Question 1

Suppose you put a closed, sealed can of air on a hot stove burner. The contained air will undergo an increase in

Accepted Answer

When a sealed can of air is heated on a stove, the internal energy of the air increases due to the heat transfer. This increase in internal energy raises the temperature of the air. As the temperature increases, the air molecules move more rapidly, colliding with the walls of the can more forcefully, which increases the pressure inside the can. Therefore, the air undergoes an increase in internal energy, temperature, and pressure.

Question 2

When a system does work and no heat is added to the system, its temperature

Accepted Answer

When a system does work and no heat is added, its internal energy decreases, leading to a decrease in temperature according to the first law of thermodynamics.

Question 3

A temperature difference of 10 degrees Celsius is also equal to a temperature difference of 10 on the

Accepted Answer

The Kelvin scale is directly proportional to the Celsius scale, meaning a change of 1 degree Celsius is equal to a change of 1 Kelvin. Therefore, a temperature difference of 10 degrees Celsius is also a difference of 10 Kelvin. The Fahrenheit scale, however, uses a different conversion formula and does not maintain a 1:1 ratio with Celsius for temperature differences.

Question 4

The fact that a thermometer "takes its own temperature" illustrates

Accepted Answer

A thermometer measures its own temperature by reaching thermal equilibrium with the object or environment whose temperature is being measured. This means the temperature of the thermometer adjusts until it matches the temperature of the object or environment, illustrating the concept of thermal equilibrium.

Question 5

When a bimetallic bar made of copper and iron strips is heated, the bar bends toward the iron strip. The reason for this is

Accepted Answer

Copper expands more than iron when heated, causing the bimetallic bar to bend toward the iron strip due to the differential expansion rates of the two metals.

Question 6

Entropy measures

Accepted Answer

Entropy is a measure of the disorder or randomness in a system, often referred to as the system's "messiness." It does not directly measure temperature under specific conditions like constant pressure or volume, nor does it measure temperature changes with pressure or volume.

Question 7

The moderate temperatures of islands throughout the world has much to do with water's

Accepted Answer

Water's high specific heat allows it to absorb and store large amounts of heat energy with only a small change in temperature, which moderates the climate of nearby islands.

Question 8

On a chilly 10-degree-C day, your friend who likes cold weather, wishes it were twice as cold (half as hot). Taken literally, this temperature would be

Accepted Answer

The answer of On a chilly 10-degree-C day, your friend...

Question 9

The earth's atmosphere gets most of its heat

Accepted Answer

The Earth's atmosphere is primarily heated by the surface of the Earth, which absorbs solar radiation and then radiates it as heat. This process warms the lower atmosphere, making the area near the surface the warmest part of the atmosphere.

Question 10

If glass expanded more than mercury, then the column of mercury in a mercury thermometer would rise when the temperature

Accepted Answer

If glass expanded more than mercury, a decrease in temperature would cause the glass to contract more than the mercury, making the mercury column rise.

Question 11

A substance that heats up relatively quickly has a

Accepted Answer

A substance that heats up quickly has a low specific heat because it requires less energy to increase its temperature.

Question 12

Which of the following normally warms up fastest when heat is applied?

Accepted Answer

Iron warms up faster than wood, glass, and water when heat is applied because it has a higher thermal conductivity, allowing heat to transfer through it more quickly.

Question 13

Consider a metal ring with a gap cut in it. When the ring is heated, the gap

Accepted Answer

When a metal ring is heated, it expands uniformly in all directions. This expansion includes the metal around the gap, causing the gap itself to become wider as the material on either side of it moves outward.

Question 14

Which of the following expands most when the temperature is lowered? Equal volumes of

Accepted Answer

Water at 4 degrees C expands when cooled down to 0 degrees C due to the anomalous expansion of water. This is a unique property of water where it expands upon freezing, unlike most substances that contract when cooled.

Question 15

Ice has a lower density than water because ice

Accepted Answer

Ice has a lower density than water because its solid form consists of open-structured, hexagonal crystals, which means the molecules are arranged in a way that takes up more space than in the liquid form, leading to a lower density.

Question 16

When water at 4 degrees C is heated it expands. When water at 4 degrees C is cooled, it

Accepted Answer

Water at 4 degrees C is at a unique point where it has its maximum density. When cooled below this temperature, it expands due to the formation of a crystalline structure as it approaches freezing.

Question 17

Can a sample of water possibly have the same volume after being warmed by several Celsius degrees?

Accepted Answer

When water is warmed, it expands slightly, increasing in volume. However, the degree of expansion and whether it's noticeable depends on the amount of warming and the initial temperature of the water. There are conditions under which the volume change might be negligible or not easily measurable, making it seem as if the volume remains the same.

Question 18

Compared to a giant iceberg, a hot cup of coffee has

Accepted Answer

The hot cup of coffee has a higher temperature due to its higher thermal energy per molecule, but a giant iceberg has vastly more internal energy overall because it contains a much larger number of molecules.

Question 19

Consider a closed, sealed can of air placed on a hot stove. The contained air undergoes an increase in

Accepted Answer

When a sealed can of air is heated, the temperature of the air inside increases due to the addition of heat. This increase in temperature causes the air molecules to move more rapidly and collide with the walls of the can more forcefully, leading to an increase in pressure. The mass of the air does not change because the can is sealed, preventing any air from entering or leaving.

Question 20

Place a kilogram block of iron at 40 degrees C into a kilogram of water at 20 degrees C and the final temperature of the two becomes

Accepted Answer

Iron has a lower specific heat capacity than water, meaning it will lose heat faster than water gains it. Therefore, the final temperature will be less than 30 degrees C.

Quiz 8: Temperature, Heat, and Thermodynamics