10 Specific heat capacity Answers to exam practice questions

Pages 190–194 Exam practice questions

−1 −1
1 The unit of specific heat capacity is J kg K .
−2
J ≡ N m, and N ≡ kg ms , so
−1 −1 −2 −1 −1
J kg K ≡ kg m s × m × kg K
The kg cancel, and so the answer is B. [Total 1 mark]
2 Rearranging ΔE = mcΔθ,
∆𝐸 11 W × 180 s
c= =
𝑚∆𝜃 0.1393 kg × (29.3 − 21.4) K
−1 −1
= 1800 J kg K
So the answer is D. [Total 1 mark]

Tip: Don’t forget to convert minutes to seconds, and g to kg.

3 The time (3.0 minutes) and the power (11 W) are only given to 2 s.f., so the value for the specific
heat capacity should be given to 2 s.f. – Answer B. [Total 1 mark]
4 Energy transferred to the surroundings, or taken by the cup, would mean that more energy
would be needed to raise the temperature – so the value for the specific heat capacity would be
too large.
If the thermometer were reading systematically low, both temperatures would be low by the
same amount and so the temperature difference would be unaffected.
The answer is therefore D. [Total 1 mark]
5 a) −259°C = (−259 + 273) K = 14 K [1]
b) 1540°C = (1540 + 273) K = 1813 K [1]
c) 63 K = (63 − 273)°C = −210°C [1]
d) 388 K = (388 − 273)°C = 115°C [1]
[Total 4 marks]
6 ΔE = mcΔθ
−3 3
m = density × volume = 1.3 kg m × 0.23 m [1]
−3 3 3 −1 −1
ΔE = 1.3 kg m × 0.23 m × 1.0 × 10 J kg K × (20 − (−18)) K [1]
= 11 kJ [1]
[Total 3 marks]
−1 −1
7 a) ΔE = mcΔθ = 45 kg × 800 J kg K × (70 −10) K [1]
6
= 2.16 × 10 J ≈ 2 MJ [1]
2.16 MJ
b) Cost = × 10 p = 6 p [1]
3.6 MJ
∆𝐸 2.16 × 106 J
c) Average power P = = [1]
∆𝑡 5 × 60 × 60 s
= 120 W [1]

© Tim Arkill and Graham George 2015

10 Specific heat capacity Answers to exam practice questions

d) Initially, when the temperature of the concrete block is well above room temperature, it will
emit energy at a much greater rate than the average of 120 W. As the block loses energy and its
temperature falls, its temperature difference above the temperature of the room (which is
getting warmer) gets less and so the rate at which it gives out energy to the room will get
gradually less and less, eventually falling to well below the 120 W average. [2]
[Total 7 marks]
3 −1 −1
8 a) ΔE = mcΔθ = 0.25 × 10 kg × 4200 J kg K × (35 − 15) K [1]
= 21 MJ [1]
b) ΔE = PΔt
∆𝐸 21 × 106 J
⇒ Δt = = [1]
𝑃 3000 J s−1
= 7000 s ≈ 1.9 h ≈ 2 h [1]
c) In practice, it would take longer than this, as some energy would be used to heat the element
of the immersion heater and the tank, and some energy would be transferred to the
surroundings. [2]
d) A shower uses much less water than a bath (try filling your bath with a shower head and see
how long it takes!) and so will consume less energy. [1]
[Total 7 marks]
9 a) Drawing a large triangle gives
∆𝜃 (80 − 20) K
= [1]
∆𝑡 (5.0 − 0.0) min
−1 −1
= 12 K min = 0.20 K s [1]
Note: Drawing a tangent to a curve is not an exact science and so you may get a slightly
different value.
b) Dividing both sides of ΔE = mcΔθ by Δt gives
∆𝐸 ∆𝜃 −1 −1 −1
= mc = 0.117 kg × 4200 J kg K × 0.20 K s [1]
∆𝑡 ∆𝑡
= 98 W [1]
This is just less than the 100 W rating of the immersion heater, which suggests a small
amount of energy may have been taken by the cup or transferred to the surroundings. [1]
c) As the water heats up, its temperature above that of the surroundings increases and so the
rate at which it transfers energy to the surroundings increases. If the water is losing energy at
an increasing rate, the rate at which the temperature rises will slow down. [2]
[Total 7 marks]
10 a) Electrical energy  internal energy of water [1]
PΔt = mcΔθ [1]

