MS-PS3-4: Planning Investigations of Energy, Mass, Matter and Temperature
In plain English: MS-PS3-4 is the NGSS middle school performance expectation that asks students to plan an investigation of how the energy transferred, the type of matter and the mass of a sample relate to its temperature change. Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the sample's particles. It is usually taught in grade 6, 7 or 8 physical science.
Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample.
Clarification Statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.
Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.
Next Generation Science Standards · Disciplinary Core Idea: Energy · Official standard
Students plan investigations that connect four things: the energy transferred to or from a sample, the type of matter it is made of, its mass, and its change in temperature. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of a sample's particles, where kinetic energy is energy of motion: when the particles move faster on average, the thermometer reads higher. Students learn to write a testable question, choose the independent variable (the one thing they change on purpose), the dependent variable (what they measure) and the controlled variables (everything they keep the same), and then run two short labs to test their plans.
The NGSS Clarification Statement says: "Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added." The Assessment Boundary says: "Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred." Students describe relationships (more, less, about half) from temperature data and never compute an amount of energy. All data on this page are invented for teaching. Energy comes only from sunlight, the room and ice: no flames, no hot plates.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Explain that temperature measures the average kinetic energy of a sample's particles, and use a particle model to show it
Plan an investigation with a testable question, one independent variable, a dependent variable, controlled variables, repeated trials and a data table
Describe from data how the temperature change depends on the energy transferred, the mass and the type of matter
Critique an investigation plan and fix the parts that make the results unfair or unclear
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Matter is made of particles too small to see 5-PS1-1
Particles move faster when thermal energy is added MS-PS1-4
Measuring mass with a scale and temperature with a thermometer
Show a photo of a shallow puddle next to a deep backyard pond on a sunny morning. Ask students to predict before discussing.
Warm-Up Prompt
"The puddle and the pond sit in the same sunshine all morning. Which one will warm up more by noon? Name two things that could explain the difference, and say how you could test one of them in a classroom."
List the explanations on the board (amount of water, color of the bottom, shade, wind). Tell students that scientists test one explanation at a time, and that today they will learn how to plan that kind of test.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Temperature and particles. All matter is made of particles that are always moving. Temperature measures their average kinetic energy: in warmer water the particles move faster on average (Diagram 1). Thermal energy is the total energy of all that particle motion, so a big sample has more thermal energy than a small one at the same temperature. When energy is transferred into a sample, its particles speed up and the temperature rises; when energy leaves, they slow down.
Four things to relate. The temperature change of a sample depends on how much energy is transferred, the mass, and the type of matter. A good plan changes one of these on purpose and keeps the others the same. A testable question names what is changed and what is measured, for example "How does the mass of water affect its temperature rise in 20 minutes of sunlight?" Repeating each test (several trials) shows whether a result is real or just chance.
Plan: different masses of ice in the same water
Question: how does the mass of ice melted in water affect the final water temperature? Each foam cup holds 200 mL (200 g) of tap water at 25 °C. Add 10 g, 20 g or 30 g of ice and stir until it melts.
Result: Independent variable: ice mass. Dependent variable: final temperature. Controlled: water volume, starting temperature, cup type, stirring, ice from the same freezer. Invented results: 20.0 °C, 15.5 °C and 11.5 °C, so more ice gives a lower final temperature.
Different materials, same mass, warming in the room
Samples of 150 g of water, vegetable oil and aquarium gravel are chilled to 5 °C in a refrigerator, then set in identical cups on a desk in a 22 °C room. Temperatures are read every 5 minutes for 20 minutes (Diagram 2).
Result: After 20 minutes: water 9.4 °C, oil 11.8 °C, gravel 14.6 °C, rises of 4.4, 6.8 and 9.6 °C. Same mass, same room, same time, yet the temperatures changed by different amounts: the type of matter matters.
Same material, different masses, same energy
Two identical black cups with lids hold 150 g and 450 g of water at 20 °C. They sit side by side in the same sunny spot for 15 minutes, so each receives about the same energy from sunlight.
