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Revise: Heat and Thermal Phenomena

Units of heat, internal energy, thermal and specific heat capacity, the law of heat exchange, and change of state with latent heat.

Specific Heat Capacity

Q = mcΔT; specific heat capacity is a property of the material (per kg).

2 kg of water heated 20°C needs 168,000 J.

Law of Heat Exchange

Heat lost by the hot object = heat gained by the cold object (insulated system).

0.3 kg water at 80°C + 0.5 kg at 20°C mix to 42.5°C.

Change of State and Latent Heat

Temperature stays constant during a state change — energy breaks/forms bonds, not KE.

Ice water stays at 0°C the whole time the ice is melting.

Vaporization and Specific Latent Heat of Vaporization

Q = mLᵥ; vaporization needs far more energy than an equivalent temperature change.

0.5 kg of water to steam needs 1,130,000 J.

Fusion and Specific Latent Heat of Fusion

Q = mLf; fusion (melting) needs less energy than vaporization for the same substance.

0.8 kg of ice needs 267,200 J to melt.