Criteria B and C – Influence of surface area on evaporation rate experiment

Andrej Ivanic 2b
Research Question

How does the surface area (120cm2, 384cm2, 864cm2) of the liquid affect the evaporation rate over
certain periods of time (120s, 240s, 360s, 480s, 600s)?

Justification

SOI: Relationship between particles and their energy cause interaction in the environment that leads to
new scientific and technical innovation.

The aim of the experiment is to show and test how by changing the surface area of a liquid, influences
the evaporation rate over certain periods of time. We will take three different surface areas (120cm2,
384cm2, 864cm2) for the liquid, and then calculate the evaporation rate over 5 different time intervals
(120s, 240s, 360s, 480s, 600s) for each surface area. The three different containers (representing the
three surface areas) will each be filled with the same amount of water, and heated under the same
amount of heat. Then, when the times have past, volume of the waters will be measured. After
measuring, mean value of each container will be calculated. To ensure fair results, there will be 3 trials
for each container.

This experiment is of course related to real life, as it is one of main steps of the water cycle. The world
relies on the water cycle to get water from the earth to the atmosphere and back. This is important for
reasons such as rainfall. We heavily rely on rainfall to get water to areas all around the globe, to help
and fuel agriculture. Evaporation also is used in separation, such as clean water from a water stream, or
other chemicals, or as a technique to separate the solid solute from the solvent in a solution. This also
explains how it is related to scientific research.

Hypothesis

My hypothesis goes as: If the surface

area of the container in which the
liquid is placed is larger, then the
evaporation rate will be higher and
more water will evaporate because in
that container water is most spread out
and has the more space for faster
evaporation.

Looking at scientific reasoning, when

there is a larger exposed surface area,
there is a better opportunity and a
larger window for molecules to escape,
therefore more molecules escape, and
evaporation rate increases. This is why I
think that the container of 864cm 2 will have the largest evaporation rate.
Independent Variables

The independent variable, what we will change, for this experiment will be the surface area, or the
container which we will use. The unit used for measuring this IV is cm 3, and there will be 3 different
containers (120cm2, 384cm2, 864cm2). Each of those containers will be filled with the same amount of
water, and have the same conditions. Our experiment is clear, we want to see how surface area affect
evaporation rate, which means in order to find that out, we need to change and experiment with
different surface areas, which is why that is the IV that is chosen. I will keep them constant by having 3
clearly differently sized containers, and filling them with the exact same amount of water, so we get
good and logical results.

Dependent Variables

The dependent variable, what we will be measuring, is the evaporation rate, or how much water has
evaporated. The unit for the DV, is the volume of the liquid (cm 3). For each container, the DV will be
measured at 5 different time periods (120s, 240s, 360s, 480s, 600s), while also repeating that 3 times to
be sure of the results. The point of the experiment is to see does, and how water evaporation differs
depending on the sizes of the container, which is why I will be measuring it at 5 different time periods,
every 2 minutes, to clearly see that process for each surface area. The way I will measure this is by
looking at the written labels for volume on each container. I will then record each result on my phone
and later put it in this file.

Controlled Variables

The controlled variables are everything else that I need to and can realistically keep the same. This
includes conditions and factors, such as the stove we use, the temperature on which the containers are
heated on, the amount of water we fill each container with, and the time periods on which we will
measure the volume of the water. All of these variables must be kept the same, as they are not the ones
being experimented with and on, therefore they need to be kept the same so we get correct results for
the experiment we are doing. If they are not controlled, then they will influence the results and we will
practically not be doing anymore the experiment we initially were striding for. For example, if in one
container we were supposed to have a higher evaporation rate, but in that one we heat it less or pour
more water, then we can’t see that the evaporation rate is higher. To keep the amount of water poured
the same, I will use a separate container to measure the amount of water, then when it is the same, I
will pour it into the container in which the testing will be done.

Method

Step Description
1. Prepare first container (120cm2)
2. Take a separate container to measure the amount of water
3. Pour the water from one container to the other
4. Heat up the oven
5. Once the oven is heated, place the water filled container on the oven
6. Measure the volume of the water for each time period
7. Repeat 3 trials
8. Repeat all above for the other 2 containers (384cm 2, 864cm2)
Experimental Set Up, Materials

Quantity Materials Description of the equipment

4 (120cm2, 384cm2, 864cm2) and container
one for pouring

1 oven

1 stopwatch

1 Safety gloves

Control Group, Safety Concerns

All three are treated objects.

