Reaching equilibrium in temperature
Make a small ball of clay, about the size of a large (shooter) marble.
Connect the Temperature probe with your handheld. Refer to Technical Hints to see how to connect the Temperature probe. The sensitive part is just the very tip, where two wires are welded together.
Start the temperature graph and run through this series of measurements so that you get all of your data on one graph.
Measure the air temperature.
Use water from a non-room temperature source. It should be at least 10 degrees Celsius different from room temperature. Place two film canisters of the water into the styrofoam cup so that the clay will be fully immersed. Measure the water temperature with the Temperature probe.
Stick the probe into the center of the clay ball while the probe is still running. Record the temperature.
With the probe in the clay ball, immerse it in the water. Watch the graph. Run it until you think it has come to relatively stable temperature (equilibrium).
Pull the Temperature probe out of the clay ball and measure the temperature of the water. Save your data to the handheld.
What is the final temperature of the combination of water and clay? How many degrees did the clay change? How many degrees did the water change? How did you decide when equilibrium was reached? How many seconds did it take? Record your answers in Notes on your handheld computer.
