IGCSE Cambridge (CIE) Physics 2 hours 14 questions
Theory Questions
Thermal Properties &
Temperature
Thermal Expansion / Specific Heat Capacity / Investigating Specific Heat Capacity /
Melting & Boiling / Evaporation
Easy (5 questions) /37 Scan here to return to the course
or visit savemyexams.com
Medium (5 questions) /30
Hard (4 questions) /34
Total Marks /101
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Easy Questions
1 (a) Equal volumes of steel, oil and hydrogen are heated from 20 °C to 60 °C.
Their volumes increase by thermal expansion.
State which of these substances has the greatest increase in volume.
(1 mark)
(b) Fig. 7.1 shows a liquid-in-glass thermometer.
(i) State the temperature reading on the thermometer.
27 C
[1]
(ii) State the temperature range of the thermometer.
-10 to 110 [1]
(iii) State the values of the fixed points of the Celsius scale of temperature.
[1]
0 and 100
(3 marks)
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(c) The liquid-in-glass thermometer uses the thermal expansion of mercury.
State and explain one other application or consequence of thermal expansion in science
or engineering.
(3 marks)
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2 (a) Describe, in terms of the behaviour of the molecules, what happens when a liquid
evaporates.
water molecules escape from the surface
high energetic molecules escape
less energetic molecules left
temperature of the liquid will decrease
(4 marks)
(b) Extended
Fig. 4.1 shows wet clothes drying on a washing line in an outside area.
State two changes in the weather that help the wet clothes to dry more quickly.
wind rate increases
temperature increases
(2 marks)
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3 (a) Extended Tier Only
Liquids and gases are two states of matter.
In both boiling and evaporation, a liquid changes into a gas.
(i) State two ways in which boiling differs from evaporation.
boiling happen in exact temperature [2]
(ii) Before injecting a patient, a doctor wipes a small amount of a volatile liquid on to the
patient’s skin.
Explain, in terms of molecules, how this procedure cools the patient’s skin.
[4]
intermolecular forces break
high energetic molecules escape
less kinetic energy molecules left
(6 marks)
(b) Extended Tier Only
Gases can be compressed but liquids are incompressible.
Explain, in terms of molecules, why liquids are incompressible.
there is no space between molecules
(2 marks)
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4 (a) Explain, in terms of molecular behaviour, how thermal expansion takes place in a liquid.
(2 marks)
(b) Table 1.1 shows the relative expansion of solids and gases for equal volumes at equal
pressures for equal temperature rises, when compared to a liquid.
state of matter expansion compared to liquids
solid
gases
Table 1.1
Complete the table choosing words from the following list:
much less
slightly less
slightly more
much more
(2 marks)
(c) State one use of thermal expansion.
(1 mark)
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(d) Metal railway tracks, road surfaces and bridges can all suffer thermal expansion in high
temperatures.
State one way that engineers minimise this issue in their design of such structures.
building with gaps
(1 mark)
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5 (a) Extended
State what is meant by specific heat capacity.
heat required raise energy to 1C per kilogramm
(2 marks)
(b) Extended
A student uses the equipment shown in Fig. 1.1 to determine the specific heat capacity of
aluminium.
The student took the following readings:
mass of aluminium block = 0.796 kg
energy supplied = 18 792 J
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State the other readings that the student needs to take.
change in tempreture
(1 mark)
(c) Extended
Fig. 1.2 shows the reading before the heater was switched on. Fig. 1.3 shows the reading
at the end of the investigation.
Calculate the change in temperature.
21C
change in temperature = ....................................
(3 marks)
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(d) Extended
Use the information from parts (b) and (c) to calculate the specific heat capacity of
aluminium.
Give the correct units in your answer.
908 j/kgC
specific heat capacity = ....................................
(4 marks)
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Medium Questions
1 (a) Extended
State three factors that determine the rate of evaporation of water.
Humidity surounding air
evaporation ahappens surface area of liquid
temprature will decrease
(3 marks)
(b) Extended
A person climbs out of a swimming pool and stands in the open air.
Explain why evaporation of water from the surface of the person’s body causes the
person to feel cold.
less energetic molecules left
more energetic molecules escape
(2 marks)
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2 (a) The arrows on Fig. 5.1 represent changes of state.
melting evaporating
freezing
One of the arrows is labelled. Label each of the other arrows with the correct change of
state. Write the change of state on the dotted lines next to each arrow.
(3 marks)
(b) Extended
A beaker contains some liquid with a low boiling point. The beaker is placed onto a small
amount of water, as shown in Fig. 5.2.
The liquid in the beaker evaporates quickly. The water on the bench cools and turns to
ice.
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Explain why the water cools.
partickles with the highest energy will esacpe
(3 marks)
3 Extended
In a laboratory at normal room temperature, 200 g of water is poured into a beaker. A
thermometer placed in the water has a reading of 22 °C.
Small pieces of ice at 0 °C are added to the water one by one. The mixture is stirred after
each addition until the ice has melted. This process is continued until the temperature
recorded by the thermometer is 0 °C.
The total mass of ice added to the water is found to be 60 g.
The specific heat capacity of water is 4.2J/(g °C).
Calculate the energy transferred from the water's thermal energy store originally in the
beaker.
thermal energy = ...........................................................
