Heating, Cooling and the Behaviour of Particles

What happens to particles when matter is heated or cooled, and why materials expand.

9 questions, free, marked as you go with a worked explanation on every one.

What this covers

• expansion and change of state

The questions

1. What happens to the particles in a metal bar when it is heated?
2. Why are gaps left between sections of a bridge or railway line?
3. At what temperature, in degrees Celsius, does pure water freeze at normal air pressure?
4. Which change of state happens when a gas cools into a liquid?
5. Which statements about heating a liquid are correct? Select all that apply.
6. A sealed metal can is cooled sharply and crumples inward. Why?
7. A steel bridge span is 50 m long. Engineers know that steel expands by about 0.6 mm for every degree Celsius the span warms up. On a hot summer day the span warms from 20 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees Celsius. How much longer does the span become, in millimetres?
8. A block of ice with a mass of 250 g is left on a covered dish until it has completely melted. What is the mass of the water on the dish, in grams?
9. Use the table. At which temperature is the water a gas?

Answer these free