This is a fairly simple and safe experiment, but you should be careful to not burn yourself while working
around the oven and heat, a good solution is to wear safety gloves.
Raw, Processed, Visual Data

volume of the liquid (cm3)

time (s) trial 1 trial 2 trial 3

small container area A=120 cm2

120 43.4 46.3 45.3

240 39 39.2 38.7

360 36.4 35 33.8

480 31.2 27.6 29.2

600 25.7 24.9 25.3

first container

volume of the liquid (cm3)

middle container area A=384 cm2
time (s) trial 1 trial 2 trial 3

120 41.5 39.9 41.6

240 37 35.3 35.8

360 31.1 29.8 32.4

480 26.6 27.2 26

600 17.8 16.5 16.3

second container

volume of the liquid (cm3)

time (s) trial 1 trial 2 trial 3
big container area A=864 cm2

120 40.2 37.5 38.5

240 25.7 22.3 24.6

360 16.7 15.2 15.9

480 9.3 8.3 9.6

600 5.4 5.2 4.7

third container
big

ain

time (s) Average volume (cm3)

co
nt
 small middle big

120 45.0 41.0 38.7

er area A=864 cm2

240 39.0 36.0 24.2

360 35.1 31.1 15.9

480 29.4 26.6 9.10

600 25.3 16.9 5.10

Processed – average volume (rounded to 3 significant figures)

As we have mentioned before, there will be three containers, which also means 3 tables, and those are
the first 3 tables above. By these 3 tables, we can clearly see that the larger the surface area of the
container, the faster the evaporation rate of the water. The fourth table is the mean volume of the 3
trials for each table and time period. This was calculated by using the formula (V1+V2+V3)/3.

Graph

Interpreting Data
By looking at the graph, at final mean values, we can see that the larger surface area container has a
significantly faster evaporation rate. This is seen on the graph, because the line of volume of water for
that container is lower and has smaller results, which means more amount of water evaporated. This is
what I expected was going to happen, and what I said in my RQ and hypothesis. The heat energy that
surrounded the container, forced to water molecules to start slowly breaking down. When that
happens, they evaporate, and turn into water vapor (gas). Because the 3 rd container had the largest
surface area, that means the water molecules had the most space to escape, which is why that
container had the fastest evaporation rate.

Validity of Prediction and Method

According to my hypothesis, the container with the largest surface area was going to have the highest
evaporation rate, and as we can see by the outcome of the experiment and data, my hypothesis was
correct. This experiment and results clearly answered my RQ. We can see that my hypothesis was
correct not by only looking at the graph lines, but also raw data. At each of the 5 time periods, the
container with a surface area of 864cm 2 had a smaller water volume than the other two. For example, at
600s, that container had an average water volume of 5.1cm 3 left, while the other two had 25.3cm 3 and
16.9cm3. This clearly proves my prediction.

During the experiment, the method I was using, there was absolutely 0 problems. Everything went
smoothly, and was very simple. All the containers had clear labels to measure the volume, so it was easy
to keep the water constant, and to later measure how much water was left after heating the containers
up. The safety gloves helped me prevent any burning just in case, and the electric stove was good as
there were no actual flames. Collecting of data, and later processing my own was very simple and clear.
This experiment was not hard at all, but it is very good to show the influence of surface area on
evaporation rate, as the science behind this topic is very easily tested. Maybe if there was more testing
done, with a larger variety of surface areas, we can get even more detailed results.

Improvements

To be completely honest, I can’t find anything significant that I can improve in this method. The
experiment was very well and simply done. Of course, there was some certain aspects that could’ve
been more precise, for example if I poured 1cm 3 more water than needed, but that it something very
small, which didn’t influence the experiment at all that much. The point of this experiment is to be
simple and that everyone can do it, and if we wanted to be that precise, then we would need more
professional tools, and that would be going too in depth. Another thing is that to get more detailed
results, we could include more repetitions, and try out even more surface areas, while also adding
maybe another variable. All in all, this was a very solid experiment.

References
Admin. (2020, August 16). Factors affecting rate of evaporation - detailed explanation. BYJUS.
Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://byjus.com/chemistry/factors-affecting-rate-of-
evaporation/

Line graph maker. Line Graph Maker | Create a line chart. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2022,
from https://www.rapidtables.com/tools/line-graph.html

ScienceDaily. (2020, January 13). Researchers solve a scientific mystery about evaporation.
ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 28, 2022, from
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200113141933.htm

Evaporation. National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2022, from
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/evaporation