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Descriptive Statements:
- Identify historical and contemporary theories of atomic structure.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of matter (e.g., reactivity, polarization, electronegativity).
- Recognize the characteristics of different types of chemical bonds and their effects on the properties of matter.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the organization of the periodic table and its relationship to the structure and behavior of elements.
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics of elements, compounds, and mixtures, including solutions, suspensions, and colloids.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of radioactive materials (e.g., real-world examples, various forms of atoms, isotopes, radioactive vs. nonradioactive atoms).
- Apply knowledge of the principles and procedures of designing and carrying out scientific investigations, including appropriate safety procedures; apply mathematical and computational skills to scientific investigations; and analyze scientific data related to understanding the properties and characteristics of matter.
- Apply knowledge of engineering design practices related to understanding the properties and characteristics of matter, including identifying criteria and constraints for a given problem, using iterative design, and evaluating an engineering/technical solution.
Sample Item:
During an investigation on rocks and minerals, a student takes a sample and scratches it on a glass plate. This test is primarily performed to determine which of the following properties of the mineral?
- conductivity
- magnetism
- solubility
- hardness
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. The student will determine if the mineral scratches the surface of the glass. The result of the test is then compared to the Mohs hardness scale to determine a number, making scratching a mineral against a glass plate a primary method of determining hardness of a mineral.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the conservation of matter in chemical reactions and in balancing chemical equations.
- Analyze physical and chemical changes.
- Apply knowledge of chemical formulas, the mole concept, and chemical equations to solve problems.
- Analyze phase changes and the characteristics of the different states of matter.
- Recognize the characteristics of different types of chemical reactions and factors that affect rates of reaction and chemical equilibrium.
- Apply knowledge of the ideal gas law and kinetic molecular theory.
- Apply knowledge of the principles and procedures of designing and carrying out scientific investigations, including appropriate safety procedures; apply mathematical and computational skills to scientific investigations; and analyze scientific data related to understanding the physical and chemical changes in matter.
- Apply knowledge of engineering design practices related to understanding the physical and chemical changes in matter, including identifying criteria and constraints for a given problem, using iterative design, and evaluating an engineering/technical solution.
Sample Item:
Which of the following products is primarily created by using processes of physical change?
- blending fruit to make a smoothie
- burning wood to produce a fire
- baking a birthday cake
- cooking an omelet
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. Blending fruit to make a smoothie is the best example of a physical change because the fruit only undergoes a change in size, but the chemical make-up of the smoothie's matter remains the same.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the law of conservation of energy, the laws of thermodynamics, and the concepts of entropy and enthalpy.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics of different forms of energy and their transformations.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the transfer of energy through conduction, convection, and radiation, including using models.
- Analyze characteristics of electrical charge and static electricity, problems involving Ohm's law, and series and parallel circuits.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between magnetism and electricity as well as the properties of permanent magnets and electromagnets.
- Recognize the characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Analyze the effects of mirrors, lenses, and prisms on the behavior of light.
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics of waves (e.g., sound, mechanical, electromagnetic) and their behavior as they pass through different media, including the relationship between wave characteristics and their properties.
- Apply knowledge of the principles and procedures of designing and carrying out scientific investigations, including appropriate safety procedures; apply mathematical and computational skills to scientific investigations; and analyze scientific data related to understanding the characteristics of different forms of energy and of mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
- Apply knowledge of engineering design practices related to understanding the characteristics of different forms of energy and of mechanical and electromagnetic waves, including identifying criteria and constraints for a given problem, using iterative design, and evaluating an engineering/technical solution.
Sample Item:
A teacher supplies groups of students with a given number of magnets, enamel-coated coiled wires, batteries, plastic containers, sandpaper, and electrical tape. The goal of the engineering project is to create a functional speaker using an electromagnetic circuit. The speakers will be tested using a classroom radio. Which of the following modifications to the homemade speaker will increase the strength of sound output?
- adding more electrical tape within the circuit
- decreasing the numbers of batteries attached to the circuit
- increasing the number of coils in the circuit
- removing enamel from coated wires throughout the circuit
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. Since sound in the speakers relies on magnetic fields to interact to produce mechanical waves and create vibrations to produce sound, strengthening the magnetic field will increase the sound output. Increasing the number of coils in a circuit will increase the strength of the sound output from the speaker because more turns in the wire will produce a stronger net magnetic field.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of Newton's three laws of motion in a variety of situations.
- Apply knowledge of scalar and vector quantities and solve related problems.
- Apply knowledge of separate forces that act on a system (e.g., gravity, friction, pressure, buoyancy) in a variety of situations, including determining the stability or net force on a system.
- Analyze the motion of an object, including through graphs and diagrams.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of work and power, including as applied to simple machines.
- Apply knowledge of the principles and procedures of designing and carrying out scientific investigations, including appropriate safety procedures; apply mathematical and computational skills to scientific investigations; and analyze scientific data related to understanding the relationships between force, mass, and motion.
- Apply knowledge of engineering design practices related to understanding the relationships between force, mass, and motion, including identifying criteria and constraints for a given problem, using iterative design, and evaluating an engineering/technical solution.
Sample Item:
A marble with a volume of 2 cm3 sentimeters cubed and a mass of 6 g grams has the potential energy of 0.06 J joules as it sits at the top of a ramp. Once released, the ball rolls down a 1-meter ramp at a velocity of 5.25 m/s meters per second . Which of the following magnitudes is a vector quantity in this scenario?
- mass
- volume
- energy
- velocity
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. A vector quantity consists of magnitude and direction. Since the velocity of the ball is that it is moving down at 5.25 meters per second, velocity is the vector quantity in this scenario.
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