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Radiation Heat Transfer Investigation

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Radiation Heat Transfer Investigation

A local bakery wants to know which surface will absorb the most heat from an infrared heat source. Analyse the investigation below, then use the results to explain how radiation transfers energy. Radiation is infrared electromagnetic energy; unlike conduction and convection, it does not need particles to travel.

Method and fair testing

The samples start at the same temperature. Place each 20 cm from the infrared lamp and expose it for 5 minutes. Record the temperature before and after exposure. Repeat each test three times and calculate the mean temperature rise. Keep lamp distance, exposure time, sample size and starting temperature the same. Let samples cool before handling; the lamp and samples may become hot.

Surface

Repeat 1 (°C)

Repeat 2 (°C)

Repeat 3 (°C)

Matte black

Matte white

Shiny aluminium foil

Make sense of the evidence

Use the investigation setup and results table to answer each question. State units where they are useful.

1.Which surface had the greatest temperature rise? Give its mean rise, showing how you calculated it.

2.Calculate the mean temperature rise for the matte white surface.

3.Calculate the mean temperature rise for the shiny foil surface.

4.Choose the best conclusion supported by the results.

The matte black surface absorbed more radiation than the other tested surfaces.
The shiny foil absorbed more radiation than the other tested surfaces.
All three surfaces absorbed exactly the same amount of radiation.
The results show that radiation can only heat black materials.

5.Explain why the three repeats and the mean make the results more trustworthy than a single measurement.

6.Identify two variables that should be kept the same for a fair comparison, and explain why one matters.

7.Complete the sentence: energy from the infrared lamp reaches the samples by , so it does not require between the lamp and sample.

8.True or false: conduction through air is the main way energy travels from the lamp to the samples in this investigation. Correct the statement if it is false.

TrueFalse

9.Why did the shiny foil warm less than the matte black surface? Use the words absorb and reflect in your explanation.

10.Aisha suggests changing the lamp distance for each surface until all three reach the same temperature rise. Would this be a fair test of which surface absorbs radiation best? Explain.

11.Predict which surface would be most useful for the inside of a solar oven intended to absorb sunlight. Support your choice with evidence from this investigation.