Reflection
Many problems and obstacles were encountered throughout the conducting of the investigation, some of which may have potentially compromised the validity and reliability of the experiment. These difficulties ranged from equipment problems to measurements errors, external factors, which could not be kept consistent as controlled variables.
Although an attempt was made to ensure that the experiment was one which could be run in the household, with every-day items, there was a glaring overlook; the digital thermometer. What made the situation even more perplexing was the fact that the thermometer had to be waterproof, as it was submerged into water during the investigation. None could be found around in the home and so eventually, one was bought from a local store for $15.
Moreover, the torches which were used began to run out of batteries towards the end of the investigation, and there was a clear difference in the amount of light being projected by them. Replacing the batteries was an easy remedy to the problem, albeit, not perfect, as now the torches would shine brighter than initially, when the batteries were half-drained.
Another problem that was constantly faced was measurement and human errors. Since the experiment took place over many hours, and there was a need to constantly record results on a minutely basis, there were times of inaccuracy in recording of results, and educated guesses had to be made to fill the voids.
In addition to this, the rate of cooling also proved to be quite a predicament. Even though all were placed within the refrigerator at the same temperature, the rates at which they cooled could possibly vary, and thus affected the rate at which they absorbed heat, after being taken out of the refrigerator. Simply allowing the glasses of water to reach the minimum temperature of the refrigerator for roughly 20 minutes, helped eliminate the rate of cooling altogether.
Finally, there was an inconsistency in the shape of the glasses. Although an attempt was made to use similarly-shaped glasses, they were admittedly, not identical, and thus, this could possibly jeopardise the accuracy of the experiment. To overcome this problem next time, perhaps a ‘kit’ of different-coloured glasses could be used.
As well as this, general improvements could be made to the experiment, if the experiment were to be conducted again.
One of these improvements would be the use of multiple thermometers, rather than just one. Given that all thermometers displayed accurate results, this would help ensure that all glasses could be removed from the refrigerator at the same time, exposing them to near-identical conditions, without rate of cooling or room temperature being variables which need to be considered.
Another improvement which could be made would be to increase the intensity or number of light sources, so as to ensure that the experiment would consume less time. Not only is this helpful in the sense that less time is wasted, but also that tediousness of recording results would be minimised and help increase the accuracy of the experiment.
Although an attempt was made to ensure that the experiment was one which could be run in the household, with every-day items, there was a glaring overlook; the digital thermometer. What made the situation even more perplexing was the fact that the thermometer had to be waterproof, as it was submerged into water during the investigation. None could be found around in the home and so eventually, one was bought from a local store for $15.
Moreover, the torches which were used began to run out of batteries towards the end of the investigation, and there was a clear difference in the amount of light being projected by them. Replacing the batteries was an easy remedy to the problem, albeit, not perfect, as now the torches would shine brighter than initially, when the batteries were half-drained.
Another problem that was constantly faced was measurement and human errors. Since the experiment took place over many hours, and there was a need to constantly record results on a minutely basis, there were times of inaccuracy in recording of results, and educated guesses had to be made to fill the voids.
In addition to this, the rate of cooling also proved to be quite a predicament. Even though all were placed within the refrigerator at the same temperature, the rates at which they cooled could possibly vary, and thus affected the rate at which they absorbed heat, after being taken out of the refrigerator. Simply allowing the glasses of water to reach the minimum temperature of the refrigerator for roughly 20 minutes, helped eliminate the rate of cooling altogether.
Finally, there was an inconsistency in the shape of the glasses. Although an attempt was made to use similarly-shaped glasses, they were admittedly, not identical, and thus, this could possibly jeopardise the accuracy of the experiment. To overcome this problem next time, perhaps a ‘kit’ of different-coloured glasses could be used.
As well as this, general improvements could be made to the experiment, if the experiment were to be conducted again.
One of these improvements would be the use of multiple thermometers, rather than just one. Given that all thermometers displayed accurate results, this would help ensure that all glasses could be removed from the refrigerator at the same time, exposing them to near-identical conditions, without rate of cooling or room temperature being variables which need to be considered.
Another improvement which could be made would be to increase the intensity or number of light sources, so as to ensure that the experiment would consume less time. Not only is this helpful in the sense that less time is wasted, but also that tediousness of recording results would be minimised and help increase the accuracy of the experiment.