Effective Use of a Bunsen Burner

The purpose of the lab is to test which position of the flame of the Bunsen Burner is the most
effective for heating water the quickest.

What are the constants in this experiment?

Volume of water (100mL)
Beaker size (250mL)
Intensity of flame
Starting temperature

What are the variables in this experiment?

Independent Variable: Height of position of beaker (1, 2, 3, 4)
Dependent Variable: Time for water to reach 70℃ (minutes)

Which measurement in this experiment is the dependent variable?

The dependent variable is the time it takes for the water to reach 70℃. It will be
measured in minutes.

Hypothesis
If the beaker is at position 1 then the water will reach 70℃ faster than the other heights
there would be more energy reaching the water.

Starting Temperature ℃ Height of beaker Time to reach 70℃

Trial 1 9 1 3:47.50

Trial 2 10 2 3:23.43

Trial 3 11 3 4:39.53

Trial 4 10 4 4:55.18*
*Stopped after longest time 62℃

Other than “performing more trials”, describe 2 ways this experiment could be improved. (Be
sure to describe the improvements that could be made as well as how those improvements would
make for a better experiment)
This experiment could be improved by adding more levels to the independent variable.
By adding more levels it can be determined if there is a different part of the flame that would be
more effective in heating the water. This experiment could also be improved by allowing the
glass beakers to cool down completely before adding water to them. If water is added to them
while they are still warm the water may start warming before it is placed above the bunsen
burner.

Describe 2 reasons to explain why each group may have drawn different conclusions.
One reason each group might have drawn different conclusions because the height of the
water may be slightly different in all the flames which could affect the time that the water took to
heat up. Another reason that different conclusions may be frean between groups is whether the
windows were open on the Bunsen Burner or not. If the windows are closed then the flame will
be different because it will not have enough oxygen and burns differently.

In the Pre-Lb, you were asked to list the constants in this experiment. Choose any 1 of those
constant factors. Describe how the data may have been affected if that constant was not taken
into consideration.
If the volume of water was not held constant the data would be changed dramatically.
Without the same volume of water it would be hard to tell which height raised the temperature
the fastest because some volumes of water will either make it eat up faster or slower.

You’ve been taught that making a hypothesis is a crucial part of the scientific method. What do
you think: is making the prediction of the outcome of an experiment before you do it a necessary
part of good science? Explain your choice.
Predicting the outcome of an experiment is helpful because it gives a purpose for
conducting the experiment. Without a hypothesis there is no question to be evaluated therefore
there is no point in the experiment.

What conclusions can you draw from your data?

A conclusion that can be drawn from the data is that when the beaker of water is placed
in the 2nd position it is heated the quickest. While the water was in the second height it only took
3:23.43 to reach 70℃ . When the beaker was placed at the 4th position it took the longest to heat
up, for time purposes the trial was stopped after it was established to be the longest. The fourth
position took 4:55.18 to reach 62℃. In conclusion it can be seen that the second position was the
quickest to heat up and the fourth position was the longest.