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To demonstrate the relationship between temperature, kinetic energy, and the rate of diffusion.
How does changing the temperature affect the rate of diffusion?
Write your prediction of which beaker of water (steaming hot, hot, cold, or freezing) will have the faster rate of diffusion:
Place a cup of ice cubes into a bowl and add a cup of water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add 2/3 cup of tepid (not too hot, not too cold) water to a beaker and let it sit to come to room temperature.
After 10 minutes remove the ice cubes and measure out 2/3 cup of the ice water and put into a beaker.
Fill another beaker with 2/3 cup very hot tap water.
Fill another beaker with 2/3 cup very cold tap water.
Place the beakers or cups side by side.
With your helper and at the same time, put three drops of yellow food coloring in the beaker of very hot tap water, three drops of red food coloring in the beaker of room temperature water, three drops of green food coloring in the beaker of very cold tap water, and three drops of blue food coloring in the beaker of ice water. It is important to add the food coloring to the beakers at the same time. Have your helper add drops to 2 beakers at the same time that you add drops to the other 2 beakers. If you have a stopwatch start the timer as soon as the drops of food coloring enter the water.
Do not mix the water. Allow the drops of food coloring to spread on their own.
Observe which food coloring fills the water of the beaker first. (Diffusion is complete when the beakers are uniformly colored.) Record your observations in your data table. If you have a stopwatch record the times that the food coloring spread throughout the beakers.
| Water Temperature | Food Coloring | Time to Complete Diffusion | Order of Completion | Observations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very Hot | Yellow | |||
| Room Temperature | Red | |||
| Very Cold | Green | |||
| Ice Water | Blue |
Pour the colored water down the drain and rinse and dry the beakers. Put everything away in its proper place.