Form/Class
Club Science
Physics
Name
Teachers’ Club Science – Student worksheets
Teachers’
Structured Questions: Convection
These questions require students to understand how convection
transfers heat in fluids. Students will need to also need to be able
to explain how convection affects us in our everyday lives.
1
Copy the text and fill in the missing words from the list below. You can use the words once, more
than once or not at all!
Solids
gases
current
convection rises wind
dense
sinks
hot
When a liquid is heated the hot liquid becomes less
______ and rises.
Cooler liquid is drawn in to take the place of the ____
liquid as it rises.
The hot liquid then cools. It becomes more dense and
_____.
This process is called _________.
We say that a convection _______ has been set up.
Convection only occurs in liquids and ______.
The Sun can cause very large convection currents in the atmosphere, which we call ______.
2
The following statements are all about convection. Decide which statements are true and which
statements are false. If they are false, explain why the answer is not correct.
a Convection currents happen when heat passes through a metal.
true / false
b Hot gases become denser and rise.
true / false
c Earthquakes occur due to convection currents, which move tectonic plates.
true / false
d Convection currents transfer heat from the interior of the Sun to its surface.
true / false
e When a gas cools is expands and becomes less dense.
true / false
f You could use a grill to heat up an entire bowl of soup.
true / false
© Smart Learning Ltd 2015
http://smart-learning.co.uk/teachers-club/teachers-club-science/
1
Teachers’
Club Science
Form/Class
Teachers’ Club Science – Student worksheets
Physics
3
4
Name
Using diagrams, explain how a sea breeze is created in the
day time and yet it changes direction and we have a land
breeze at night? Make sure you:
•
explain how the air changes density in each situation.
•
refer to the relative heating and cooling of the land and
the sea at the different times of the day.
Explain the following
a Why is the heating element of a kettle at the bottom? What would happen if it was at the top?
b How can a single radiator heat all the air in an entire room?
c Why would you crawl close to the floor in a smoke filled room that is on fire?
d How do a chimney and an open fire help to ventilate a room?
e Why is most of the heat in your house lost through the roof? How can this be prevented?
f Why is the freezer compartment at the top of a refrigerator?
g Why do “fan assisted ovens” contain fans?
h What is meant by “thermals” in the atmosphere and how do they help keep an engineless glider
in the air?
5
Convection! Who cares? We all should! Design a poster,
information leaflet or web page explaining how convection
affects us in our everyday lives.
BONUS BOFFIN TASKS!!!
1
How do convection currents cause earthquakes?
2
How do convection currents generate huge storm clouds?
3
Convection leads to heat loss in houses. How is heat loss through cavity walls and roofs
prevented, leading to a reduction in energy bills?
4
Write a song, a rap or a poem, which explains how convection occurs in liquids and gases.
2
http://smart-learning.co.uk/teachers-club/teachers-club-science/
© Smart Learning Ltd 2015