PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS

TOPIC-8 Heat Capacity

PAPER-1 Multiple Choice

1- What is the definition of heat capacity?

A the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of an object through 1 °C
B the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance through 1 °C
C the quantity of heat required to convert an object from solid to liquid without a change in
temperature
D the quantity of heat required to change 1 kg of a substance from solid to liquid without a change in
temperature
[May-2007]

2- In an experiment to find the specific heat capacity of a metal, it is found that 5200 J is needed to raise the
temperature of a 2 kg block by 20 °C. What value for the specific heat capacity is given by these results?
A 130 J / (kg °C) B 52000 J / (kg °C)
C 520 kJ /(kg °C) D 104000 kJ / (kg °C) [May-2005]

3- A 2 kg mass of copper of specific heat capacity of 400 Jkg-1K-1 is heated for 80s by a heater of power
50W.What is the rise in the temperature?

A- 5 K B -160 K C-100 K D - 16 K

4- A cup of tea at 80oC is left to cool to 20oC.If the heat capacity of cup and tea is 4.0 kJ K-1,how much heat is
released during the cooling?

A- 0.04 kJ B - 60 kJ C - 100 kJ D - 240kJ

5- When heat is supplied to a metallic sphere, which of the following changes will occur?
A- The mass of the sphere increases B - The volume of the sphere decreases.
C- The density of the sphere increases. D- The internal energy of the sphere increases.

6- Using an electric kettle, 100 g of water at 100 °C is converted into steam at 100 °C in 300 seconds. The
specific latent heat of steam is 2250 J / g. What is the average electrical power used?

𝟐𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝒙 𝟐𝟐𝟓𝟎 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝒙 𝟐𝟐𝟓𝟎

A 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝒙 𝟏𝟎𝟎 W B 𝟑𝟎𝟎
W C 𝟏𝟎𝟎
W D 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝒙 𝟑𝟎𝟎 𝒙 𝟐𝟐𝟓𝟎W [Nov-2008]

9- A 2 kg mass of copper is heated for 40 s by a heater that produces 100 J / s.The specific heat capacity of
copper is 400 J / (kg K).What is the rise in temperature?
A 5K B 10K C 20K D 50K [Nov-2003]

10- Heat energy is supplied at the same rate to 100 g of paraffin and to 100 g of water in similar containers.
Why does the temperature of the paraffin rise more quickly?
A The paraffin has a larger specific heat capacity than water.
B The paraffin has a smaller specific heat capacity than water.
C The paraffin is less dense than water.
D The paraffin is more dense than water. [Nov-2004]

11- A block of metal has a mass of 2.0 kg. Its specific heat capacity is 800 J / (kg °C). The block is supplied
with 2400 J of energy. What is the rise in temperature?
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-8 Heat Capacity

A 0.17 °C B 0.67 °C C 1.5 °C D 6.0 °C [Nov-2009]

12-

PAPER-2 Theory

1- An iron block is heated using a small electric heater

as shown in the diagram. The joulemeter is used to
measure the electric energy supplied. When 7200 J of
energy is supplied to the heater the temperature of the
0.50kg block rises from 10oC to 40oC.

a) Calculate a value for the specific heat capacity of

iron.

b) The actual value for the specific heat capacity of

iron is 450 J/(kg.K) Give a reason for the difference
between these two values.

2- A plastic ice tray has 16 sections filled with water. When placed in the ice box, the water freezes to form
ice cubes. Each section contains a mass of 20 g of water that is initially completely liquid at a temperature of
0 °C. The specific latent heat of fusion of ice is 330 J/g.
(i) Calculate the amount of energy that must be taken from the tray of water to enable all the water in the
tray to become ice at 0 °C.
(ii) State why the heat capacity of the plastic tray does not affect the answer to (i).
(iii) The ice box takes energy from the water at a rate of 30W. Estimate the time taken for all the water in the
tray to become ice.

3- Fig. 3.1 illustrates the arrangement of the molecules of a substance in its solid, liquid and
gaseous states.
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-8 Heat Capacity

(a) State which arrangement, A, B or C, contains molecules with the most energy.
(b) Explain, in terms of the forces between the molecules and their separation, why
(i) gases are easier to compress than liquids,
(ii) latent heat is needed to change the substance from solid to liquid.
(c) Define the term specific heat capacity of a substance.

PAPER-4 Alternative to Practical