PHYSICAL

SCIENCES
Practical Booklet
GRADE 10 TERM 1
 TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
Grade 10 Chemistry
Heating and cooling curve of water

2 GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1

 Heating and cooling curve of water

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
Aim: To investigate the rate of change of temperature when ice is heated to boiling point, and when
boiling water is cooled.
Investigative question:
1. How does the temperature of water change per minute as ice is heated to boiling point?
2. How does the temperature of water change per minute as water is cooled from boiling point?
Apparatus:

retort stand
clamp
cork

thermometer
beaker
water
guaze mat

tripod

bunsen burner

Retort stand
Clamp
One-holed cork (to support the thermometer)
Thermometer
Glass beaker
Gauze mat
Tripod
Bunsen burner
Clock (or stopwatch)
Crushed ice

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 Heating and cooling curve of water

METHOD:
1. Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram.
2. Place sufficient crushed ice in the beaker to fully immerse the bulb of the thermometer.
3. Take the temperature of the ice.
4. Light the Bunsen burner and place it under the tripod so that it heats the ice in the beaker.
Start the stopwatch.
5. At the end of one minute read the temperature of the contents of the beaker, and make a
note of the phase of water in the beaker (solid, liquid or gas (boiling water).
6. Repeat temperature readings (as outlined in step 5) until the water in the beaker has boiled
for 3 minutes.
7. Extinguish the Bunsen burner flame, and remove the Bunsen burner from underneath the
beaker.
8. Cool the water in the beaker by immersing the beaker of hot water into a bucket of crushed
ice.
9. Start recording the temperature every minute for another 8 minutes.

4 GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1

PRACTICAL INVESTIGATION
Grade 10 Chemistry
Heating and cooling curve of water
50 marks

GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1 5

 Heating and cooling curve of water

PRACTICAL INVESTIGATION 50 MARKS

Aim: To investigate the rate of change of temperature when ice is heated to boiling point, and when
boiling water is cooled.
Investigative question:
1. How does the temperature of water change per minute as ice is heated to boiling point?
2. How does the temperature of water change per minute as water is cooled from boiling point?
Apparatus:

retort stand
clamp
cork

thermometer
beaker
water
guaze mat

tripod

bunsen burner

Retort stand
Clamp
One-holed cork (to support the thermometer)
Thermometer
Glass beaker
Gauze mat
Tripod
Bunsen burner
Clock (or stopwatch)
Crushed ice

6 GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1

 Heating and cooling curve of water

METHOD:
1. Set up the apparatus as shown in the diagram.
2. Place sufficient crushed ice in the beaker to fully immerse the bulb of the thermometer.
3. Take the temperature of the ice.
4. Light the Bunsen burner and place it under the tripod so that it heats the ice in the beaker.
Start the stopwatch.
5. At the end of one minute read the temperature of the contents of the beaker, and make a note
of the phase of water in the beaker (solid, liquid or gas (boiling water).
6. Repeat temperature readings (as outlined in step 5) until the water in the beaker has boiled
for 3 minutes.
7. Extinguish the Bunsen burner flame, and remove the Bunsen burner from underneath the
beaker.
8. Cool the water in the beaker by immersing the beaker of hot water into a bucket of crushed
ice.
9. Start recording the temperature every minute for another 8 minutes.
Results:
1. Watch the video and record the temperature readings as the ice is heated until the water
boils.
Table 1A

Time (minutes) Temperature (°C) Phase of water

10

11

12

13

14

15

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 Heating and cooling curve of water

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

Copy the results neatly at 2 minutes intervals into Table 1B on the next page.

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 Heating and cooling curve of water
SUMMARY: Copy the results from Table 1A neatly into Table 1B so that you can plot the points on
the graph every 2 minutes
1. Table 1B (5)

Table of results:
Time (minutes) Temperature (°C) Phase of water

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

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 Heating and cooling curve of water

2. Predict the temperature of the water if it continued to boil for another 3 minutes. (1)

3. Watch the video, and record the temperature readings as the hot water cools down.
Write a title for this table of results. (3)

Time (minutes) Temperature (°C)

8
4. On the same piece of graph paper, plot two graphs of temperature against time as
4.1 ice is heated to boiling point, and (7)
4.2 hot water is cooled. (3)
4.3 Label each graph appropriately as “Heating curve” and Cooling curve”. (2)
4.4 Also write in the phases of water on the heating curve. (1)
5. During which time interval is the following happening?
5.1 the ice is melting ____________________________________ (2)
5.2 the water is boiling ____________________________________ (2)

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 Heating and cooling curve of water

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36

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 Heating and cooling curve of water
6. The gradient of the graph measures the change in temperature per minute (or the rate of change
in temperature).

6.1 Write down a formula that can be used to determine the gradient of a graph. (1)

6.2 Calculate the gradient of the graph for the following time intervals.
Show the relevant points that you used for these calculations the graph.

