Thermal Energy Device Modify Portfolio turn this into a essay
Reason Effectively
Part of being successful in the world includes learning to reason effectively to make decisions. When carrying out experiments or testing devices, modifications may be necessary. Before making judgments and decisions about what modifications are needed, it is important to use reasoning skills.
Consider the judgments and decisions required to modify a solar cooker. A group of kids made a solar cooker as part of a science project. The group tested their solar cooker by placing it in the sun to gain thermal energy. They placed a bowl of water in the cooker, waited 30 minutes, and checked its temperature after sitting in the sun. The water was warm but the temperature was not as high as they had hoped.
Part of the group decided that maybe the cooker was in the wrong location. They wanted to move it. As a member picked up the cooker to make the move, he noticed that the sides of the cooker were very warm to the touch. The sides of the bowl were also very warm to the touch.
After discussing this with the group, they reasoned and began to make judgments and decisions.
They determined that thermal energy was transferred to the sides of the cooker. The group needed a modification that would minimize this transfer. Someone suggested placing an insulator around the bowl between the bowl and the box. They found several materials they could try. They stuffed the materials in the cooker between the bowl and the box. The class placed the cooker back in the same location and once again waited 30 minutes to check the temperature. The temperature increase was recorded in a table. The table shows data collected by the group.
Insulation Material Temperature Increase
Newspaper +5 degrees
Aluminum Foil +1 degree
Plastic Wrap +2 degrees
An illustration shows a solar cooker kept in the sunlight.
Solar Cooker
Source: Mohd Suhail/Pearson India Education Services Pvt. Ltd
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The ability to reason effectively is an essential skill that plays a crucial role in our decision-making and problem-solving processes. This skill becomes particularly significant when we are faced with the need to modify a device, such as a thermal energy device. In such situations, reasoning effectively allows us to make informed judgments and decisions to improve the device's performance and efficiency.
To illustrate the importance of reasoning in device modification, let's take the example of a group of kids who built a solar cooker as part of a science project. They initially tested their solar cooker by placing it in the sun to harness thermal energy and heating a bowl of water. However, after waiting for 30 minutes, they discovered that the water's temperature was not as high as they had expected.
In response to this outcome, the group began to reason and consider potential judgments and decisions to improve their solar cooker. After observing that the sides of the cooker and the bowl were warm to the touch, they inferred that thermal energy was being transferred to these parts of the device. This deduction led them to recognize the need for a modification that would minimize this transfer of thermal energy.
During their brainstorming session, someone in the group suggested placing an insulator between the bowl and the box to reduce thermal energy loss. The group then identified several potential insulation materials, including newspaper, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap. They decided to test each material by stuffing it into the cooker between the bowl and the box.
The next step for the group was to repeat the experiment and observe the impact of these modifications on the temperature increase of the water. They placed the cooker back in the same location and waited for 30 minutes, as before. After recording the temperature increase in a table, they analyzed the data to evaluate the effectiveness of each insulation material.
This process highlights the crucial role of reasoning in the modification of the solar cooker. The group's ability to reason effectively allowed them to identify the issue of thermal energy transfer and devise a modification strategy accordingly. By questioning, exploring various options, and testing them through an experiment, they were able to gather evidence and make informed judgments and decisions.
In conclusion, reasoning effectively is an essential skill when it comes to modifying devices to improve their performance. By employing effective reasoning, the group of kids in this example successfully identified the issue with their solar cooker and implemented modifications to address it. This process demonstrates the value of reasoning in making informed judgments and decisions and contributes to successful device modification.