To find out if Penguins in a huddle stay warmer than penguins on their own.

My test is going to be safe because I am going to wear safety goggles to protect my eyes, tie my hair back and stand a good distance away from the kettle when I pour the water so that I don’t burn myself.

The equipment I am going to use are as follows:

• 6 boiling tubes
• 2 Thermometers
• 2 Beakers
• A stop clock
• A kettle
• An elastic band
• Tin foil

Prediction:  I predict that the penguins (boiling tubes) in a huddle will lose the least amount of heat and also gain some more heat through conduction from other penguins.

I predict that the single penguin will lose heat quicker than the penguins in a huddle through radiation and convection. 

Results

Average Results

61 = anomalous result

Conclusion:

My graph shows that the temperature of the penguins in a huddle lost the least amount of heat and also gained some from conduction of other penguins the single penguin lost heat quicker than the penguins in a huddle through radiation and convection. Which proves my prediction to be correct.

Evaluation:

I think my results were quite reliable however I did get an anomalous result which shown the temperature of the single penguin risen slightly, I think this result was clearly a mistake because the single penguin has nothing to conduct heat from so maybe I could be more careful and precise when taking results in future. I think I have enough results to support a firm conclusion. To improve my experiment I could extend the enquiry furthur by covering the beakers in black and white paper to see if the amount if light light affects my results.