Thermodynamics

Latent heat and specific heat exercises

Specific heat capacity
Data: Q = mcT Specific heat capacity (J kg-1 K-1) Water 4186, aluminium 880, glass 842.

1. How much energy is needed to warm 5.0 kg of blood in a child’s body from 340C to 370C? (Assume that blood
has the same specific hear capacity as water).

2. How many joules of energy are lost when 865g of aluminium cools from 1200C to 550C?

3. If 0.20 kg of water at 900C is mixed with 0.50 kg of water at 160C, what is the final temperature of the mixture?

4. If 100 g of water at 950C is poured into a 500g glass cup, what is the final temperature of the water and the cup?

MUF0121 PHYSICS UNIT 1

Thermodynamics

Latent heats
5
Data: 𝑄 = 𝑚𝐿𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 Latent heat of fusion (J kg-1) for water 3.33×10
6
𝑄 = 𝑚𝐿𝑣𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 Latent heat of vaporisation (J kg-1) for water 2.26×10
Energy = Power × time

1. How much energy is required to melt 5.5 kg of ice at 00C?

2. How much energy is released when 350 g of steam at 1000C condenses to water at 1000C?

3. 100 g of ice at -100C is added to an insulated chamber containing 500 g of hot water at 500C. Determine the final
temperature of the mixture.

4. 100 g of ice at 00C is added to an insulated chamber containing 5 g of steam at 1000C. Determine the final
temperature.

5. An electric kettle is rated at 1000 W. How long will it take to evaporate 100 g of water which is initially at 1000C?

MUF0121 PHYSICS UNIT 1

Thermodynamics

6. This chart illustrates the temperature changes observed when 0.8 kg of a solid substance undergoes a transition
to a gaseous state with the addition of energy.

100.0

90.0

80.0

70.0
Temperature (0C)

60.0

50.0

40.0

30.0

20.0

10.0

0.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0
Energy added (x 103 J)

a. What is the boiling point of this substance?

b. Where is the energy going to in the sections where the temperatures are constant?
c. Determine the latent heat of fusion and vaporisation for this substance.
d. Determine the specific heat capacity of this substance in gaseous state.

MUF0121 PHYSICS UNIT 1

Thermodynamics

Energy transfer processes

1. Which requires more energy, making soup or making toast? Explain

2. What are the advantages of double glazed windows?

3. When poor people are forced to sleep outdoors in cold weather they sometimes use newspapers for blankets.
What good is this? Why?

4. Why are loose-fitting clothes more comfortable than tight-fitting clothes in hot climates?

5. How does a thermos flask keep food hot?

MUF0121 PHYSICS UNIT 1

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamic questions
1. How can people walk on red-hot coals without burning their feet?
2. Why can you bite into a pie that seems cool enough to eat and be burnt by the filling?
3. Why is it better to place a hot-water bottle in the bed rather than a hot brick?
4. What causes the radiometer to turn when exposed to light?
5. Why does the radiation not get stopped by the glass of the radiometer?
6. How does a thermistor work?
7. What is the wind chill factor and what causes it?
8. Why does metal expand when heated?
9. Why do black materials absorb heat?
10. Why does evaporation cause cooling?
11. When a liquid evaporates why does it take heat energy with it?
12. Why is it that water holds its temperature better than most substances?
13. How does the temperature difference produce electricity to run the fan?
14. Why does a thermometer have a lower reading after it is dipped in water and put in front of a fan?
15. Why does brass expand quicker than steel?
16. Why are steam burns more serious than boiling water burns?
17. How do fire doors reduce heat?
18. What is the difference in the make-up of different metals which allows some to conduct heat better than others?
19. How can you bake ice-cream in an oven at 2300C for three minutes without it melting?
20. Why do your bare feet feel colder on a tiled floor than on carpet at the same temperature?
21. Why is it important to cover up with heavy clothing in a bushfire?
22. Why does it get unbearably hot in a car on sunny days even if the air temperature is moderate?
23. Why is damp clothing sometimes more hazardous than no clothing at all?
24. Which has the greater cooling effect - an ice-cold drink or a hot cup of tea? Explain
25. Why are the climatic extremes in the southern hemisphere less than in the northern hemisphere?
26. Why do coastal cities have smaller temperature variations than inland cities at the similar latitudes?
27. What happens to heat energy in a vacuum?
28. What is water better at absorbing heat than ice?

1. Read all the questions and use the physics ideas of this topic to group together questions that involve the same
idea or two. For each group write down the number of the questions in the group and the physics ideas common
to them.

2. Select six questions and provide detailed answers for them.

MUF0121 PHYSICS UNIT 1