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A2 Physics: Specific heat capacity: some questions

What to do
Three of these questions ask you to consider areas in which specific heat capacity is important: one domestic, one transport-based and one industrial. The remaining questions are calculations that involve the use of specific heat capacity. The specific heat capacity of water is 42 "# "# # ! kg $ . &hy does heat capacity matter' #. (ome cooks make toffee. )ssentially, this is a process of boiling down a sugar solution to concentrate it and then allowing the liquid to cool until it sets. (mall children are usually warned not to touch the cooling toffee for a very long time " much longer than the cooling for the same volume of pure water in the same vessel. &hy is the cooling period so long' ! kg
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$ % the specific heat capacity of air is about

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&hy is water commonly used in the cooling system of a motor car' &hy is the system pressurised'

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+ind out which materials are used as coolants in nuclear reactors. &hat do these materials have in common'

Calculations
4. The (un delivers about # k& of power to a square metre of the )arth when overhead at the equator. , parabolic mirror of radius #m is used to focus this energy onto a container of water. )stimate the time taken by the mirror to raise # litre of water to # o-. -omment on whether your answer is likely to be an over or an underestimate.

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)stimate how much energy is required to heat the air in your physics laboratory from a chilly # /- to a more comfortable 2 /-. -omment on the answer.

A2 Physics: Specific heat capacity: some questions


Answers and worked solutions
#. There are a number of factors that determine the time it takes the toffee to cool sufficiently to eat: The boiling point of the sugar solution is higher than that of water so the toffee is cooling from a higher temperature. The sugar solution has a higher specific heat capacity than pure water. (o for an equivalent temperature drop, more energy has to be lost.

01erhaps most significant is the amount of energy that has to be lost for the liquid
toffee mi2ture to solidify, cooling and then changing from a liquid to a solid takes a long time. This involves the idea of latent heat capacity, rather than specific heat capacity3 2. The specific heat capacity of water is large% water is cheap and liquid, it has a reasonable temperature range before boiling. 4t is pressurised to elevate the boiling point " but, as important, also to retain the material. -oolants used include: water, heavy water 56278, liquid sodium, pressurised carbon dio2ide. They need a high specific heat capacity and, ideally, should not absorb neutrons. ,rea of mirror is about * m . (o * k& is delivered. 7ne litre has a mass of # kg, assume an 9 degree temperature rise. :inimum time taken is 542 ! kg - 9 -8 ; * kg < ##2 s but this does not allow for losses to the surroundings from the container which the (un has to make up. This is an estimate of the energy needed to raise the temperature to # -, it does not boil the water. ,ssuming no energy losses, it takes a further 9 s 5minimum8 to vaporise the liquid. ,n equally valid estimate " this time e2perimental " is to time your household kettle having read its electrical energy input from the base plate and then scale up or down its time to boiling accordingly. .. ,ssume the laboratory is * m # m # m, this leads to a volume of * m . ,ssume further that the heating is =ust a question of warming up the air. The density "* "# "# of air is appro2imately # kg m so energy < * kg # ! kg - # -, i.e. * :!. , reasonable heater might deliver this in # s 5about 2 minutes8. :ost people would guess that the heating time would be much longer. This estimate ignores heating the contents of the room, etc. 7ur perception of temperature is affected both by the humidity of the air and by the cooling effect of any draughts. 4t would take much longer in reality.
2 "# "# 2

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