Study of Thermal Energy 1
A student is investigating the strength of electromagnets she created using batteries, wire, and nails.She uses two different-sized nails and varies the number of coils of wire around the nail to
determine how many paper clips each configuration can lift. She makes a data table of the results.The student hypothesizes that the number of coils has a cause-and-effect relationship on the
strength of the magnetic devices she made. Which would be the best way for the student to test
the devices to be sure that her hypothesis is accurate?
a. She should give the devices the same number of coils and retest them.
b. She should increase the distance between the devices and the paper clips.
c. She should repeat the same tests on each device again to collect more data.
d. She should use just one length of nail and test more of a variety of coil numbers, including
0 coils.
d. She should use just one length of nail and test more of a variety of coil numbers, including 0 coils.
Rey wants to put her insulated container filled with a cold drink in a bucket of ice until she is ready
to drink it. She believes that this will keep her drink colder than if she leaves it sitting in her locker.
Explain whether Rey's idea is correct or incorrect.
a. Correct: Energy will transfer from the cold drink to the ice, causing the drink to get colder.
b. Correct: Energy will transfer from the cold drink to the ice, causing the drink to get warmer.
c. Incorrect: Energy will transfer from the ice to the cold drink, causing the drink to get warmer.
d. Incorrect: Energy will transfer from the cold drink to the ice, causing the drink to get warmer.
a. Correct: Energy will transfer from the cold drink to the ice, causing the drink to get colder.
Sofia wants to put up lights in her brother’s room for his birthday. She created a string of lights
by putting together some light bulbs, wire, and a battery, as shown in the image below. She
noticed all the bulbs were lit up, and then suddenly none of the lights were working. Which of the
following questions could she ask to determine the cause of this issue? Select all that apply.
a. Is wire ‘C’ Connected to the wall outlet?
b. Is wire ‘D’ connected to a circuit in the kitchen?
c. Is wire ‘B’ connected to the battery?
d. Is wire ‘A’ connected to the light bulb?
c. Is wire ‘B’ connected to the battery?
d. Is wire ‘A’ connected to the light bulb?
Match each cause (a, b, or c) with the corresponding effect that is listed.
Effect
Water cools back down; some ice melts.
Air molecules cool; container warms.
Container cools back down; water warms.
a. Warm air molecules collide with the cool container.
b. Warm water molecules collide with cool ice molecules.
c. Warm container molecules collide with cool water molecules.
Water cools back down; some ice melts. → b. Warm water molecules collide with cool ice molecules.
Air molecules cool; container warms. → a. Warm air molecules collide with the cool container.
Container cools back down; water warms. → c. Warm container molecules collide with cool water molecules.
A student is conducting an investigation to show how magnetic forces can act at a distance from
an object.
What can the student conclude from the data that he gathered in his investigation?
a. The force is not related to the distance from the object.
b. The force of the magnet becomes stronger the farther it is from the object.
c. The force is stronger with less distance between the magnet and the object.
d. The force of the magnet becomes stronger and then weaker the farther it is from the object.
c. The force is stronger with less distance between the magnet and the object.
A science teacher asks her class to compare the way in which heat is transferred to water in a
pond as opposed to soil at the edge of the pond. Which of the following investigations will help
them make this comparison?
a. Mix water and soil in a container, place it in the sun, and measure the temperature of the
container.
b. Place soil and water in separate containers, place them indoors, and monitor the temperature
of the containers.
c. Place soil and water in separate containers, place them in the sun, and monitor the
temperatures of each container.
d. Place soil in the bottom of a container and water on top, place it in the sun, and measure the
temperature of the container.
c. Place soil and water in separate containers, place them in the sun, and monitor the temperatures of each container.
Jasmyne finalized a design of a circuit that made two lamps in her room light up at once.
The image below shows her initial design, which originally did not work. What change did she make to
this initial design that eventually resulted in both lights working?
The answer is d.