Result: Invented rises: 9 °C for 150 g and 3 °C for 450 g. Three times the mass gave about one third of the temperature change: the same energy spread over more particles raises their average kinetic energy less. Limitation: sunlight gives the two cups only about the same energy, and the warmer cup loses a little more to the air, so the one-third pattern is approximate.
Temperature is not the same as thermal energy
A bathtub of water and a mug of water are both at 40 °C.
Result: Their particles have the same average kinetic energy, so the thermometers agree. The bathtub has far more particles, so it holds much more thermal energy and would melt far more ice before cooling down. No calculation is needed to compare them.
Fixing a plan that changes two things
A student plans: "Put 100 g of water in a black cup and 300 g of oil in a white cup in the sun, and see which warms more."
Result: The plan changes three things at once (material, mass and cup color), so a difference cannot be traced to any one of them. Fix: same mass and same cup color, and change only the material.
After each example, ask: "What was changed on purpose? What was measured? What was kept the same, and what would happen to the result if it were not?"
Guided Practice15 minutes
As a class, fill in this plan template for the Sunny Cups lab (Activity 2). Students copy it into their notebooks and add their own predictions.
Plan template for the Sunny Cups lab
Plan part
Our choice
Testable question
How does the mass of water affect its temperature rise when the cups get the same sunlight?
Independent variable
Mass of water: 100 g, 200 g, 300 g
Dependent variable
Temperature rise after 20 minutes (final minus starting temperature)
Controlled variables
Identical black cups with lids, same sunny spot, same start time, same starting water temperature
Trials
Three cups of each mass
Limitation
Sunlight gives each cup only about the same energy: a passing cloud or shadow changes it, and warmer cups lose a little more to the air
Prediction
Students write their own
Explain why every cup must be the same color and size.
Explain why all cups start at the same time instead of one after another.
Add one more controlled variable the class missed.
Draw the empty data table: one row per cup, columns for mass, start temperature, final temperature and rise.
Independent Practice35-40 minutes
Groups run the Ice Melt lab (Activity 1) and set up the Sunny Cups lab (Activity 2). Each student then writes a full plan for a new question on their own: "Does the type of matter affect how much a sample's temperature changes in the same sunlight?" The plan names the materials (for example water and aquarium gravel), the mass, the independent, dependent and controlled variables, the number of trials, a data table and a prediction.
Collect the plans. Check that only the type of matter changes, that the masses are equal, and that the measurement is a temperature change, not an amount of energy.
Closure20-25 minutes
Groups share their Sunny Cups results and run the Plan Peer Review (Activity 3). Then each student completes the exit ticket.
Exit ticket: "Write one testable question for each relationship in this standard: energy transferred, mass and type of matter. Underline the independent variable in each." Check that each question changes only one thing and measures a temperature change.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a fill-in plan frame: "I will change ___. I will measure ___. I will keep ___, ___ and ___ the same. I will repeat each test ___ times."
Color-code the variables in every example: one color for what changes, one for what is measured, one for what stays the same
Start with the Sunny Cups data, where only the mass changes, before the ice and materials examples
For Advanced Students
Ask students to explain why the 100 g cup's rise is a little less than three times the 300 g cup's rise (the warmer cup loses more energy to the air)
Have students plan an investigation that tests two relationships in one lab without mixing them up, such as mass and time in the sun
Ask students to predict, with a sketch graph, what happens to the final temperature if the ice mass keeps increasing until some ice is left unmelted
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Check that each plan changes exactly one variable, measures a temperature change, keeps the other factors the same and repeats trials. Look for conclusions stated as relationships ("more mass, smaller rise") backed by data. Listen for students who treat temperature and thermal energy as the same thing, who say "cold" moves into warm water, or who compare final readings without checking that starting temperatures matched.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Ice Melt Lab
25 minGroups of 3
Groups test how the mass of ice melted in the same amount of water changes the final water temperature. This is the first official example in the Clarification Statement.
Procedure
Pour 150 mL (150 g) of tap water into each of four foam cups. Record the starting temperature, about 21 °C.
