Chapter 19: Heat and the First Law of Thermodynamics

Conceptual Module 19.1 (two parts)

ConcepTest 19.1a: Thermal Contact I
Difficulty Level: 2

The temperature change ΔT of each object as the combined system approaches thermal equilibrium will
depend upon the mass m of the objects and their specific heats c. Since they are composed of the same
material, only the masses matter in this case, and the less massive object will have the greater
temperature change (based on ΔQ = m c ΔT).

ConcepTest 19.1a Thermal Contact I

Two objects are made of
the same material, but have 1) the one with the higher initial temperature
different masses and
2) the one with the lower initial temperature
temperatures. If the
objects are brought into 3) the one with the greater mass
thermal contact, which 4) the one with the smaller mass
one will have the greater
temperature change? 5) the one with the higher specific heat

Because the objects are made of the same material, the only difference
between them is their mass. Clearly, the object with less mass will
change temperature more easily because not much material is there
(compared to the more massive object).

ConcepTest 19.1b: Thermal Contact II

Difficulty Level: 1

As seen from the relationship ΔQ = m c ΔT, the temperature change depends on the mass and specific
heat of an object, but it does not depend upon the initial temperature. The same amount of heat added to
an object at 20°C or 80°C will still result in the same temperature change.

ConcepTest 19.1b Thermal Contact II

Two different objects
receive the same amount
of heat. Which of the 1) they have different initial temperatures
following choices is NOT 2) they have different masses
a reason why the objects
3) they have different specific heats
may have different
temperature changes?

Because Q = m c ΔT and the objects received the same amount

of heat, the only other factors are the masses and the specific
heats. Although the initial temperature is certainly relevant for
finding the final temperature, it does not have any effect on the
temperature change ΔT.

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Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics, 4th Edition: Instructor Notes on ConcepTest Questions

Conceptual Module 19.2

ConcepTest 19.2: Two Liquids
Difficulty Level: 2

Based on the equal times of heating, students must infer that the same amount of heat was added to each
liquid. Since the liquids have the same mass, the only variable in the problem is the specific heat. We
can think of specific heat as a “thermal inertia”⎯the liquid with the higher specific heat will have a
harder time changing temperature and will therefore have a lower ΔT.

ConcepTest 19.2 Two Liquids

Two equal-mass liquids, initially at the
same temperature, are heated for the same 1) the cooler one
time over the same stove. You measure 2) the hotter one
the temperatures and find that one liquid
3) both the same
has a higher temperature than the other.
Which liquid has a higher specific heat?

Both liquids had the same increase in internal energy,

because the same heat was added. But the cooler liquid
had a lower temperature change.

Because Q = mcΔT, if Q and m are both the same and ΔT is

smaller, then c (specific heat) must be bigger.

Conceptual Module 19.3 (two parts)

ConcepTest 19.3a: Night on the Field
Difficulty Level: 2

This again refers to specific heat and the fact that it is a type of “thermal inertia.” The material with the
lower specific heat (less “thermal inertia”) will cool more rapidly; in this case, the soil.

ConcepTest 19.3a Night on the Field

The specific heat of concrete is
greater than that of soil. A baseball
field (with real soil) and the 1) the concrete parking lot
surrounding parking lot are warmed 2) the baseball field
up during a sunny day. Which would 3) both cool off equally fast
you expect to cool off faster in the
evening when the sun goes down?

The baseball field, with the lower specific heat, will change
temperature more readily, so it will cool off faster. The high specific
heat of concrete allows it to “retain heat” better and so it will not cool
off so quickly—it has a higher “thermal inertia.”

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 Chapter 19: Heat and the First Law of Thermodynamics
ConcepTest 19.3b: Night on the Beach
Difficulty Level: 4
This follow-up question introduces the concept of convection. The notion of specific heat dictates
which material gets hotter during the day or cooler at night. The flow of air then must be considered
(keeping in mind that hot air rises) in order to deduce the direction of the convection currents during the
day or the night.

