Q1.

(a) Explain what is meant by specific latent heat of fusion.

(2)

(b) The diagram shows how the temperature of the water is maintained in a hot tub.

The hot tub system has a volume of 4.5 m3 and is filled with water at a temperature
of 28 °C

The heater transfers thermal energy to the water at a rate of 2.7 kW while a pump
circulates the water.

Assume that no heat is transferred to the surroundings.

Calculate the rise in water temperature that the heater could produce in 1.0 hour.

density of water = 1000 kg m–3

specific heat capacity of water = 4200 J kg–1 K–1

(3)

(c) The pump can circulate the water at different speeds.

When working at higher speeds the rise in temperature is greater.

Explain why.
Again assume that no heat is transferred to the surroundings.
(2)
(Total 7 marks)

Q2.
(a) Define the specific latent heat of vaporisation of water.
(2)

(b) An insulated copper can of mass 20 g contains 50 g of water both at a temperature

of 84 °C. A block of copper of mass 47 g at a temperature of 990 °C is lowered into
the water as shown in the figure below. As a result, the temperature of the can and
its contents reaches 100 °C and some of the water turns to steam.

Page 1 of 5
 specific heat capacity of copper = 390 J kg–1 K–1
specific heat capacity of water = 4200 J kg–1 K–1
specific latent heat of vaporisation of water = 2.3 × 106 J kg–1

Before placement After placement

(i) Calculate how much thermal energy is transferred from the copper block as it
cools to 100 °C.
Give your answer to an appropriate number of significant figures.
(2)

(ii) Calculate how much of this thermal energy is available to make steam.
Assume no heat is lost to the surroundings.
(2)

(iii) Calculate the maximum mass of steam that may be produced.

(1)
(Total 7 marks)

Page 2 of 5
Mark schemes

Q1.
(a) Specific latent heat of fusion is the energy (required) to change 1 kg / unit mass of
material from the solid state to the liquid state or melt/fuse ✔

Without a change of temperature or at the freezing/melting temperature/point ✔

The direction of energy transfer must be consistent with the
direction of the change of state (If energy to change… is
given then required or needed is implied)
2nd mark stands alone.
2

(b) (Dividing both sides of the equation ∆Q = m c ∆θ by ∆t gives ∆Q/∆t = m c ∆θ/∆t or

∆θ = (∆Q/∆t ) × ∆t/m c where m = ρV )

∆θ = 2700 × (60 × 60) / (4.5 × 1000 × 4200) ✔

Full substitution correct ✔

Temperature rise = ∆θ = 0.51 (K) ✔ (= 0.514 K)

Working must be seen as there is a self-cancelling error with
two 1000 factors.
So answer alone gains the 3rd mark only.
First mark can be gained if (60 × 60) is absent even if not re-
arranged.
The change of temperature may be written as a difference
between 28 °C and an unknown temperature (allow in kelvin
written either way round ie with incorrect sign)
1 sig fig is not acceptable.
Useful numbers:
4.5 × 1000 × 4200 = 1.89 × 107
2700/(4500×4200) = 1.4 × 10–4
Max 2 if:
Omits (60 × 60) giving 1.43 × 10–4 K
Omits 60 giving 8.57 × 10–3
3

(c) (When the pump is working at speed) the pump is doing work (on the water) ✔

Work (and heat both) can raise the temperature of a body (as stated in the 1st Law of
thermodynamics) (this may be expressed as work is converted to thermal energy)
OWTTE

OR

The pump increases the randomness / turbulence of the water/molecules

OR

The mean square speed/mean kinetic energy is proportional to the (absolute)

temperature ✔
(this may be given in the form on an equation) OWTTE
 (Lenient mark – a reference to random motion or more
collisions may gain this mark but a simple increase in kinetic
energy is not enough).
Do not penalise answers that go nowhere unless they
directly contradict a marked answer.
2
[7]

Q2.
(a) the energy required to change the state of a unit mass of water to steam / gas ✓
when at its boiling point temperature / 100°C / without a change in temperature) ✓
allow 1 kg in place of unit
allow liquid to vapour / gas without reference to water
don't allow ‘evaporation’ in first mark
2

(b) (i) thermal energy given by copper block ( = mcΔT)

= 0.047 × 390 × (990 – 100)
= 1.6 × 10 (J) ✓
4

2 sig figs ✓
can gain full marks without showing working
a negative answer is not given credit
sig fig mark stands alone
2

(ii) thermal energy gained by water and copper container

( = mcΔT + mcΔT )
water copper

= 0.050 × 4200 × (100 – 84) + 0.020 × 390 × (100 – 84)

or
= 3500 (J) ✓ (3485 J)
available heat energy ( = 1.6 × 10 – 3500) = 1.3 × 10 (J) ✓
4 4

allow both 12000 J and 13000 J

allow CE from (i)
working must be shown for a CE
take care in awarding full marks for the final answer –
missing out the copper container may result in the correct
answer but not be worth any marks because of a physics
error
(3485 is a mark in itself)
ignore sign of final answer in CE
(many CE’s should result in a negative answer)
2

(iii) (using Q = ml)

m = 1.3 × 10 / 2.3 × 10
4 6

= 0.0057 (kg) ✓
Allow 0.006 but not 0.0060 (kg)
allow CE from (ii)
answers between 0.0052 → 0.0057 kg resulting from use of
12000 and 13000 J
1
[7]
Examiner reports

Q1.
(a) Most students seemed to be completely aware of what was being asked but their
answers commonly fell short because of missing details. Less than half referred to
the absence of a change in temperature and many also missed stating which
change of state was occurring and that a unit mass was involved.

(b) A majority performed this calculation well and with a good degree of clarity (64.5%
of students scored all three marks). One error made by normally competent students
was to give the final temperature rather than the rise in temperature. The other and
more common fault was to quote an answer to only one significant figure. Only the
very weak students made faults in re-arranging the equations.

(c) It was a common misconception that the time it took for the water to pass the heater
had an effect on the average rise in temperature. This could have been a possibility
if the question had not said that heat was not lost to the surroundings. The other
error seen was for students to relate kinetic energy of the whole body of water to the
temperature. It is the mean kinetic energy of the random motion of molecules that is
related to temperature. In addition, very few students picked up on the idea that
work done, as well as heating, can raise the temperature. Nearly three-quarters of
students failed to score.

Q2.
A majority of candidates only scored one mark in part (a). These candidates either forgot
to indicate a unit mass or, as in a majority of cases, they omitted the phrase, 'without a
change in temperature', or equivalent. A few had problems in appreciating whether energy
was required or whether energy was given out. It was very noticeable that at the lower
ability end candidates have a poor vocabulary associated with this area of physics.
Phrases like, 'to change water to a gas without changing state', or 'condense water into
steam', and others showed a lack of distinction between boiling and evaporation.

The calculation of part (b)(i) did not hold many difficulties for the bulk of the candidates but
the significant figure issue did. In part (b)(ii) most candidates were relatively clear how to
tackle this question. It was in the detail that errors were made. The most significant was to
forget about the copper can, which also gained energy to reach the final temperature. Also
at the lower ability end there were many opportunities to make arithmetic errors.

The scores were much better for part (b)(iii) albeit from an error carried forward from part
(b)(ii) in many cases. So the use of the latent heat equation is not difficult to grasp for a
majority of candidates. The main error was from rounding off incorrectly or making errors
in powers of 10 when converting to SI units.