Apologia Science Curriculum – Understanding Heat Through Rubber Bands
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Getting Started
If you’re like many people, chances are good that you have at least a few extra rubber bands lying around your house. Why not put those extra rubber bands to good use with this experiment that will enhance your Apologia science curriculum. If you’re at a point in the Apologia science curriculum where you’re ready to study physics and the physics of heat, then this is the perfect experiment for you.
To get started, you’ll simply need to have a few rubber bands. You may want to play around with rubber bands of different sizes, but you’ll need at least one rubber band to get started.
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The Purpose:
The Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to help you learn more about thermal properties of rubber – a common material used in the construction of many products, including car engines, tires, and more. During the experiment, we’ll learn more about how rubber behaves when heated. Remember: heat is a form of energy.
This experiment takes place in several phases. In each phase, you’ll follow unique steps that will provide you with new insight into how rubber bands react and interact with heat.
Phase One
Phase 1: Heat Flow
In this phase of the experiment, you’ll learn about heat flow into and out of the rubber band. You’ll need a heat detector to measure heat levels. The most available (and surprisingly accurate) heat detector for most people is their own skin.
Steps:
• Hold the rubber band between two thumbs. Hold the rubber band to your forehead or lip without stretching it. Record your observations about the temperature of the rubber band.
• With the band away from your face, stretch it quickly as far as you can. While it’s stretched, touch it to your lips or forehead. Record your observations.
• Move the rubber band away from your face and let it relax to its natural state. Hold it again to your face. Record your observations.
• Repeat as desired or needed to record your results. As with many experiments, this experiment can increase your understanding of the lessons in your Apologia science curriculum. By the way, you may want to check out this website for great homeschool science resources. It’s definitely one worth bookmarking.
What you observed:
In this phase, you learned that when the rubber band was not stretched, the heat from your skin flowed into the rubber band, which made it feel cool. However, when the object was stretched (and warm), the heat flows from that object to your skin, warming your skin. However, if the band does not feel warm or cool, then there is no heat flow that can be detected.
Phase Two
Phase 2: Lengthening with Heat
In this phase, you will observe what happens to a rubber band’s length when it is hot or cool.
Steps:
• Attach one end of the rubber band to a wall or ceiling.
• Suspend a weight from the opposite end so that the rubber band stretches (such as a door knob or an assistant’s hand).
• Use a hair dryer to heat the rubber band.
• Record your observations about what happens to the rubber band when you apply heat.
What you observed:
You probably noticed that the rubber band seemed to contract when it was heated. Were you surprised? Rubber, unlike many other materials, contracts with heat. Entropy is the scientific name for the reaction that a material has to heat by either expanding or contracting.
The reason that rubber contracts has to do with its molecular structure. When heat is applied to many materials, the molecules in those materials move around rapidly, causing expansion. However, because rubber has large molecules that are like threads, only sections of the molecules move at a time. Molecules will pull neighboring parts together, contracting the overall material.
The results of this experiment may have surprised you. What else can you learn from it as it relates to your Apologia science curriculum?
