Specific heat capacity and calorimetry - Question Bank

1. A substance that readily absorbs and releases heat without large temperature fluctuations is said to have:
A) Low specific heat capacity.
B) High specific heat capacity.
C) High thermal conductivity.
D) Low thermal conductivity.
2. If 4.18 J of heat is required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C, what is the specific heat capacity of water in J/kg·K?
A) 4.18
B) 41.8
C) 418
D) 4180
3. Which statement best describes the process of calorimetry?
A) Measuring the rate of heat transfer through conduction.
B) Determining the specific heat capacity by measuring heat exchange between substances at different temperatures.
C) Calculating the thermal conductivity of materials.
D) Observing the effects of convection currents.
4. The heat absorbed by the calorimeter itself is often expressed as 'water equivalent'. What does water equivalent represent?
A) The mass of water that would require the same amount of heat to produce the same temperature change as the calorimeter.
B) The specific heat capacity of the calorimeter material.
C) The total mass of the calorimeter.
D) The volume of water displaced by the calorimeter.
5. Why is mercury often used in thermometers despite its relatively low specific heat capacity?
A) It has a very high coefficient of thermal expansion.
B) It is readily available and inexpensive.
C) It has a very high boiling point.
D) It is a good conductor of heat.
6. If a substance's temperature increases when heat is added, it implies:
A) A phase change is occurring.
B) The substance is undergoing sublimation.
C) The substance has a positive specific heat capacity.
D) The substance is losing energy.
7. What is the heat required to melt 1 kg of ice at 0°C into water at 0°C, given the specific latent heat of fusion for ice is 3.34 x 10^5 J/kg?
A) 3.34 x 10^5 J
B) 1.67 x 10^5 J
C) 6.68 x 10^5 J
D) 3.34 x 10^8 J
8. Dulong and Petit's law states that the product of the atomic weight and the specific heat capacity of solid elements is approximately constant. This constant value is:
A) 3R
B) R/3
C) R
D) 3/R
9. The specific heat capacity of solids generally:
A) Increases with temperature.
B) Decreases with temperature.
C) Is independent of temperature.
D) Is zero at absolute zero.
10. A metal sphere of mass 2 kg and specific heat capacity 400 J/kg·K is heated to 500°C and then dropped into 10 kg of water at 20°C. If the final temperature of the mixture is 25°C, what is the specific heat capacity of water (assuming no heat loss)?
A) 2000 J/kg·K
B) 2100 J/kg·K
C) 4200 J/kg·K
D) 8400 J/kg·K
11. If 200 J of energy is required to raise the temperature of 100 g of a substance by 10°C, what is its specific heat capacity in J/kg·K?
A) 20 J/kg·K
B) 200 J/kg·K
C) 2000 J/kg·K
D) 0.2 J/kg·K
12. What is the unit 'calorie' often related to in calorimetry?
A) Energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1°C.
B) Energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.
C) Energy required to change the state of 1 kg of water.
D) Energy released by 1 kg of water cooling by 1°C.
13. In calorimetry, heat losses to the surroundings are minimized by:
A) Using a highly conductive container.
B) Leaving the lid of the calorimeter open.
C) Using vacuum insulation and polished surfaces.
D) Placing the calorimeter in a very cold environment.
14. What is the specific heat capacity of a substance if 100 J of heat causes a temperature change of 5 K in a 0.5 kg sample?
A) 10 J/kg·K
B) 20 J/kg·K
C) 40 J/kg·K
D) 100 J/kg·K
15. The difference between c_p and c_v for an ideal gas is given by:
A) R (Universal Gas Constant)
B) R/M (where M is molar mass)
C) c_p - c_v = R
D) c_p / c_v = γ
16. The specific heat capacity of a gas at constant volume (c_v) is generally:
A) Equal to its specific heat capacity at constant pressure (c_p).
B) Less than its specific heat capacity at constant pressure (c_p).
C) Greater than its specific heat capacity at constant pressure (c_p).
D) Zero.
17. If the same amount of heat is supplied to equal masses of two different substances A and B, and substance A shows a larger temperature rise than substance B, what can be concluded about their specific heat capacities?
A) c_A > c_B
B) c_A < c_B
C) c_A = c_B
D) Cannot be determined without knowing the initial temperatures.
18. Which process requires heat energy but does not involve a change in temperature?
A) Conduction
B) Convection
C) Radiation
D) Phase transition (e.g., melting)
19. In a calorimetry experiment, if the calorimeter itself absorbs heat, this is accounted for by:
A) Ignoring the heat absorbed by the calorimeter.
B) Adding the heat absorbed by the calorimeter to the heat gained by the cold substance.
C) Considering the 'water equivalent' or 'heat capacity' of the calorimeter.
D) Subtracting the heat absorbed by the calorimeter.
20. What is the heat capacity of a 5 kg block of aluminum if its specific heat capacity is 900 J/kg·K?
A) 180 J/K
B) 450 J/K
C) 4500 J/K
D) 900 J/K
21. A substance with a high specific heat capacity is often called a 'thermal buffer' because:
A) It heats up very quickly.
B) It cools down very quickly.
C) It resists changes in temperature.
D) It readily changes its state.
22. The heat absorbed by a substance is directly proportional to:
A) Its specific heat capacity only.
B) The change in temperature only.
C) Its mass and the change in temperature.
D) The rate of heat transfer.
23. If 500 J of heat is lost by a substance of mass 0.5 kg and specific heat capacity 200 J/kg·K, what is the temperature change?
A) -2 K
B) -5 K
C) -10 K
D) -20 K
24. Which of the following statements about specific heat capacity is INCORRECT?
A) It is an intensive property.
B) It depends on the material's composition.
