Problem: I read this background article the other day: Shown in the Figure below is a cylinder of gas on the left that is at room temperature (300 K). On the right, the cylinder has been heated until the Kelvin temperature has doubled to 600 K. The kinetic energy of the gas molecules increases, so collisions with the walls of the container are now more forceful than they were before. As a result, the pressure of the gas doubles. Decreasing the temperature would have the opposite effect, and the pressure of an enclosed gas would decrease. I am facing a new situation today: David was trying to see how steam engines work. For that, he conducted two tests, test A and test B. In test A, he used low temperature. On the other hand, in test B, he used high temperature. David started thinking about how he could use the results of his tests in everyday life. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which test would see lower kinetic energy, test A or test B?

A: test A

Problem: I read this background article the other day: In nature, when the population size is small, there is usually plenty of food and other resources for each individual. When there is plenty of food and other resources, organisms can easily reproduce, so the birth rate is high. As the population increases, the food supply, or the supply of another necessary resource, may decrease. When necessary resources, such as food, decrease, some individuals will die. Overall, the population cannot reproduce at the same rate, so the birth rates drop. This will cause the population growth rate to decrease. I am facing a new situation today: two countries of similar natural resources had different populations. Italy had a small population, while Spain had a very large population. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Which country had a decreased food supply?

A: Spain

Problem: I read this background article the other day: Many chemicals that were once commonly used were later found out to be harmful to the environment , to human health, or both. The element lead was once a common additive to gasoline and to paint. Plumbing pipes were once typically made of lead. Only since the 1970s has the danger of lead become apparent. It causes brain damage and small children (who often chewed on objects painted with lead-based paint) are particularly susceptible. The use of lead in gasoline, paint, and plumbing pipes is now banned and new materials are being developed to replace the hazardous lead components. I am facing a new situation today: John is trying to buy a house. Today, he saw two houses, house A and house B. House A was build in the 1920s. It has lead plumbing pipes and lead based paint. House B was build recently. It does not have lead plumbing pipes or lead based paint. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Would house B less likely or more likely cause brain damage than house A?

A: less likely

Problem: I read this background article the other day: Further heating then adds energy to the liquid particles, increasing their speed, kinetic energy, and temperature. This is the second slope on the curve. Once the particles are energetic enough to completely break free of each other, they start to enter the gas phase. Boiling occurs at the second plateau of this curve, and the temperature at this point is referred to as the boiling point . Again, the added heat is being used to break up the interactions between particles instead of increasing their kinetic energy, so no temperature increase is observed until all particles are in the gas phase. Finally, adding even more energy will further speed up the gas particles, increasing the kinetic energy and temperature of the substance. I am facing a new situation today: Will is doing some testing with heat. He freezes some water in a cup then takes the ice cube and puts it into a pot. He places a thermometer on the ice cube and takes readings. To his surprise, the temperature on the thermometer is stable the entire time it's on the ice cube, Then the ice cube completely melts. Using the knowledge I acquired from the background article, how should I answer correctly the following question regarding my new situation: Will the temperature reading on the thermometer go beyond the boiling point while resting in the water before the water turns into a gas, yes or no?

A:
no