature will be in each thermos an hour from now.
A - _______
B - _______
C - ________
6. Predict what the temperature will be in each thermos 24 hours from now.
A - _______
B - _______
C - ________
7. Why will some of the samples get warmer at the same time that others get
colder?
8. Why will the thermos samples take longer to change temperature than the
beakers?
Station #7 Moving Air’s Effect on Temperature
1. Record the temperature from each thermometer.
No Fan B - _________
Fan A - __________
2. Do fans or wind really lower the temperature? Explain.
3. Why do you feel cooler by A than when standing by B even though both
thermometers read the way they do?
4. Moisten the skin on the back of one hand with a wet paper towel and hold it in
front of the fan. Explain why the moist hand feels so much cooler than your
dry one.