Name ______Date ______Page ______

Radiant Energy and Surface Temperature

Problem: Does the type of surface affect the amount of heat absorbed both in and out of direct sunlight?

Variables: Independent variable: ______

Dependent variable: ______
Hypothesis:

**1) If the ______is in the ______, then the amount

of ______absorbed will be high and the ______will rise the highest.

2) If the ______is in the ______, then the amount

of ______absorbed will be low and the ______will rise the least.

Materials: thermometer stopwatch multiple surface areas

Procedure: (fill in these blanks as I go over the directions)

1.  Read your ______before beginning and record your starting temperature under “0 minutes”.

2.  Place your thermometer on the ______assigned to your group.

3.  Start your stopwatch.

4.  After _____ minutes, record the temperature in the data table. DO NOT ______YOUR TIMER!!!

5.  Leaving your thermometer on your assigned surface, continue to record the temperature reading every ______minutes.

6.  When returning to the classroom, record your data on the class table on the white board.

Quantitative Data: Observations involving quantities/numbers or measurements

Surface /
Temperature in the sun (˚______) /
Temperature in the shade (˚______)
0 min. / 2 min. / 4 min. / 6 min. / 8 min. / 10 min. / 0 min. / 2 min. / 4 min. / 6 min. / 8 min. / 10 min.
Grass
Soil
Concrete
Blacktop
Water

Data Analysis:

1.  At the end of 10 minutes, which surface was warmest? ______
which surface was coolest? ______

2.  What was the temperature change for each surface?

Surface / Sun
Temperature change / Shade
Temperature Change
Grass
Soil
Concrete
Blacktop
Water


Conclusions:

1.  Why do you think the ______had the highest temperature gain?

2.  Why do you think the ______had the smallest temperature gain?

3.  What conclusions can you reach about the amount of heat energy that different surfaces absorb from the sun?

4.  In what ways does the relationship between “type of surface” and “amount of heat absorbed” affect peoples’ lives? (Think of your experiences of different surfaces being different temps- swimming pools, blacktop driveways and barefeet, snow melting in the winter etc)

Name ______Date ______Page ______

Surface / Temperature in the sun (˚______) / Temperature in the shade (˚______)
Time / 0 / 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 / 0 / 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10
Grass
Soil
Concrete
Blacktop
Water