Energy
What type of energy does a moving object have?
Kinetic energy
What is a pathogen?
A microorganism or agent that causes disease.
What is a polymer?
A large molecule made of repeating smaller units called monomers.
Name one greenhouse gas.
Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapour or nitrous oxide.
What is a hypothesis?
A testable proposed explanation or prediction.
What is the unit used to measure energy?
Joules (J)
Name two types of pathogens.
Any two: bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa.
Name one natural polymer and one synthetic polymer.
E.g. cellulose and polyethylene.
What is the difference between weather and climate?
Weather is short-term atmospheric conditions; climate is long-term patterns.
What is the independent variable in an experiment?
The variable deliberately changed by the investigator.
What is the law of conservation of energy?
What is the difference between an infectious and a non-infectious disease?
Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens and can spread; non-infectious diseases are not caused by transmissible pathogens.
Why are many plastics difficult to break down in the environment?
Their chemical structures resist decomposition by microorganisms.
Explain how burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming.
It releases CO₂, increasing the greenhouse effect and trapping more energy in Earth's climate system.
Why should controlled variables be kept constant?
To ensure changes in the dependent variable are due to the independent variable.
Why does a roller coaster have its greatest gravitational potential energy at the highest point?
Because gravitational potential energy increases with height.
Explain how vaccination helps protect the body against disease.
It stimulates an immune response and produces memory cells, allowing a faster response to future infection.
Explain why thermoplastics can be reshaped when heated.
Heating allows polymer chains to move past one another, so the material can soften and be reshaped.
Why are cities often warmer than surrounding rural areas?
Buildings and roads absorb and retain heat, while reduced vegetation limits cooling.
A student measures plant growth as 4, 6, 5, 7 and 8 cm. Calculate the mean.
6 cm
A machine receives 500 J of energy and produces 350 J of useful energy. Calculate its efficiency.
70% (350 ÷ 500 × 100)
Why can vaccination protect people who are unable to receive a vaccine?
High vaccination coverage can reduce transmission, indirectly protecting vulnerable people (herd immunity).
A plastic is strong, lightweight and resistant to water. Explain one advantage and one environmental disadvantage of these properties.
Advantage: durable and useful for packaging or transport. Disadvantage: persistence can cause long-term pollution.
Explain how melting land ice and melting floating sea ice affect sea levels differently.
Melting land ice adds water to oceans and raises sea level; melting floating sea ice has little direct effect.
Two experiments produce different results. Explain two factors scientists should check before deciding which conclusion is more reliable.
E.g. sample size, repeatability, controlled variables, measurement accuracy or possible bias.
Award to Team 1No points