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American System Physics

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Quiz

11.2 Specific Heat Capacity and Thermal Capacity – Quiz

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Specific Heat Capacity and Thermal Capacity American Physics quiz: free practice for American System Physics. Work through this Specific Heat Capacity and Thermal Capacity American Physics quiz and get instant feedback on every answer. If you get stuck, review the 11.2 Specific Heat Capacity and Thermal Capacity — Notes lesson. More practice: American System Physics — all units. Syllabus: OpenStax free science textbooks.

  • Questions count: 50
  • Passing grade: A-
  • Time limit:
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1.
The graph shows the temperature of an insulated 1.2 kg block heated by a 48 W heater. Using c = P ÷ (m × gradient), what is the specific heat capacity of the block?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 1
About 880 J/(kg °C)
About 1056 J/(kg °C)
About 1267 J/(kg °C)
About 1136 J/(kg °C)
2.
The graph compares the measured temperature of an uninsulated block with the straight line expected if no energy were lost. What best explains why the measured curve falls further below the dashed line as time goes on?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 2
The heater power increases as the block warms
The specific heat capacity of the block decreases as it warms
As the block gets hotter than the room, it loses energy to the surroundings at a greater rate
The thermometer becomes more accurate at higher temperatures
3.
Looking at the graph of the uninsulated block, which change to the method would make the measured line closest to the dashed line?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 3
Wrap the block in lagging and use only the early straight section to find the gradient
Heat the block for longer to get a bigger temperature rise
Use a block of smaller mass so it warms faster
Take readings only at the end of the experiment
4.
In the apparatus shown, meter M1 is in series with the heater and meter M2 is connected in parallel across it. Which pairing of meters is correct?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 4
M1 is a voltmeter and M2 is an ammeter
M1 is an ammeter and M2 is a voltmeter
Both are ammeters
Both are joulemeters
5.
With the apparatus shown, the voltmeter reads 12.0 V, the ammeter reads 4.0 A, the heater runs for 600 s and the 1.0 kg block warms from 19.0 °C to 50.0 °C. What value of c is obtained?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 5
About 1.55 J/(kg °C)
About 576 J/(kg °C)
About 929 J/(kg °C)
About 15.5 J/(kg °C)
6.
1 kg samples of each material in the chart are placed on identical hot plates and receive energy at the same rate. Which warms by 10 °C first, and roughly how many times faster than water?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 6
Lead, about 32 times faster
Water, because it has the tallest bar
Copper, about 11 times faster
Lead, about 3 times faster
7.
Three aluminium blocks of masses 0.5 kg, 1.0 kg and 2.0 kg are heated (graph). Which line belongs to the 2.0 kg block?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 7
Block A, because heavier blocks warm faster
Block B, because it is in the middle
Block C, because the largest mass has the largest thermal capacity and the smallest temperature rise
Block A, because it absorbs the most energy
8.
The graph shows the energy supplied to a sample of water against its temperature rise. Taking c = 4200 J/(kg °C), what is the mass of the water?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 8
0.60 kg
600 kg
2.52 kg
1.67 kg
9.
The graph compares a coastal town and an inland town at the same latitude. Which explanation for the difference is best?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 9
The sea is a poor conductor, so it keeps summers hot
The sea has a high specific heat capacity, so it warms and cools slowly and keeps the coastal climate milder
The coastal town receives less sunlight
Land has a higher specific heat capacity than water
10.
Use the joulemeter readings and temperatures in the diagram to calculate the specific heat capacity of the water.
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 10
4466 J/(kg °C)
3360 J/(kg °C)
4200 J/(kg °C)
2049 J/(kg °C)
11.
Using the table, how much energy is needed to warm a 3.5 kg copper pipe section from 15 °C to 65 °C?
67375 J
87588 J
735000 J
19250 J
12.
Using the table, what mass of concrete in a storage heater stores the same energy per °C as 1.0 kg of water?
