Integrating Science Inquiry Across the Curriculum - Fibonacci-Project

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2. Should babies or young children be wrapped up any differently to adults?
Teachers were asked to investigate whether babies lose the same, more or less heat as adults when sitting out in
the park. They used bottles of different sizes to represent different sized people. They found that because there is
a greater ratio of surface area to volume babies lose heat more quickly. From this they went on to investigate what
sort of fabric is best to wear in cold weather and whether it is better to have layers of clothing or one thick layer.
Baby, child and
adult
Baby with and
without blanket
Layers of
blankets
3. Why are whales so big? Does a layer of blubber make a difference?
Like all mammals, whales are warm-blooded. A killer whale’s core body temperature is about 36° – 38° C similar
to humans. Living in the sea is particularly difficult for marine mammals, because water conducts heat about 27
times faster than the same temperature of air. Teachers were asked to investigate whether there are differences
in heat lost between small, medium sized and large whales. Just under the whale’s skin is a thick layer of blubber,
composed of fat cells and fibrous connective tissue. It can be 7-10 cm thick. It helps to streamline the body.
Teachers were asked whether it also helps with heat loss. They used oil on the top of hot water as ‘blubber’.
This investigation is similar to comparing the volume/surface area of babies and adults, but less familiar and
requiring more complex equipment.
Thermometer
‘Whale body’ – hot water
‘Blubber’ – oil
Sea water – cold salt water
4. Insulation properties of take-away disposable coffee mugs
‘Whale’ with and without blubber
A collection of different sized mugs: tall, medium and short from major take-away companies was made.
Teachers were asked to collect data on a spreadsheet about different companies’ mugs with regard to their heat
retention. They explored several variables including material, volume, surface area and heat loss.
This task not only involves a science investigation, it also required the investigator to work out a way to measure
the surface area of the mug with sloping sides. One way is to open up the cup and use squared paper or squared
acetate to count the cm 2 . Another is to create a formula for a spreadsheet such as average of circumference of
the bottom and circumference of top x length of sloped side which is a close approximation.