Thermal Physics | OCR A-Level Physics A (H556)
Thermal Physics
- 132 questions
- 10 subtopics
- Module 5: Newtonian world and astrophysics
- Paper 1 and Paper 3
Temperature and internal energy, the kinetic model of matter, specific heat capacity and latent heat and how each is measured, and the ideal gas..
It covers thermal equilibrium and absolute temperature, the kinetic model of solids, liquids and gases, brownian motion and internal energy, specific heat capacity, measuring specific heat capacity, specific latent heat, measuring specific latent heat, moles, the Avogadro constant and kinetic theory, gas laws, the ideal gas equation and r.m.s. speed and maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, Boltzmann constant and internal energy.
Sample questions from Thermal Physics
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Thermal equilibrium and absolute temperature
Why is the thermodynamic temperature scale considered a fundamental scale?
Show the answer
Because it does not depend on the properties of any specific material or substance. -
The kinetic model of solids, liquids and gases
How do molecules in a liquid move relative to one another?
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They are free to move past each other. -
Brownian motion and internal energy
Define internal energy.
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Internal energy is the sum of the randomly distributed kinetic and potential energies of all the molecules in a system. -
Specific heat capacity
Calculate the energy transferred when mass = 0.5 kg, specific heat capacity = 500 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹, temperature change = 75 K.
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Energy transferred = 0.5 × 500 × 75 = 18750 J. -
Measuring specific heat capacity
State the formula used to calculate specific heat capacity from an electrical heating experiment on a metal block.
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c = VIt/(mΔT). -
Specific latent heat
State the equation relating energy transfer to latent heat, defining each symbol.
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E = mL, where E is energy transferred, m is mass, and L is specific latent heat. -
Measuring specific latent heat
Why is ice allowed to melt without heating before the main measurements in a latent heat of fusion experiment?
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To establish the background melting rate due to room temperature. -
Moles, the Avogadro constant and kinetic theory
What does kinetic theory assume about the volume occupied by gas particles compared to the total gas volume?
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The volume occupied by the particles is negligible compared to the volume of the gas
The 10 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal equilibrium and absolute temperature | Recall questions on thermal equilibrium, the absolute scale, and converting between kelvin and degrees Celsius. | 17 |
| The kinetic model of solids, liquids and gases | Recall questions on the spacing, ordering and motion of particles in solids, liquids and gases, and the interparticle forces described by the simple kinetic model. | 12 |
| Brownian motion and internal energy | Recall questions on Brownian motion and the smoke cell demonstration, internal energy as random kinetic and potential energies, absolute zero, and energy changes during a change of phase. | 18 |
| Specific heat capacity | Recall questions on specific heat capacity, E = mcΔT with its unit, rearrangement and calculations, the method of mixtures, lagging and why heat losses raise the measured value. | 13 |
| Measuring specific heat capacity | Recall questions on the electrical method for a solid and for a liquid, and on the main sources of error. | 15 |
| Specific latent heat | Recall questions on specific latent heat of fusion and vaporisation, E = mL with its unit, rearrangement and calculations, why temperature stays constant during a change of state, and how heat losses affect the measured value. | 10 |
| Measuring specific latent heat | Recall questions on the electrical method and on accounting for heat lost to the surroundings. | 15 |
| Moles, the Avogadro constant and kinetic theory | Recall questions on the mole and the Avogadro constant, the assumptions of the kinetic theory of gases, and how molecular collisions with container walls produce gas pressure. | 9 |
| Gas laws, the ideal gas equation and r.m.s. speed | Recall questions on Boyle's law and the pressure law and investigating them, estimating absolute zero, the ideal gas equation pV = nRT, the kinetic theory equation, mean square speed and root mean square speed. | 10 |
| Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, Boltzmann constant and internal energy | Recall questions on the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution and how temperature changes it, the Boltzmann constant, pV = NkT, deriving mean kinetic energy = 3/2kT, and the internal energy of an ideal gas. | 13 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Physics A Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,862 questions with their answers.