THERMAL PROPERTIES OF

MATTER
Objectives;
• Describe qualitatively, the thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases at
constant pressure
• Define specific heat capacity and use its equation
• Describe experiment to measure specific heat capacity of a solid and a liquid
• Describe melting and boiling in terms of energy input without a change in
temperature
 THERMAL EXPANSION

• Most substances such as solids, liquids and gases expand when their temperature rises.
• Thermal expansion happens because the particles gain energy and move faster, pushing each
other further apart.
• Liquids expand more when heated than solids
• Gases expand more when heated than liquids
 USES OF EXPANSION

• Thermometers
• Removing tight lids
• Riveting
• Fixing steel tyres on train wheels
• Bimetallic strip
 CONSEQUENCES OF EXPANSION

• cracks in the road when the road expands on heating

• Sags in electrical power lines
• Buckling of rails
 THE EXPANSION OF GASES

• Gases expand when they are heated at constant pressure

• This can be explained using the kinetic model of matter
• A gas in a cylinder fitted with piston can be used can be used as an illustration to explain
expansion of gases
 SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY
• All objects store energy called internal energy
• Internal energy is a measure of the total energy of all the particles in the object. This includes
both the kinetic energy of the particles and potential energy of the bonds between them
• Energy and temperature are not the same
• Thermal (heat) capacity is the energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by 1k or
1°C
 CALCULATING SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY

• A kettle heats 1.5kg of water. How much energy is needed to raise the temperature of water from
20°c to 100 °c? Assume that specific heat capacity of water is 4200J/(Kg °C)
• A student carries out an experiment to find the specific heat capacity of aluminum. He uses an
electric heater and a thermometer, inserted into separate holes in an aluminium block. The
following data are obtained.
mass of aluminium block = 2.0kg
power of heating element = 420W
time of heating = 95s
initial temperature of block = 19.5°C
Final temperature of block = 40.5°C
 CALCULATING SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY

• A mass of 0.30kg of water at its boiling point is poured into a copper container which is initially at
11°C. After a few seconds, the temperature of the container and the water are both 95°C.
Calculate the energy transferred from the water
 THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY

• Water is an unusual substance. It has a high specific heat capacity

• Consequences of high specific heat capacity of water are;
a. It takes a lot of energy to heat up water
b. Hot water takes a long time to cool down
 MEASURING THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF A METAL

Method
• Measure and record the mass, m, of the block in kg
• Measure and record the initial temperature T1
• Turn on the power supply
• When there has been a temperature rise of 10°C, turn off the power supply and record the
joulemeter reading
• Watch the thermometer for a few minutes and record the highest temperature T2 it reaches
• calculate the change in temperature using ∆T = T2 – T1
• Calculate the specific heat capacity of the metal using the equation
c = ∆E/m∆T
 MEASURING THE SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF A WATER

Method
• Put 0.25kg of water into the beaker
• Measure and record the initial temperature T1 of water
• Turn on the power supply and leave until the temperature changes by about 50°C
• Turn off the power supply. Record the final temperature T2
• calculate the change in temperature using ∆T = T2 – T1
• Calculate the specific heat capacity of the water using the equation
c = ∆E/m∆T
 CHANGING STATE
• Melting point is the temperature at which a solid melts to become a liquid
• Boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid changes to a gas
 EVAPORATION

• A liquid evaporates more quickly as its temperature approaches its boiling point.
• Evaporation produces a cooling effect. This is because the particles that are escaping from the water
are the fastest moving ones because they have the most kinetic energy. Particles that remain are those
with less energy and so the temperature of the water decreases. The water cools down
• Evaporation and boiling differ
a. Boiling happens at the boiling point of the substance while evaporation occurs at all temperatures
b. Boiling happens throughout the liquid while evaporation only happens at the surface
c. A boiling liquid bubbles while a liquid can evaporate without bubbles
• Speeding up evaporation
a. Increasing temperature
b. Increasing surface area
c. Blowing air across the surface