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Thermodynamics
Question Paper

Course HL IB Physics
Section The Particulate Nature of Matter
Topic Thermodynamics
Difficulty Hard

Time Allowed 10
Score /5
Percentage /100

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Question 1
A electrical heater is has a current of 1.5 A passing through it and has a potential difference of 200 V across it.
It heats a gas in a piston at a constant pressure of 30 kPa. After 15 s the volume of the gas has increases by 0.020 m3 and
its internal energy has increased by 2000 J.
The electrical heater is 70% efficient. What proportion of the thermal energy output by the electric heater is transferred to
the gas?
A. 0.44
B. 0.64
C. 0.70
D. 0.83
[1 mark]

Question 2
At 78.0°C, 12.0 g of liquid ammonia is converted to a gaseous state. The entropy change of this process is 0.0470 J K−1.
What is the latent heat of vaporisation of ammonia?
A. 16.5 J kg−1
B. 39.2 J kg−1
C. 306 J kg−1
D. 1370 J kg−1
[1 mark]

Page 2 of 6

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Question 3
In an adiabatic process, a gas in a piston does work.
The cylindrical chamber increases in length from 1.5 m to 290 cm.
Which expression, in terms of original pressure p, most closely represents the new pressure?
A. p
5
B. p
3
C. p
2
D. 3p
[1 mark]

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Question 4
An idealised heat engine has an efficiency of η and is supplied with heat energy QH from an external hot reservoir.
The cycle is described as follows:
Stage 1: The gas undergoes isobaric compression at a pressure of p1. The volume decreases by z and the final temperature
is T1.
Stage 2: The gas then undergoes isovolumetric heating. The final temperature is T2.
Stage 3: The gas undergoes isobaric expansion. The volume increases by z.
Stage 4: Finally, the gas undergoes isovolumetric cooling and returns to its state at the beginning of stage 1.
Which is the correct expression for z?
A. ηQ H T 1
p 1 (T 2 − T 1)

B. p T (T − T )
1 1 2 1
ηQ H

C. p (T − T )
1 1 2
T 2ηQ H

D. Q H T 1η
p 1 (T 1 − T 2)
[1 mark]

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Question 5
A researcher is studying phase changes of different materials.
They plot the following graph of heat supplied and entropy change for different masses of a material being vaporised.
Their axes are incomplete.

Using the following table, which material was being studied?

Material Melting point / °C Boiling point / °C

A. 375 560

B. 0 100

C. N/A −270

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D. 0 230
[1 mark]

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