Science 6mark Question

How to start.... Read the question (sounds obvious, but so many people jump to the stated question without reading all the details).

Use a blank bit of the answer sheet to write some notes, all the figures, bullet points on your possible answer, any equation you might need.

Example: Energy losses in buildings can be reduced by energy saving measures. One way is to put foam covered with shiny foil as insulation in the cavity of a wall.

Describe how energy is lost through the wall from the inside to the outside and how the insulation reduces the different types of energy loss.

What you should include: + Cavity wall insulation slows down heat movement in the wall + Heat moves by conduction through solids + Air is a poor conductor (foam traps a lot of air inside itself) its an insulator. + Heat can move by convection in free moving fluids (Gases and Liquids) + Shiny surfaces are bad absorbers and emitters of heat (they reflect heat)

A good answer: Heat moves from warmer to cooler areas. In this case heat would move from the inside of the building to the outside. The cavity wall insulation helps reduce this heat loss. Heat travels through the inner solid wall by conduction. When it reaches the shiny foil some heat radiation is reflected back. Heat cannot move easily through the foam because it is a poor conductor, as is the trapped air within it. Convection by hot air cannot happen in the foam because it is not a fluid, the air pockets are tapped. Some of the heat that reaches the other side of the foam will be reflected from the shiny foil, and the rest will travel through the bricks by conduction. Thus there is a reduction in heat moment through the wall.

You will need to cross out your notes, so why not do that as you go and check that you have included everything