6.2.1 while ice is melting. (3)

6.2.2 while water is warming up from its melting point to its boiling point. (3)

6.2.3 while water is boiling. (3)

7. The average kinetic energy of water molecules is a measure of the temperature of water. When
the temperature of water remains constant (during melting and during boiling) the average kinetic
energy of the molecules remains constant, even though the water is being heated by the Bunsen
flame. So, energy is being taken in by the water, but it is not being used to increase the kinetic
energy of the molecules.
7.1 What type of energy are the water molecules gaining during a phase change? (1)

7.2 Explain your reasoning (to question 7.1) with reference to the kinetic theory of matter. (3)

8.1 Describe the shape of the cooling curve of water. (2)

8.2 What does the shape of this curve tell us about the rate at which water cools down?
Explain briefly. (4)

9. Conclusion (3)

12 GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1

PRACTICAL INVESTIGATION
MEMORANDUM
Grade 10 Chemistry
Heating and cooling curve of water
50 marks

GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1 13

 Heating and cooling curve of water

PRACTICAL INVESTIGATION MEMORANDUM 50 MARKS

Aim: To investigate the rate of change of temperature when ice is heated to boiling point, and when
boiling water is cooled.
Questions
1. Table 1B: The temperature and phase of ice (water) (OR similar description of the contents
of the table).

Time (minutes) Temperature (°C) Phase of water

0 0,0 solid

2 0,0 solid/liquid
4 2,5 liquid

6 8,0 liquid

8 10,0 liquid

10 18,0 liquid

12 31,0 liquid

14 42,0 liquid

16 52,0 liquid

18 63,5 liquid

20 74,0 liquid

22 83,5 liquid

24 89,0 liquid

26 93,5 liquid

28 94,5 liquid

30 96,0  boiling water or steam

32 96,0 boiling water or steam

34 96,0 boiling water or steam

accurate (according to the video)

all results have same number of decimals (5)
2. Predict the temperature of the water if it continued to boil for another 3 minutes.
96 °C (1)

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 Heating and cooling curve of water
3. Table 2 Time and temperature for hot water cooling.
(OR similar descriptive title for the table.) 
Time (minutes) Temperature (°C)

0 45,5

1 35,0

2 29,0

3 25,0

4 22,0

5 19,0

6 17,0

7 15,5

8 14,5

accurate (according to the video)

all results have same number of decimals (3)
4. On the same piece of graph paper, plot two graphs of temperature against time as
4.1 ice is heated to boiling point, and (7)
4.2 hot water is cooled. (3)
4.3 Label each graph as “heating curve” and “cooling curve”. (2)
4.4 Also write in the phases of water on the heating curve. (1)
5. During which time interval is the following happening?
5.1 the ice is melting.
0 °C  to 2 (or 3) °C  (2)
5.2 the water is boiling.
30°C  to 34°C  (2)

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 Heating and cooling curve of water

The graph of the heating and cooling curve of water 

100

90

80 ←heating curve 
Temperature (°C ) 

70

60

plotting (heating curve)

50
←cooling curve
40
plotting
(cooling curve)

30
line of
best fit ←liquid

20

10
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36

Time  (minutes) 

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 Heating and cooling curve of water
6. The gradient of the graph measures the change in temperature per minute (or the rate of change
in temperature).
6.1 Write down a formula that can be used to determine the gradient of a graph.
∆y y2 - y1
gradient = ∆x or x2 - x1  (2)

6.2 Calculate the gradient of the graph for these time intervals.
Show the relevant points that you used for these calculations the graph.

6.2.1 while ice is melting. (0; 0,0) (2; 0,0) (3)

y2 - y1
gradient = x2 - x1  method
0,0 - 0,0
=
2-0
 substitutions

= 0 °C.min-¹  accuracy (Ignore units)

6.2.2 while water is warming up from its melting point to its boiling point.
y2 - y1
gradient =
x2 - x1
 (9; 14,0) (23; 90,0)

0,0 - 0.0
=  NB Any two valid coordinates to measure gradient.
2-0
= 4,79 °C.min-¹  NB accuracy; units (3)
6.2.3 while water is boiling.
y2 - y1
gradient = x2 - x1  method
96,0 - 96.0
=
34 - 32
 substitutions
= 0  °C.min-1 accuracy (Ignore units) (3)
7. The average kinetic energy of water molecules is a measure of the temperature of water. When
the temperature of water remains constant (during melting and during boiling) the average kinetic
energy of the molecules remains constant, even though the water is being heated by the Bunsen
flame. So, energy is being taken in by the water, but it is not being used to increase the kinetic
energy of the molecules.
7.1 What type of energy are the water molecules gaining during a phase change?
Potential energy  (1)
7.2 Explain your reasoning (to question 7.1) with reference to the kinetic theory of matter.
molecules of water loosen their forces of attraction on each other when ice melts
 their potential energy increases as the molecules move apart from each other
 when water boils the molecules move very far apart from each
therefore, the water molecules have gained potential energy. (3)
8.1 Describe the shape of the cooling curve of water.
 the shape is curved
steeper at the beginning and flattening (slightly) as time goes on. (2)

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 Heating and cooling curve of water
8.2 What does the shape of this curve tell us about the rate at which water cools down?
Explain briefly.
The steeper gradient (slope OR part) of the graph tell us that the rate of cooling is
fastest when the water is hottest. 
As the water cools down the rate of cooling slows down. 
Warm water cools at a slower rate than hotter water.  (4)
9. Conclusion
When ice is heated, it melts, then warms up until its boils. 
During a phase change the temperature (of the water) remains constant. 
Hotter water cools faster than cooler water.  (3)

18 GRADE 10 PHYSICAL SCIENCES PRACTICAL BOOKLET TERM 1