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A student investigated the insulating properties of newspaper - AQA - GCSE Physics - Question 10 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 10
A student investigated the insulating properties of newspaper. Figure 15 shows the apparatus the student used. Figure 15 The student's results are shown in Figure ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student investigated the insulating properties of newspaper - AQA - GCSE Physics - Question 10 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe a method the student could have used to obtain the results shown in Figure 16.
Answer
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Prepare the Apparatus: Wrap N layers of newspaper around a metal can. The can should be filled with a specific volume of hot water, initially at a measured temperature.
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Measure Initial Conditions: Measure the initial temperature of the water using a digital thermometer to ensure accuracy.
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Conduct the Experiment:
- Use a stopwatch to time the experiment for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, measure the final temperature of the water.
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Calculate Temperature Change: Subtract the final temperature from the initial temperature to determine the temperature decrease of the water.
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Repeat: Repeat the experiment with different numbers of layers of newspaper to gather a range of results.
Step 2
Explain why it was not necessary to use a temperature probe and datalogger for this investigation.
Answer
Using a digital thermometer is sufficient for this investigation as the experiment does not require high precision or continuous data logging. The temperature change can be accurately measured with a standard digital thermometer at the beginning and end of the 5-minute interval. Since only the initial and final temperatures are necessary to determine the effectiveness of the newspaper as an insulator, the added complexity of a temperature probe and datalogger is unnecessary.