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9th grade Why water matters for life: cohesion, adhesion, heat and ice worksheet

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Why water matters for life: cohesion, adhesion, heat and ice

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. Molecule 1: an oxygen bead joined by solid lines to two hydrogen beads. Molecule 2: the same. A dashed line joins one hydrogen bead of molecule 1 to the oxygen bead of molecule 2. Beads are lettered: X is the oxygen of molecule 1, Y is the hydrogen of molecule 1 that has the dashed line, Z is the oxygen of molecule 2, and W is a hydrogen of molecule 2.

  2. Bo labels beads in the drawing. Which two beads are joined by a hydrogen bond?

    • X and W
    • Z and W
    • X and Y
    • Y and Z
  3. Esme asks why two water molecules in the drawing attract each other. Which reason is right?

    • Slightly positive hydrogens are drawn to slightly negative oxygens
    • Covalent bonds join each molecule to the next one
    • Water is nonpolar, so neighbors pull on each other evenly
    • Like charges on neighboring molecules pull them together
  4. A drop on Jun's desk keeps a round dome. Its water molecules are attracted to other water molecules. What is that attraction called?

    • Cohesion
    • Adhesion
    • Capillary action
    • Evaporation
  5. Use this

    not to scale.

  6. Water clings to the side of Kira's drinking glass. The attraction is between water molecules and the glass. What is it called?

    • Adhesion
    • Specific heat
    • Surface tension
    • Cohesion
  7. Luz reads that ice floats because it is less dense than liquid water. What does less dense mean?

    • Fewer molecules in the same space
    • A larger total mass
    • More molecules in the same space
    • A lower freezing temperature
  8. not to scale. Where the cube ends up is not shown. Milo drops an ice cube into a glass of water. Where does the ice cube end up?

    • Spread through the water
    • Floating at the top
    • Resting on the bottom
    • Hanging in the middle
  9. Not to scale. Pia compares two cases. Which one shows adhesion, and why?

    • Case 2, because water molecules hold together
    • Case 1, because water molecules hold together
    • Neither case, because both come from heat
    • Case 2, because water is attracted to the paper
  10. Use the table

    MaterialStart (°C)After 5 minutes (°C)
    water1821
    sand1833

    model data, equal masses of 250 g each under the same lamp.

  11. Ren's class put 250 g of water and 250 g of sand under the same lamp. Which material warmed more?

    • Sand
    • Neither; the temperatures did not change
    • Water
    • Both warmed the same amount
  12. Tala reads the table. By how many °C did the water's temperature rise?

    • 15 °C
    • 21 °C
    • 3 °C
    • 18 °C
  13. Water has a high specific heat. Zee predicts what that means for water compared with sand under the same lamp. Which prediction is right?

    • The water warms faster
    • The water warms more slowly
    • The water stays at one temperature
    • The water ends up hotter
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9th grade Why water matters for life: cohesion, adhesion, heat and ice worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Why water matters for life: cohesion, adhesion, heat and ice. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say why water is polar (slightly negative oxygen, slightly positive hydrogens) and tell a hydrogen bond between molecules from a covalent bond inside one.
  • I can use cohesion, adhesion and surface tension correctly, in a drop, a thin tube, a paper strip, a water strider and the xylem of a tree.
  • I can explain why water warms and cools slowly (high specific heat, 1 calorie per gram per °C), use that value to find heat, mass or temperature change, and explain why evaporating sweat cools the skin.
  • I can explain why ice is less dense than liquid water, so ice floats and insulates the water below it.

Standard: none (FL, IXL)

Words to know

polar: Having a slightly negative end and a slightly positive end

covalent bond: The strong link inside a molecule that shares electrons

hydrogen bond: The weaker pull between a slightly positive hydrogen and a neighbor's slightly negative oxygen

cohesion: Water molecules attracted to other water molecules

adhesion: Water molecules attracted to other materials, like glass or paper

surface tension: How hard a liquid's surface is to break, caused by cohesion

capillary action: Water climbing a thin tube because of adhesion

specific heat: Heat one gram must absorb to warm 1 °C; for water, 1 calorie

Common mistakes

Your child put hydrogen bonds inside a water molecule. Links inside a molecule (oxygen to hydrogen) are covalent; hydrogen bonds are the weaker pulls between neighboring molecules. Ask your child to point to each in a drawing.

Your child said water is nonpolar or has no charges. Water has a slightly negative oxygen end and slightly positive hydrogen ends, and that is why its molecules attract each other. Ask your child which end is which.

Your child swapped cohesion and adhesion. Cohesion is water sticking to water; adhesion is water sticking to something else, like glass or paper. Ask your child what the water is sticking to.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with why water matters for life: cohesion, adhesion, heat and ice?

Your child put hydrogen bonds inside a water molecule. Links inside a molecule (oxygen to hydrogen) are covalent; hydrogen bonds are the weaker pulls between neighboring molecules. Ask your child to point to each in a drawing.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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