How Penguins Keep Warm

How Penguins Keep Warm

Befor experiment

Aim I aim to investigate whether penguins huddling together in a group

are able to keep warmer than a solitary penguin using test tube as

model penguins.

Prediction I predict that the penguins that are in a huddle shall stay

warmer for longer than the penguin that is alone. This is because the

penguins in the huddle shall absorb some of the heat energy lost by

the surrounding penguins and so keep warmer unlike the penguin which

is alone who will gain no heat energy as there are no surrounding

penguins. I also believe that the penguins closest to the centre of

the huddle shall keep warmer for longer than some the penguins further

away from the centre of the huddle as they have more penguins

surrounding them and will re-absorb more heat.

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Preliminary tests

Plan To find out how long I need to leave the experiment to get some

decent enough results back to answer the question, I need to make a

small rough test to decipher how long it takes the test tubes full of

hot water to cool down.

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I am going to use just two layers of test tubes as it will be easier

to use as a simple test and shall hopefully be enough to remotely see

if the centre tube will stay warmer than the outer ones and how long

shall leave it for.

Results

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Analysis The results show that in the 20 minutes the experiment took

place in, the temperature altered enough to see a change and pattern

and to show that 30 minutes would be enough time to leave the

experiment to get decent and accurate results. It also showed that the

centre tube stayed warmer that the other tube.

Main test continued

Possible effectors of experiment

Distance from each penguin,

Amount of water,

Size of test tubes,

Temperature of water and of the surrounding.

Fair test