Observations Table (Part 2)

[Tigger17]

I am stuck on this now.... :S

2. Conduct the following experiment: Get two ice cubes and place one in a glass covered with white paper (sides and bottom) and the other ice cube in another glass covered with black paper. Place the glasses under a lamp or in the sun.

c)Why is it important that the glasses be the same?

[factor-fiction]

Because you want to keep all conditions the same except for the colour of the paper. If you had different sized/shaped glasses you couldn't say whether any differences in your results were due to the difference in the glass or the colour of the paper, or both

[Buenchico]

Because the experiment seeks to see to examine SOLELY the effects of changing the amount of light and heat reaching the ice cubes. If different sized glasses were used it would not be known whether, for example, the volume of air within the glasses was affecting the results (or whether the different results ONLY came about because of the different levels of light and heat).

Chris

[vascop]

It's because the surface area of the paper must be the same in both cases, so that the rate of absorption only depends on the colour of the paper.

[Tigger17]

Thank You All Very Much!!

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe it is just me, but I'd have thought that if you were not clear about an experiment then many of your classmates are likely to be in the same boat; and the intelligent response is to ask the teacher the question. Not that there is anything wrong with asking here, but the teacher is now unaware they were insufficiently clear, and your puzzled classmates are still not any better informed.