Grade 9 · Science · Earth and Space Science

9th grade Feedback loops: changes that grow or shrink themselves worksheet

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Feedback loops: changes that grow or shrink themselves

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.
“Loop diagram:” Melting sea ice uncovers dark ocean, which absorbs more sunlight and melts more ice. What does this loop do, by Ari's reading?
- It is not a feedback; it happens once
- It shrinks the melting: a negative feedback
- It is negative, since more melting is bad
- It grows the melting: a positive feedback
2.
When Kira gets hot on a run, Kira sweats, and the sweat evaporating cools the skin. What kind of loop is this?
- Negative: it shrinks the change in body temperature
- Positive: getting hot makes you hotter
- Negative: it makes the body colder than before the run
- Positive, since sweating is good for you
3.
Sea ice reflects 50 to 70% of sunlight; open ocean reflects about 6% (NSIDC). Which surface absorbs more sunlight, by Jun's reading?
- Open ocean
- They absorb the same amount
- Sea ice, since it reflects more
- Sea ice, since it is colder
4.
A surface has an albedo of 0.6. What does that mean, by Milo's reading?
- It reflects 60% and absorbs 40%
- It reflects 6% of sunlight
- It is 60% ice
- It absorbs 60% and reflects 40%
5.
A + link means both change the same way; a − link means opposite ways. Which sign fits "warmer air → more water vapor," by Noah's reading?
- −, since water vapor is a bad thing
- No sign; vapor does not depend on temperature
- +, since both go up together
- −, since one goes up and one goes down
6.
Link: more sea ice → sunlight absorbed, with a blank sign. Which sign fits the link "more sea ice → sunlight absorbed," by Pia's reading?
- +, since both of them change
- +, since ice is good for the planet
- −: more ice, less sunlight absorbed
- +, since ice absorbs more sunlight
7.
Which sign fits the link "more plant growth → carbon dioxide in the air," by Ren's reading?
- −: more growth, less carbon dioxide
- +, since plants are helpful
- +, since both are about carbon
- No sign; plants do not affect the air
Read this first
September Arctic sea ice (model data based on NSIDC)
Year Extent (million km²)
1980 7.8
2000 6.3
2020 3.9
8.
The table shows September Arctic sea-ice extent. What happened from 1980 to 2020, by Tala's reading?
- It grew from 1980 to 2020
- It shrank to zero by 2020
- It shrank to about half
- It stayed about the same
Arctic summer (model data)
Year Sea ice (million km²) Sunlight absorbed (units)
1980 7.8 100
2020 3.9 125
9.
Which pair of changes in the table fits the ice-albedo loop, by Zee's reading?
- More ice in 2020 than in 1980
- Less ice and more sunlight absorbed
- Less ice, so the loop must be negative
- Less ice and less sunlight absorbed
Room temperature (model data)
Hour Temperature (°C)
1 18
2 21
3 19
4 21
5 20
10.
A thermostat is set to 20 °C. What does the table show the negative loop doing, by Esme's reading?
- Keeping the room near 20 °C
- Making the room colder than the setting each hour
- Driving the room down toward 0 °C
- Making the room climb higher and higher

Year	Extent (million km²)
1980	7.8
2000	6.3
2020	3.9

Year	Sea ice (million km²)	Sunlight absorbed (units)
1980	7.8	100
2020	3.9	125

Hour	Temperature (°C)
1	18
2	21
3	19
4	21
5	20

9th grade Feedback loops: changes that grow or shrink themselves worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Feedback loops: changes that grow or shrink themselves. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can tell a positive loop (grows a change) from a negative loop (shrinks it), without reading positive as good.
I can sign each link and find a loop's sign by counting − links.
I can compute absorbed sunlight from albedo, read loop evidence in data, and separate a forcing from a feedback.

Standard: HS-ESS2-2

Words to know

feedback loop: A chain of changes that comes back to affect its own start

positive feedback: A loop that makes the first change bigger

negative feedback: A loop that makes the first change smaller

albedo: The fraction of sunlight a surface reflects, from 0 to 1

forcing: The first push that starts a change, such as added carbon dioxide

Common mistakes

Your child read positive as good. In a feedback loop, positive means the loop makes the first change bigger; negative means it makes the change smaller.

Your child got the loop's sign wrong. Follow every link around the loop: an even number of − links makes it positive, an odd number makes it negative.

Your child reversed which surface reflects more. Light, icy surfaces reflect most sunlight (high albedo); dark water and ground absorb more (low albedo).

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with feedback loops: changes that grow or shrink themselves?

Your child read positive as good. In a feedback loop, positive means the loop makes the first change bigger; negative means it makes the change smaller.

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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9th grade Feedback loops: changes that grow or shrink themselves worksheet

September Arctic sea ice (model data based on NSIDC)

Arctic summer (model data)

Room temperature (model data)