C) It is the same for all states of a substance (solid, liquid, gas).
D) It is measured in J/kg·K.
25. A calorimeter and its contents are often assumed to be an isolated system in calorimetry problems to:
A) Increase the heat transfer rate.
B) Allow for heat exchange with the surroundings.
C) Simplify calculations by neglecting heat exchange with the environment.
D) Measure the specific heat of the surrounding air.
26. When a substance undergoes a phase change (e.g., melting or boiling), its temperature:
A) Increases steadily.
B) Decreases steadily.
C) Remains constant.
D) Fluctuates rapidly.
27. The term 'thermal equilibrium' refers to a state where:
A) Heat is flowing rapidly between objects.
B) There is no net flow of heat between objects in contact.
C) The objects have different temperatures.
D) The objects have different masses.
28. If a substance has a low specific heat capacity, it means that:
A) It requires a large amount of heat to change its temperature.
B) It requires a small amount of heat to change its temperature.
C) It changes its state easily.
D) It is a good conductor of heat.
29. The heat required to change the state of 1 kg of a substance at its melting point without any change in temperature is called:
A) Specific heat capacity
B) Latent heat of fusion
C) Heat capacity
D) Specific latent heat
30. Water's high specific heat capacity is responsible for:
A) Rapid cooling of oceans.
B) Stable temperatures in coastal regions.
C) The formation of ice at the surface of lakes.
D) Increased evaporation rates.
31. Which of the following factors does NOT affect the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a substance?
A) Mass of the substance
B) Specific heat capacity of the substance
C) Change in temperature desired
D) The color of the substance
32. When heat is exchanged between substances, assuming no heat loss to the surroundings, the heat lost by the hotter substance is equal to:
A) The heat gained by the colder substance.
B) The heat capacity of the system.
C) The specific heat capacity of the colder substance.
D) The change in temperature of the system.
33. What is the primary purpose of mixing hot and cold substances in calorimetry experiments?
A) To observe the rate of evaporation.
B) To determine the specific heat capacity of one or more substances.
C) To measure the thermal conductivity.
D) To demonstrate Newton's Law of Cooling.
34. A block of metal at 100°C is placed in 200g of water at 20°C. If the final equilibrium temperature is 25°C, and the specific heat of the metal is 500 J/kg·K and water is 4200 J/kg·K, what is the mass of the metal block?
A) 0.05 kg
B) 0.1 kg
C) 0.15 kg
D) 0.2 kg
35. If 1000 J of heat is added to 2 kg of a substance with a specific heat capacity of 400 J/kg·K, what is the change in temperature?
A) 0.5 K
B) 1.0 K
C) 1.5 K
D) 2.0 K
36. What is the relationship between heat capacity (C) and specific heat capacity (c)?
A) C = m/c
B) C = mc
C) C = c/m
D) C = m + c
37. What is the heat capacity of a substance (as opposed to specific heat capacity)?
A) The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram by 1 degree Celsius.
B) The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of the entire object by 1 degree Celsius.
C) The amount of heat required to change the state of 1 kg of the substance.
D) The rate at which heat is transferred.
38. Why are calorimeters usually made of materials with low specific heat capacity, like copper or aluminum?
A) To absorb more heat from the system.
B) To minimize the heat absorbed by the calorimeter itself, leading to more accurate measurements.
C) To increase the rate of heat transfer.
D) To reflect heat away from the system.
39. What is the term 'calorimeter'?
A) A device to measure electrical resistance.
B) A device to measure magnetic field strength.
C) A device used to measure the amount of heat transferred.
D) A device to measure atmospheric pressure.
40. In the formula Q = mcΔT, what does 'ΔT' represent?
A) Final temperature
B) Initial temperature
C) Heat transferred
D) Change in temperature (Final - Initial)
41. In the formula Q = mcΔT, what does 'c' represent?
A) Mass
B) Change in temperature
C) Specific heat capacity
D) Heat transferred
42. In the formula Q = mcΔT, what does 'm' represent?
A) Specific heat capacity
B) Mass
C) Change in temperature
D) Heat transferred
43. What is the formula for heat transfer (Q) when there is a change in temperature?
A) Q = mcΔT
B) Q = mL
C) Q = V/R
D) Q = mc
44. In calorimetry, when a hot body is placed in contact with a cold body, what happens to their temperatures?
A) The hot body's temperature increases, and the cold body's temperature decreases.
B) Both bodies' temperatures decrease until they reach thermal equilibrium.
C) Both bodies' temperatures increase until they reach thermal equilibrium.
D) The hot body's temperature decreases, and the cold body's temperature increases until they reach thermal equilibrium.
45. What does the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics state?
A) Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
B) Heat flows from hotter to colder bodies.
C) If two systems are separately in thermal equilibrium with a third system, they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other.
D) The entropy of a system tends to increase over time.
46. The principle of calorimetry is based on which law of thermodynamics?
A) Zeroth Law
B) First Law
C) Second Law
D) Third Law
47. Which of the following substances typically has a very high specific heat capacity?
A) Iron
B) Lead
C) Water
D) Copper
48. What are the SI units of specific heat capacity?
A) J/kg·K
B) Cal/g·°C
C) J/g·K
D) Cal/kg·°C
49. What is specific heat capacity?
A) The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree Celsius.
B) The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 Kelvin.
C) The amount of heat required to change the state of 1 kg of a substance without changing its temperature.
D) The amount of heat released when 1 kg of a substance cools down by 1 degree Celsius.
All Question Banks
E-Book Specific heat capacity and calorimetry Audio Book Specific heat capacity and calorimetry One Line Questions Specific heat capacity and calorimetry Online Test Specific heat capacity and calorimetry