States of Matter & Thermal Capacity Practice Questions

Which diagram, A, B or C, shows the particles in a gas?

Diagram A shows a liquid. Describe the arrangement and the movement of the particles in a liquid.

Explain why the substance shown in diagram B has a much lower density than the substance shown in diagram C.

Calculate the volume of the block.

volume = ............................................... $\mathrm{m^3}$

Calculate the density of the aluminium.

density = ............................................... $\mathrm{kg/m^3}$

State the mass of the water in the sealed bag after the ice has melted.

mass = ............................................... $\mathrm{g}$

Explain why melting is a physical change and not a chemical change.

Describe how the student should use this equipment to determine the density of the metal.

The mass of the keyring is $47.2\,\mathrm{g}$ and the volume of water collected is $6.0\,\mathrm{cm^3}$.

Calculate the density of the metal.

density = ............................................... $\mathrm{g/cm^3}$

Describe how the student should determine the density of the cooking oil.

The student's results are shown in the table.

Measurement	Value
mass of empty measuring cylinder	$84.5\,\mathrm{g}$
mass of measuring cylinder and oil	$130.5\,\mathrm{g}$
volume of oil	$50.0\,\mathrm{cm^3}$

Calculate the density of the cooking oil in $\mathrm{kg/m^3}$.

density = ............................................... $\mathrm{kg/m^3}$

Calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal.

Use an equation selected from the list of equations at the end of this paper.

specific heat capacity = ............................................... $\mathrm{J/kg\,°C}$

The table gives the specific heat capacity of four metals.

Metal	Specific heat capacity in $\mathrm{J/kg\,°C}$
lead	130
copper	385
iron	450
aluminium	900

State which metal the block is made from.

Define the term specific latent heat of vaporisation.

Calculate the thermal energy transferred to the radiator when $0.040\,\mathrm{kg}$ of steam condenses.

Use an equation selected from the list of equations at the end of this paper.

thermal energy = ............................................... $\mathrm{J}$

Use Figure 2 to state the melting point of the ice.

melting point = ............................................... $°\mathrm{C}$

Explain why the temperature does not change between 2 minutes and 6 minutes, even though the heater is still transferring energy.

After 6 minutes the line on the graph is less steep than it was before 2 minutes.

Suggest a reason for this.

Explain how the jacket reduces the rate at which energy is transferred from the water tank to the surroundings.

The householder replaces the jacket with one made of the same material but twice as thick.

Explain the effect this has on the temperature of the water in the tank over several hours.

Calculate the total thermal energy transferred to the water.

Use equations selected from the list of equations at the end of this paper.

total thermal energy = ............................................... $\mathrm{J}$

Calculate the minimum time for which the kettle must be switched on.

time = ............................................... $\mathrm{s}$

Calculate the volume occupied by $0.052\,\mathrm{kg}$ of substance X when it is a gas.

volume = ............................................... $\mathrm{m^3}$

The same $0.052\,\mathrm{kg}$ of substance X is now condensed to a liquid.

Calculate the volume it occupies as a liquid.

volume = ............................................... $\mathrm{m^3}$

Explain, in terms of the arrangement of the particles, why the volume of the gas is so much greater than the volume of the liquid, even though the mass is the same.

Calculate the value for the specific heat capacity of water obtained by the student.

Use an equation selected from the list of equations at the end of this paper.

specific heat capacity = ............................................... $\mathrm{J/kg\,°C}$

The accepted value for the specific heat capacity of water is $4200\,\mathrm{J/kg\,°C}$.

Explain why the student's value is greater than the accepted value.

Suggest one change to the apparatus that would make the student's value closer to the accepted value.