Experiment (Expansion and contraction of solid materials)

Aim: To see how a metal ball changes size when it's hot and cold.

Problem: What happens to a metal ball when we heat it up and cool it down?

Materials:

• A metal ring
• A metal ball
• A clamp
• A stand
• A source of heat (stove, candle, etc.)
• Matches

Hypothesis: (Implied by the aim) The metal ball will get bigger when heated and smaller when cooled.

Procedure:

1. Try to pass the metal ball through the metal ring when both are at room temperature.
2. Make sure the ball fits exactly through the ring.
3. Take the ball out and heat it.
4. Try to pass the heated ball through the ring again. What do you see?
5. Let the ball cool down.
6. Try to pass the cooled ball through the ring again.
7. Did the ball pass through the ring?

Results:

• When the metal ball was heated, it did not pass through the ring because it got bigger.
• After the ball cooled down, it was able to pass through the ring because it got smaller.

Conclusion:

• This experiment shows that metal gets bigger when it's heated and smaller when it's cooled.