About 0.21 kg
About 4.8 kg
1.0 kg
About 3320 kg
13.
Calculate the specific heat capacity from the results in the table.
15 J/(kg °C)
485 J/(kg °C)
450 J/(kg °C)
900 J/(kg °C)
14.
The samples in the table are mixed with no energy lost. What is the final temperature?
42.5 °C
37 °C
48 °C
55 °C
15.
Using the method-of-mixtures data in the table (c of water = 4200 J/(kg °C)), what is c for the metal?
About 280 J/(kg °C)
About 44100 J/(kg °C)
About 400 J/(kg °C)
About 1200 J/(kg °C)
16.
In the method-of-mixtures experiment in the table, the hot metal is carried slowly from the boiling water to the cup. How does this affect the calculated c for the metal?
The calculated c is too large because the water gains extra energy
There is no effect because the final temperature is still 30 °C
The calculated c is too small because the water mass is increased
The metal cools on the way, so its true starting temperature is below 100 °C and the calculated c is too small
17.
The accepted value for aluminium is 900 J/(kg °C). What pattern in the table best supports the idea that energy loss is the main source of error?
The uninsulated blocks give values much further above 900 than the insulated ones
All students got values below 900
Students A and D used the wrong mass
The insulated blocks gave values below 900 because insulation absorbs energy
18.
The coolant in an engine reaches up to 110 °C and should carry as much energy per kg per °C as possible. Using the table, which liquid is the best choice?
Q, because it boils at the lowest temperature
R, because it has the highest boiling point
S, because it has a high c and will not boil at 110 °C
P, because it has the highest c, even though it would boil
19.
Using the data in the table, what is the specific heat capacity of the liquid?
600 J/(kg °C)
0.375 J/(kg °C)
1200 J/(kg °C)
2400 J/(kg °C)
20.
Which object in the table has the larger thermal capacity, and what is it?
The mug of water, 1260 J/°C
The frying pan, 720 J/°C
The frying pan, because it has more mass
The mug of water, 4200 J/°C
21.
A student pours 250 g of water into a mug and warms it in a microwave from 18 °C to 58 °C. Calculate the energy absorbed by the water.
42 000 000 J
42 000 J
60 900 J
10 500 J
22.
A 2.0 kW kettle heats 1.5 kg of water. Ignoring losses, how long does it take to warm the water from 20 °C to 100 °C?
4.2 s
315 s
252 s
63 s
23.
An aluminium pan (c = 900 J/(kg °C)) absorbs 27 000 J and its temperature rises by 60 °C. What is its mass?
2.0 kg
0.030 kg
1.8 kg
0.50 kg
24.
4.0 kg of water at 60 °C in a radiator releases 336 000 J to a room. What is its new temperature?
40 °C
20 °C
80 °C
56 °C
25.
Why is water used in hot-water bottles?
It is a good thermal conductor
Its high specific heat capacity means it releases a lot of energy as it cools
It has a low specific heat capacity so it heats quickly
It cannot be heated above 50 °C
26.
A student writes four definitions in her notes. Which one correctly defines specific heat capacity?
The energy needed to raise the temperature of an object by 1 °C
The heat contained in 1 kg of a substance
The energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C
The temperature rise produced by 1 J in 1 kg
27.
A student wants to find c for a liquid. Which is the best reason for stirring the liquid while it is heated?
To increase the heater power
To reduce the mass of liquid
To make the liquid evaporate faster
So the whole liquid is at a uniform temperature and the thermometer reading is representative
28.
You are asked to plan an experiment to compare the specific heat capacities of two oils. Which plan is best?
Heat equal masses of each oil with the same heater for the same time in identical insulated beakers, stirring, and compare temperature rises
Heat equal volumes of each oil for different times until both boil
Heat each oil with a different heater and record only the final temperature
Heat the oils in open metal pans and compare how quickly they cool
29.
In an experiment, the temperature of a block keeps rising for a short time after the heater is switched off. What should the student record as the final temperature?
