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Item AP050004: Describe the transfer of energy as a water bottle filled with water is heated over a campfire and describe how the transfer of energy changes when the water boils away..

One way that campers boil water is to hang an open plastic bottle filled with water above a campfire and very slowly heat the bottle.
Eventually the water in the bottle begins to boil without melting the plastic that the bottle is made of. If the bottle remains above the campfire for too long, all the liquid water will boil away and become water vapor, and the bottle will start melting.

To make sense of their observations, the campers first think about the temperature and thermal energy of the plastic that makes up the bottle.


1. Given that the plastic bottle melts after the liquid water boils away, what can be said about the temperature of the plastic when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it is filled with water vapor?

A. The temperature of the plastic is higher when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it filled with water vapor.

B. The temperature of the plastic is lower when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it is filled with water vapor.

C. The temperature of the plastic is the same whether the bottle is filled with liquid or water vapor.

D. More information is needed in order to say anything about the temperature of the plastic when the bottle is filled with liquid water or water vapor.


2. What can be said about the amount of thermal energy the plastic has when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it is filled with water vapor?

A. The plastic has more thermal energy when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it is filled with water vapor.

B. The plastic has less thermal energy when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it is filled with water vapor.

C. The plastic has the same amount of thermal energy when the bottle is filled with liquid water compared to when it is filled with water vapor.

D. More information is need in order to say anything about the amount of thermal energy the plastic when the bottle is filled with liquid water or water vapor.


The campers also think about how energy is transferred between the fire, plastic of the bottle, and the water in the bottle. First, they consider the amount of energy transferred between the fire and plastic bottle.

3. Does the amount of energy being transferred from the fire to the plastic change after the liquid water becomes water vapor?

A. Yes, the amount of energy being transferred from the fire to the plastic increases after the water become water vapor.

B. Yes, the amount of energy being transferred from the fire to the plastic decreases after the water becomes water vapor.

C. No, the amount of energy being transferred from the fire to the plastic stays the same the whole time.


 

Next, consider the amount of energy transferred between the plastic of the bottle and water inside the bottle.

4. Does the amount of energy being transferred from the plastic to the contents of the bottle change after the liquid water inside the bottle becomes water vapor?

A. Yes, the amount of energy being transferred from the plastic to the contents of the bottle increases after the water becomes water vapor.

B. Yes, the amount of energy being transferred from the plastic to the contents of the bottle decreases after the water becomes water vapor.

C. No the amount of energy being transferred from the plastic to the contents of the bottle stays the same the whole time.


5. Use energy ideas to explain why the plastic melted after the liquid water boiled away and turned to water vapor but did not melt when the bottle was still filled with liquid water. Be sure to include reasoning based on the amounts of energy transferred to and away from the plastic.


6. The campers put another plastic bottle filled with water over the fire but this time they put it closer to the fire. How will having the bottle closer to the fire affect the amount of energy being transferred from the fire to the plastic of the bottle?

A. When it is closer to the fire more energy will be transferred from the fire to the plastic than when it is farther from the fire.

B. When it is closer to the fire less energy will be transferred from the fire to the plastic than when it is farther from the fire.

C. When it is closer to the fire the same amount of energy will be transferred from the fire to the plastic than when it is farther from the fire.


7. After placing the bottle closer to the fire, the campers observe that the plastic of the bottle starts to melt before the liquid water becomes water vapor. Use energy ideas to explain why the plastic melted in this case but did not melt when the bottle was farther from the fire. Be sure to include reasoning based on the amounts of energy transferred to and away from the plastic.


 
Percent of Points Earned
Chart showing distrubtion of responses for Item AP050004
Points Earned
  Avg. Earned Possible Percent
Q10.55155%
Q20.43143%
Q30.29129%
Q40.38138%
Q50.49316%
Q60.64164%
Q70.51317%
 
Overall Task Difficulty
  Total Points Earned Total Points Possible Total Percent
 3.281130%

n = 207

Note: The total percent is a weighted average based on the total number of points earned divided by the total number of points possible.

Science and Engineering Practices
SEP6 Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to provide an explanation of phenomena and solve design problems, taking into account possible unanticipated effects.
SEP7 Construct, use, and/or present an oral and written argument or counter-arguments based on data and evidence.
Crosscutting Concepts
CC2 Cause and effect relationships can be suggested and predicted for complex natural and human designed systems by examining what is known about smaller scale mechanisms within the system.
CC5 Changes of energy and matter in a system can be described in terms of energy and matter flows into, out of, and within that system.
CC5 Energy cannot be created or destroyed--only moves between one place and another place, between objects and/or fields, or between systems.
CC7 Change and rates of change can be quantified and modeled over very short or very long periods of time. Some system changes are irreversible.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
PS1.A In a liquid, the molecules are constantly in contact with others; in a gas, they are widely spaced except when they happen to collide. In a solid, atoms are closely spaced and may vibrate in position but do not change relative locations.
PS3.A The temperature of a system is proportional to the average internal kinetic energy and potential energy per atom or molecule (whichever is the appropriate building block for the system's material). The details of that relationship depend on the type of atom or molecule and the interactions among the atoms in the material. Temperature is not a direct measure of a system's total thermal energy. The total thermal energy (sometimes called the total internal energy) of a system depends jointly on the temperature, the total number of atoms in the system, and the state of the material.
PS3.B Conservation of energy means that the total change of energy in any system is always equal to the total energy transferred into or out of the system.