ConcepTest 19.3b Night on the Beach

Water has a higher specific 1) from the ocean to the beach
heat than sand. Therefore, 2) from the beach to the ocean
on the beach at night,
3) either way, makes no difference
breezes would blow:
z Daytime
Í sun heats both the beach and the water csand < cwater
» beach heats up faster
» warmer air above beach rises
» cooler air from ocean moves in underneath
» breeze blows ocean → land
z Nighttime
Í sun has gone to sleep
» beach cools down faster
» warmer air is now above the ocean
» cooler air from beach moves out to the ocean
» breeze blows land → ocean

Conceptual Module 19.4

ConcepTest 19.4: Calorimetry
Difficulty Level: 3
Calorimetry is based on the concept of energy conservation (heat loss = heat gain). In this case, with the
two materials being the same, the temperature change of each will depend entirely upon the masses.
Since equal masses would result in an equilibrium temperature right in the middle (50°C), students must
realize that the larger mass will have the smaller ΔT, so the final temperature must be closer to (but not
equal to) the initial temperature of the larger mass.

ConcepTest 19.4 Calorimetry

1) 0°C
1 kg of water at 100°C is poured into a 2) 20°C
bucket that contains 4 kg of water at 3) 50°C
0°C. Find the equilibrium temperature 4) 80°C
(neglect the influence of the bucket). 5) 100°C

Because the cold water mass is greater,

greater it will Q1 = Q2
have a smaller temperature change!
change
m1cΔT1 = m2cΔT2
The masses of cold/hot have a ratio of 4:1, so
the temperature change must have a ratio of ΔT1 / ΔT2 = m2 / m1
1:4 (cold/hot).

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Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics, 4th Edition: Instructor Notes on ConcepTest Questions

Conceptual Module 19.5

ConcepTest 19.5: More Calorimetry
Difficulty Level: 3
In this case, it is not the materials that are the same, but rather, the masses. So the ΔT will depend on the
different specific heats. The water has the higher specific heat, which means that it is more difficult to
change its temperature. Therefore the final temperature will be closer to that of the water.

ConcepTest 19.5 More Calorimetry

1) 0°C
A 1 kg block of silver (c =
234 J/kg °C ) is heated to 100°C, then 2) between 0°C and 50°C
dunked in a tub of 1 kg of water 3) 50°C
(c = 4186 J/kg °C ) at 0°C. What is the 4) between 50°C and 100°C
final equilibrium temperature?
5) 100°C

Because cwater >> csilver it takes more heat to

Q1 = Q2
change the temperature of the water than it
does to change the temperature of the silver.
silver mc1ΔT1 = mc2ΔT2
In other words, it is much “harder”
harder” to heat the ΔT1 / ΔT2 = c2 / c1
water!! Thus, the final temperature has to be
closer to the initial temperature of the water.

Conceptual Module 19.6

ConcepTest 19.6: Adding Heat
Difficulty Level: 1
Suggested follow-up conceptual question:
• Does that depend on the substance?
This may be regarded as a “trick” question, but it is certainly representative of an important physical
process. The notion of a phase change is specifically related to changing the “binding” of a substance
and not changing the kinetic energy (related to temperature) of its constituent particles. This is a crucial
distinction for students to make in order to understand fully what a phase change is.

ConcepTest 19.6 Adding Heat

If you add some heat to a substance,

is it possible for the temperature of 1) yes
the substance to remain unchanged? 2) no

Yes, it is indeed possible for the temperature to stay the same. This is
precisely what occurs during a phase change—the added heat goes
into changing the state of the substance (from solid to liquid or from
liquid to gas) and does not go into changing the temperature! Once
the phase change has been accomplished, then the temperature of the
substance will rise with more added heat.

Follow-
Follow-up: Does that depend on the substance?

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 Chapter 19: Heat and the First Law of Thermodynamics

Conceptual Module 19.7

ConcepTest 19.7: Hot Potato
Difficulty Level: 2
Suggested follow-up conceptual question:
• How can you cook the potatoes faster?
This question (again) relates to phase changes. When the water is boiling, a phase change is taking
place, so the temperature of the water is not increasing as heat is added. Adding more heat will only
make the phase change occur more rapidly (i.e., faster boiling), but will still not alter the temperature of
the water as long as the phase change is taking place. Thus, the potatoes will not cook faster.

