(a) A student uses the apparatus in Figure 3 to determine the specific heat capacity of water. (i) State the measurements needed to calculate the specific heat capacity of water. (ii) State two ways that the apparatus could be adapted to improve the procedure. (b) The student decides to measure the temperature of the water every minute while it is being heated. Figure 4 shows a graph of the student’s results. Predict the temperature of the water if the heating continues up to 8 minutes. (c) Another student decides to melt some ice. The student melts 380g of ice at 0 °C. The specific latent heat of fusion of ice is 3.34 × 10^5 J/kg. Calculate the thermal energy needed to melt the ice. Select an equation from the list of equations at the end of this paper.

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(a) A student uses the apparatus in Figure 3 to determine the specific heat capacity of water - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 2 - 2018 - Paper 1

Question 2

(a) A student uses the apparatus in Figure 3 to determine the specific heat capacity of water. (i) State the measurements needed to calculate the specific heat capa... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:(a) A student uses the apparatus in Figure 3 to determine the specific heat capacity of water - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 2 - 2018 - Paper 1

Step 1

State the measurements needed to calculate the specific heat capacity of water.

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Answer

To calculate the specific heat capacity of water, the following measurements are needed:

The mass of water in the cup.
The initial and final temperatures of the water, indicating the temperature change.
The total energy supplied to the water measured using the joulemeter.

Step 2

State two ways that the apparatus could be adapted to improve the procedure.

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Answer

Add a lid or cover to reduce heat loss to the environment.
Use insulation around the outside of the polystyrene cup to minimize heat loss.

Step 3

Predict the temperature of the water if the heating continues up to 8 minutes.

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Answer

Based on the trend of the graph, if the heating continues for another minute, the temperature of the water can be predicted to be around 100 °C.

Step 4

Calculate the thermal energy needed to melt the ice.

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Answer

To calculate the thermal energy needed to melt the ice, we apply the formula:

$Q = m imes L_f$
Where,

$Q$ is the thermal energy,
$m$ is the mass of the ice (0.38 kg),
$L_f$ is the latent heat of fusion (3.34 × 10^5 J/kg).

So,

$Q = 0.38 imes 3.34 imes 10^5 = 127,000 ext{ J}$
Thus, the thermal energy needed to melt the ice is approximately 127 kJ.

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Questions answered

(a) A student uses the apparatus in Figure 3 to determine the specific heat capacity of water - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 2 - 2018 - Paper 1

Worked Solution & Example Answer:(a) A student uses the apparatus in Figure 3 to determine the specific heat capacity of water - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 2 - 2018 - Paper 1

State the measurements needed to calculate the specific heat capacity of water.

State two ways that the apparatus could be adapted to improve the procedure.

Predict the temperature of the water if the heating continues up to 8 minutes.

Calculate the thermal energy needed to melt the ice.

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