Hold the heat
Keep captured solar heat from escaping.
Before you begin
Read the instructions without joining. A signed-in profile lets you save private observations and learning progress.
Gather your supplies
- Two identical covered containers
- Equal amounts of warm water
- Safe reused insulating material, thermometer and timer
Use what you have. Purchases are optional and do not affect rewards.
Care and safety
Use warm, not boiling, water. Keep fabric and cardboard away from flames, hot plates and electrical hazards.
Prerequisite: Catch the sun
This activity builds on the prerequisite. Sign in with your profile to check your completion record.
The experiment
Insulation slows heat transfer. Comparing temperature change, rather than final temperature alone, accounts for small differences at the start.
- 01
Use what Catch the Sun taught you to warm equal water volumes safely. Record each starting temperature.
- 02
Wrap only container A with dry reused material such as clean cloth or corrugated cardboard. Keep container B unwrapped.
- 03
Measure both at 0, 15 and 30 minutes in the same location. Do not open the containers longer than needed.
- 04
Subtract each final temperature from its own starting temperature. Explain which design slowed heat loss and what you would change.