Soil Management Research Site Logo
ARS Home About Us Helptop nav spacerContact Us En Espanoltop nav spacer
Printable VersionPrintable Version     E-mail this pageE-mail this page
Agricultural Research Service United States Department of Agriculture
Search
  Advanced Search
 
Programs and Projects
Subjects of Investigation
 

Title: THERMAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL

Authors
item Mcintosh, Gordon - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Sharratt, Brenton

Submitted to: The Physics Teacher
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 31, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The principle of "propagation velocity" is often taught in physics courses using electromagnetic and sound waves. Techniques to quantitatively measure wave velocity, however, are limited due to availability or cost of measuring instruments. We describe a method that allows students to assess propagation velocity by simply measuring temperature of the soil. Propagation velocity can be obtained by measuring temperature versus time at two depths in a soil profile and varies with the physical properties of the soil. The relatively low cost of temperature sensors and variation in physical properties of soils provides teachers a cost-effective method for assessing propagation velocity in the classroom.

Technical Abstract: Various thermal properties of soils accessible through fairly simple measurements are described. These properties include the insulating effect of soil, the existence of the soil temperature wave and the propagation of this wave through the soil.

   
 
 
Last Modified: 05/21/2013
ARS Home | USDA.gov | Site Map | Policies and Links 
FOIA | Accessibility Statement | Privacy Policy | Nondiscrimination Statement | Information Quality | USA.gov | White House