1. Conductors
vs.
Insulators

2. Focus Question Which material is the best conductor of heat? Styrofoam
Plastic
Glass

3. Hypothesis
I think ______________________ will be the best conductor because...

4. Materials
3 cups for each lab group – one plastic, one styrofoam, one glass
100 mL of water in each cup
equal amounts of ice in each cup
three thermometers
data collection sheet
1 minute timers

5. Procedure place equal amounts of water and ice in each cup
measure and record the temperatures of the water in each cup
repeat every five minutes until the ice melts

6. Data Collection Starting Temp. 5 minutes 10 minutes 15 minutes
plastic cup
styrofoam cup
glass

7. Watch and discuss a Video clip or four While you Wait and collect your data!
username: whitneyh.godfrey_590 password: teacher

8. Results/Data Analysis
What happened to the temperature of the water in the plastic cup?
The temperature of the water in the plastic cup (increased/decreased) at first, then it (increased/decreased).
What happened to the temperature of the water in the styrofoam cup?
The water temperature (increased/decreased) then it (increased/decreased).
What happened to temperature of the water in the glass?
Which cup’s water temperature rose most quickly?
The ____________________ cup’s water temperature rose the quickest.

9. Conclusion
Write your conclusion statement you can use the statements below to guide you.
The _____________________ cup’s water temperature rose the most quickly. This lets me know that this kind of material is a (good/poor) conductor.
The _____________________ cup’s water temperature rose the least quickly. This lets me know that this kind of material is a (good/poor) conductor.
I (now know my hypothesis is incorrect/can confirm that my hypothesis is correct) because...