The purpose of this experiment was to find out the effect of different types of

insulation on heat retention.

This idea interested me when I heard about the person who built his house out of
straw bales. I started wondering why he built it that way.

The information from this experiment may be used by builders to determine what to
choose for insulation. It also may be used in future houses because not all
societies have the wealth to manufacture insulation artificially.

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HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis is that sand will retain more heat than straw, sand, paper, cloth�
batting.

I base my hypothesis on personal observations that in a basement, the temperature

will stay warmer even though heat rises because dirt or sand is around the basement
walls.

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EXPERIMENT DESIGN

The constants in this study were:

* The size of the test box.
* The amount of water.
* The size of the beaker.
* The temperature when put inside the refrigerator.
* The space used for insulation.
* The type of wood used for the test box.

The manipulated variable was the different types of insulation.

The responding variable was the temperature loss of the water in the beaker.

To measure the responding variable I will use a Celsius thermometer.

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MATERIALS

QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION

1 1000ml. beaker
1 bottle of wood glue
1 Celsius thermometer
500ml boiling water
1 sheet of ply wood 122 cm x 122 cm x 6 cm
2 wood blocks 4 cm x 4 cm x 9 cm
1 wood block 4 cm x 4 cm x 6.5 cm
878.85 gm straw
2494.8 gm cloth
765.45 gm paper
595.35 gm Batting insulation
22680 gm sand
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PROCEDURES

1. Build the outside test box.

1) Cut one piece of plywood 29 cm square for the bottom of the test box.
2) Cut four pieces of plywood 29.5 cm long and 20.5 cm wide for the sides of the
test box.
3) Cut two pieces of wood 4 cm x 4 cm x 9 cm for the inner box stands.
4) Glue and nail the four side pieces of plywood to the bottom piece of plywood.
5) Glue and nail the two stands inside the test box in the middle with a 3 cm space
between them.
2. Build the inside test box (the box that will contain the 1000 ml beaker.
1) Cut one piece of plywood 15 cm square for the bottom of the test box.
2) Cut four pieces of plywood 15.5 cm square for the sides of the test box.
3) Glue and nail the four side pieces of plywood to the bottom piece of plywood.
3. Build the lid for the outside test box.
1) Cut one piece of plywood 29 cm square for the bottom of the lid.
2) Cut four pieces of plywood 29.5 cm long and 7.5 wide for the sides of the lid.
3) Cut one piece of wood 4 cm x 4 cm x 6.5 cm for the thermometer access hole.
4) Glue and nail the four side pieces of plywood to the bottom piece of plywood.
5) Glue the piece of wood for the access hole in the center of the inside of the
lid.
6) Drill a 1 cm hole through the lid and the access wood piece.
4. Put a layer of the test insulator into the bottom of the larger outside box.
Include material between the two stands.
5. Put the inner box on the stands that are in the larger outside box.
6. Fill the spaces between the inner box and the outside box with the insulator.
7. Fill the lid with the same insulator used in the test box.
8. Leave box and lid outside refrigerator to obtain room temperature.
9. Heat water on a stove to the a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius.
10. Placed the test boxes (outside test box with inside test box and insulator)
into the refrigerator.
11. Quickly filled the beaker with 500 ml of boiling water and placed beaker of
water into the inner box.
12. Placed the lid onto the top of the outside box and began test.
13. Test water temp every hour.
1) Open refrigerator and slide the Celsius thermometer through the access hole into
the water.
2) Wait approximately one minute.
3) Check the temperature reading on the Celsius thermometer and record the
information.
14. Continue performing temperature readings for 8 hours.
15. Repeat steps 4-14 for each insulator material. (No material, Straw, Cloth,
Paper, Batting, Sand).

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RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine effect of different types
of insulation on heat retention.

The results of the experiment were batting insulation retain heat better than the
other insulation materials. The insulator with the lowest temperature was the
shredded paper.
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CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that sand would increase the heat retention because of its high
density.

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected.

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if the outside temperature

effects the temperature of the water inside the model house.

If I were to conduct this project again I would have a better research report. I
would also have more trials so I can be more accurate in my results.
My tests will go for a longer period of time and I will concentrate on making my
experiment more accurate by making more water measurements

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RESEARCH REPORT
INTRODUCTION
People in cold climates need insulation. They need insulation so they don�t have
to pay as much for energy because the insulation helps to keep heat in their home.

INSULATION
Insulation or insulators are substances that are used to keep heat inside
something. Insulation also keeps sound from getting out too. The five insulators
mostly used are batts and blankets, loose fill cellular plastics, rigid boards, and
reflective insulation. Insulation is mostly used in houses.

SAND
Sand consists of quartz grains derived from the weathering of granite or other
types of rocks. Sand is used for making Chemicals and glass. Some ore valuable
deposits are found in conjunction with sand deposits.

STRAW
Straw is made from stems that are dried such as wheat, rye, oats, barley. Straw
is used for many different ways. It�s used for animal bedding by farmers.
Manufactures make hats, baskets, and paper out of the straw. Straw is different
than hay because hay is dried grass or other plants that is used to feed animals.

PAPER
Paper is usually made of cellulose fibers from plants. Sometimes made from cloths
or other materials. Paper has advantages for insulating. It has its high thermal
resistance. Paper is also better in air infiltration. This means that it doesn�t
let as much air go through the insulation, which would make the insulation less
effective.

BATTING INSULATION
The batts are made to fit between the studs and joists in the walls, ceiling, and
floor of a house. Batts are usually made of fiber glass and rock wool which is
made of rock and recycled material from steel waste mills.

HEAT
Heat always flows to cooler places by means of Conduction, Convection, and
Radiation. Conduction is heat moving through a material carrying nothing.
Convection is the transfer of heat by the movement of a heated material. This also
occurs in water. During Conduction and Convection, particles that are moving
transmit heat. This is called Radiation.

VAPOR BARRIERS
In the insulation areas, there are barriers that block moisture from getting to
the insulation. These barriers are called vapor barriers. Vapor barriers are
usually made up of plastics or metal foil. The vapor barriers keep the moisture
from getting to the insulation because the moisture ruins the effectiveness of the
insulation. The moisture can get to the insulation by warming up and turning into
warm humid air and then it gets to the insulating places in the walls. Then the
area cools and condenses to moisture again.

SUMMARY
As you can see insulation is important because if people didn�t have it they would
have to spend more money on the energy to keep warm. It would also pollute the
world more because of the amount of energy being used. Therefore insulation is
very important to us.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cezairliyan, Ared."Heat"The World Book Encyclopedia.1995.vol.9

"Cellulose Insulation"[Online]Available
http://www.advancedfiber.com/cellulose.htm February 3, 1999

"Energy Savers: Insulation And Weatherization Body"[Online]Available

http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo/energy_savers/insulationbody.html February 3,
1999

"Insulation Facts/Vapor Barriers and Ventilation"[Online]Available

http//:www.les.lincoln.ne.us/energy/ins/vapor.php November 24,1999

Mc Elroy, David L."Insuation"The World Book Encyclopedia.1995.vol.10

Meinert, David L. Energy Conservation.NewYork:Vantage Press inc.

"Paper" Academic American Encyclopedia.1998.vol.15

Petti, F.J."Sand"Academic American Encyclopedia.1998.vol.17

Remde, Harry F."Heat Insulation"Science and Technology.1997.vol.8

Seigler, David S."Straw"The World Book Encyclopedia.1999.vol.18

Stover, H.T."Thermal Insulation".Encyclopedia America.1999.vol.10