Heat Transfer Conduction questions

A block of ice will melt when thermal energy escapes from it.

• true

• False

Answer explanation

A block of ice melts when thermal energy is added to it, not when it escapes. Therefore, the statement is false.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Plastics are good conductors of heat energy.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Plastics are generally poor conductors of heat energy, making the statement false. They are classified as insulators, which means they do not allow heat to pass through them easily.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Ice cream will melt more quickly if it falls on a metal bench than on a wooden one.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

True. Ice cream melts faster on a metal bench because metal conducts heat better than wood, transferring heat to the ice cream more efficiently and causing it to melt more quickly.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Frozen food will thaw quickly if placed on a ceramic (insulator) plate.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

False. Ceramic is an insulator, which means it does not conduct heat well. Therefore, placing frozen food on a ceramic plate will not help it thaw quickly.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Thermal Energy is conducted from a place where the temperature is lower to a place where the temperature is higher.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The statement is false because thermal energy naturally flows from higher temperature areas to lower temperature areas, not the other way around.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Jo has a flat piece of plastic and a similar piece of glass. She wants to know which is a better thermal conductor (conductor of heat), the plastic or the glass. She places an ice cube on top of each of the two pieces. She sees that the ice on the glass melts more quickly than the ice on the plastic. Explain why the ice cubes melt.

• Energy from the warmer surroundings is conducted through the glass or plastic to the colder ice, melting it.

• Energy from the colder surroundings is conducted through the glass or plastic to the warmer ice, melting it.

• Coldness is transferred from the Ice to the plastic or glass plate.

• Heat energy always goes up through conduction causing the ice to melt.

Answer explanation

Energy from the warmer surroundings is conducted through the glass or plastic to the colder ice, melting it. The glass conducts heat better than plastic, leading to faster melting of the ice on the glass.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Jo has a flat piece of plastic and a similar piece of glass. She wants to know which is a better thermal conductor (conductor of heat), the plastic or the glass. She places an ice cube on top of each of the two pieces. She sees that the ice on the glass melts more quickly than the ice on the plastic. Which is a better conductor, glass or plastic? Explain how you know.

• Glass is a better conductor. Energy moves more slowly through the glass than the plastic, causing the ice to melt more slower.
• Plastic is a better conductor. Energy moves more quickly through the plastic than the glass, causing the ice to melt more quickly.
• Glass is a better insulator. Energy moves more slowly through the glass than the plastic, causing the ice to melt more quickly.
• Glass is better a conductor. Energy moves more quickly through the glass than the plastic, causing the ice to melt more quickly.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Jo has a flat piece of plastic and a similar piece of glass. She wants to know which is a better thermal conductor (conductor of heat), the plastic or the glass. She places an ice cube on top of each of the two pieces. She sees that the ice on the glass melts more quickly than the ice on the plastic. Suggest two ways in which Jo could ensure that her experiment is a fair test.

Answer explanation

Jo could ensure a fair test by using ice cubes of the same size and mass for both tests, and by placing both pieces of material in the same environment to control for temperature and airflow differences.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Jo challenges her friend Jay. She says, ‘The ice melted more quickly on the glass than on the plastic. If you touch the two materials, which will feel warmer?’ Jay says that he thinks the glass will feel warmer and that is why the ice melted more quickly on the glass. Explain why he is wrong.

Answer explanation

Jay is wrong because the glass conducts heat better than plastic. This means that while the glass may feel cooler to the touch, it actually transfers heat more efficiently, causing the ice to melt faster on it.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

In the process of conduction

• Energy is transferred from a lower temperature substance to a higher temperature substance

• Energy is transferred from a higher temperature substance to a lower temperature substance

• The amount of energy is increased

• Both substances get hotter

Answer explanation

In conduction, energy transfers from a higher temperature substance to a lower temperature substance until thermal equilibrium is reached. This is why the correct answer is that energy is transferred from a higher to a lower temperature substance.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-4