Investigating Particle Collisions

13.A Carry out investigations using a particle model of matter (with marble manipulatives and computer simulations) to generate evidence that one way the temperature of matter changes over time is that kinetic energy is transferred in collisions between the particles (matter) within and between solids, liquids, and gases.

• Collisions between particles in a gas and a liquid can also transfer kinetic energy (KE or motion energy) from one particle to another.
• Collisions between particles in a gas can transfer kinetic energy (KE or motion energy) through particles in a solid to particles in a liquid on the other side of the solid.

Collision between particles can cause a warmer object to cool down and a cooler object it is contact with to warm up

Use Key for Investigating Particle Collisions in Different States of Matter as a key to assess student responses.

• If some students are struggling with these ideas, visit these students during their investigations on day 2 and facilitate discussions around their work in activities #5 and #6 to help them reason about particle collisions transferring KE to neighboring particles in solids.
• When you are working with these students, you might decide to curtail or skip doing activities #7 and #8 with them, or you might want to work through a portion of them together.