Heating Up That Rainbow

Purpose

The purpose of my project is to determine which color heats up the most.

Hypothesis

If blue, green, and red test tubes are tested for heat then the red test tube will absorb the most heat.

​

Materials

3 100mL plastic test tubes with caps

1 test tube rack that hold 6 test tubes

1 unit of 100 grit sandpaper

1 tube each of red, blue, and green acrylic paint

1 Celsius lab thermometer

1 liter of water (about 100 mL per test tube per trial)

1 large plastic funnel

​

Procedures

• Take three test tubes
• Sand each until rough
• Paint one green
• Paint one red
• Paint one blue
• Let each dry for one hour (if needed add more time )
• Fill each with water [100ml]
• Put test tubes outside in a sunny area
• Take your Celsius thermometer and measure the initial temperature
• After that measure the water every ten minutes for two hours
• Record your data
• Repeat 2 more times

​

​

Data Table 1

​

Sample Data Collection Table

​

Trial 1

Data Table 2

Average Temperature Change

Temperature Change =

Maximum Temperature - Starting Temperature

Conclusion

The hypothesis that a red painted test tube would absorb the most heat was rejected when compared two a blue painted test tube.

Real world connection

This experiment can help you choose materials of specific colors depending on whether or not you want to absorb heat. For example, imagine you are planning for a day outside on a sunny day and you can choose to wear a red shirt, a green shirt, or a blue shirt, the results of my experiment would suggest that if it is warm outside you should not wear the blue shirt because it will make you get hot, but on a cold day you would wear blue to help you stay warm.