Physics Unit 1: Heating Processes

Chapter 1

  • There are various forms of energy e.g., potential energy, kinetic energy, thermal energy.

    • Potential: has the potential to do work

    • Kinetic: energy of motion, doing work

  • Heat is energy in the process of being transferred from one place to another due to the temperature difference. It can be defined as the transfer of thermal energy (Q)

    • Heat is thermal energy doing work

  • The kinetic particle model of matter suggests that matter is made up of particles that are constantly moving.

  • States of matter include solids, liquids and gases.

  • Higher temperature = faster molecular movement

  • Objects can be considered to have their energy as two types: macroscopic energy and microscopic energy.

    • Macroscopic: energy of bulk

    • Microscopic: energy of atomic level

  • Internal energy, U, is the total microscopic kinetic and microscopic potential energy of the particles in a system.

  • Thermal energy consists of microscopic kinetic energy and potential energy stored within/between bonds

  • Change in internal energy of a system equals the change in thermal energy.

  • Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system.

  • Kinetic energy is directly related to the temperature of the system. A change in temperature is due to the addition or removal of thermal energy from a system.

  • Temperature is measured in °F, °C and K.

  • °C = K + 273

  • Absolute zero is the temperature at which all particle motion stops.

  • Absolute zero = 0K or -273°C

  • Heating a substance causes it to expand due to the increased speed of the particles or the increased vibrations within and between the particles themselves.

  • Different substances expand at different rates.

  • In Thermal physics, Microscopic energy = internal energy = thermal energy

  • Thermal energy consists of microscopic kinetic energy + micro potential energy with/between bonds

  • Particle motion can be vibrational, rotational, translational

    • Translational = moving up and down

Chapter 2 Specific Heat Capacity

  • 0th law thermodynamics: transfer of energy from a system with higher temperature to a system with lower temperature will occur until thermal equilibrium is reached.

  • The specific heat capacity (c) of a substance is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the substance by 1°C. It is measured in J/kg/K.

  • The quantity of energy (Q) transferred to or from a substance is given by the equation: ΔQ = mcΔT

    where Q is the energy in joules, m is the mass of the substance in kg, c is the specific heat capacity in J/kg/K, and ΔT is the change in temperature in Kelvjn/Celsius.

  • In a closed system, the thermal energy lost by one object is equal to the thermal energy gained by the other. This is conservation of energy.

  • When two bodies have the same temperatures as a third body, then the two also have temperature equal to each other.

  • To bring about a change of state requires energy (latent heat).

  • The energy required to change 1 kg of a substance from a solid to a liquid without change in temperature is called the specific latent heat of fusion (Lf).

  • The energy required to change 1 kg of a substance from a liquid to a gas without change in temperature is called the specific latent heat of vaporisation (Lv).

  • Q = mLf, where Lf is the specific latent heat of fusion measured in J/kg

  • As Q increases → molecular vibration speed increases (kinetic energy)

Chapter 3 Latent Heat

  • Remember, temperature is a measure of average kinetic energy

  • Q increases → kinetic energy increases

  • when kinetic energy exceeds melting/boiling point, phase changes

  • during a phase change, Q gained goes to disrupting molecular bonds, increasing the potential energy of molecules, not kinetic

  • Kinetic energy does not change, → Temperature has not changed

  • as ice melts, temperature of water remains 0 degrees as kinetic energy didn’t change

  • Latent heat of vaporisation: liquid ←→ gas

  • Latent heat of fusion: liquid ←→ solid

  • To calculate Q needed for a temperature change that has a phase change in between it, first find the Q needed to increase up to the phase change, then use latent heat equation to find latent heat energy required, then find Q needed to increase to final temperature

Q = mL

Q = energy

m = mass in kg

L = specific latent heat capacity

Chapter 4: Nuclear model and nuclear stability