© Tim Arkill and Graham George 2015

10 Specific heat capacity Answers to exam practice questions

𝑃∆𝑡
b) Δθ =
𝑚𝑚
10.8 × 103 J s−1 × 60 s
= [1]
14 kg × 4200 J kg−1 K−1

= 11 K [1]
This is a temperature rise, so the temperature of the hot water will be
(16 + 11)°C = 27°C. [1]
[Total 5 marks]
11 a) ΔE = mcΔθ = PΔt
𝑃∆𝑡 11.9 V × 4.12 A × 240 s
⇒c= = [1]
𝑚∆𝜃 0.250 kg × 10.2 K
−1 −1 −1 −1
= 4614 J kg K ≈ 4600 J kg K [1]
4600 −4200
b) i) % difference = × 100 % = 9.5 % [1]
4200
−1 −1
Tip: Note that the accepted value of 4200 J kg K has been used as the denominator.
−1 −1
ii) For water ΔE = mcΔθ = 0.25 kg × 4200 J kg K × 10.2 K [1]
= 10.7 kJ [1]
−1 −1
iii) For beaker ΔE = mcΔθ = 0.134 kg × 780 J kg K × 10.2 K
= 1.07 kJ [1]
iv) The energy taken by the beaker is 10 % of the energy taken by the water, which would
account for the experimental value for the specific heat capacity of the water being 9.5 %
too low. The teacher’s suggestion is therefore probably right. [2]
c) An expanded polystyrene cup:
• has very little mass and is a poor conductor, so it will not absorb very much energy
• is a good insulator and so very little energy will be transferred to the surroundings. [2]
[Total 10 marks]

Stretch and challenge

12 a) The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but
merely transferred from one type of energy to another. [2]
b) i) In Joule’s law, the chemical energy in the cell is transferred into electrical energy. In the
resistor, the moving charges (current) have to do work against the electric field of the
lattice ions (the resistance) and so the electrical energy is transferred into thermal energy
(‘heat’ in Joule’s words). [2]
ii) Joule hypothesised that the gravitational potential energy of the water at the top of the
waterfall would be transferred into extra kinetic energy as the speed of the water
increased as it fell. This extra kinetic energy would be transferred into thermal energy
when the water hit the bottom, thus causing an ‘elevation of temperature’. [2]

© Tim Arkill and Graham George 2015

10 Specific heat capacity Answers to exam practice questions

2
c) From conservation of energy: mgΔh → (½mv ) → mcΔθ
𝑔Δℎ
mgΔh = mcΔθ ⇒ Δθ = [1]
𝑐

9.8 N kg−1 × 270 m

= [1]
4200 J kg−1 K−1

= 0.63 K [1]
d) Joule had a ‘long thermometer in his hand’ because the predicted temperature difference
was very small, needing a very sensitive thermometer. If a thermometer is long, it will be
more sensitive because the mercury will expand more for a given rise in temperature. [2]
e) At the time, measuring a temperature difference as small as 0.63 K to any degree of precision
was not easy, even under laboratory conditions. Trying to do this at the top and bottom of a
waterfall would be even more difficult as:
• the water is continuously in motion
• there would be variations in the water temperature at the top
• the water at the bottom whose temperature is taken may not be the same water as that
at the top unless, say, a rubber ball was used as a ‘marker’
• the experiment would really need two thermometers, one at the top and one at the
bottom, which would have to be calibrated against each other.
Apart from this, the whole exercise would be extremely hazardous! [3]

f) i) As blue light refracts more than red light, the passage of blue light will be as shown in
the figure below.

Note that there is greater refraction for blue light both as the light enters and as it leaves
the droplet. [2]

© Tim Arkill and Graham George 2015

10 Specific heat capacity Answers to exam practice questions

ii) On entering the water droplet, the white light is refracted. Each wavelength (colour) has a
different refractive index (due to a different speed in water) and so is refracted by a
different amount (red least, blue most). At the back surface of the drop, the light strikes
the surface at an angle less than the critical angle and so only partial internal reflection
takes place.
When the light leaves the droplet, it is refracted again, which further increases the
deviation of the blue light compared with the red light.
This would suggest that each drop forms a white light spectrum but, unfortunately, it is not
as simple as this. The red light is most strongly observed when its deviation is about 42°
whilst the blue light is most strongly observed when its deviation is about 40°. This means
that each colour of the rainbow comes from different drops that are at the appropriate
angle to the observer for that particular colour. This is why the rainbow is a circular arc. The
arc subtends an angle of 40° (blue) to 42° (red) at our eye, as shown in the figure below. [4]

[Total 20 marks]

© Tim Arkill and Graham George 2015