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Heat (Thermodynamics) Science Fair Project

Wood Type and Burning Temperature

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Wood Type and Burning Temperature | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does the type of firewood change how much heat it produces? Oak, maple, cedar, and pine each burn at different temperatures. You can measure this by heating water over each type of wood and tracking the temperature rise. Cut equal-sized pieces of each wood type. Burn them one at a time under a beaker of water on a tripod stand. Record the water temperature every minute for five minutes. The results show that hardwoods like oak and maple heat the water faster than softwoods like cedar and pine.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that hardwoods produce more heat compared to soft wood.

Method & Materials

You will measure the temperature of water heated by different types of firewood, and record the results.
You will need 3 pieces of oak, maple, cedar, and pine wood, a 500ml beaker, a thermometer, a lighter, a tripod stand, 2 liters of tap water, a stop watch, a ceramic tile or 2 bricks, and a small bottle of kerosene.

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Results

The results show that oak wood and maple wood causes the temperature of the water in the beaker to increase faster as compared to cedar wood and pinewood. This proves that hardwoods produce more heat compared to soft wood.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how different types of firewood can produce different amounts of heat.

Also Consider

Consider measuring the amount of time taken for the wood to burn out, or using an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the fire directly.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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