Particle Party
When a substance is heated, do its particles move faster or slower?
Faster
The transfer of heat through direct contact (touching) is called what?
Conduction
Does a conductor let heat move through it easily or stop it?
Lets it move easily.
Heat always flows from the ______ object to the ______ object.
Hot to Cold
Why does the handle of a metal pot get hot even if it isn't touching the fire directly?
Conduction (Heat travels through the metal atoms)
True or False: In a solid, particles are completely still and do not move at all.
False (They vibrate in place)
Warm air rising and cold air sinking is an example of what type of heat transfer?
Convection
Name one material that is a good thermal insulator.
Foam, Wool, Plastic, Wood, Air, Rubber.
What is the definition of Temperature? (Hint: It relates to energy)
The average kinetic energy of the particles
Why do bridge builders leave small gaps (expansion joints) in the road?
To allow materials to expand in the heat without cracking the road.
Describe what happens to the space between particles when they get hotter.
The space increases (expands).
Measuring the heat coming from the sun or a campfire without touching it is called...
Radiation
If you want to keep your hot chocolate warm, would you use a metal cup or a foam cup?
Foam cup (It is an insulator).
When two objects reach the same temperature and heat stops flowing, it is called Thermal ______.
Equilibrium
Explain why a metal slide feels hotter on a sunny day than a plastic slide
Metal is a Conductor (transfers heat to skin fast); Plastic is an Insulator (does not easily allow the passage of heat).
Which has more Thermal Energy: A cup of boiling water or a bathtub of warm water? Explain why.
The Bathtub. (Thermal energy is the total energy; the bathtub has much more mass/particles).
In a pot of boiling water, where is Convection happening?
In the water itself (the currents moving up and down).
Why are electrical wires usually wrapped in plastic or rubber?
Because plastic/rubber are insulators; they stop the heat (or electricity) from burning you or escaping.
If you put an ice cube in hot soup, does the cold go into the soup, or does the heat go into the ice?
The heat goes into the ice. (Cold does not move; energy moves to where there is less energy).
How does a puffer jacket keep you warm in the winter?
It traps body heat in small air pockets, and air is a great insulator.
Describe the difference in particle motion between Ice, Water, and Steam.
Ice: Vibrate in place (packed tight).
Water: Slide past each other (close together).
Steam: Move freely and fast (far apart).
A lizard warming its belly on a hot rock is using Conduction, but a lizard warming its back in the sunlight is using _______.
Radiation
Which material would be better for a summer tent to keep you cool—a material that absorbs radiation or reflects it?
Reflects it (or a material that acts as an insulator against the sun).
What happens to the density of air when it is heated?
It decreases (becomes less dense), which is why it rises.
You have two blocks of metal, one at 100°F and one at 50°F. If you stack them, what will happen to the temperature of each block after 10 minutes?
The 100°F block cools down and the 50°F block heats up, until they reach the same temperature.