BIOLOGY COURSEWORK
PENGUINS LIVE IN THE ANTARTIC. TO STAY WARM, THEY HUDDLE TOGETHER AND FLUFF UP THEIR FEATHERS. USING TEST TUBES FILLED WITH HOT WATER AS PENGUINS, PLAN AN INVESTIGATION TO FIND OUT HOW THIS BEHAVIOUR HELPS PENGUINS RETAIN HEAT!
PLANNING
I will use test tubes filled up with hot water as penguins. Also, I will be using a measuring cylinder to measure the water. I will use the same amount of water in each test tube (10 ml) and take the temperature at regular intervals. All water will start at the same temperature. We will continue the experiment for 15 minutes. I will make 2 different experiments giving out 4 different results:
- Test tube on its own
- The middle tube
- The tube in the 2nd layer
- The tube in the 3rd layer
PREDICTION
I predict that a huddled group will lose less heat than an isolated penguin. This is because the exposed surface area of a group of animals is less for each penguin than an isolated one. Also, I could say that the heat will be kept by radiation: the penguin in the middle radiates heat to those surrounding it, and in this way, they can keep a constant temperature (remember that the heat passes easily if one surface is colder than another).