Weigh ice on the kitchen scale: 0 g (control), 10 g, 20 g and 30 g. Add the ice to the cups and stir gently with a stick until all of it has melted.
Record the lowest steady temperature in each cup. Repeat with a second set of cups if time allows.
Safety: wipe up spills right away; do not taste anything in the lab.
Sample Data (invented)
Final temperatures: 0 g of ice, 21.0 °C; 10 g, 14.8 °C; 20 g, 9.0 °C; 30 g, 4.0 °C.
Discussion Questions
What happens to the final temperature each time the ice mass goes up by 10 g?
Where did the energy that melted the ice come from, and what happened to the water's particles?
Why do we keep a cup with no ice?
Modification for Distance Learning
Students use mugs, a kitchen scale and ice at home, or graph the sample data and write a conclusion with evidence.
2
Sunny Cups: Mass and Time
30 minGroups of 3-4
Groups place cups of water with different masses in the same sunlight, which gives each cup about the same energy, and track one cup over time to see what happens as more energy is transferred.
Procedure
Fill identical black cups with 100 g, 200 g and 300 g of tap water at the same starting temperature, about 20 °C. Put on the lids.
Set all cups side by side in a sunny spot at the same time. Read every cup after 20 minutes. Read the 200 g cup also at 10 and 30 minutes.
Run three cups of each mass if you have enough cups, and average the rises.
Safety: never look at the sun; wear hats; wait in the shade between readings.
Sample Data (invented)
Rise after 20 minutes: 100 g, 12.0 °C; 200 g, 6.5 °C; 300 g, 4.5 °C. The 200 g cup rose 3.5 °C by 10 minutes, 6.5 °C by 20 minutes and 9.0 °C by 30 minutes.
Discussion Questions
When the mass doubled from 100 g to 200 g, about what happened to the temperature rise?
The 200 g cup kept warming from 10 to 30 minutes. What changed as time went on: the mass, the type of matter or the energy transferred?
A cloud covered one cup for 5 minutes. Which variable did that change, and what should the group do?
Challenge Variation
Groups plan and run a fourth cup with 200 g of vegetable oil, keeping everything else the same, and compare its rise with the 200 g water cup.
3
Plan Peer Review
15 minPairs
Pairs read four short investigation plans written by invented students. For each plan they decide whether it can answer its question, name the problem if there is one and rewrite one sentence to fix it.
The Four Plans
Plan A: "To see if mass matters, I will put 50 g of water in one cup and 200 g in another cup, both in the sun for 15 minutes, and measure the rise." (No repeated trials; add more cups of each mass.)
Plan B: "To test type of matter, I will chill three identical cups of 100 g of oil and three of 100 g of water to 5 °C and read them all after 20 minutes on the same desk." (Good plan.)
Plan C: "To test ice, I will add 10 g of ice to warm water and 30 g of ice to cold water." (Two things change; use the same water and starting temperature.)
Plan D: "To test mass, I will measure how many joules each cup gains." (A temperature change is the measurement; no energy calculation is needed.)
Discussion Questions
Only one of the four plans is ready to run as written. Which one, and what makes it work?
Plan C changes the starting temperature as well as the ice. Why does that make the result hard to explain?
Rewrite Plan A so that it also tests the energy transferred.
Modification for Distance Learning
Share the plans in a shared document; pairs comment on each one and post their fixes.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: A Particle Model of Temperature and Mass
Each dot is a particle and each arrow shows its speed: a longer arrow means faster. The warm samples have longer arrows on average than the cold one, so their average kinetic energy, and their temperature, is higher. The bigger warm cup has twice as many particles with the same average arrow length: the same temperature, but more thermal energy in all. The difference in arrow length is exaggerated so it can be seen; real particle speeds at 10 °C and 40 °C differ by only a few percent.
Diagram 2: Three Materials Warming in the Same Room
Invented data, drawn to scale: 150 g samples of water, vegetable oil and aquarium gravel, chilled to 5 °C and set in identical cups in a 22 °C room. The mass, the starting temperature, the cups and the room are the same, so the different temperature changes come from the type of matter. All three lines bend toward room temperature (dashed red line) without crossing it.