The students noted that the temperature of the ice water and the container stayed constant until
the ice was completely melted. Why was it important to monitor the temperature of both the ice
water and the container to explain this observation?
a. to show that there was no thermal energy transfer during this time
b. to show that thermal energy was transferred to the container and then to the ice, causing it
to melt
c. to show that thermal energy was transferring from the ice water to the container and the
surrounding air
d. to show that thermal energy was transferred to the container but not to the ice, which kept it
from warming up
b. to show that thermal energy was transferred to the container and then to the ice, causing it to melt.
A student rubs a comb on a cloth. She then holds the comb 30 centimeters above some small
pieces of paper on a table, but the paper does not move. When the comb is moved closer to the
paper, the paper moves through the air to the comb.
Which statement explains why the paper does not move toward the comb when the comb is
farther away?
a. The paper is not attracted to the comb.
b. The comb and the paper have identical charges.
c. Only metallic objects can be attracted to each other.
d. The attractive field from the comb is weaker farther from the comb.
d. The attractive field from the comb is weaker farther from the comb.
Ella’s town has two pools — larger pool where older kids swim, and a small wading pool where
parents bring their smaller children to play. After a cold rainfall, the older kids jumped right back
in to the larger pool, but all of the parents brought their smaller children home because the water
in the smaller pool was too cold. How could Ella model this idea for her classmates?
a. Place a large container of warm water next to a small container of cold water.
b. Add a small amount of cold water to both a large and small container of warm water.
c. Add several ice cubes to a large container of water and one ice cube to a smaller container.
d. Place models of older kids in a large container of water and models of smaller children in a
smaller container of water.
b. Add a small amount of cold water to both a large and small container of warm water.
In this performance task, you will answer 3 questions.
Students have been challenged to create and test a simple electromagnet. Students will first
create a design for the electromagnet. They will then test factors that affect the strength of the
magnetic field.
An electromagnet is made by coiling wire around a metal core. An electrical current passed
through the wire causes the metal core to become magnetized. The investigation uses a setup as
shown. Direct current from a battery can be passed through the wire. Students perform several
tests, including
• varying the number of turns of the wire around the metal core,
• changing the position of the magnet, and
• switching the wire to opposite battery terminals.
The students vary the number of turns of wire around the metal core, using a 9–V battery as the
source of current. They test the strength of the electromagnet for each trial.
c. Trial 3
Based on their temperature measurements and their understanding of the effect of mass on
thermal energy transfer, students have determined that they can increase the length of time it
takes their ice to melt by increasing the mass of the ice in the container.
Time (in
minutes )
Temperature of Ice Water (in °C)
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
5 0 0 0
10 0 0 0
15 0 2 0
20 0 4 0
25 2 6 0
30 4 8 0
35 6 10 2
40 8 12 4
45 10 14 6
50 12 16 8
Part A – Circle the trial that shows the results students obtained by increasing the mass of ice in
the container.
a. Trial 1
b. Trial 2
c. Trial 3
c. Trial 3
A teacher sprinkles some iron shavings on a clear tray. She places two magnets in the shavings
with the north ends facing each other.
Based on the cause-and-effect relationship between the magnets, which phenomenon is the
teacher modeling for her students?
a. electrical force
b. attractive force
c. field of repulsion
d. gravitational attraction
c. field of repulsion
ose found four turtle eggs sitting in the grass in his backyard. He plans to take them to a nature
center near his house where a scientist will help them. Jose needs to design a closed container
to transport them to the nature center. Two important criteria are that the eggs must be kept
warm—at a temperature between 27–32 degrees Celsius (C), and the eggs must be protected so
the shells do not break.
Jose wants to put a packet around the eggs that meet both criteria. He sets up three different
possible combinations of water, calcium chloride, and baking soda in three different sandwich
bags. Each bag represents a possible design for a packet. All three bags sit for the same amount
of time.
The table below shows his observations.
Which design should Jose choose for his packet? Why?
a. Bag 1—energy was released in the form of a liquid, which will help protect the eggs.
b. Bag 2— energy was released in the form of gas, which will help protect the eggs.
c. Bag 3—energy was absorbed in the form of a solid, which will help protect the eggs.
d. None of the bags keep the eggs warm or provide protection.
b. Bag 2—energy was released in the form of gas, which will help protect the eggs.