The temperature at the moment of switching off
The highest temperature reached after switching off
The room temperature
The average of the start and final readings
30.
A heat sink attached to a computer chip is a large block of aluminium with fins. Which property is most important for it to absorb energy with only a small temperature rise?
A low mass
A low specific heat capacity
A large thermal capacity (large mc)
A shiny surface
31.
From the heating graph for the 1.2 kg block, the temperature rise after 300 s is about _____.
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 11
31.6 °C
13.6 °C
2.7 °C
27.3 °C
32.
Using the graph, the thermal capacity of block B is _____.
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 12
450 J/°C
1800 J/°C
900 J/(kg °C)
900 J/°C
33.
The mean of the two insulated results in the table is _____.
1085 J/(kg °C)
950 J/(kg °C)
1220 J/(kg °C)
900 J/(kg °C)
34.
If the student used the measured curve in the graph over the full 1200 s, the calculated specific heat capacity would be too large. True or false?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 13
False
False, it would be too small
True only if the heater was a joulemeter
True
35.
In the apparatus shown, adding a drop of oil in the thermometer hole improves the accuracy of the temperature reading. True or false?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 14
False
False, oil insulates the thermometer from the block
True only if the heater is switched off
True
36.
According to the chart, 900 J raises the temperature of 1 kg of aluminium by 1 °C. True or false?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 15
False
True
False, 900 J raises it by 900 °C
False, it takes 4200 J
37.
The value of c found from the joulemeter readings in the diagram is higher than 4200 J/(kg °C), which is consistent with some energy escaping to the surroundings. True or false?
Dr Dabour Hub Academy - figure 16
False
False, energy losses always make c too small
True only if the joulemeter was zeroed
True
38.
From the table, the same energy that warms 1 kg of liquid water by 5 °C would warm 1 kg of ice by about 10 °C. True or false?
False
False, it would warm ice by 2.5 °C
True
True only above 0 °C
39.
In the experiment in the table, the independent variable is the time of heating and the dependent variable is the temperature. True or false?
True
False
False, mass is the dependent variable
False, both are control variables
40.
The unit of specific heat capacity is J/°C. True or false?
True
True, because c is energy per degree
True only for water
False
41.
Energy losses to the surroundings make the calculated specific heat capacity smaller than the true value. True or false?
False
True
True, because less energy reaches the block
True only if the block is insulated
42.
ΔE = mcΔθ can be used to calculate the energy needed to melt ice at 0 °C. True or false?
True
False
True, as long as the mass is in kg
True only for small masses of ice
43.
Doubling the mass of water in a kettle, with the same power, doubles the time needed to reach boiling from the same starting temperature (ignoring losses). True or false?
False
False, the time stays the same
True
False, the time halves
44.
Water heats up slowly on a stove mainly because it is a poor thermal conductor. True or false?
True
True, because water is an insulator
True only for deep pans
False
45.
A 100 W heater running for 2 minutes supplies 12 000 J of energy. True or false?
True
False
False, it supplies 200 J
False, it supplies 1200 J
46.
Equal masses of copper and aluminium receive the same energy; the aluminium reaches the higher temperature. True or false?
True
False
True, because aluminium is lighter
True only if they start at different temperatures
47.
Wrapping the block in insulation reduces a systematic error rather than a random error. True or false?
False
False, heat loss is a random error
True
True only if repeated three times
48.
In the method of mixtures, both substances finish at the same final temperature. True or false?
False
False, the hot one always stays hotter
True only if their masses are equal
True
49.
A mass of 750 g must be entered as 750 in the equation ΔE = mcΔθ when c is in J/(kg °C). True or false?
False
True
True, grams and kilograms give the same answer
True only for water
50.
A large concrete floor in a sunny room helps keep the room temperature steady because it has a large thermal capacity. True or false?
False
True
False, concrete has a low mass
True only if the concrete is painted black
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