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
MS-PS3-4 Homework: Planning and Analyzing Temperature Investigations
Directions: Describe relationships with words like more, less, about half or about three times. Do not calculate amounts of energy. All data are invented for practice. Energy may come only from sunlight, the room or ice.
Part 1: Plan Investigations (Problems 1-3)
Plan an investigation to answer: "How does the mass of dry sand affect its temperature rise in 30 minutes of sunlight?" Write (a) the independent variable and three values for it, (b) the dependent variable, (c) four controlled variables, (d) the number of trials, and (e) an empty data table.
Plan an investigation to show how the energy transferred affects the temperature change of 250 g of water in a black cup in the sun. (a) What will you change to change the energy transferred? (b) What will you measure, and when? (c) Write a prediction in the form "If ___, then ___."
Read this plan: "Kai cools 120 g of milk and 120 g of apple juice in the refrigerator to 4 °C, puts each in a glass on the counter, and reads both every 5 minutes for 25 minutes." (a) Name the independent and dependent variables. (b) Name two controlled variables Kai used and one he should add. (c) Which relationship from the standard does this plan test?
Part 2: Analyze Data (Problems 4-6)
250 mL (250 g) of water at 24 °C is put in each of four foam cups, and ice is added and melted: 0 g gives 24.0 °C, 12 g gives 19.5 °C, 24 g gives 15.0 °C, and 36 g gives 11.0 °C. (a) Describe the relationship between ice mass and final temperature. (b) Predict the final temperature for 48 g of ice, and explain your prediction. (c) Use particles to explain why the water got colder.
On the same sunny afternoon, 200 g of water and 200 g of dry potting soil in identical black cups start at 21 °C. After 25 minutes the water reads 27 °C and the soil 37 °C. (a) Find each temperature change. (b) Which variable was tested, and what does the result show? (c) Name one thing that would make the test stronger.
Identical small cups of water sit side by side on a hazy day for 20 minutes: 50 g rises 14.0 °C, 100 g rises 7.5 °C, 150 g rises 5.0 °C, 200 g rises 3.5 °C. (a) Graph the rise against mass. (b) Describe the pattern when the mass doubles. (c) Explain the pattern with a particle model.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
Plan
One independent variable, a measured temperature change, controlled variables and repeated trials
Plan missing one part, or two variables change at once
Data Analysis
Correct temperature changes; relationships stated with the right direction and size (about half, about three times)
Relationship stated with the right direction but no size, or one subtraction error
Particle Explanation
Links temperature to the average kinetic energy of particles and explains the effect of mass or type of matter
Mentions particles moving faster or slower without linking to the data
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
All data are invented. Describe relationships from temperature data; no question asks you to calculate an amount of energy. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything so you or your students can try again.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A thermometer in a cup of water goes from 20 °C to 30 °C. What does that tell you about the water's particles?
Answer: B
Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the particles, so a higher reading means they move faster on average. Choice A confuses temperature with mass. Choice C is a common misconception: particles do not grow when matter warms.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A plan says: "Put 120 g each of water, vegetable oil and gravel in identical cups in the same sunny spot for 20 minutes, and measure the temperature rise." What is the independent variable?
Answer: A
The independent variable is what the plan changes on purpose: the material. Choice B is the dependent variable, what is measured. Choices C and D are controlled variables, kept the same for every cup.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which plan tests only how mass affects temperature change?
Answer: C
Only the mass changes in choice C. Choice A also changes the cup color, and choice D also changes the time of day, so the energy received is different. Choice B tests the type of matter, not mass.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
300 g of water at 26 °C is put in three foam cups, and ice is melted in each: 0 g leaves 26.0 °C, 15 g gives 21.0 °C, and 30 g gives 16.5 °C. Which is the best prediction for 45 g of ice?
Answer: D
Each extra 15 g of ice lowered the temperature by 5.0 °C and then 4.5 °C, so another 15 g should lower it by about 4 °C more, to about 12 °C. Choices A and C repeat earlier readings, as if more ice made no difference. Choice B drops by about 9 °C, twice the step: the steps are getting slightly smaller, not bigger.
