NAME_______________________________________________________ /56

1. Two objects are in thermal contact with each other. Which of the following will determine the
direction of the transfer of thermal energy between the bodies?

A. The mass of each body

B. The area of contact between the bodies

C. The specific heat capacity of each body

D. The temperature of each body

2. A temperature of 23 K is equivalent to a temperature of

A. –300 °C.

B. –250 °C.

C. +250 °C.

D. +300 °C.

3. The mole is defined as

1
A. the mass of an atom of the isotope carbon-12.
12

B. the amount of a substance that contains as many elementary entities as the number of
atoms in 12 g of the isotope carbon-12.

C. the mass of one atom of the isotope carbon-12.

D. the amount of a substance that contains as many nuclei as the number of nuclei in 12 g of
the isotope carbon-12.

IB Questionbank Physics 1
4. A gas is contained in a cylinder by a piston.

The gas is compressed rapidly by moving the piston in the direction shown. The best
explanation for the resulting increase in temperature of the gas is that the molecules of the gas
gain kinetic energy

A. from the moving piston.

B. by colliding more frequently with each other.

C. by being pushed closer together.

D. by colliding more frequently with the walls of the cylinder.

5. A box that is at rest with respect to horizontal ground contains a fixed quantity of an ideal gas.
The internal energy of the gas is U and its temperature is T. The box is now made to move at
constant speed with respect to the ground. Which of the following gives the change, if any, in
the internal energy and the temperature of the gas after the box has been moving for some time?

Internal energy Temperature

A. no change no change
B. no change increase
C. increase no change
D. increase increase

6. Object P has a mass mP and specific heat capacity cP. Object Q has a mass mQ and specific heat
capacity cQ. The temperature of each object increases by the same amount. Which of the
following gives the ratio

thermalenergy transferred to object P

?
thermalenergy transferred to object Q

mP cQ mP cP
A. B.
mQ c P mQ cQ

mQ cQ mQ c P
C. D.
mP cP mP cQ

IB Questionbank Physics 2
7. Water at a temperature of 0 °C is kept in a thermally insulated container. A lump of ice, also at
0 °C, is placed in the water and completely submerged.

Which of the following is true in respect of both the net amount of ice that will melt and the
change in temperature of the water?

Net amount of ice Change in

that melts temperature of water
A. all will melt no change
B. some will melt decrease
C. none will melt no change
D. all will melt decrease

8. A system consists of an ice cube placed in a cup of water. The system is thermally insulated
from its surroundings. The water is originally at 20 °C. Which graph best shows the variation of
total internal energy U of the system with time t?

IB Questionbank Physics 3
9. Thermal energy is added at a constant rate to a substance which is solid at time t = 0. The graph
shows the variation with t of the temperature T.

Which of the statements are correct?

I. The specific latent heat of fusion is greater than the specific latent heat of
vaporization.

II. The specific heat capacity of the solid is less than the specific heat capacity of the
liquid.

A. I only

B. I and II

C. II only

D. Neither I nor II

10. In the kinetic model of an ideal gas, it is assumed that

A. the forces between the molecules of the gas and the container are always zero.

B. the intermolecular potential energy of the molecules of the gas is constant.

C. the kinetic energy of a given molecule of the gas is constant.

D. the momentum of a given molecule of the gas is constant.

IB Questionbank Physics 4
11. Which of the following is an assumption made in the kinetic model of ideal gases?

A. Molecules have zero mass.

B. Forces between molecules are attractive.

C. Collisions between molecules are elastic.

D. Molecules move at high speed.

12. For two objects to be in thermal equilibrium they must

A. be in contact with each other.

B. radiate equal amounts of power.

C. have the same thermal capacity.

D. be at the same temperature.

IB Questionbank Physics 5
13. This question is about heating a liquid.

(a) Suggest why, in terms of the molecular model, the energy associated with melting is less
than that associated with boiling.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b) Milk in a cup is heated to boiling point by passing steam through it. Whilst cooling
subsequently, some milk evaporates.

(i) Distinguish between evaporation and boiling.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)

(ii) The cup contains 0.30 kg of milk at an initial temperature of 18 °C. Estimate the
minimum mass of steam at 100 °C that is required to heat the milk to 80 °C.

Specific latent heat of vaporization of water = 2.3 × 106 J kg–1

Specific heat capacity of water = 4200 J kg–1 K–1
Specific heat capacity of milk = 3800 J kg–1 K–1

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 6
 (iii) State two reasons, other than evaporation, why the answer to (b)(ii) is likely to be
different from the actual mass of condensed steam.

1: .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

2: .......................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 10 marks)

14. This question is about change of phase of a liquid and latent heat of vaporization.

(a) State the difference between evaporation and boiling with reference to

(i) temperature.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

(ii) surface area of a liquid.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 7
 (b) A liquid in a calorimeter is heated at its boiling point for a measured period of time.
The following data are available.

Power rating of heater = 15 W

Time for which liquid is heated at boiling point = 4.5 × 102 s
Mass of liquid boiled away = 1.8 × 10–2 kg

Use the data to determine the specific latent heat of vaporization of the liquid.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(3)

(c) State and explain one reason why the calculation in (b) will give a value of the specific
latent heat of vaporization of the liquid that is greater than the true value.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 7 marks)

IB Questionbank Physics 8
15. This question is about fuel for heating.

(a) Define the energy density of a fuel.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(b) A room heater burns liquid fuel and the following data are available.

Density of liquid fuel = 8.0 × 102 kg m–3

Energy produced by 1 m3 of liquid fuel = 2.7 × 1010 J
Rate at which fuel is consumed = 0.13 g s–1
Latent heat of vaporization of the fuel = 290 kJ kg–1

(i) Use the data to calculate the power output of the room heater, ignoring the power
required to convert the liquid fuel into a gas.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(3)

(ii) Show why, in your calculation in (b)(i), the power required to convert the liquid
fuel into a gas at its boiling point can be ignored.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 9
 (c) State, in terms of molecular structure and their motion, two differences between a liquid
and a gas.

1. ..................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

2. ..................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 8 marks)
16. This question is about internal energy, heat and ideal gases.

(a) The internal energy of a piece of copper is increased by heating.

(i) Explain what is meant, in this context, by internal energy and heating.

Internal energy: .................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

Heating: ............................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(3)

(ii) The piece of copper has mass 0.25 kg. The increase in internal energy of the copper
is 1.2 × 103 J and its increase in temperature is 20 K. Estimate the specific heat
capacity of copper.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 10
 (b) An ideal gas is kept in a cylinder by a piston that is free to move. The gas is heated such
that its internal energy increases and the pressure remains constant. Use the molecular
model of ideal gases to explain

(i) the increase in internal energy.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 11
 (ii) how the pressure remains constant.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 9 marks)

IB Questionbank Physics 12