Soil Temp Survey
Group Members:
Phillip Lewis, Michael Bruno, Sierra Harbaugh, Megan Bokros, Nick Bachmann
Research Question:
Does soil temperature vary by location on the school grounds?
Hypothesis:
The warm soil will be found in sunny, dry areas. The coolest soil will be a moist shaded area.
Independent Variables:
Locations that were measured
Dependent Variables:
The Woods
Temperature
Controls:
Same time and area, same thermometer foot away from each measurement, school grounds, all the way in.
Materials:
Thermometer, ruler, worksheet
Location
1
3
2
4
5
6
7
8
Methods
We placed three thermometers in the ground in the shape of an isosceles triangle in various locations. Each thermometer was placed 12 inches apart from each other. They were placed in warm soil, sunny, and cooler areas.
Data Collected:
Location # | Location Description | Reading 1 Degrees C | Reading 2 Degrees C | Reading 3 Degrees C | Average Degrees C |
1 | Woods 1 | 11.4 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 11 |
2 | Hay stack | 1.0 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.5 |
3 | Covered leaves | 13.5 | 12.7 | 13.6 | 15.1 |
4 | Shade by school | 13.6 | 13.6 | 9.95 | 13.26 |
5 | Sunny by school | 12.0 | 12.4 | 12.2 | 12.3 |
6 | Football field | 13.7 | 17.7 | 13.1 | 12.2 |
7 | Grass by road | 10.1 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 13.2 |
8 | Tree line | 10.1 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 10.1 |
9 | By dumps | 13.0 | 12.8 | 12.6 | 12.8 |
Experimental Error
-The thermometer could have gave us a false reading
Conclusions
3
warmest
2
Coolest