Quick questions on Thermal physics: internal energy, specific heat and latent heat - WJEC A-Level Physics

4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What is specific heat capacity?

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The specific heat capacity

c

is the energy needed to raise the temperature of

1\,\text{kg}

of a substance by

1\,\text{K}

, measured in

\text{J kg}^{-1}\,\text{K}^{-1}

. Water has an unusually high value of

4200\,\text{J kg}^{-1}\,\text{K}^{-1}

, which is why it is used as a coolant and why coastal climates are mild.

What is thermal equilibrium?

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Two bodies in thermal contact are in thermal equilibrium when they reach the same temperature, so there is no net flow of thermal energy between them.

What is q1?

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How much energy is needed to heat

0.50\,\text{kg}

of water from

20^\circ\text{C}

80^\circ\text{C}

? Take

c = 4200\,\text{J kg}^{-1}\text{K}^{-1}

. [2 marks]

What is q2?

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Explain why temperature stays constant while a solid melts. [2 marks]

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