Today, we’re going on a fun baking adventure to learn about temperature! We’ll be making a chocolate cake, but there’s more to this than just baking. We’re going to discover something cool about how we feel temperature and how different materials behave.
Let’s start with a little experiment. Imagine you have a science book by Isaac Asimov and an old metal hard drive. If you touch both, the metal might feel colder than the book. But why is that? Both objects are at room temperature, so what makes them feel different?
The answer lies in the materials. Metal is a good conductor of heat, which means it can transfer heat quickly. That’s why it feels colder to your touch. Paper, like in the book, holds onto warmth better, so it feels warmer. If you left them outside for a while, they would eventually reach the same temperature, but they would still feel different to touch.
Now, let’s talk about our cake! When you take a cake out of the oven, the cake feels warm, but the metal tin it’s in feels much hotter. This is because metal holds onto heat longer than the cake does.
We wanted to measure the temperatures of both the cake and the tin using a meat thermometer. But we found out that the thermometer couldn’t handle the high temperatures, so we needed a new plan.
Back in Vancouver, I asked my mom, who is a great baker, to help. We made a vanilla cake and used an infrared thermometer, which can measure temperatures up to 300°C. This tool helped us check the temperatures of both the cake and the tin accurately.
Before taking the cake out of the oven, we made guesses about their temperatures. My mom thought the tin would be much hotter, while I thought they might be the same.
After about 30 minutes, the cake was ready. We measured the temperatures and found the cake was about 108.9°C, and the tin was 118.6°C. This showed that both the cake and the tin were close in temperature, around 110°C.
This experiment taught us something important: even if the tin and the cake are at similar temperatures, the metal tin feels hotter because it conducts heat away from our hands faster than the cake does. This is why the tin can burn you, but the cake won’t.
Even though the data showed they were close in temperature, my mom was still unsure. It’s normal to be skeptical because our senses can sometimes trick us. The big lesson here is that just because something feels hotter or colder doesn’t mean it actually is.
Through this baking experiment, we not only made a yummy cake but also learned about temperature and how different materials work. We discovered that temperature perception is affected by how well materials conduct heat. Science can be both fun and educational!
Gather a metal spoon and a wooden spoon. Hold each in your hands for a minute. Describe how each one feels and why you think they feel different, even if they are at the same room temperature. Discuss with your classmates how materials conduct heat differently.
Before baking a simple cake at home, predict the temperatures of the cake and the baking tin once they come out of the oven. Use an infrared thermometer if available to measure the actual temperatures. Compare your predictions with the results and discuss why they might differ.
Place an ice cube on a metal tray and another on a wooden cutting board. Time how long it takes for each ice cube to melt completely. Discuss why the ice cube on the metal tray melts faster and what this tells you about heat conduction.
Create cards with different materials (e.g., metal, wood, plastic) and their heat conduction properties. Match each material with its property. Discuss why certain materials are used for specific purposes, like why pots are made of metal.
Work in groups to design your own experiment to test how different materials affect temperature perception. Present your experiment to the class, explaining your hypothesis, method, and expected results. Conduct the experiment if possible and share your findings.
Temperature – The measure of how hot or cold something is, usually in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit. – The temperature of the water was $25^circ$C, which is perfect for swimming.
Heat – A form of energy that is transferred between objects with different temperatures. – When you rub your hands together, you generate heat.
Metal – A type of material that is usually hard, shiny, and a good conductor of electricity and heat. – Copper is a metal often used in electrical wires because it conducts electricity well.
Cake – A baked food made from a mixture of flour, sugar, eggs, and other ingredients. – When baking a cake, the heat from the oven causes the batter to rise and become fluffy.
Conductor – A material that allows heat or electricity to flow through it easily. – Metals like aluminum and copper are good conductors of heat.
Experiment – A scientific test conducted to discover something or test a hypothesis. – In our science class, we did an experiment to see how different materials affect the speed of melting ice.
Thermometer – An instrument used to measure temperature. – We used a thermometer to check if the water was warm enough for the experiment.
Materials – The substances or components used to make something or conduct an experiment. – We gathered all the materials needed for our science project, including a thermometer and a beaker.
Warm – Having a temperature that is comfortably high, but not hot. – The sun made the sand warm, perfect for walking barefoot.
Cold – Having a low temperature, especially when compared to the human body. – The cold wind made us wear jackets during the field trip to the science museum.
