Hallie Ryan

Lab Partner: Quinn Meistrich

The Temperature Increase in degrees Celsius of 50 mL, 75 mL and 100 mL of water over
45 second time intervals until reaching boiling point
Water has many properties that make it possible for life on Earth to survive. The
properties include: cohesion of water molecules, moderation of temperature, floating of ice
on liquid water and water being the solvent of life. In this experiment, it will be showing the
different components to the moderation of temperature by water. Within the moderation
of temperature by water, thermal energy, temperature and heat are all explored. Thermal
heat, which is the kinetic energy related with the unsystematic movement of molecules and
temperature, which is the average kinetic energy of the molecules, unrelatedly to volume.
Therefore, although water may contain a greater thermal energy with a greater volume, the
temperature of a water with a smaller volume will be greater.
In this experiment 3 of the same beakers with different volumes of water in each of
them (50 mL, 75 mL and 100 mL) will be placed on a hot plate and each of the
temperatures will be recorded at 45 second intervals. In doing this, the temperature of the
50 mL of water should rise the fastest due to its small volume. The purpose of this
experiment therefore, was to see if the same quantity of heat is added to waters of different
volumes, will the beaker with the smallest volume of water increase in temperature faster
than the others due to the properties of water, specifically moderation of temperature by
water.
Independent variable: Time (45 second intervals)
Dependent variable: Temperature of water
Question: If the same amount of heat is added to different masses of water over the same
amount of time, will one beaker of water increase in temperature faster than the others?
Hypothesis: If the same amount of heat is added to different masses of water, then beaker
with 50 mL of water (the smallest mass of water) will increase in temperature the fastest.
The materials used included:
3 250 mL beakers (all the same kind)
1 hot plate
3 thermometers
225 mL of water
A stopwatch
Procedure:
1. Add 50 mL of water to one beaker, 75 mL to another beaker, and 100 mL to
another (make sure all beakers are the same kind and size)

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Set the burners/hot plates to setting 5

Record the temperature of the water in the beakers initially
Put all of the beakers onto the hot plate and wait 45 seconds
After 45 seconds, check the new temperatures with the thermometer
Record data
After another 45 seconds check again and record data of all of the beakers with
water
8. Keep recording in 45 second intervals until all of the waters boil

Results

Error Analysis:
During this experiment, a few experimental errors were made. Firstly, when the first
water started to boil, we were not sure whether it was actually boiling. Bubbles were being
produced, but there was confusion in the amount of bubbles and the vigor of the bubbling
that meant it was boiling. Another experimental error was when the temperatures were
taken at the 45-second intervals. One of the thermometers was hard to read due to
scratched off markings, so some of the data may be off by a degree or two.
Discussion and Conclusion
If the same amount of heat was added to different masses of water, then beaker
with 50 mL of water (the smallest mass of water) will increase in temperature the fastest.
The experiment proved this hypothesis to be correct. Over the 45-second intervals, the 50
mL of water in the beaker heated up the fasted and therefore boiled first out of the other 2
amounts of water (75 mL and 100 mL).
This experiment examined the property of water of the moderation of temperature
by water. Temperature is the average kinetic energy of molecules, and it does not involve
volume. In this experiment, water with different volumes was tested, at 50 mL, 75 mL and
100 mL. Comparing the 50 mL and 100 mL of water, the 50 mL of waters temperature
rose faster than the 100 mL of water, as expected. However, the 100 mL water has a
greater thermal energy because it has a greater volume. On a molecular level during this
experiment, since the water was absorbing heat in, the hydrogen bonds are breaking
hydrogen bonds.
Data Analysis
As show in the data from the lab, each amount of water started at 26 degrees
Celsius. After 45 seconds, already the 50 mL and 75 mL amounts of water raised an extra
3 degrees above the 100 mL of water. By the next 45-second interval, the 50 mL of water
had a greater temperature than the other 2 beakers by 1 degree. By the 315 second, the 50
mL of water had a temperature of 64 degrees C, while the 75 mL of water was 55 degrees
C and the 100 mL was 51 degrees C. By this time interval, the water started to condensate
in all of the beakers. Then by the 450 second-time interval, small bubbles started to form
in the 50 mL and 75 mL beakers. The 50 mL of water was boiling by 630 seconds, the 75
mL of water started boiling at the 720 second and the 100 mL of water started boiling at
the 765 second.
The data collected shows no experimental errors, except for the end at which the
waters were boiling. The 50 mL of water may have started boiling before the 630 second
mark, but it was not clear whether it had or had not. Other than that, the data makes sense
and is accurate.
Further Inquiry

Possible future research that came out of the experiment could be testing this on a
larger scale. For example: measuring the heat absorbed by the ocean, and how the air
temperatures are affected by the heat absorption. Also testing if different solutes affect the
boiling rate of water. So if 10 mL of salt were put into 50 mL of water, would the time it
takes to boil increase or decrease. For recommendations for future study, use a more
powerful hot plate so it does not take as long and do the experiment more than once to
gather more data and be more precise.
Sources:
AP Edition: Campbell Biology in Focus by Urry, Cain, Wasserman, Minorsky,
Jackson, Reece (30-31)