Practice Key Heat Concepts: CBSE Class 7 Science 2025-26 Exam Prep
FAQs on Master the Heat Chapter: Class 7 Science CBSE Worksheets & Answers
1. What are the key differences between a clinical and a laboratory thermometer that make them suitable for their specific purposes?
The key differences between a clinical and a laboratory thermometer are based on their specific uses:
- Temperature Range: A clinical thermometer measures a narrow range, typically from 35°C to 42°C, as it is only used for human body temperature. A laboratory thermometer has a much wider range, usually from -10°C to 110°C, to measure various substances in experiments.
- Presence of a Kink: A clinical thermometer has a small bend or kink in the tube just above the bulb. This prevents the mercury from falling back down immediately, allowing time to take an accurate reading after removing it from the mouth. Laboratory thermometers do not have a kink.
- Reading Method: The temperature on a clinical thermometer can be read after it is removed from the body. A laboratory thermometer must be kept in contact with the substance while the reading is being taken.
- Handling: A clinical thermometer should be given a jerk to bring the mercury level down before use, whereas this is not required for a laboratory thermometer.
2. Explain the phenomenon of sea breeze and land breeze. Why are these important climatic features in coastal areas?
Sea breeze and land breeze are convection currents that occur in coastal regions due to the differential heating of land and water.
Sea Breeze:
- During the day, the land heats up faster than the sea.
- The air above the land becomes hot and rises, creating an area of low pressure.
- The air above the cooler sea is at a higher pressure.
- Cooler air from the sea moves towards the land to fill this low-pressure area. This movement of air from the sea to the land is called a sea breeze.
Land Breeze:
- At night, the process reverses. The land cools down faster than the sea.
- The air above the warmer sea rises, creating a low-pressure area.
- The cooler air from the land, which is at a higher pressure, moves towards the sea. This is called a land breeze.
These breezes are important as they moderate the climate in coastal areas, preventing extreme temperatures during the day and night.
3. Why is it advised to wear dark-coloured clothes in winter and light-coloured clothes in summer? Explain the scientific reason.
The advice on clothing colour is based on the principles of heat absorption and reflection through radiation.
- In Winter: Dark-coloured surfaces are good absorbers of heat radiation. When we wear dark clothes in winter, they absorb more heat from the sunlight, helping to keep our bodies warm.
- In Summer: Light-coloured surfaces are poor absorbers and good reflectors of heat radiation. Wearing light-coloured clothes in summer reflects most of the sun's heat away from our bodies, helping us to stay cool and comfortable.
4. Explain the three modes of heat transfer—conduction, convection, and radiation—with one important real-life example for each.
Heat can travel from a hotter object to a colder object in three distinct ways:
- Conduction: This is the transfer of heat through direct contact, primarily in solids, where heat moves from particle to particle without the actual movement of particles.
Example: A metal spoon getting hot when left in a cup of hot tea. The heat travels from the hot tea, through the spoon's body, to the handle. - Convection: This mode involves the transfer of heat through the movement of fluids (liquids or gases). Hotter, less dense fluid rises, and cooler, denser fluid sinks, creating a convection current.
Example: Boiling water in a pot. The water at the bottom gets heated, rises, and the cooler water from the top sinks to take its place. - Radiation: This is the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves, which does not require any medium. Heat can travel through a vacuum, like space.
Example: Feeling the warmth of the sun on your face. The sun's heat travels millions of kilometres through the vacuum of space to reach us.
5. Why is mercury the preferred liquid in most thermometers over water? List at least three key reasons.
Mercury is preferred over water for use in thermometers for several important scientific reasons:
- Freezing and Boiling Points: Mercury has a very high boiling point (357°C) and a low freezing point (-39°C), allowing it to measure a wide range of temperatures. Water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C, making it unsuitable for measuring temperatures outside this narrow range.
- Uniform Expansion: Mercury expands and contracts uniformly and predictably with changes in temperature, which ensures an accurate and consistent temperature scale.
- Visibility and Adhesion: Mercury is a shiny, opaque liquid, making it easy to see inside the narrow glass tube of a thermometer. Unlike water, it does not stick to the sides of the glass, ensuring a precise reading.
6. A stainless steel cooking pan is often provided with a copper bottom and a plastic handle. Why is this an effective design for cooking?
This design is highly effective because it uses the principles of heat conduction to its advantage:
- Copper Bottom: Copper is an excellent conductor of heat. Having a copper bottom allows the pan to heat up quickly and distribute the heat evenly across its surface. This ensures that the food is cooked uniformly without hot spots.
- Plastic Handle: Plastic is a poor conductor of heat, also known as an insulator. The plastic handle prevents the heat from the hot pan from travelling to the user's hand via conduction. This makes the pan safe to hold and move while cooking, preventing burns.
7. What are the essential precautions a student must take while reading a laboratory thermometer during a science experiment?
To get an accurate measurement in an experiment for the CBSE Class 7 syllabus for 2025-26, the following precautions are essential:
- The thermometer should be held vertically and not tilted.
- The bulb of the thermometer should be completely surrounded by the substance whose temperature is being measured.
- The bulb should not touch the bottom or the sides of the container.
- The temperature reading must be taken while the bulb is still in contact with the substance.
- Your eye must be at the same level as the mercury level to avoid parallax error in the reading.











