thermal save my exams Flashcards
what is meant by the internal energy of a substance
- the sum of the randomly distributed kinetic and potential energies of the particles in a body
what is meant by randomly distributed?
- they all have different speeds and seperations
what is the internal energy of a system determined by?
- temperature
- random motion of molecules
- phase of matter
- intermolecular interactions between the particles
how can the internal energy of a system be increased ?
- doing work on it
- adding thermal energy to it
how can the internal energy of a system be decreased?
- losing thermal energy to its surroundings
- system doing work on its surroundings
what is the first law of thermodynamics?
- the internal energy of a system is increased when thermal energy is transferred to it or when work is done on it
what happens when a gas expands?
- volume increases
- work is done BY the gas ON the surroundings
- this decreases internal energy
what happens when a gas is compressed?
- volume decreases
- work is done ON the gas BY the surroundings
- this increases internal energy
what happens when a piston moves down?
assume insulated
- space occupied by the gas molecules is compressed
- work is transferred to the systems internal energy
- increasing internal energy of the gas
what happens when a piston moves up?
- space occupied by the gas molecules expands
- work is transferred from the systems internal energy
- decreases internal energy of the gas
what is specific heat capacity of a substance?
- the amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1K/1*C without changing its state
what are two deductions we can make from specific heat capacity?
- the heavier the material the more energy required to raise its temperature
- the larger change in temperature, the higher thermal energy required
how can thermal energy be calculated?
^Q = mc^T
^Q = change in thermal energy ( J )
m = mass of the substance you are heating
c = specific heat capscity of the substance
^T = change in temperature
what is latent heat capacity?
- the thermal energy required to change the state of 1kg of a substance without changing its temperature
what is the specific latent heat of fusion?
- the thermal energy required to convert 1kg of a solid to liquid with no change in temperature