Lesson 1
This is what scientists were trying to figure out when they noticed that an iced drink in a regular cup warmed up faster than one in a fancy cup.
What makes some cups better at maintaining a drink's temperature than others?
These are two structural features that can help a cup maintain the temperature of a drink.
What are a lid and double walls?
This is what scientists tested when they investigated whether cups that kept drinks cold could also keep drinks hot.
This happens when light bounces off a surface, such as a regular mirror.
What is reflect?
Scientists do this when they notice something interesting and want to learn more about it.
What is ask questions?
This is the scientific word for a group of interacting parts, such as a cup, the water inside it, and the air inside it.
What is a system?
Scientists collect this type of information by measuring a drink's temperature at different times.
What is data?
According to our investigation, cups that maintained cold drinks well could also do this with hot drinks.
What is maintain their temperature and keep them hot longer?
This happens when light passes through a material, such as a clear window.
What is transmission?
A scientist notices that a cold drink warms up faster in one cup than another. This is what the scientist is doing when they describe what they observe without trying to explain it yet.
What is making observations?
These are three parts of the cup system that work together.
What are the cup, the water, and the straw?
In our investigation, this type of cup generally did a better job maintaining a drink's temperature than a single-wall cup.
What is a double-wall cup?
This cup feature helped maintain both hot and cold drinks better than cups without it.
What is a lid?
This is what happens when light changes direction as it passes from one material into another, such as when light travels from air into water.
What is refraction?
A student thinks a double-wall cup will keep a drink cold longer than a single-wall cup. This is what the student has made about what will happen.
What is a prediction?
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When scientists test different cups, they keep certain parts of the investigation the same—such as the amount of water, starting temperature, and time between measurements—to make sure their comparison is fair. These are called what?
What are constants?
A cup starts with water at 5°C. After 30 minutes, its water reaches 13°C. This is the amount the water's temperature changed.
What is an 8°C increase?
To test whether a lid makes a difference, scientists should change this one feature while keeping the other conditions the same.
What is whether the cup has a lid?
A student looks at an object through a one-way mirror. The student can see their own side reflected, while a person on the other side can see the student. This is possible because the one-way mirror both reflects and transmits light, and this additional factor affects what each person can see.
What are the differences in the amount of light coming from each side of the mirror?
Scientists use this to represent their current thinking about how something works. They can revise it when they gather new evidence.
What is a model?