WorksheetsScience Map
Total questions: 19
Worksheet time: 3hrs 10mins
Students want to design an investigation to learn about energy and motion. They start their investigation by making two setups.
For setup 1 they attach three shelves at the following heights: 1 meter, 2 meters, and 3 meters. The students place a 1-kilogram ball at each shelf height. The students observe the ball stays at rest when set on each of the shelves.
For Setup 2 they build a ramp using wood and a table. (See diagram above)
They roll the 1-kilogram ball from the top of the ramp and record the speed of the ball as it travels down the ramp. See the results in Setup 2 Data (pictured above).
On which shelf will the ball have the most potential energy?
1 meter tall shelf
2 meter tall shelf
3 meter tall shelf
Which type of force causes the ball to have the most potential energy?
Electrical force
Magnetic force
Gravitational force
What is the direction of the force acting on the ball?
Upward force
Downward force
Left
Right
Based on the data collected for Setup 2, a student made the following claim about the energy of the ball.
STUDENT CLAIM: As the ball travels down the ramp the kinetic energy increases and the potential energy stays the same.
Which statement best evaluates the student's claim?
The claim is incorrect because the potential energy increases when the speed of the ball increases.
The claim is incorrect because the potential energy of the ball is being transferred to kinetic energy as it travels down the ramp.
The claim is correct because the speed of the ball increases causing the ball to remain in motion as it travels beyond the ramp.
The claim is correct because the speed of the ball is the same as its kinetic energy, and the speed of the ball increases as it travels down the ramp.
A student adds a material to the ramp that causes less friction between the ramp and the 1 kilogram ball. The student plans on rolling the ball from the top of the modified ramp.
Select the word or phrase from each set of options to complete the statements that best predict the results from using the modified ramp.
balanced, decrease, the same speed
balanced, increase, a slower speed than
unbalanced, decrease, a faster speed than
unbalanced, increase, a faster speed than
THIS QUESTION HAS TWO PARTS
A student shapes a piece of clay into a small cube. The student places the clay cube at the bottom of the ramp in Setup 2. The student rolls the 1 kilogram ball down the ramp and observes the collision between the ball and the clay cube.
PART A: Select one variable the student could change to Setup 2 to reduce the force of the ball during the collision.
Replace the wood ramp with a ramp made of a smoother material
Reduce the height of the ramp from 1 meter to 0.5 meters
PART B: Which statement provides the best support for the variable you selected in part A?
This would decrease the force of friction acting on the ball causing it to increase in speed.
This would increase the force of friction acting on the ball causing it to decrease in speed.
This would increase the potential energy of the ball resulting in an increase in kinetic energy.
This would decrease the potential energy of the ball resulting in a decrease in kinetic energy.
The student switches the ball used in Setup 1 with a ball that has a mass of 2 kilograms. Another student states that the potential energy of the 2 kilogram ball would be the same as the potential energy of the 1 kilogram ball since they would be placed at the same height.
Which statement best explains whether the student's statement is correct or incorrect?
The statement is correct because the gravitational force acting on objects with different masses is the same.
The statement is incorrect because an object with more mass has less potential energy due to increased air resistance.
The statement is incorrect because more force is needed to lift an object with more mass to the same height as an object with less mass.
The statement is correct because the potential energy of any object with mass is based on an object's height above the ground and the speed at which it travels.
A student rolls a 3 kilogram ball down the same ramp used in Setup 2. The speed of the ball after 2 seconds was 4 meters per second. The student concludes that the kinetic energy of the 3 kilogram ball is identical to the 1 kilogram ball after it has rolled down the ramp for 2 seconds.
Explain whether the student's conclusion is correct or incorrect. Use evidence from the investigation to support your answer.
Select an organisms to complete the model of the food chain that occurs in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
______________ --> Elk --> ___________________
beavers, bison
wolves, aspen trees
bison, beavers
aspen trees, wolves
Which phrase best describes the model in the previous question?
The food chain model shows the ___________ in the ecosystem.
cycling of matter
flow of energy
The table shows the change in the size of willow tree stems in sample areas of the Yellowstone ecosystem between 1995 and 2010.
Which conclusion about the number of beaver colonies between 2000 and 2010 is best supported by the data?
The number of beaver colonies decreased because the amount of available food for the beavers decreased
The number of beaver colonies increased because the beavers adapted to a change in the food sources available
The number of beaver colonies increased because the amount of available resources for food and shelter increased
The number of beaver colonies decreased because the beavers were unable to use the resources for food and to build shelters
Grizzly bears, black bears, eagles, and ravens are scavengers in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Based on the information, which statement explains how the reintroduction of wolves has most likely affected the populations of scavengers?
Scavenger populations likely decreased because wolves prey on scavengers
Scavenger populations likely decreased because wolves and scavengers compete for the same resources
Scavenger populations likely increased because wolves provide a food source for scavengers
Scavenger populations likely increased because wolves provide habitat for scavengers when the wolves create and abandon their dens
Which statement best explains how the reduction in the elk population might have affected the bison population?
Fewer elk led to fewer bison being preyed on by wolves
Fewer elk consumed young trees, increasing the food available for bison
Fewer elk led to an increase in competition for resources between elk and bison
Fewer elk consumed young trees, decreasing the variety of food sources available for both species
How can beaver activity change conditions in the Yellowstone ecosystem to result in an increase in the beaver population?
by building dams that continue to slow the water and encourage willow trees to grow
by building dams that reduce the height of the water so that more willow trees can grow
by helping willow trees grow taller so that they become more useful for beavers when they build dams
by helping to move soil from streambanks so that more willow trees will fall into the water and create natural log dams
Less snow falls during a warmer-then-normal winter in the Yellowstone ecosystem. The thinner snow cover on the ground allows for more plants to be visible than when the snow cover is thick.
Describe how a winter with less snowfall might affect the populations of willow, aspen, and cottonwood trees.
Less snow falls during a warmer-then-normal winter in the Yellowstone ecosystem. The thinner snow cover on the ground allows for more plants to be visible than when the snow cover is thick.
Describe how a winter with less snowfall might affect the population of elk.
Less snow falls during a warmer-then-normal winter in the Yellowstone ecosystem. The thinner snow cover on the ground allows for more plants to be visible than when the snow cover is thick.
Some scientists predict that, over time, the average thickness of the snow cover in the Yellowstone ecosystem will decrease as global air temperatures increase. Predict a long-term effect of the reduced snow cover in the Yellowstone ecosystem on the beaver population. Be sure to support your prediction using evidence.
Scientists in a different area with an ecosystem similar to that of Yellowstone are considering different solutions for protecting trees in hopes of restoring the ecosystem to its previous levels of biodiversity. One scientist recommends placing fences that are two meters in height around areas of existing trees rather than introducing wolves to the ecosystem.
Select one likely ADVANTAGE of using fences to protect the trees.
young trees would be able to grow to maturity
birds would have access to trees for building nests
the elk population would increase as the adult tree population would increase
beavers would be unable to access the trees for food and to build their shelters
