University of Virginia Physics Department Change of State A Physical Science Activity

Student Activity

Materials

• Glass beaker, 600 mL
• 5-10 ice cubes
• 200 mL water
• Thermometer
• Hot plate
• Clock or wristwatch timer
• Graph paper
• Small clamp

   

Procedure

1. Fill a 600 mL beaker about half full with ice.
2. Pour 200 mL water in the beaker along with 5-8 ice cubes. Wait several minutes, and measure the temperature of the mixture.
3. Turn on the hot plate to medium. Place the beaker with the ice and water on the hot plate and warm it slowly.
4. Every minute read the temperature of the mixture and record it. Use the small clamp to hold the thermometer off the bottm of the beaker.
5. Watch the mixture and record the time and temperature. Describe the mixture and note when all the ice has melted.
6. Continue to heat the water and record its temperature.
7. Note the time and temperature at which the water boils. Continue to record the temperature each minute for five minutes after it begins boiling. Stop before all of the water has boiled. Do not let the thermometer rest on the bottom of the beaker.
8. Plot your results on a sheet of graph paper. Label the x-axis "Time" and the y-axis "Temperature". Label what happened at various points on the graph.

Data Sheet