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Two identical cups of water get the same energy from sunlight. Cup 1 holds 100 g and Cup 2 holds 400 g. How do their temperature rises most likely compare?
Answer: C
The same energy is shared by four times as many particles, so the average kinetic energy, and the temperature, rises about a quarter as much. Choice A reverses the relationship. Choice B ignores mass, and choice D ignores that Cup 2 still gains energy.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A cup of 250 g of water sits in the sun. It reads 20 °C at the start, 23 °C after 10 minutes and 26 °C after 20 minutes. Which variable changed from 10 to 20 minutes?
Answer: B
The longer the cup sits in the sun, the more energy is transferred into it (the energy transferred is the variable that changed), and the temperature keeps rising. Choices A, C and D stayed the same the whole time.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Samples of 250 g of water and 250 g of gravel sit in identical cups in the same sun for 20 minutes. The water rises 5 °C and the gravel 13 °C. What do the data show?
Answer: D
Mass, cups, sunlight and time were the same, and only the material differed, so the different rises come from the type of matter. Choice B names a variable that was controlled. Choice A cannot be right because the cups sat side by side in the same sunlight.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why should a group run three cups of each mass instead of one?
Answer: B
Repeated trials show whether a result is consistent; one odd cup can mislead. Choice C would make the test unfair. Choice A is false: more cups do not change how fast each one warms.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
In an ice melting investigation, which of these should be a controlled variable?
Answer: C
The starting temperature must be the same in every cup, as the Clarification Statement says. Choice A is the independent variable and choice B is the dependent variable. Choice D depends on the ice mass and is not kept fixed.
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A pot of water is at 60 °C and a large lake is at 15 °C. In which are the particles moving faster on average?
Answer: B
Average particle speed depends on temperature, not on the amount of water, so the 60 °C pot wins. Choices A and D mix up thermal energy (the total, which is larger in the lake) with average kinetic energy. Choice C ignores temperature.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A student sets one cup of 100 g of vegetable oil in the sun and records its temperature after 10, 20 and 30 minutes. In this plan, the recorded temperature is the:
Answer: A
The temperature is what the student measures, so it is the dependent variable. Choice B is the time in the sun, which the plan changes on purpose. Choice C names something kept the same, such as the 100 g mass of oil.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
A 120 g cup rose 11 °C and a 240 g cup rose 10 °C in the sun. A cloud shaded the 120 g cup for 6 minutes. What is the best conclusion?
Answer: C
The shade cut the energy reaching the 120 g cup, so two variables changed and the result cannot show the effect of mass. The test should be rerun with both cups in full sun. Choice A draws a conclusion from an unfair test, and choices B and D invent explanations the data do not show.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Equal masses of copper and water get the same energy, and the copper's temperature rises much more. Which relationship does this show?
Answer: D
With the mass and the energy the same, the type of matter decides how much the temperature changes. Choice A is wrong because the masses were equal, and it also reverses the mass relationship. Choice B contradicts the setup, where both got the same energy.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Why does adding more ice to the same water give a lower final temperature?
Answer: A
Melting more ice takes more energy from the water, so its particles slow down more and the temperature drops further. Choice B describes the transfer backward: energy moves from the warmer water into the ice. Choice D has the particle change in the wrong direction.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
Write a testable question about how mass affects temperature change, and name its independent and dependent variables.
Sample: "How does the mass of water in a cup affect its temperature rise after 25 minutes in the sun?" Independent variable: the mass of water. Dependent variable: the temperature rise after 25 minutes.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Cups of 60 g, 120 g and 240 g of water get the same sunlight for 15 minutes. They rise 16 °C, 8.5 °C and 4 °C. Describe the relationship between mass and temperature rise.
Each time the mass doubles, the rise is cut roughly in half (16 to 8.5 to 4 °C). With the same energy, a larger mass has more particles to share it, so the temperature changes less.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
Name three variables you must keep the same when you test how the mass of water affects how much it cools in 20 minutes in a refrigerator.
