Jack Waitz Sep.

26, 2013 Science-B Partner: Monique Iben Modeling Mantle Convection Currents and Tectonic Plate Movement Purpose: To learn about mantle currents and how mantle currents affect Plate Tectonics. Hypothesis: If hot water in a small beaker is released inside a large beaker with cold water, with paper on top, then the hot water should come up and push the paper away from the hot water because the heat rises and the hot water bubble will carry force that will hit the paper. Materials: 1x Phone 1x Ruler 1x sheet of paper 1x hole puncher 1x sheet of aluminum foil 1x large 400 ml glass beaker 1x small 100 ml glass beaker 200 ml cold water 100 ml hot water 1x rubber band 1x Container of food Coloring 1x sharp pencil Procedure: 1. Gathered materials. 2. Punched out 4-7 pieces of paper using hole puncher. 3. Put one drop of food coloring in the small beaker. 4. Filled the large beaker with approximately 200 ml cold water. 5. Filled the small beaker with approximately 100 ml boiling hot water. 6. Quickly put the aluminum foil on top of small beaker, and used a rubber band to secure it. 7. Put the hot water beaker in the cold water, waited for the hot water to settle 8. Sprinkled paper on top, put ruler on top, and started recording with the phone. 9. Punched 1 hole in the spot nearest to the paper, using the sharp pencil, waited 30 seconds, punched another hole 4cm away, waited 30 more seconds, and punched the last hole 4cm away. Waited 10 more seconds and ended the recording. 10. Repeated steps 2-9 2 more times.

Data:

Qualitative Data for Water Movement Chart 1 Trial Same for all Trials Data Water (Food Coloring) Floated upwards slowly, and in a spiral. When a hole was punched, more food coloring came out of the last hole. After a long time, the water would fall and that would cause the cold water to turn the color of the food coloring.

Data for Plate Movement Chart 2 Trial Trial 1 Qualitative Data The paper (plates) started moved in a circular direction. The plates on average moved less than the other two trials, though it was hard to tell because the plates were moving all over. The paper moved more than the rst trial. The plates moved the same amount as the rst trial. Quantitative Data The paper moved an unknown amount, because the plates circled. The closest estimate is 4 cm.

Trial 2 Trial 3

Same as trial 1, but the paper moved 5 cm. Same as trial 2.

Qualitative Data on how Water effected Paper Movement Chart 3 Trial Trial 1 Data The water did not seem to move the plates much, as the plates stayed on the outside, and just circled. However, the water did, indirectly make the paper circle away from the holes the students popped. The paper was pushed away from the rst hole, spreading out in all directions. Once the second hole was made, the paper started moving in a circle, again on the edge. When the third hole was made the paper originally continued moving normally, buy then sped up its process of circling. Like the second trial, the paper was pushed away from the rst hole, and circled away from the second hole. However, when the third hole was opened up, the paper moved into the corner opposite all 3 holes.

Trial 2

Trial 3

(Note- For all the pictures, unlike previously thought picture was taken, the paper is not visible) Third Trial with 1 Hole Picture 1

Third Trial with 2 Holes Picture 2

Third Trial with 2 Holes Picture 2

Third Trial with 3 Holes Picture 3

Discussion For this experiment, the student was supposed to model convection currents in the mantle, as well as how tectonic plates move on top of the mantle. The student originally predicted that the hot water would come to the surface of the cold water (seen through food coloring), push the pieces of paper out of its way, and then fall back down. During this lab, the student recorded qualitative data and a video of three different trials. During the experiment, the water did rise and fall, and the paper mostly moved away from the rising water. (Chart 1, Chart 3, Picture 3). However, the paper did not always move away from the water, and sometimes just circled around the large beaker. (Chart 2, Chart 3). The student believed that the water rose and fell because hot water rises, and be believes that then the water fell, because the cold waters heat transferred to the hot water, making the hot water cold, and because cold things sink, the water fell. This is why there is green food coloring at the bottom of the large beaker (Picture 1). However, the student realized that the water was thickest around the top of the tinfoil, because some of the water would heat up from the hot water in the container once the water fell, so little water would sink to the bottom, and most water would be bouncing around in the middle layer. The student believes that the paper did not always move away from the hot water because of pressure. Objects move towards pressure, and when the hot water rose, the hot water created pressure. The paper was caught between the force of the hot water pushing the paper away, and the hot waters pressure pulling the paper in. Though the pressure had less impact than the force, the pressure is still one of the

reasons the paper often circled back. On a different note, to the student, it was very clear that water represented the mantle, because the mantle in real life has hot and cold convection currents, and the water had that. The pieces of punched paper were the tectonic plates because the pieces of paper floated on top of the mantle, exactly like real tectonic plates, and were moved by the mantle currents, also exactly like real tectonic plates. If the student were to do this experiment again, the student would cancel out two sources of error. Firstly, the student would change the time gap between the hot water being poured into the beaker, and then covered in the tinfoil, and being put in the large beaker. The container, though covered in tinfoil, still lost heat. The student proposes that the small beaker should be put in a container of boiling water for ten seconds before being put in the large container, so that the hot water will regain some of its heat. Secondly, the student would change the varying levels of the water heat and the different water levels each time the experiment was repeated. The student on the materials list said about 100 ml hot water and 200 ml cold water, but that was approximate, and so was how hot the water was. The student believes that the cold water should have to be 4 Celsius, very cold, and that the hot water should have to be 103 Celsius, which is above boiling temperature.The student also believes that the experiment should be done with 100ml hot water and 200 ml cold water. Other experimental variables were the size of the container, and the amount of food coloring. Finally, the student believes that a model that would better demonstrate the effects of the mantle on the tectonic plates would be fairly simple to make. The student believes that it would be easier to take one hot plate, the punched paper, tinfoil, a small fan, a small beaker and a rubber band. The student believes that if one put the punched paper on top of the water in the small beaker, covered the beaker in tinfoil, put the rubber band around the tinfoil to secure it, placed the small fan facing down on top, and then turned the hot plate on it would be better. The student believes it would be better because the hot plate warms the water so that the water is more like the mantle, and the fan cools the water off like the atmosphere. The paper would be constantly bumped around by the more rapid convection current, and would give a time-lapse feeling of many years. Also, because no holes have to be punched, the heat is coming up from all directions, exactly like what happens in the actual mantle. Conclusion The student did learn about mantle convection currents, and how mantle convection moves tectonic plates. The student now fully understands it now that the student has had the opportunity of seeing it, which other-wise the student would not have been able to see. The students hypothesis was not accepted. The water (food coloring) did rise, and then fell, though not fully like the student predicted, because the water stayed in the middle of the large container. Also, the pieces of paper did move away from the rising water, though the pieces of paper did so contrary to how the student predicted, as the moved in circles, and did not move as fast as the student though the paper would move. I have completed this assignment in accordance with the Newark Academy Honor Code.