Question

anne warms a cup of syrup for her pancakes in the microwave. as she pours the warm syrup, she notices that it is thin and pours very easily. anne wonders how the thickness, or viscosity, of different liquids changes with temperature. so she decides to design an experiment. she has the following supplies available: a refrigerator, a microwave oven, a hot plate, honey, syrup, four heat - safe cups. using only these supplies, what two questions can anne investigate with an experiment? does syrup or honey have a greater viscosity when left in a freezer? does syrups viscosity decrease when it is mixed with cooking oil? does honeys viscosity decrease when it is heated in a microwave oven? does syrups viscosity increase when it is cooled in the refrigerator?

Explanation:

Anne has supplies like a refrigerator, microwave, honey, syrup and test - safe cups. She wants to investigate how viscosity of liquids changes with temperature. The questions should relate to changing the temperature of the liquids (syrup and honey) using the available supplies. The first question can be tested by using the refrigerator to lower the temperature. The third question can be tested by using the microwave to increase the temperature. The second question involves mixing with rubbing alcohol which is not among the supplies.

Answer:

1. Does syrup or honey have a greater viscosity when left in a freezer?
2. Does honey's viscosity decrease when it is heated in a microwave oven?
3. Does syrup's viscosity increase when it is cooled in the refrigerator?