You are on page 1of 2

Jacqueline Hyslop

Moffitt
Chemistry B3
9/18/17

Title:​ Bunsen Burner Lab Report

Purpose​: To determine how the distance from a flame affects the time in which it takes water to
reach 70℉.

Pre-Lab Questions:
1. What are the constants in this experiment?
The constants are the size/type of the beaker, the amount of water, and the
temperature/intensity of the flame.
2. What are the variables in this experiment?
The variables in this experiment are the height of the platform and how long the water
take to reach 70℉.
3. Which measurement in this experiment is the dependent variable?
The dependent variable is the time it takes the water to reach 70℉.
4. Hypothesize about what the most effective position above the flame will be.
If a beaker containing 100mL of water is placed at different positions above a bunsen
burner, then the beaker positioned closest to flame will take the least time to reach 70℉, because
water heats faster at a higher temperature.

Data Table:
Trial Starting Height of Beaker Above Time to Reach 70℉
Temperature (​℉​) Bunsen Burner (​seconds​)

1 25 1 132 *

2 30 2 139

3 27 3 177
*approx. 10 seconds went by without the timer

Follow-Up Questions:

1. Describe 2 ways this experiment could have been improved.


a. During trial one, our group mistakenly allowed approximately 10 seconds to go by
without starting the timer. If we hadn’t, the results would have been more certain and the
validity of the experiment could have been increased.
b. The initial temperature of the water could have been a constant. If all three beakers of
water started at the same temperature, the results would be more definite.
2. Describe 2 reasons to explain why each group may have drawn different conclusions.
Each group may have drawn different conclusions because human beings make errors.
For example, none of the groups measured an exact height for the platform, which resulted in
each group recording a different time. Infrequencies in small things like the height of the flame
will have an impact on the validity and comparison to other groups. Basically any change in
something that’s supposed to be a constant, by human error, will result in a difference in results.

3. Describe how the data may have been affected if that constant was not taken into
consideration.
The amount of water in the beaker is the most important constant because if there had
been more or less water, the variable would greatly affect the results accordingly.

4. Is making the prediction of the outcome of an experiment before you do it a necessary


part of good science?
Making a hypothesis is necessary to an experiment because there is not experiment
without curiosity. Whether the hypothesis is recorded or not, it sets the stage by giving you
something to test and think about why certain things happen.

5. What conclusions can you draw from your data?


The data collected supports our hypothesis. It was predicted that the water positioned
closest to the flame would take less time to reach 70℉ than a beaker placed further up. The
beaker placed in position 1 (directly ​in the flame) took 132 seconds to reach the desired
temperature, while the one in position 3 took 177 seconds. With this evidence, we can conclude
that the hypothesis ​was supported and that water will take less time to reach a certain degree if
the temperature is increased.

You might also like