Insulating materials
Science coursework
Candidate name: Anisah Habib
Candidate number: 4042
Introduction: For this piece of science coursework I will be investigating what materials are best as insulators and what ones are worst. The materials I have chosen to use for this experiment are bubble wrap, foil and tissue paper. I will test all these to see which one would be the bet insulator when I pour water in a hot can as the insulator would be wrapped around the can therefore I will check the temperature every so often to find out which is the best insulator.
Aim: my aim is to find out if different types of insulating materials can prevent heat loss from a tin can of water.
Prediction: I predict that bubble wrap would be the best insulator on the can. Because I think the material will be good at trapping the heat molecules and not letting them escape therefore the can with the bubble wrap material wrapped around it would stay hot.
Scientific evidence:
A conductor is something that lets energy flow through it. When heat travels through solids it so called conduction some materials are better than others. A poor heat conductor is a good insulator. Conduction works better in solids and gases because the particles are close together. It works better in carpets because carpets contain trapped air because of the feature it contains.
Heat energy travels from hotter places to colder places. Heat will transfer between objects that are at the same temperature. Heat travels in solids bye conduction. Metal are good conductors unlike non-metals. Gases are called insulators as they are poor heat conductors. For example bubble wrap is a really good insulator as it contains pockets of air where the heat molecules can get stuck and cannot escape. Another is foam because it thick and contains lots of air it acts as a good insulator. However bubble wrap is better then foam.
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Peer Reviews
Here's what a star student thought of this essay
Quality of writing
The quality of writing did bring my rating of the whole coursework down, especially since the candidate did not use a single comma, which shows they lack in written communication skills. There were also unnecessary repetitions of phrases within a single sentence, for example, ‘I think my experiment didn’t go as well as I think I could have because I think my method wasn’t appropriate enough’. Which showed that possibly the candidate found it hard to get their points across. But overall the coursework was very well structured, with clear subheadings for the ‘aims, predictions, results..etc’ and this boosted my rating of the coursework. There is good scientific terminology such as ‘variables’ and especially in the definition and description of insulating materials, however ‘reliability or accuracy’ could be used instead of ‘fair test’, to show a broader use of scientific knowledge which the examiner is looking for.
Level of analysis
There was a high level of analysis throughout the coursework, especially using scientific evidence, which itself was supported through use of diagrams. A visual analysis is particularly useful to use in coursework, especially when a candidate is trying to get a more complex point across to the examiner, so in my opinion this worked well. There are also fairly length paragraphs for both the analysis and evaluation, which shows the candidate has intricate knowledge about insulators. However, the paragraphs did seem to lack why the scientific reason for the results they obtained, although this was discussed before it would have been better to see that the candidate fully understood their results. The candidate did however, explain in detail how the impact of some variables not making it a ‘fair test’, which was excellent as it showed that the candidate understood contributing factors to how well a material can insulate a metal can.
Response to question
The aim/question of the coursework is to find out if different types of insulating materials can prevent heat loss from a tin can of water. The terms ‘insulating material and heat loss’ are clearly defined with response to the question, which shows the candidate understands the purpose of the experiment. The candidate also gives a good answer to why they think bubble wrap is the best insulator as opposed to the others, which also shows a good response to the question and a high level of understanding. As the question is an aim, the candidate responds to it excellently using appropriate investigation techniques such as writing the methodology, apparatus...etc. This shows the candidate has thought their response to the question through sufficiently and scientifically, hence aiding their answer to the question.
