Mrs. Swett's Science Site

Task

The Problem: Design a lunchbox that will keep an ice pop frozen from the time you pack it in the morning until lunch time (about 3 hours).  

 

Restriction:

- You may use any materials except for ice, water, or an ice pack. 

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1. Research: Find out what types of materials make the best insulators.  Consider which of those materials would be most practical to use in a lunch box.

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2. Propose and Explain: Make a proposal for how you would construct this lunchbox.  Make sure to include the following information:

- Explain the differences between solids and liquids

- Describe what happens to the molecules as the ice pop melts.  Why does this happen?

- What materials would you use to build your lunchbox and why?

- How can insulators like the materials you chose keep the ice pop from melting?

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3. Build!  Gather the materials you need and build a lunchbox.  Once it is built, test it out with an ice pop.  See how long you can keep it frozen.  As with any design challenge, this may be a trial and error process. You may need to try several different designs until you get one that works.