Students used iron filings to map the lines of magnetic force between the bar magnet and
electromagnet. They drew diagrams to model the lines of magnetic force when the magnets
were close together and then far apart. The stronger the force, the denser the magnetic field
lines. Which of the following describes the diagrams when the magnets are in different positions?
Choose all that apply.
a. When the magnets are close together, the lines of force between the poles are also close
together.
b. The lines of force between the electromagnet and bar magnet are closest when the magnets
are far apart.
c. The lines of force between the two magnets when they are close are similar to when the
magnets are far apart.
d. When the electromagnet’s south pole and bar magnet’s north pole are close together, there
are few lines of force between the magnets.
e. The lines of force at the electromagnet’s north pole and bar magnet’s south pole change
little with the distance between the magnets.
a. When the magnets are close together, the lines of force between the poles are also close together.
In addition to increasing the mass of the ice in the container, students tried to disrupt the
thermal energy transfer between the air molecules and the ice water by using materials that
do not transfer thermal energy efficiently. These materials are known as thermal insulators.
Students found that aluminum foil was a poor insulator but Styrofoam was a good insulator.
Rank these insulating designs that students created from best to worst by placing the numbers 1
through 4 next to the images (where 1 = best and 4 = worst).
sides wrapped in Styrofoam
sides wrapped in aluminum foil
plain container
sides and top wrapped in Styrofoam
Sides and top wrapped in Styrofoam
Sides wrapped in Styrofoam
Sides wrapped in aluminum foil
Plain container
Each day, Jorge brings an insulated container filled to the top with his favorite cold drink to school.
This morning, he was only able to fill his container halfway. At lunchtime when he opened his
container, he noticed that his drink was not as cold as usual.
Which statement best explains why his drink was warmer at lunchtime?
A larger amount of energy was transferred through the container to the same amount
of matter.
b. A smaller amount of energy was transferred through the container to the same amount
of matter.
c. The same amount of energy was transferred through the container to a smaller amount
of matter.
d. The same amount of energy was transferred through the container to a larger amount
of matter.
c. The same amount of energy was transferred through the container to a smaller amount of matter.
Julia went fishing and brought a cooler with her. She originally placed packets containing
chemicals in the cooler hoping they would keep the fish cold. Julia noticed that the packets in the
The cooler made the fish warmer. How could Julia modify the contents of the cooler so she can keep
her fish colder?
a. Place packets of chemicals in the cooler that absorb energy.
b. Place packets of chemicals in the cooler that release energy.
c. Place packets of chemicals in the cooler that both absorb and release energy.
d. Do not place any packets in the cooler—it will eventually get colder on its own.
a. Place packets of chemicals in the cooler that absorb energy.
One of the students wants to find a way to create a stronger magnetic force by changing
something about the battery that is attached to the wires. Which of the following set-ups would
likely result in such a change in magnetic force? Select all that apply.
a. Remove the battery.
b. Add a second battery.
c. Increase the voltage of the original battery.
d. Nothing about the battery can be changed to create a stronger magnetic force.
b. Add a second battery.
c. Increase the voltage of the original battery.
Students described the container design elements that will best provide an ice cold drink at
the end of the school day. Select all options that will contribute to keeping the liquid in the
container cold.
a. Use cold water instead of ice to avoid the need for a phase change.
b. Insulate just the top of the container because that’s where all the heat goes.
c. Insulate all surfaces of the container to slow down the heat transfer from air molecules.
d. Keep the container away from sources of heat to avoid any additional thermal energy
transfer.
e. Add as much ice as possible to the container to increase the mass that must undergo a
phase change.
c. Insulate all surfaces of the container to slow down the heat transfer from air molecules.
d. Keep the container away from sources of heat to avoid any additional thermal energy transfer.
e. Add as much ice as possible to the container to increase the mass that must undergo a phase change.