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The heat from the burners causes the air inside a hot air balloon to become less dense.

Physics - Conduction and Convection

This Physics quiz is called 'Physics - Conduction and Convection' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at senior high school. Playing educational quizzes is one of the most efficienct ways to learn if you are in the 11th or 12th grade - aged 16 to 18.

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Heat is thermal energy. It only ever travels in one direction - from warmer to cooler. You may have heard people say 'close the door to keep the cold out' but they really should be saying 'close the door to keep the warmth in'. Heat travels in 3 ways, but this quiz is concerned with only two of them - conduction and convection, which both involve the movement of particles.

1 .

Why are metals good heat conductors?

They are shiny and solid

Their particles are far apart

Their particles are packed close together

They are malleable and ductile

As well as having close packed particles, the free electrons in their structure can transport the heat energy through the metal

2 .

What is the main way that heat passes through a brick in the wall of a building?

Convection

Conduction

Radiation

All of the above

A brick is an opaque solid so the only way heat can pass through it is by conduction

3 .

Why do hot air ballons rise?

The flames from the burner are going upwards and they push the balloon into the air

The helium they contain is lighter than air

The heat from the burners causes the air inside to become less dense

They only rise because the pilot throws out some weight from the basket

Less dense air will rise, exactly as in a convection current. Because it is trapped in the balloon, the balloon goes with it

4 .

On a sunny day, why is it slightly harder to swim back to the shore of a lake than to swim towards the center?

The sun makes the water at the edge of the lake expand more than at the center so you are swimming uphill

The sun heats shallow water at the edge faster than the deep water, creating a convection current that flows towards the center

You are more tired because you have already swum out to the center of the lake

There is no difference

Since water is transparent the sun can't heat it directly. At the edge, it heats the bed of the lake since the water is shallow. The warmth of the lake bed transfers heat to the water, making it less dense. The less dense water rises, creating a convection current that flows away from the shore. A strong swimmer would probably not notice the difference

5 .

"Particles with more energy move in to take the place of particles with less energy"
What method of heat transfer is being described in the previous sentence?

Sublimation

Conduction

Convection

Radiation

Whenever you see a question that deals with heat transfer by moving particles it has to be convection

6 .

Houses built with thick stone walls usually stay cooler inside during the summer than houses built with thinner brick walls. Why might this be?

Conduction is slower through the thicker walls

No convection can occur through the thicker walls

No conduction can occur through the thicker walls

The clay used to make bricks always contains some impurities that make it a better conductor of heat than stone

This question is testing if you know that one of the factors affecting conduction is the thickness

7 .

Which state(s) of matter is (or are) fluids?

Solids and liquids

Liquids only

Liquids and gasses

Gasses only

Fluids are substances that can flow

8 .

How does extra heat affect the particles of a metal?

It makes them vibrate faster

It makes them move around more and change places, reducing its density

It slows down the movement of the particles

It melts them

The particles of any solid are fixed in place so the increased energy available from the heat makes them vibrate more vigorously

9 .

Thunderstorms are created by which form(s) of energy transfer in the atmosphere?

Convection

Evaporation and conduction

Radiation only

Conduction and radiation

Thunderstorms are created when large amounts of hot moist air rise through the atmosphere. As the moist air rises it cools and the moisture condenses to form rain. The size and speed of movement in this enormous convection current creates high winds and static electricity sparks which you see as lightning

10 .

In what substances can convection occur?

Solids

Only liquids

Liquids and gasses

Only gasses

Convection occurs in any fluid

Author: Kev Woodward