Aim Does the surface area of water affect its own rate of evaporation?
Planning The Investigation I have been very inquisitive to factors affecting the evaporation rate of water, or any liquids to that matter. Lakes, rivers and oceans all experiencing the effects of evaporation posses many questions; deviating from What are the results of such activity? and What are the variations experienced between different amounts of water?. For me these questions arent possible to be met with a logical or proven answer due to lacking knowledge. For me especially, information from this investigation would open (or close) various theories as to what shapes the rate of the evaporation of water. Within my investigation there are various variables which may affect the results of my investigation include: The Surface Area of Water The Water Temperature The Environment Temperature The Volume of Water The Time of Heat Exposure The variable which will be used as the independent variable in the investigation will be the surface area of water, changing such to measure its effect on the dependant variable, the amount of water after heat exposure. The independent variable, surface area of water, will be changed in the use of various containers to hold the water. The containers will be measured to the nearest millimetre in deviating accuracy across all the containers. As stated earlier, the dependant variable is the amount of water remaining after being exposed to heat, which will be referred to as the rate of evaporation. The water remaining after heat exposure during the investigation will be measured by using a measuring cylinder, to the nearest millilitre providing a measurement for how much water was evaporated. Hypothesis & Prediction I believe that the surface area of water doesnt affect the rate of evaporation in any way. In my own belief, I dont think that surface area affects the rate of evaporation, in the thought that all of the water is still being exposed to the heat of the sun having no variation and hence no effect. Method The following apparatus will be required to complete my investigation: 5 Containers of Varying Size & Orientation. Measuring Cylinder Water Stopwatch The variables that will need to be kept constant throughout the investigation includes: The water temperature of all the water substances through all tests. The temperature of the surrounding environment of the water substances. The volume of water throughout all the water substances. The time period of the water substances heat exposure.
In controlling the temperature related variables in the investigation testing within the same environment and using the same source of water should resolve such issues. The time and volume of water variables will be controlled in the use of exactly 100ml of water for all different surface area containers throughout all tests while all tests will be completed within a 5 hour time frame measured with a stopwatch. Process Steps1. Gather all the required equipment. 2. Use the measuring cylinder to fill all the containers with 100ml of water. 3. At the top of each water level, mark the side of the container with the texter. 4. Empty all the containers and measure the surface area of all the containers to the nearest millimetre. Safety Issues Hot Water Precautions/Info: In all matters regarding the use of hot water, ensure that appropriate protective clothing is worn such as hand gloves. Always be distinctively cautious and ___. In the event of the breakage of glass ensure that first aid procedures are followed as a high priority. Dont touch broken glass, simply collect it and dispose of responsibly. In working outside and making direct sun exposure wear long clothing and a hat, seek shade and wear sunscreen if it is possible.
Working With Glass
Sun Exposure
Trialling The Experiment After completing a set of trials of my experiment it seems that an unforseen factor has arisen. Detailed bellow are the trial results which somewhat indicate the underlying problem related with the original experiment setup. Amount Evaporated: Container Trial 1 Trial 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 5 0 1 Unfortunately the suns power related to water evaporations seems to be working within miniscule constraints. The results which have been received doesnt really prove or disprove my hypothesis, so some adjustments to the experiment need to be made (detailed below). Problem How It Was Overcome Little or no evaporation occurring throughout most of the test subjects due to small amounts of heat coming from the
sun.