ConcepTest 19.7 Hot Potato

Will potatoes cook faster if the 1) yes

water is boiling faster? 2) no

The water boils at 100°C and remains at that temperature until all
of the water has been changed into steam. Only then will the
steam increase in temperature. Because the water stays at the
same temperature, regardless of how fast it is boiling, the
potatoes will not cook any faster.

Follow-
Follow-up: How can you cook the potatoes faster?

Conceptual Module 19.8

ConcepTest 19.8: Water and Ice
Difficulty Level: 3
Suggested follow-up conceptual question:
• How much more water at 50°C would you need?
Both temperature changes and phase changes must be taken into account here. The heat released by the
50°C water as it cools down to 0°C goes into melting the ice (which does not completely melt).

ConcepTest 19.8 Water and Ice

You put 1 kg of ice at 0°C 1) 0°C
together with 1 kg of water at
2) between 0°C and 50°C
50°C. What is the final
3) 50°C
temperature?
ÍLF = 80 cal/g 4) greater than 50°C
Ícwater = 1 cal/g °C

How much heat is needed to melt the ice?

Q = mLf = (1000 g) × (80 cal/g) = 80,000 cal

How much heat can the water deliver by cooling from 50°°C to 0°°C?
Q = cwater m ΔT = (1 cal/g °C) × (1000 g) × (50°C) = 50,000 cal

Thus, there is not enough heat available to melt all the ice!!

Follow-up: How much more water at 50°C would you need?

Follow-

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Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics, 4th Edition: Instructor Notes on ConcepTest Questions

Conceptual Module 19.9

ConcepTest 19.9: Ice and Steam
Difficulty Level: 4
Suggested follow-up conceptual question:
• How much more ice would you need?

This follow-up question is similar to the previous one in the sense that temperature changes and phase
changes need to be considered. In this case, due to the very high value of the heat of vaporization of
water (540 cal/g), there is actually more than enough steam to melt not only all of the ice, but also to
raise the temperature of the melted ice (0°C water) up to 100°C, and still have steam to spare!

ConcepTest 19.9 Ice and Steam

You put 1 kg of ice at 0°C
together with 1 kg of steam at
100°C. What is the final
temperature?
ÍLF = 80 cal/g, Lv = 540 cal/g
Ícwater = 1 cal/g °C
1) between 0°C and 50°C
2) 50°C
3) between 50°C and 100°C
4) 100°C
5) greater than 100°C

How much heat is needed to melt the ice?

Q = mLf = (1000 g) × (80 cal/g) = 80,000 cal

How much heat is needed to raise the water temperature to 100°°C?

Q = cwater m ΔT = (1 cal/g °C) × (1000 g) × (100°
(100°C) = 100,000 cal

But if all of the steam turns into water, that would release 540,000 cal.
cal
Thus, some steam is left over, and the whole mixture stays at 100°°C.
Follow-
Follow-up: How much more ice would you need?

Conceptual Module 19.10

ConcepTest 19.10: You’re in Hot Water!
Difficulty Level: 2
At first glance, the fact that both the water and the steam are at the same temperature suggests that they
will both burn equally. However, the key point here is that when the steam condenses into water, it
releases the heat of vaporization, which is a very large quantity of heat. So, bearing that in mind, the
steam is therefore much more likely to cause severe burns than the hot water.

ConcepTest 19.10 You’

You’re in Hot Water!

1) water
Which will cause more severe burns
2) steam
to your skin: 100°C water or 100°C
steam? 3) both the same
4) it depends...

Although the water is indeed hot, it releases only 1 cal/g of heat

as it cools. The steam, however, first has to undergo a phase
change into water and that process releases 540 cal/g,
cal/g which is a
very large amount of heat. That immense release of heat is what
makes steam burns so dangerous.

