i did this experiment for my homework, but i don't get what i'm supposed to be proving...?

Question

i did an experiment on the energy in sunlight. i measured the temperature of an aluminum block sitting in the sun for 30 minutes and kept track of what degree celsius the thermometer gave me each minute. i've written up my report (including making a graph), but it lacks a thesis and a conclusion...because i don't understand what the experiment is supposed to prove...i just wrote what i did for the experiment and what happened...i'm at a loss, seriously. i feel like there should be something more to the experiment than "it got hot," but what???

this experiment came with clear instructions from our professor, btw.

Answer 1

Before you do an experiment, you should be trying to prove or disprove something. That over-riding idea is what makes your experiment worth doing. You should have a concept in mind before setting about.
I would imagine your block rose in temperature up to a certain point and then leveled off and maintained a higher temperature. That's what's interesting about your experiment--how long did it take to reach its peak temperature?
Your thesis should center on just that--the fact that the block took x min;utes to rise, then stopped.
Perhaps a more ineresting experiment would be to have used blocks of other materials. Would they all level off at the same time? I doubt it.
And what about other sources of energy. The sun is a specific spectrum. Other heat sources might give other results. Microwaves?
And what is it in the nature of the different materials that causes them to heat up differently? Density? Melting point? Can position on the periodic table explain anything? How do different metals behave? How do non-metals behave--wood, for instance, or a brick?
You might want to try an explanation why your block took as long as it did to heat up to its maximum.
In your summary, you might mention possible future experiments if that is within your assignment.

Answer 2

Hint: The sun provides a source for heat at a fairly constant temperature. The block (I assume you weighted it), being aluminum, has a given Cp, or
joules to increase 1 g of aluminum 1 deg C. Thus, the heat intake overall is
Q = Wb x cp x (Tf - To)
If you divide the Q by the time of the experiment,
rate of heat intake = Wb x cp x (Tf - To)/ time.
So while it is certain the block got hot, the graph should give you insight into how fast it is getting hot.

Answer 3

well, it sounds to me like there really isn't an experiment, here. what you could do that would be a better experiment, is take different types of metals, and see wich one is "better" at conducting the heat from the sun. you can see which one heats up faster. and then which one retains the heat the longest after it is removed from direct sunlight. and your thesis, would be something like "i predict the copper block will be the 'best' at conducting the heat"