Physics Module Form 4

Teacher’s Guide Chapter 4: Heat

4.1 : UNDERSTANDING THERMAL EQUILIBRIUM

By the end of this subtopic, you will be able to
 Explain thermal equilibrium Thermal equilibrium
:Keseimbangan terma
 Explain how a liquid-in glass thermometer works

Faster. rate of energy transfer

A B
Equivalent to Equivalent to

Hot Cold
object object

Slower rate of energy transfer No net heat transfer

1. The net heat will flow from A to B until the temperature of A is the ( same, zero as the
temperature of B. In this situation, the two bodies are said to have reached thermal
equilibrium.
2. When thermal equilibrium is reached, the net rate of heat flow between the two bodies is
(zero, equal)
3. There is no net flow of heat between two objects that are in thermal equilibrium. Two
objects in thermal equilibrium have the same temperature.
4. Thermal equilibrium in Daily Life
Describe the concept of thermal equilibrium for the example below.
a) Suzi loves to bake. She always bake a tasty butter cake using her mother’s oven.
Heat of the hot air in the oven will flow into the butter cake and cause the butter cake to
be heated untill it cooked.
b) Aminah is sick. She goes to a clinic for a check up. A clinical thermometer is placed
under her tounge to measure her body temperature.
Heat from the patient flows to the thermometer until it reach the thermal equilibrium.At
this condition the temperature of thermometer is equal to the temperature of the patient.
c) In order to maintain the freshness of the vegetables ,Ravi keep his food in a refrigerator.
Heat from the food flows the cool air in the fridge.the and the temperature of the food
decreases until it achieved thermal equilibrium.

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Physics Module Form 4
Teacher’s Guide Chapter 4: Heat

d) The hot drinks are cooled by adding several ice cubes.

When the ice cube is added to the drinks the ice cube will absord heat from the driks and
melt.Melted ice absorb the heat and the temperature of the drinks is decreases until it
achieved thermal equilibrium.

5. Callibration of a liquid in glass Thermometer

i) The liquid used in glass thermometer should
(a) Be easily seen
(b) Expand and contract rapidly over a wide range of temperature
(c) Not stick to the glass wall of the capillary tube
ii) List the characteristic of mercury
(d) Opaque liquid
(e) Does not stick to the glass
(f) Expands uniformly when heated
(g) Freezing point -390C
(h) Boiling point 3570C
iii) ( Heat, Temperature ) is a form of energy. It flows from a hot body to a cold body.
iv) The SI unit for ( heat , temperature) is Joule, J.
v) ( Heat , Temperature ) is the degree of hotness of a body
vi)The SI unit for (heat , temperature) is Kelvin, K.
vii) Lower fixed point (l 0 )/ ice point : the temperature of pure melting ice/00C
viii) Upper fixed point( l /steam point: the temperature of steam from water that is
100)

boiling under standard atmospheric pressure /1000C

lθ - l0
Temperature, θ
l100 - l0 x 1000C
=

l0: length of mercury at ice point 2

l100: length of mercury at steam point
lθ: length of mercury at θ point
Physics Module Form 4
Teacher’s Guide Chapter 4: Heat

Exercise 4.1
Section A: Choose the best answer
1. The figure shows two metal blocks. A. Using a liquid which is a
Which the following statement is better conductor of heat
false? B. Using a capillary tube with a
narrower bore.
C. Using a longer capillary tube
D. Using a thinner-walked bulb

5. Which instrument is most suitable

A. P and Q are in thermal contact for measuring a rapidly changing
B. P and Q are in thermal temperature?
equilibrium A. Alcohol-in –glass
C. Energy is transferred from P to Q thermometer
D. Energy is transferred from Q to P B. Thermocouple
C. Mercury-in-glass
thermometer
2. When does the energy go when a cup D. Platinum resistance
of hot tea cools? thermometer
A. It warms the surroundings
B. It warms the water of the tea 6. When shaking hands with Anwar,
C. It turns into heat energy and Kent Hui niticed that Anwar’s hand
disappears. was cold. However, Anwar felt that
Kent Hui hand was warm. Why did
3. Which of the following temperature Anwar and Kent Hui not feel the
corresponds to zero on the Kelvin same sensation?
scale? A. Both hands in contact are in
A. 2730 C thermal equilibrium.
B. 00C B. Heat is flowing from Kent
C. -2730 C Hui’s hand to Anawr’s hand
D. 1000 C C. Heat is following from
Anwar’s hand to Kent Hui hand.
4. How can the sensitivity of a liquid-
in –glass thermometer be increased?

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Physics Module Form 4
Teacher’s Guide Chapter 4: Heat

Section B: Answer all the questions by showing the calculation

1. The length of the mercury column at the ice point and steam point are 5.0 cm and
40.0cm respectively. When the thermometer is immersed in the liquid P, the length of
the mercury column is 23.0 cm. What is the temperature of the liquid P?
Temperature, θ = lθ – l0 x 1000C
l100 – l0
θ = 23 – 5 x 1000C
40 - 5
θ = 51.430C
2. The length of the mercury column at the steam point and ice point and are 65.0 cm
and 5.0cm respectively. When the thermometer is immersed in the liquid Q, the length
of the mercury column is 27.0 cm. What is the temperature of the liquid Q?

Temperature, θ = lθ – l0 x 1000C
l100 – l0
θ = 27 – 5 x 1000C
65 - 5
θ = 36.670C
3. The distance between 00C and 1000C is 28.0 cm. When the thermometer is put into a
beaker of water, the length of mercury column is 24.5cm above the lower fixed point.
What is the temperature of the water?

Temperature, θ = lθ – l0 x 1000C
l100 – l0
θ = 24.5 x 1000C
28
θ = 87.50C

4. The distance between 00C and 1000C is 25 cm. When the thermometer is put into a
beaker of water, the length of mercury column is 16cm above the lower fixed point.
What is the temperature of the water? What is the length of mercury column from the
bulb at temperatures i) 300C
Temperature, θ = lθ – l0 x 1000C
l100 – l0
Physics Module Form 4
Teacher’s Guide Chapter 4: Heat

θ = 16 x 1000C
25
θ = 64.00C

Temperature, θ = lθ – l0 (1000C)
l100 – l0
300C = x (1000C)
25
x = 7.5cm
SECTION C: Structured Questions
1. Luqman uses an aluminium can, a drinking straw and some plasticine to make a
simple thermometer as shown in figure below. He pours a liquid with linear expansion
into the can.

(a) Suggest a kind of liquid that expands linearly. (1m)

Alkohol
…………………………………………………………………………………………
(b) He chooses two fixed points of Celsius scale to calibrate his thermometer. State them.
(2m)
Lower fixed point = freezing point of water.
Upper fixed point = boiling point of water

If the measurement length of the liquid inside the straw at the temperature of the lower
fixed point and the upper fixed point are 5cm and 16 cm respectively, find the length of
the liquid at 82.50C.
82.5 = l - 5 (100)
16 - 5
l = 14.08 cm
(c) Why should he use a drinking straw of small diameter?
To increases the sensitivity of the thermometer
Physics Module Form 4
Teacher’s Guide Chapter 4: Heat

d) What kind of action should he take if he wants to increase the sensitivity of his
thermometer?

Use a copper can instead of the aluminum can because it is a better thermal
conductor
What do you mean by heat and temperature?

Heat is the energy that transfers from one object to another object because of a
temperature difference between them.
Temperature is a measure of degree of hotness of a body.