Precautions for Accurate Temperature Measurement in Cooling Experiment

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Homework Statement

An experiment is carried out to study the rate of cooling with an apparatus consisting of a water-filled beaker sealed with a two-hole stopper with one thermometer and one stirrer. The beaker is put on a wooden liner. State two precautionary steps to be taken so that the variation of temperature of hot water gives a good result.

Homework Equations

N/A

The Attempt at a Solution

Stir the water with constant strength. Ensure that the thermometer is fully immersed in the water without touching the beaker.
Is putting on a diaphragm to reduce heat loss to the surrounding a precautionary step?
Is there any others?

 

[kuruman]

You want to ensure that heat loss to the environment is constant throughput the experiment. What can you do to achieve that?