States of Matter & Particle Models
Particles in this state are packed tightly and only vibrate in place.
What is a solid?
Temperature is proportional to the average of this kind of energy in particles.
What is kinetic energy?
What is heat transfer by direct contact between particles?
What is conduction?
What is a material that allows heat to transfer easily (think: many metals)?
What is a conductor?
A “bimetallic strip” is made of ________ different types of ________ flattened together.
What are “two” and “metals”?
Particles in this state stay close together but can slide past each other, so it can flow.
What is a liquid?
Thermal energy in a system naturally moves from _______ to _______.
What is “warmer places to cooler places”?
What is heat transfer by movement of a fluid (liquid or gas), often because warm fluid rises and cool fluid sinks?
What is convection?
What is a material that slows heat transfer, often by trapping air (think: foam, wool)?
What is an insulator?
If brass reaches the flame’s temperature faster than steel, the best claim is that different materials ________ thermal energy differently.
What is “absorb”?
Particles in this state are far apart and move quickly in all directions, colliding often.
What is a gas?
In the bimetallic strip investigation, consisting of a coil made of two different types of metal that are flattened together in a strip, as the metal cools, this energy of the particles _________.
What is “kinetic energy decreases”?
What is heat transfer by electromagnetic waves, and it doesn’t need touching or air?
What is radiation?
Why do different blanket materials affect the rate of energy transfer to and from the surrounding air differently? (Hint: this explains why testing materials matters)
What is “materials transfer energy differently”?
If both metals in the strip eventually reach the same temperature as the flame, their particles have the same average _________.
What is kinetic energy?
When you add thermal energy, particles generally _________ (speed up/slow down) because their kinetic energy _________.
What is “speed up because kinetic energy increases”?
Which measurement would best show whether the average kinetic energy of particles changed in a heated metal?
What is temperature?
If you add a flame under air (like a lantern), the heat spreading through the air and rising is mainly this type of transfer.
What is convection?
When your body loses heat through evaporation, the thermal energy is _________.
What is “transferred to the air”?
If the flame temperature is decreased (ex: to 900°C), it would likely take ________ for the strip to bend.
What is longer?
Modeling challenge: Describe (or sketch) what happens to particle motion and spacing when thermal energy is removed (think: cooling).
What is “particles slow down, kinetic energy decreases, and they move closer together (often leading toward condensation/freezing)”?
Best investigation to connect kinetic energy to how much a metal expands: heat the same metal to different ________ and measure its ________.
What is “temperatures” and “volume”?
Choose the best design feature for a blanket that reduces heat loss: (A) high airflow, (B) traps air / reduces airflow, (C) transfers heat easily.
What is “B: traps air / reduces airflow”?
A family member says: “Mylar can’t keep you warm because it’s thin.” Explain why that claim is only partially true.
What is “thickness can help, but even thin materials can trap heat well if air can’t pass through them (and reflectivity can matter too)”?
Urban Heat Island: A building surface that reflects more sunlight tends to get (hotter/cooler), while a surface that absorbsmore sunlight tends to get (hotter/cooler).
What is “cooler, hotter”?