PASCO Experiment: Evaporation and Temperature – A Sweaty Truth
By Hemel Private Tuition
#GCSEScience #ALevelPhysics #PascoScientific #ScienceInAction #HemelPrivateTuition
Ever noticed how you feel cooler when you’re sweaty? That’s not just biology being inconvenient—that’s physics doing its thing.
At Hemel Private Tuition, we put that sweaty truth to the test with the help of our friends at @pascoscientific and one of their wireless temperature sensors.
Yes, this is the kind of science that involves water, a hairdryer, and enthusiastic hand waving.
🔍 The Big Idea: Evaporation Takes Energy
When a liquid evaporates, it turns into a gas. Simple enough. But here's the clever bit:
It takes energy to make that phase change happen—and where does that energy come from?
The surface it’s evaporating from.
Which means... evaporation causes cooling.
Just like how sweat cools your body—or how your hands feel cold when you've just used hand sanitiser. The liquid evaporates, stealing a little heat energy from your skin in the process. It’s not rude. It’s science.
🧪 The Experiment: Proving It with PASCO
We set up a beautifully simple experiment with:
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A PASCO Wireless Temperature Sensor
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Two cotton pads (one dry, one soaked in water or alcohol)
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A fan or hairdryer to simulate wind
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A stopwatch and a dry sense of humour
Step-by-step:
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Place the PASCO sensor inside the damp pad.
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Place the dry pad and sensor nearby as a control.
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Turn on the fan.
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Record temperature changes over time with PASCO’s Capstone software or Sparkvue.
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Observe how the wet sensor cools as evaporation occurs.
📊 The Results
Even in a warm room, the wet cotton’s temperature dropped, sometimes by several degrees, while the dry pad stayed constant. Students could see the curve, measure the rate of change, and relate it directly to real-life experiences.
It’s not just theoretical anymore—it’s visible, measurable, and memorable.
💬 Why This Experiment Works So Well
✔️ Visual and Data-Driven – Students can literally watch the cooling in real time
✔️ Hands-on – Feels like magic, but backed by real physics
✔️ Applicable – Links to biology, human physiology, weather, and real-world experiences
✔️ Open to Extension – Try different liquids (e.g. ethanol vs. water), different airflow rates, or explore latent heat in more depth
👨🏫 What Students Said
“Wait… this is why I feel cold when I get out of the pool? Mind blown.”
“Can we do this with deodorant spray next?”
“Now I finally get why animals lick their fur in summer.”
(We politely redirected that last one back to the biology syllabus.)
🧠 Learning That Sticks
At Hemel Private Tuition, we believe science isn’t just something to read about—it’s something to see, feel, and measure.
Thanks to PASCO’s brilliant sensors and our slightly too-powerful hairdryer, students walked away from this lesson understanding more than evaporation—they understood how to think like scientists.
Ready to learn like this?
We offer 1:1 tuition for GCSE & A-Level Science using live experiments, real sensors, and fully interactive lessons both in person and online.
📍 Visit: www.philipmrussell.co.uk
📞 Book a trial: [Contact page link]
#PASCOScientific #GCSEPhysics #ALevelPhysics #EnergyTransfers #EvaporationExperiment #InteractiveLearning #HemelPrivateTuition #ScienceWithSensors #PhysicsTeaching #ScienceEducation
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