7.+Questioning+and+Posing+Problems

Often, the biggest problem is admitting you have a problem to begin with. Leslie and I found this out during a lab where we were given the freedom to design an apparatus to retain and record the heat gained and lost during combustion of an alcohol. In this case, the problem was that it seemed like there was an inverse relationship between retaining heat and lack of oxygen: the more oxygen the flame had at its disposal, the less contained the vessel. The more contained the vessel, the less oxygen the flame had. It turns out that this was our problem, a problem we probably would not have vocalized had we not kept the habits in mind, in mind. Attached is a picture that Leslie drew of our lab setup (Figure 7)

Figure 7

We decided to try to use copper wire, known for both its heat conductivity and malleability, to hold a beaker above the other in place. This would ensure that the alcohol burner in the bottom of the larger beaker would have access to air, while still being snug enough to expend most of its flame on the smaller beaker right above it filled with water. To add effectiveness to our apparatus, we lined most of the surfaces with aluminum foil, allowing a small viewing window and ring of ventilation for convenience sake. Overall, the lab went quite well and our results were reasonably accurate- another habit of mind had helped us improve our lab performance. Through this whole experience, I learned the importance of always wondering exactly if there is a problem I can express in words, in order to make the solution more accessible.