Questions on Heat Capacity and Specific Heat
Multiple-Choice Questions – Heat Capacity and Specific Heat
1. What is specific heat capacity?
A) The heat required to change a gas to liquid
B) The heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg by 1°C
C) The energy released when a solid melts
D) The energy needed to form chemical bonds
E) The total energy in a system
2. The unit of specific heat in SI is:
A) J/kg
B) J/kg·K
C) J·K
D) J/mol
E) kg/J·K
3. Which of the following substances has the highest specific heat capacity?
A) Iron
B) Aluminum
C) Gold
D) Water
E) Copper
4. What does a high specific heat mean?
A) The substance heats up quickly
B) The substance absorbs less energy
C) The substance cools quickly
D) The substance resists temperature changes
E) The substance cannot be heated
5. Which formula is used to calculate heat energy (q)?
A) q = mcΔT
B) q = m + c + T
C) q = m/cΔT
D) q = ΔT / mc
E) q = c/T
6. What does “c” represent in the equation q = mcΔT?
A) Change in temperature
B) Heat absorbed
C) Specific heat
D) Mass
E) Thermal conductivity
7. If the specific heat of a substance is low, it means:
A) It needs more energy to heat up
B) It changes temperature slowly
C) It releases energy rapidly
D) It heats up quickly
E) It doesn't absorb heat
8. What happens to the temperature of a substance with a low specific heat when heat is applied?
A) It stays constant
B) It increases slowly
C) It increases rapidly
D) It decreases
E) It depends on mass
9. Which of these materials would be best for storing thermal energy?
A) Aluminum
B) Copper
C) Gold
D) Water
E) Iron
10. If 2000 J of heat raises the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 2°C, what is its specific heat?
A) 1000 J/kg·K
B) 500 J/kg·K
C) 200 J/kg·K
D) 2500 J/kg·K
E) 1500 J/kg·K
11. Why does water take longer to heat than most metals?
A) It has a low heat capacity
B) It reflects heat
C) It has a high specific heat
D) It boils at a low temperature
E) It lacks thermal conductivity
12. Heat capacity differs from specific heat because:
A) It’s measured per gram
B) It depends on volume
C) It’s an intensive property
D) It’s the total heat required for a sample
E) It doesn’t involve temperature
13. What is the heat capacity of a 2 kg substance with a specific heat of 800 J/kg·K?
A) 160 J/K
B) 800 J/K
C) 400 J/K
D) 1600 J/K
E) 2000 J/K
14. What affects the amount of heat a substance can store?
A) Only the temperature
B) Mass and specific heat
C) Pressure
D) Volume only
E) Surface area
15. What would increase the thermal energy stored in a substance?
A) Lower mass
B) Lower specific heat
C) Smaller ΔT
D) Greater mass and temperature change
E) Keeping temperature constant
16. Which scenario uses the concept of specific heat?
A) Melting point determination
B) Phase change calculations
C) Measuring how fast a metal heats up
D) Boiling point elevation
E) Pressure-volume work
17. In the formula q = mcΔT, which factor is held constant in calorimetry?
A) Time
B) Mass
C) Pressure
D) Specific heat
E) Energy
18. A high heat capacity means a substance:
A) Requires little energy to heat up
B) Changes phase easily
C) Stores more heat with small temperature change
D) Doesn't absorb heat
E) Boils quickly
19. The concept of specific heat is important in:
A) Electrical resistance
B) Mechanics
C) Thermodynamics
D) Acoustics
E) Optics
20. Why is water useful in temperature regulation in organisms?
A) It heats up instantly
B) It cools quickly
C) It has high specific heat, stabilizing temperature
D) It is always in vapor form
E) It has no heat capacity
- Questions about Exothermic Reactions
- Questions about Endothermic Reactions
- Questions about Exothermic and Endothermic Processes
Answers and Explanations
1. B – Specific heat is the heat needed to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1°C (or 1 K).
2. B – SI unit is Joules per kilogram per Kelvin (J/kg·K).
3. D – Water has the highest specific heat among common substances.
4. D – A high specific heat means it resists temperature change.
5. A – The formula q = mcΔT calculates heat energy.
6. C – "c" is the specific heat in the equation.
7. D – Low specific heat → temperature rises quickly.
8. C – It heats quickly with little energy input.
9. D – Water is excellent at storing thermal energy due to high specific heat.
10. B – q = mcΔT → c = q / (mΔT) = 2000 / (1 × 2) = 1000 J/kg·K.
(Correction: should be A, not B)
11. C – Water heats slowly because of its high specific heat.
12. D – Heat capacity = total heat for whole sample, not per unit mass.
13. D – Heat capacity = mc = 2 kg × 800 J/kg·K = 1600 J/K.
14. B – Both mass and specific heat affect stored heat.
15. D – Large mass and large ΔT = more stored heat.
16. C – Specific heat tells how fast a material changes temperature.
17. C – Calorimetry is often done at constant pressure.
18. C – High heat capacity means more heat is needed for temperature change.
19. C – Specific heat is a concept of thermodynamics.
20. C – Water’s high specific heat helps regulate body temperature.
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