Grade 6- Topic 4/Thermal Energy

You probably use the term heat many times a day. As an example, when you cook dinner, you heat your dinner on a hot stove. When you place a piece of cool metal in the sun, it is heated by the sun’s energy. Why is heat the correct term to use in these examples?

• They show that when objects are touching, they are the same temperature.

• They show that heat flows from something warmer to something cooler.

• They indicate that heat is created to raise the temperature of something.

• They indicate that the kinetic energy of the particles decreases when something is heated.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-4

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Eric is investigating what happens when heat is added or removed from an object. First he places a mug of hot chocolate in this hand and records the temperature of the hot chocolate and the surface of his hand every five minutes for a total of 15 minutes. He repeats this procedure when investigating heat flow with an ice cube. Use the diagram to answer the question below. What could Eric conclude about what happens when heat is added or removed from an object after he completed his test with the mug of hot chocolate?

• Arrow A shows the direction heat flowed because the temperature of his hand increased as heat was absorbed by his hand.

• Arrow A shows the direction heat flowed because the temperature of his hand increased as heat was released from his hand.

• Arrow B shows the direction heat flowed because the temperature of the hot chocolate changed as heat was absorbed by the mug.

• Arrow B shows the direction heat flowed because the temperature of the hot chocolate changed as heat was absorbed by his hand.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

When a boy and his friends arrive at a barbecue, they offer to help their friend cook. They place meat and vegetables from the refrigerator onto the hot grill. When the food is cooked and taken off the grill, it is at a much higher temperature than it was before it was cooked. Which statement are true about the food?

• The kinetic energy of the food particles increased, causing the food temperature to rise.

• The kinetic energy of the food particles decreased, causing the food temperature to rise.

• The thermal energy of the food decreased.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-4

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A student likes to attend football games, no matter how cold and snowy the weather becomes. She is going to a game on a very cold day and takes along a hand warmer. She activates it and tucks it into the glove she is wearing. She holds her hands together, and before long, her hands are warm. Which best describes how her hands were warmed?

• Heat was transformed by radiation, resulting in an increase in kinetic energy.

• Thermal energy was transferred by currents, resulting in an increase in kinetic energy.

• Heat was transformed by convection, resulting in the conservation of energy.

• Heat was transferred by conduction, resulting in an increase in kinetic energy.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-4

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You are camping and it is time to build a campfire. You gather logs and stack them loosely, and then you add small twigs and leaves to make the fire easy to light. As you sit by the fire, the logs burn bright in the darkness, and you feel the heat coming toward you.

Which of these statements are true about the amount of energy transformed in the camp fire?

• The amount of heat and light energy released equals the amount of chemical energy that is burned.

• The fire is hotter than the logs were, so energy is gained in this transformation.

• The chemical energy in the logs is lost during the transformation.

• The Law of Conservation of Energy does not apply to these transformations.

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NGSS.HS-PS1-4

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It’s a great day at the beach, and you’re there for some fun and sun! One reason the day is so special is that the weather is so pleasant—sunny and warm.

Read the paragraph about your day at the beach. Choose the phrase that correctly completes each sentence.

Energy from the sun warms the beach by radiation. The breeze is warm enough to keep you warm, but it also keeps you from overheating. Ocean breezes move because energy is transferred by convection. When you lie down on the sand, you spread a beach towel down so that the sand will not make you too hot by_____________________.

• transferring heat by conduction

• transferring heat by convection

• transforming heat by convection

• transforming heat by radiation

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NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Energy can change in two different ways. It can undergo a transfer, or it can undergo a transformation. For each of these examples of how energy is changed, write the correct answer in the blank.

In photosynthesis, solar energy undergoes a transformation when it changes from light energy to chemical energy. When the sun warms Earth’s surface, thermal energy is_____________________ to land and water.

• transformed

• transferred

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A student gets ready to go to school one day, and he finds out that his car's battery is dead. The headlights will not come on, and the car won’t start. What transformations usually happen when the battery is active and the headlights come on?

• thermal → electrical → light

• light → electrical → chemical

• electrical → kinetic → light

• chemical → electrical → light

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NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Jack’s family is keeping track of the amount of money they pay for energy every month. They made changes to their home based on the thermal properties of various materials. They know that these changes will make their home more energy efficient. For each energy-saving method described, choose the term that best completes the sentence.

The family replaced the windows in their home with double-hung windows. This helps because a layer of gas between the two panes of glass acts as a good insulator. They added a layer of fiberglass to the outside of their metal hot water heater. This saves energy because the metal is a good _______________________________.

• insulator

• conductor

• transfer

• transform

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NGSS.MS-PS3-3

The front door of a home is made of steel. When it is warm outside, the door sticks and is difficult to open or close. When the weather is cool, the door does not stick. Which statement best explains the difference in the behavior of the door when the weather is warm compared to when it is cool?

• The metal in the door expands when it becomes warm due to an increase in kinetic energy, and contracts when it's cooler.

• Thermal expansion makes the door fit better when it is cooler due to a decrease in kinetic energy.

• Different materials expand and contract at the same rates due to the kinetic energy being the same.

• When a material contracts, it increases in volume due to an increase in kinetic energy.

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