Thermal Energy Assessment

A plumber is going to put two pipes in a wall, one in front and one in back. The pipes will be touching once they are installed. Both pipes are the same size and have the same number of molecules. The diagram above shows the pipes now, before they have touched. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. How does the temperature of the front pipe compare with the temperature of the back pipe before the pipes touch? What will happen after the pipes have been touching for a while?

• Before the pipes touch, the front pipe is cooler than the back pipe. Once the pipes are touching, the back pipe will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler front pipe until both pipes reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the pipes touch, the two pipes are different temperatures. Once the pipes are touching, the kinetic energy and cold energy will transfer between the molecules in the two pipes until both pipes reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the pipes touch, the front pipe is hotter than the back pipe. Once the pipes are touching, the cooler back pipe will gain kinetic energy until the molecules in both pipes have an energy of 100, because hotter things increase the temperature of cooler things.

• Before the pipes touch, the front pipe is hotter than the back pipe. Once the pipes are touching, the front pipe will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler back pipe until both pipes reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

A chef takes four pans from different parts of her kitchen and puts them in two stacks. The diagram above shows the pans before they touch each other. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. After the pans have been touching for a while, which of the two bottom pans will be cooler, and why?

• The smaller bottom pan will be cooler than the larger bottom pan, because less energy has to transfer for the molecules to reach the same temperature as the molecules of the top pan.

• The larger bottom pan will be cooler than the smaller bottom pan. It started with more total energy, so less energy had to transfer for both pans to reach the same total energy.

• The larger bottom pan will be cooler than the smaller bottom pan, because the energy that transferred to it will have spread out over more molecules

• Both pans will be the same temperature because both of the top pans had the same amount of energy to transfer and the molecules in the bottom pans start with the same energy

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Flori has one bucket of paint outside and one bucket of paint in her garage. Both paint buckets are the same size and have the same number of molecules. She brings the bucket in from outside and is going to stack it on top of the bucket in the garage. The diagram above shows the buckets now, before they touch. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. How does the temperature of the garage bucket compare with the temperature of the outside bucket before the buckets touch? What will happen after the buckets have been touching for a while?

• Before the buckets touch, the two buckets are different temperatures. Once the buckets are touching, both kinetic energy and cold energy will transfer between the molecules of the two buckets until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is hotter than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the cooler outside bucket will gain kinetic energy until the molecules of both buckets have an energy of 18, because hotter things increase the temperature of cooler things.

• Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is cooler than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the hotter outside bucket will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler garage bucket until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is hotter than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the garage bucket will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler outside bucket until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Ralph and Sheila are at a construction site and they are stacking bricks. The diagram above shows the bricks before they touch. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. After the bricks have been touching for a while, whose top brick will be cooler?

• Ralph’s top brick will be cooler than Sheila’s top brick, because less energy has to transfer for Ralph’s brick’s molecules to reach the same temperature as the molecules of his bottom brick.

• Sheila’s top brick will be cooler than Ralph’s top brick, because Sheila’s started with more total energy, so less energy had to transfer for both her bricks to reach the same total energy.

• Sheila’s top brick will be cooler than Ralph’s top brick, because the energy that transferred to Sheila’s was spread out over more molecules.

• Both will be the same temperature, because both bottom bricks had the same amount of energy to transfer and the molecules in the top bricks started with the same energy.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Karim brings a chair from the backyard into his house and is going to stack it on top of another chair. Both chairs are the same size and have the same number of molecules. The diagram above shows the chairs before they touch. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. How does the temperature of the bottom chair compare with the temperature of the top chair before the chairs touch? What will happen after the chairs have been touching for a while?

• Before the chairs touch, the bottom chair is cooler than the top chair. Once the chairs are touching, the top chair will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler bottom chair until both chairs reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the chairs touch, the bottom chair is hotter than the top chair. Once the chairs are touching, the bottom chair will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler top chair until both chairs reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the chairs touch, the chairs are different temperatures. Once the chairs are touching, both kinetic energy and cold energy will transfer between the molecules in the two chairs until both chairs reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

• Before the chairs touch, the bottom chair is hotter than the top chair. Once the chairs are touching, the cooler top chair will gain kinetic energy until the molecules in both chairs have an energy of 35, because hotter things increase the temperature of cooler things.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Four people are putting their laptop computers away. Mari puts her laptop on Sam’s laptop, and Arun puts his laptop on Odessa’s laptop. The diagram above shows the laptops before they touch each other. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. After the laptops have been touching for a while, will Sam’s laptop or Odessa’s laptop be cooler, and why?

• Sam’s laptop will be cooler than Odessa’s laptop, because less energy has to transfer for the molecules of Sam’s laptop to reach the same temperature as the molecules of Arun’s laptop.

• Both laptops will be the same temperature, because both Arun’s and Mari’s laptops had the same amount of energy to transfer and the molecules in Sam’s and Odessa’s laptops started with the same energy.

• Odessa’s laptop will be cooler than Sam’s laptop, because Odessa’s started with more total energy, so less energy has to transfer for her and Arun’s laptops to reach the same total energy.

• Odessa’s laptop will be cooler than Sam’s laptop, because the energy that transferred to Odessa’s was spread out over more molecules.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

A chef needs to increase the temperature of a food dish. She thinks she can do this by stacking another dish on top of it. She has three dishes to choose from for the top dish: A, B, and C. Which one of these dishes would make the food dish the warmest when placed on top of it? As part of your answer, explain how the energy and temperature of both the top dish and the food dish will change when the food dish warms up, and why.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Avanti works in a bookstore. She has four books and is going to place them in two stacks. The diagram above shows the books before they touch. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question. How did the temperatures of the four books compare before they touched? How will the temperatures of the two top books compare after the books have been touching for a while, and why?

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Lin cooked a pot of soup, then put half the soup in the freezer for a while. Now the soup in the pot is hot, and the soup in the freezer is cold. What is the difference between the molecules of the soup in the pot and the molecules of the soup in the freezer?

• The molecules of the soup in the pot are moving and the molecules of the soup in the freezer are not moving.

• The molecules of the soup in the pot are moving faster than the molecules of the soup in the freezer.

• There is no difference because all of the soup is made of the same type of molecules.

• The molecules of the soup in the freezer are smaller than the molecules of the soup in the pot.

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NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

NGSS.MS-PS3-5

Engineers design computers to cool down quickly so they do not break. What happens to the molecules in a computer when the temperature of the computer decreases?

• The energy of the molecules in the computer decreases.

• The energy of the molecules in the computer increases.

• The cold energy of the molecules in the computer increases.

• The computer loses heat molecules.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-5