Color and Heat Color and Heat Absorbing and Radiating Heat S tudents use thermometers in colored cardboard boxes to investigate the effect of several colors on absorbing and radiating heat. Encourage students to use what they have learned to give reasons that support their predictions. Have the class work in small groups to design and carry out investigations of color and heat. Discuss the observations and ideas from each group as a class following the hands-on exploration.
Some survival blankets are silver colored.
Contact a local search and rescue team, or a sporting goods store and ask. Allow time for each group to decide what colors to investigate and how to proceed with the investigation. Have the students record initial temperatures and place the thermometers into the boxers. Be sure to identify the boxes so that data can be compared accurately. Leave the boxes in a sunny location for five or ten minutes.