(2 marks)
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4 (a) Extended
Fig. 5.1 shows a plastic cup. The cup contains sand, an electric heater and a
thermometer.
The power of the heater is 50 W. The mass of the sand in the cup is 550 g. The initial
temperature of the sand is 20 °C. The heater is switched on for 2.0 minutes.
The temperature is recorded until the temperature stops increasing. The highest
temperature recorded by the thermometer is 33 °C.
(i) Calculate the energy supplied by the heater.
energy = ......................................................... [2]
(ii) Calculate a value for the specific heat capacity of the sand, using your answer to (a)(i)
and the data in the question.
specific heat capacity = ......................................................... [3]
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(iii) Explain why the specific heat capacity of sand may be different from the value
calculated in (a)(ii).
[2]
(7 marks)
(b) Extended
On a sunny day, the temperature of the sand on a beach is much higher than the
temperature of the sea.
Explain why.
(2 marks)
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5 (a) Extended
Fig. 4.1 shows apparatus used by a student to measure the specific heat capacity of iron.
The student improves the accuracy of the experiment by placing material around the
block, as shown in Fig. 4.2.
(i) Suggest the name of a possible material the student could use and explain how it
improves the accuracy of the experiment.
[3]
(ii) State how the student could further improve the accuracy of the experiment by using
more of the material used in Fig. 4.2.
[1]
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(4 marks)
(b) Extended
The current in the heater is 3.8 A and the potential difference (p.d.) across it is 12 V. The
iron block has a mass of 2.0 kg. When the heater is switched on for 10 minutes, the
temperature of the block rises from 25 °C to 55 °C.
Calculate the specific heat capacity of iron.
specific heat capacity = ...........................................................
(4 marks)
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Hard Questions
1 (a) State and explain any effect on the sensitivity of a liquid-in-glass thermometer of
reducing the diameter of the capillary tube.
(2 marks)
(b) State and explain any effect on the sensitivity of a liquid-in-glass thermometer of
increasing the volume of the liquid-filled bulb.
(2 marks)
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2 (a) Extended
Gas of mass 0.23 g is trapped in a cylinder by a piston. The gas is at atmospheric
pressure which is 1.0 × 105 Pa. Fig. 4.1 shows the piston held in position by a catch.
The volume of the trapped gas is 1.9 × 10–4 m3.
An electrical heater is used to increase the temperature of the trapped gas by 550 °C.
The specific heat capacity of the gas is 0.72 J / (g °C).
(i) Calculate the energy required to increase the temperature of the trapped gas by 550
°C.
energy = ......................................................... [2]
(ii) The power of the heater is 2.4 W.
1. Calculate how long it takes for the heater to supply the energy calculated in (a)(i).
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time = ......................................................... [2]
2. In practice, it takes much longer to increase the temperature of the gas by 550 °C
using the heater.
Suggest one reason for this.
[1]
(5 marks)
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(b) Extended
When the temperature of the gas has increased by 550 °C, its pressure is 2.9 × 105 Pa.
The catch is then released allowing the piston to move. As the piston moves, the
temperature of the gas remains constant.
(i) State and explain what happens to the piston.
[2]
(ii) Determine the volume of the gas when the piston stops moving.
volume = ......................................................... [3]
(5 marks)
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3 (a) Extended Tier Only
A beaker contains some water at room temperature. A student places a mercury-in-glass
thermometer in the water with the bulb of the thermometer just beneath the surface of
the water.
Fig. 4.1 shows the arrangement.
The student uses an electric fan to blow air across the open top of the beaker. She
notices that the reading on the thermometer begins to decrease.
Explain, in terms of water molecules, why the temperature of the water at the surface
begins to decrease.
(3 marks)
(b) The student places the thermometer near the bottom of the beaker. The electric fan
continues to blow air across the top of the beaker. After some time, the student
observes that the temperature of the water at the bottom of the beaker is decreasing.
State the name of the thermal transfer method causing this and explain what is
happening in the water.
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(3 marks)
(c) The thermometer used in this experiment has a small range and a large sensitivity.
(i) State what is meant by:
1. range
[1]
2. sensitivity
[1]
(ii) State and explain the effect on the range of the thermometer of using a smaller bulb
that contains less mercury.
[1]
(3 marks)
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4 (a) Extended
A group of students were given the equipment shown in Fig. 1.1 and were asked to
identify an unknown clear liquid by its specific heat capacity.
The students were provided with the unknown substance, an electric water bath, and
were allowed to use water from the tap.
Suggest why the students were given an electric water bath rather than a Bunsen burner.
(1 mark)
(b) Extended
List the quantities that the students must measure to determine the specific heat
capacity of the unknown liquid.
(3 marks)
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(c) Extended
The students are given Table 1.2 to help with their investigation.
Substance Specific heat capacity (J/kg °C)
water 4190
ethanol 2460
salt water 3930
acetic acid 2180
glycerine 2430
Table 1.2
Suggest a method for measuring the energy transferred from the water bath to the
unknown substance.
(2 marks)
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(d) Extended
The student recorded the following measurements.
Initial temperature of unknown substance = 22°C
Final temperature of unknown substance = 34°C
Mass of unknown substance = 0.41 kg
Energy transferred = 11 070 J
(i) Identify the unknown substance.
[4]
(ii) Suggest a reason why the value calculated is different to the value given in the table.
[1]
(5 marks)
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