2021 A/L Physics Past Paper · Question 42 (English Medium)
Water boiled off by a hot copper vessel
An open copper vessel of mass is at a temperature of . Water of mass at is quickly poured into the vessel. What is the mass of water converted into vapour? Assume that there is no loss of heat to the surroundings. (Take specific heat capacity of copper ; specific heat capacity of water ; specific latent heat of vapourization of water )
Answer and explanation
Answer: (4)
Given information
We know:
Copper vessel: , , starting at .
Water: , , starting at .
Latent heat of vapourization: . No heat is lost to the surroundings.
What each letter means:
and (): mass of the copper vessel and mass of the water.
and (): specific heat capacity, the heat needed to warm by .
(): temperature.
(): specific latent heat of vapourization, the heat that turns of water at its boiling point into vapour.
, and (): heat. is the heat the copper gives out. is the heat that warms the water to .
(): mass of water that turns into vapour.
What the question asks
We want: the mass of water that turns into vapour.
The plan: some water boils, so everything ends at . Find the heat the copper gives out, take away the heat that warms the water to , and use what is left to boil water.
Relevant theory
The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by 1 unit of temperature (1 °C or 1 K) defined as the specific heat capacity of that substance.
If the heat loss to the environment is negligible Heat removed from the hot object = Heat acquired by the cold object
Specific latent heat of vapourization of a liquid is defined as the heat required to change the state of a unit mass of a liquid to its vapour without change of temperature (at its boiling point).
Required equations
Applying it to this question
For example, Amma sprinkles a few drops of water on a hot dosa pan to see if it is ready.
The hot pan gives its heat to the drops, and the pan cools a little.
First that heat warms the drops up to .
Then the heat that is left turns some drops into steam. You hear a hiss and see a puff of steam.
A little heat left over makes only a little steam. The other drops stay on the pan as hot water.
In words:
, so .
Reasoning and calculation
The copper gives . Warming the water takes .
The last turns of water into vapour. The answer is (4).
Checks
Does it make sense?
The copper has more heat to give () than the water needs to reach (). So some water must boil.
Only of the boils. So water is left, and is the right final temperature.
Conclusion
Heat left .
. The answer is (4).
When a hot body boils some water, the final temperature is the boiling point, .
Warm the water to first. Only the heat left after that boils water.
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