SRP Help - Why do I need the temperature in this experiment?

[pawanjeetk]

I am doing this experiment for my SRP:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p079.shtml

And I'm a bit confused as to why I need a thermometer. The experiment is about observing the rust on the steel wool after some time - but what does temperature have to do with it? How does temperature relate to this experiment? What does it say about this experiment?

Thank you..

[deleted-249560]

The project's background section said it better than I can.

When iron and oxygen combine to make iron oxide (rust), heat is given off, which means the reaction is exothermic (exo means "out" and therm means "heat," so heat is sent out when the reaction occurs). With a thermometer and a timer, you can measure how fast heat is being given off (the rate), and that will give you an idea of how fast the reaction is occurring.

Yes, you're observing the rate of oxidation, and you're using the temperature rise to observe it. Without the thermometer you'd have a much harder time figuring out how fast the wool is rusting.