L-1.

2: THERMAL ENERGY
Section A:
Choose the best answer:

1. A heater is placed in a room.

Which diagram shows how the movement of air as the room is heated?

2. The thermometer in the diagram has no scale.

Where should the bulb be placed so that 0oC can be marked on the stem?
a. in boiling water c. in a freezer
b. in cold water d. in melting ice

3. An experiment is set up to find out which metal is the best conductor of heat.
Balls are stuck with wax to rods made from different metals, as shown in diagram 1.
The rods are heated at one end. Some of the balls fall off, leaving some as shown in
diagram 2. Which labeled metal is the best conductor of heat?

4. Food is kept in a cool-box which uses two ice packs to keep it cool.
 Where should the ice packs be placed to keep all the food as cool as possible?
a. both at the bottom of the box
b. both at the top of the box
c. one at the front and one at the back of the box
d. one on the left and one on the right of the box

5. A thermometer has a scale which starts at -10oC and ends at 110oC.

What is the value of the lower fixed point and of the upper fixed point of the scale?
lower fixed point upper fixed point
/ Co / Co
A -10 100
B -10 110
C 0 100
D 0 110

6. When a liquid evaporates, some molecules escape from it and its temperature changes.
From where do the molecules escape and what is the effect on the temperature of the
liquid?

molecules escape from temperature of liquid

A all parts of the liquid decreases
B all parts of the liquid increases
C only the liquid surface decreases
D only the liquid surface increases
7. The diagram shows the thermometer calibrated in degrees Celsius.

What is the value of the lower fixed point and of the upper fixed point in the Celsius
scale?
lower fixed point upper fixed point
/ oC / oC
A -10 100
B 0 20
C 0 100
D 20 100

8. An ice cube at a temperature of 0oC is put into a drink at a temperature of 10oC. After a
short time, some of the ice has melted and the drink has cooled to a temperature of 8oC.
What is the temperature of the remaining ice?
a. 0oC c. 4oC
b. 2oC d. 8oC

9. A teacher demonstrates convection currents using a box with two chimneys and a lighted
candle. She holds a smoking taper at point P.
In which direction does the convection current cause the smoke to move?
10. The diagrams show four identical pieces of ice that are heated in test-tubes of water.
In which test-tube will the ice take longest time to melt?

11. The diagram shows a heater used to heat a tank of cold water.

What is the main process by which heat moves through the water?
a. conduction c. evaporation
b. convection d. radiation

12. The diagram shows a block of ice placed in a warm room. At which point is the
temperature the lowest?
13. Thermometer X is held above an ice cube, and the thermometer Y is held at the same
distance, below the ice cube. After several minutes, the reading on one thermometer
changes. The ice cube does not melt.

Which thermometer reading changes and why?

Thermometer
A X
B X
C Y
D Y
Reason
Cool air rises from the ice cube.
Warm air rises from the ice cube.
Cool air falls from the ice cube.
Warm air falls from the ice cube.

14. The top of the mercury thread in a mercury-in-glass thermometer reaches point X at 0° C
and point Z at 100 °C

Where might it be at a temperature below the ice point?

a. point W c. point Y
b. point X d. point Z

15. On a sunny day, why does a swimmer coming out of the sea soon feel cold?
a. Air is a bad conductor of heat. c. Water evaporates from the skin.
b. Convection occurs in the air. d. Water is a good conductor of heat.
16. The diagram shows four centigrade markings on a liquid-in-glass thermometer.

Which temperatures are the upper and lower fixed points?

Upper Fixed Point /°C Lower Fixed Point/°C
A 110 0
B 110 -10
C 100 0
D 100 -10

17. The diagram shows a vacuum flask, used to keep liquids hot.

What type(s) of heat loss are reduced by the vacuum?

a. conduction only c. convection and radiation only
b. conduction and convection only d. conduction, convection and radiation

18. Televisions have slots in the casing because air must be allowed to circulate freely around
the components in the back.

Why is this?
a. to aid convection c. to prevent conduction
b. to aid evaporation d. to prevent radiation
19. A piece of metal at 0°C feels older to the touch than a piece of wood at the same
temperature.

This is because the metal

a. has a lower density than the wood.
b. has a lower thermal capacity than the wood.
c. is a better conductor than the wood.
d. is a better insulator than the wood.

20. The diagram shows a person about to lift a hot pan from a stove. Although the pan is hot,
the handle is cool.

Which material was used for the handle?

a. aluminum c. iron
b. copper d. wood
Section B:
Answer the following questions:

1. Logs of wood are burning in a camp-fire on the ground. A person is sitting nearby.

a. (i) State two types of energy that the burning logs possess.
1. ___chemical energy _____________________________________
2. ____heat energy ___________________________________
(ii) State the main method of heat transfer by which energy from the fire reaches the
person sitting nearby.
____radiation ______________________________________

b. A spark jumps out of the fire.

(i) State the name of the type of energy that the spark possesses due to its
movement.
____kinetic energy _____________________________________________

(ii) The spark lands on the person’s hand.

