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Item AM052003: When an iron frying pan cools, the distance between the iron atoms decreases, so the pan gets a tiny bit smaller.

A cook takes a hot iron frying pan off the stove to cool. What happens as the iron pan cools?

  1. The mass of the iron atoms increases, so the pan gets a tiny bit heavier.
  2. The mass of the iron atoms does not change, so the pan remains the same.
  3. The distance between the iron atoms decreases, so the pan gets a tiny bit smaller.
  4. The distance between the iron atoms does not change, so the pan remains the same.
Distribution of Responses
Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item 052003
Students Responding Correctly
Group Correct Total Percent
Overall 827 2895 29%
Grades
  6–8 485 1855 26%
  9–12 337 1031 33%
Gender
  Male473143133%
  Female343143324%
Primary Language
  English736254029%
  Other7230624%

View data table

Notes
NGSS does not address thermal expansion or contraction of matter.