Laguna’s Lessons

So many people have misconceptions when it comes to science!  In our class this week we explored a question that most people would think was common sense.  What happens to the temperature if you fan a thermometer.  Armed with our trusty lab notebooks and the scientific method we explored the question.  I think most students thought, “What’s the point?  Of course the temperature will drop!”  But that was not the case.  The temperature stayed the same throughout the experiment no matter how hard we fanned the temperature sensors! 

The first step is recognizing the misconception but the harder part is changing our minds to see the correct concept.  We need “fixedconceptions!”  Why do you think fans cool us down if the fan isn’t altering the air temperature?  Hint – read about evaporation and see if that helps!  Let us know what you think the answer is.  We will conduct another lab experiment using water, isoproynol, and ethanol to wet the temperature sensor before we begin fanning.