An experiment to determine which color paper will ignite fastest.

Tess Loarie 3-21-13 Period 8 Mr. Casey's Life Science Class

Introduction: This week, in Mr. Casey's life science class, we will be testing which colored paper will ignite fastest. This experiment will help us to determine which colored paper absorbs the most energy. We will test our theories by using a hand glass to light paper on fire and timing how long it takes the paper to ignite.

Hypothesis: If we test which paper will ignite fastest, then I think black will ignite first. I believe my hypothesis is accurate because the color black absorbs all the wavelengths, therefore it will have the most energy and catch fire first.

Materials: 1. Hand Lens 2. Paper squares: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, light blue, indigo, pink, brown, white, black 3. Energy source (sun) 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Timer Inflammable Area Pen Paper (for recording data) Fire extinguisher

Procedures: 1. Gather materials 2. Place one of the unburned squares on concrete 3. Hold hand lens high enough to focus a beam of light no bigger than 3 mm onto the surface of the paper and begin timing. 4. Stop timer when paper begins to burn, record data 5. Repeat steps 2-4 until all paper has been tested 6. Clean up area

Results and Analysis:

Colors of paper tested

Red 1.4 1.3 1 1 0.9 Average: 1.12

Orange 1.7 1.5 1.3 2.3 2.4 Average: 1.84

Yellow 3.6 2.6 3.9 3.1 2.6 Average: 3.16

Green 6.3 1 1 1.3 1.9 Average: 2.3

Blue 2.6 3.4 0.9 1.4 0.8 Average: 1.82

Light Blue 1.7 2.9 3.5 4.8 2.8 Average: 3.14

Indigo 2.3 1 0.7 1.7 1.4 Average: 1.42

Pink 7 5.6 20.4 3.3 2.8 Average: 7.82

White 69.4 36.3 39.3 54.1 12.4 Average: 42.3

Brown 2.5 1.3 1.1 1.6 1.9 Average: 1.68

Black 1.4 0.9 0.5 0.6 0.3 Average: 0.74

Trials

Data presented in seconds

Average Time it Takes Paper to Burn 50 42.3 40

30

In seconds

20

10 1.12 1.84 0 3.16 2.3 3.14 1.82 1.42

Blue Light Indigo blue

7.82 1.68 0.74

Pink White Brown Black

Red Orange Yellow Green

Color of paper As you can see from the data above, black was the fastest colored paper to ignite.

Conclusion: The purpose of this experiment was to test which color paper absorbed the most energy and ignited first. My initial hypothesis was that black would burn the fastest. I originally predicted this because I think the black paper will absorb the most wavelengths, so it will have the most energy and ignite first. After conducting our experiment, we concluded that black ignited first. My initial hypothesis was correct and I have lots of data to support my position. I learned that black ignites fastest because it does not reflect the wavelengths like white does, it absorbs them all. Since it absorbs them all it has the most energy and ignites fastest. While conducting this experiment, we came across a few minor errors. Our first error was letting all our untested papers sit in the sun and absorb additional energy, this probably affected our results. Also, sometimes our beam of focused light was larger than it should have been; we needed to work on keeping it more consistent. Last, our timing mechanism definitely wasnt exact, so that probably added to our data being a bit off. If I were to further research this subject matter I would want to test additional colors, test each color at least fifty times, and keep the paper in an appropriate area where it will not absorb additional energy to collect more accurate data. This data can be connected to our lives in many ways. First, this can help us dress more effectively; For example, wearing lighter colors that absorb fewer wavelengths in the summer, and darker colors that absorb more wave lengths in the winter. Also, this can apply to houses and cars. White cars with tan interior generally tend to be cooler with a black car with black interior. Same with houses, a tan house will reflect more heat than a dark brown house. For example, houses in the desert tend to be adapted to the climate, being made out of stone and painted sandstone, or white. As you can see we can relate this experiment to our everyday lives, and it is an important subject manor to look into.