State which method of heat transfer causes the person to feel the spark
_____conduction __________________________________________
(iii) The pain caused by the spark makes the person stand up.
(a) State the type of energy that has increased, now that he is standing.
___kinetic energy __________________________________________

(b) State the type of energy stored in his body that enabled him to stand.
____chemical energy, food energy __________________________
2. a. Here is a list of solid materials. Put a tick in the box alongside those materials
which are good conductors of heat.

b. State the word used to describe materials that are poor conductors of heat.
__insulators ___________________________________________

c. From the list of materials given in (a), state which would be suitable to
use for
(i) the base of a cooking pot ___copper/aluminum/gold_____________
(ii) the covering on the handle of a kettle __wood/cork__________________
d. Water is a poor conductor of heat. A beaker of water is heated as shown in
Fig.6.1.

All the water heats up quite quickly.

State the process by which heat spreads most rapidly through water.
_____convection __________________________________________

e. State why the heating element is always placed near the bottom of an electric
kettle.
___to aid for convection currents _____________________________________
3. Fig.3.1 shows a mercury-in-glass thermometer, calibrated in oC.

Fig. 3.1

(a) (i) What temperature would the thermometer read if put in steam, just above
boiling water at standard pressure?
______________100_____________oC
(ii) What temperature would the thermometer read if put in pure melting ice?
_____________0______________oC
(iii) On Fig.11.1, mark where the end of the mercury thread might be when the
thermometer is in a freezer, where the temperature is well below the freezing point
of water.
(b) The mercury-in-glass thermometer uses the expansion of a liquid to measure temperature.
State another physical property that can be used to measure temperature.
___resistance of wire, electric current, pressure of a gas_______________________

4. The liquid-in-glass thermometer in Fig.4.1 has a scale from 10oC to 110oC.

Fig. 4.1

-12oC
(a) Two of the temperatures marked on the thermometer are known as fixed points.
State the values of these fixed points.
_______0________oC and ___100____________oC

(b) The bulb of the thermometer shown in Fig.6.1 is put into some boiling water.
i. What happens to the liquid in the bulb when its temperature is raised?
_the liquid volume increases ________________________________
 ii. What is seen happening to the liquid in the capillary tube when the bulb is put in
the boiling water?
__mercury level expands ____________________________________________

(c) On a certain day in a cold country, the air temperature is -12oC.

On Fig.4.1, use an arrow to show approximately where the surface of the liquid will be at
this temperature.

5. smaller bulb thicker glass thinner tube

For a liquid-in-glass thermometer, which of the above would

a. increases the sensitivity?
_the thinner tube as mercury expands less than the same volume and same
temperature. _________________________________________________________

b. increase the responsiveness?

__small bulb and thicker tube as it takes quicker or shorter for mercury to reach
temperature of the surroundings ___________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

6. Explain each of the following:

a. A saucepan might have a copper bottom but a plastic handle.
__copper is a better heat conductor and plastic is better insulator. ______
________________________________________________________________________

b. Wool and feathers are good insulators.

_As they trap air inside and air is a good insulator. _____________________
________________________________________________________________________
c. It is much safer picking up hot dishes with a dry cloth than a wet one.
___water is poor heat conductor. __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
d. An aluminum window frame feels colder than a wooden window frame when you touch
it.
_Aluminium - conductor of heat __________________________________________
_wood – an insulator ____________________________________________

e. Why are metals much better conductors than most other substances?
____they have many free moving electrons which help in transferring the heat
quickly. ____________________________________________________________________

7. Explain convection currents in water with an example.

__In a beaker along with water potassium permanganate is taken and heated. As
water expands it becomes less dense and rises. The rising movement can be seen by pruple
stream in water. Water on the top is cooler and denser so it starts sinking at the bottom
and a purple stream is seen in water. The full water in the beaker turns purple.
______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8.
white silvery matt black

Which of the above surfaces is the best at

a. absorbing thermal radiation? __matt black _______________________
b. emitting thermal radiation? ____white_____________________
c. reflecting thermal radiation? ____silvery_____________________

9. Some water in a glass beaker is heated from below, as shown in Fig. 7.1

Fig. 7.1

a. Name the process by which thermal energy is transferred:

(i) through the glass___conduction _______________
 (ii) throughout the water___convection ____________________

b. The rate of energy supply is increased. The temperature of the water begins to rise again,
but eventually becomes steady at a higher temperature. This time many bubbles are seen
throughout the water.

(i) State what is happening to the water now.

____it starts rising _______________________________________

(ii) What gas do the bubbles contain? Tick one box.

air oxygen ✓

hydrogen steam

10. When concrete roads are made, the concrete is laid in sections, with gaps between the
sections. The gaps are then filled with a soft material, called pitch. Thus is shown in Fig.
10.1

Fig. 10.1

Suggest why the concrete is laid in sections like this.

____to prevent the cracking of roads due to expansion. ________________
________________________________________________________________________

Teacher’s Signature: ________________