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 Chapter 19: Heat and the First Law of Thermodynamics

Conceptual Module 19.11

ConcepTest 19.11: Spring Break
Difficulty Level: 2

Evaporation is essentially a cooling process, which is why we sweat. In order to vaporize the water on
your skin, the heat of vaporization must be absorbed from your body, which is why you tend to cool off.
This evaporation is much more likely to take place in a dry climate (like Phoenix), where the air is not
already saturated with moisture. So you will tend to feel cooler in the drier environment, where a more
effective evaporation process can take place.

ConcepTest 19.11 Spring Break

You step out of a swimming
1) equally cool in both places
pool on a hot day, where the
2) Philadelphia
air temperature is 90°F. Where
will you feel cooler, in Phoenix 3) Phoenix
(dry) or in Philadelphia
(humid)?

In Phoenix, where the air is dry, more of the water will

evaporate from your skin. This is a phase change,
where the water must absorb the heat of vaporization,
which it takes from your skin. That is why you feel cool
as the water evaporates.

Conceptual Module 19.12

ConcepTest 19.12: Free Expansion
Difficulty Level: 2

This question examines the First Law of Thermodynamics. In this case, with no work done and no heat
added, the total energy of the system must remain constant (this is essentially a restatement of
conservation of energy). Thus, if the energy of the system does not change, the temperature will not
change.

ConcepTest 19.12 Free Expansion

A free expansion occurs when a 1) increase
valve is opened allowing a gas 2) decrease
to expand into a bigger
container. In such an expansion 3) stay the same
the temperature of the gas will:

In such a process:
W = 0 there is no object to move,
Q = 0 there is no heat exchange, therefore
ΔU = 0 by the First Law of Thermodynamics.
Thus, there is no change in the temperature.
Free expansion is an irreversible process—the gas molecules have
virtually no chance of returning to the original state.
Free expansion is neither adiabatic nor isothermal
expansion, even though ΔT and Q are zero.

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Physics for Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics, 4th Edition: Instructor Notes on ConcepTest Questions

Conceptual Module 19.13

ConcepTest 19.13: Work
Difficulty Level: 2

This question is designed to familiarize students with a P-V diagram. The area under the P-V curve
represents the work done by a gas. Since the top curve (expansion at high pressure) corresponds to
positive work and the lower curve (compression at low pressure) corresponds to negative work, it is
clear that the net work is positive.

ConcepTest 19.13 Work

1) positive
In the closed thermodynamic
cycle shown in the P-V diagram, 2) zero
the work done by the gas is: 3) negative

The gas expands at a higher pressure

and compresses at a lower pressure.
In general, clockwise = positive work; P
counterclockwise = negative work.

Conceptual Module 19.14

ConcepTest 19.14: Heat Conduction
Difficulty Level: 2

The higher the thermal conductivity of a surface, the faster it can draw (conduct) heat away from your
body. The metal surface will always feel cooler (compared to bare concrete or a rug); this is a direct
result of its higher thermal conductivity.

ConcepTest 19.14 Heat Conduction

Given your experience of

1) a rug
what feels colder when you
2) a steel surface
walk on it, which of the
surfaces would have the 3) a concrete floor

highest thermal conductivity? 4) has nothing to do with

thermal conductivity

The heat flow rate is k A (T1 − T2)/l. All things being

equal, bigger k leads to bigger heat loss.
From the book: Steel = 40, Concrete = 0.84,
Human tissue = 0.2, Wool = 0.04, in units of J/(s.m.C°).

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 Chapter 19: Heat and the First Law of Thermodynamics

Conceptual Module 19.15

ConcepTest 19.15: Radiation
Difficulty Level: 3

This is a direct application of the Stefan-Boltzmann Law. According to that relationship, the radiated
energy depends on T 4, so if the temperature drops by a factor of 2, the energy will correspondingly drop
by a factor of 19.

ConcepTest 19.15 Radiation

If the Sun’s surface
1) increase by factor of 16
temperature falls to half the
2) increase by factor of 4
current surface temperature,
3) it will remain the same
by what factor will the
4) decrease by factor of 4
radiant energy reaching the
Earth change? 5) decrease by factor of 16

Radiation energy is proportional to T4. So if temperature

is halved, radiation energy will decrease by a factor of 16.