Any three of: the starting water temperature, the type and size of cup, whether the cup has a lid, the spot in the refrigerator, the time (20 minutes) and the liquid (water in every cup).
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Use a particle model to explain why 50 g of water warms more than 500 g of water when both receive the same energy.
The 50 g sample has far fewer particles to share the same energy, so each particle speeds up more on average. Temperature measures that average kinetic energy, so the 50 g sample's temperature rises more.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
A plan says: "I will put 100 g of water and 200 g of sand in the sun and see which gets warmer." Explain the problem, and rewrite the plan to test the type of matter.
It changes both the mass and the material, so a difference could come from either one. Fix: put 150 g of water and 150 g of sand in identical cups, side by side in the same sun for the same time, and compare their temperature changes.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Design a data table for an investigation of how 150 g samples of water, vegetable oil and gravel warm in a room over 20 minutes. List the column headings.
Sample headings: Material, Mass (g), Starting temperature (°C), Temperature at 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes (°C), Temperature change (°C), with one row per sample and per trial.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does MS-PS3-4 mean?
MS-PS3-4 asks middle school students to plan an investigation of how the energy transferred, the type of matter and the mass relate to a sample's temperature change. The code means Middle School, Physical Science, core idea 3 (Energy), performance expectation 4. The practice is planning investigations, and temperature is treated as a measure of the particles' average kinetic energy.
Do students calculate heat or thermal energy in MS-PS3-4?
No. The Assessment Boundary says assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred. Students compare temperature changes and describe relationships such as "twice the mass, about half the rise." Formulas with specific heat come in high school chemistry or physics (beyond this standard).
What is the difference between temperature and thermal energy?
Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the particles, while thermal energy is the total energy of their motion. A bathtub and a cup at the same temperature have the same average particle energy, but the bathtub has much more thermal energy because it has many more particles.
What experiments fit MS-PS3-4?
The Clarification Statement gives three: melting different masses of ice in the same volume of water at the same starting temperature, comparing the temperature change of different materials with the same mass as they cool or warm in the room, and adding the same energy to different masses of one material. Sunlight on identical cups is a safe way to add about the same energy.
How can students add the same amount of energy safely?
Place identical cups side by side in the same sunny spot for the same time, so each receives about the same sunlight. Ice and room-temperature warming are also safe. Students use no flames or hot plates. Students should note that sunlight is not perfectly equal, which is a good limitation to discuss.
What should an MS-PS3-4 investigation plan include?
A strong plan has a testable question, one independent variable with several values, a dependent variable (a temperature change), controlled variables, repeated trials, a data table and a prediction. Students should also name a limitation, such as energy lost to the air.
What mistakes do students make with MS-PS3-4?
Many students change two variables at once, compare final temperatures when the starting temperatures differ, or treat temperature and thermal energy as the same thing. Others describe "cold" moving into a sample. Asking "what is the one thing you changed?" for every plan catches most of these.
Why does more mass give a smaller temperature change?
Because the same energy is shared by more particles. Each particle speeds up less on average, so the average kinetic energy, which the thermometer measures, rises less. Students can see the pattern in data: doubling the mass gives about half the rise.
What grade is MS-PS3-4 taught in?
It is a grades 6-8 standard, usually placed in grade 6, 7 or 8 physical science in an energy or heat unit. It follows MS-PS1-4, where students model particle motion as matter is heated or cooled, and pairs well with the design work in MS-PS3-3.
How does MS-PS3-4 connect to high school science?
It prepares students for HS-PS3-4, where they investigate thermal energy transfer in a closed system until the temperatures even out, and for HS-PS3-2, where they model energy as particle motion. In high school the same relationships are written as equations.
07
Related Standards
6 standards
These standards connect to MS-PS3-4: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
5-PS1-1Prerequisite
Model that matter is made of particles too small to be seen
Lesson coming soon
MS-PS1-4Prerequisite
Model how particle motion, temperature and state change as thermal energy is added or removed
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