Do Koozies Keep it Cold?

Project #1520 on iSENSEProject.org

Project: http://isenseproject.org/projects/1520

Objective:  The objective of this experiment is to find out if a koozie keeps a can of soda cold for a longer period of time than without a koozie.  

Setup:  Two cans of soda were placed in the same refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Due to their only being one probe, one can of soda was taken out of the refrigerator, opened, placed on the counter and the probe put directly in the can.  A mechanism was used to keep the probe off the bottom of the can and the wire was taped to the side of the can in a way that kept the probe from touching the side of the can.  The data was collected for 30 minutes.  

The other can was then taken out of the refrigerator, placed in a koozie, opened and put on the counter.  The same probe setup was used so the probe didn't touch the bottom or sides of the can.  Data was also collected for 30 minutes.  

Guiding Questions:

1.  Make a prediction.  Do you think the koozie will keep the soda can colder longer?  If so, do you think the amount of time it keeps it colder will be significantly longer?  Explain your thoughts.  What will your graphs look like?

2.  Using the graphs, which can of soda stayed colder longer?  What is your evidence?

3.  What was the highest temperature each soda reached over the 30 minute period?

4.  Since the soda cans did not start at the same low temperature, what was the temperature change difference for both cans?

5.  Was the rate of warming any different between the two can?  Explain.  

6.  Do you recommend using a koozie to keep your drinks cold for a longer amount of time?  Why or why not?