Physics Topic 2
What is the name of the law that explains why Santa’s sleigh keeps moving once the reindeer stop pulling it?
Newton’s First Law (Law of Inertia)
During Christmas, your body quickly pulls your hand away from a hot mince pie tray. What is this action called?
Reflex.
Why does breaking a Christmas cookie into smaller pieces make it dissolve faster in hot chocolate?
It increases the surface area.
What is the main gas that makes up the bubbles in sparkling Christmas drinks?
Carbon dioxide
If Santa's sleigh accelerates at 2 m/s2 when the reindeer apply a force of 800 N, what is the mass of the sleigh?
400 kg
Name the type of nerve cell that carries signals from the hand to the spinal cord when you touch something hot.
Sensory neurone
In a snowstorm experiment, doubling the concentration of the "snow reactants" causes the reaction to happen faster. Why?
Higher concentration means more particles to collide.
If Rudolph's nose glows red, what part of the light spectrum is being emitted?
Visible (red light)
What happens to the acceleration of a sled on snow if the force applied doubles but the mass stays the same?
The acceleration doubles.
During mitosis, what is the name of the phase where the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell?
Metaphase
Why does a hot oven bake Christmas cookies faster than a cold one?
Higher temperature increases the rate of reaction by giving particles more energy to collide.
If you sprinkle salt on icy Christmas roads, the ice melts. Why does this happen?
Salt lowers the freezing point of water, so the ice melts even when the temperature is below 0oC
When Santa’s elves push a box across a workshop table, they notice it speeds up. Which one of Newton’s laws explains this?
Newton’s Second Law (F=ma)
Why might stem cells be used in medicine to help treat injuries during the Christmas season?
They can develop into different types of specialized cells to repair damaged tissues.
What is the role of a catalyst in a chemical reaction?
It speeds up the reaction without being used up.
Why does hot chocolate cool down faster in a metal mug compared to a ceramic one?
Metal is a better conductor of heat.
A reindeer pushes Santa’s sleigh and the sleigh pushes back with an equal force. This is an example of which of Newton’s laws?
Newton’s Third Law (Action-Reaction)
Stem cells are often compared to "blank Christmas cards" because they can be customized. What makes embryonic stem cells more versatile than adult stem cells?
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into any type of cell, while adult stem cells are multipotent and can only become a limited range of cell types.
If Santa accidentally adds too much powdered sugar to a reaction, what happens to the rate of reaction compared to using sugar cubes? Why?
The reaction is faster because powdered sugar has a larger surface area than sugar cubes.
Name the process by which snowflakes form when water vapor turns directly into ice.
Deposition.