Internal energy and energy transfers
खेलकर सीखें
इन सवालों के जवाब देकर एनर्जी कमाएं, फिर मछली पकड़ें और घूमें। कोई अकाउंट नहीं चाहिए।
लेसन नोट्स
Internal Energy
- Internal energy is the total energy stored inside a system by the particles that make up the system due to their motion and positions.
- The molecules within a substance have energy in their kinetic store (due to their random motion / vibration) and potential store (due to their position relative to each other).
- Together, these stores form the total energy that makes up the internal energy of the system.
- Heating a system increases its internal energy.
- The temperature of the material is related to the average kinetic energy of the molecules.
- The higher the temperature, the higher the kinetic energy of the molecules, and vice versa.
- The increase in internal energy from heating can cause the temperature of the system to increase, or produce a change of state (solid to liquid or liquid to gas).
Internal energy of particles in a liquid

Specific Heat Capacity
- Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C.
- The energy needed to raise the temperature of a given mass by a given amount can be calculated using: ΔE = mcΔθ.
- In this equation: ΔE = change in energy (J), m = mass (kg), c = specific heat capacity (J/kg °C), Δθ = change in temperature (°C).
- If a substance has a low specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down quickly because it takes less energy to change its temperature.
- If a substance has a high specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down slowly because it takes more energy to change its temperature.
- Specific heat capacity is mainly used for liquids and solids.
- The specific heat capacity of different substances determines how useful they would be for a specific purpose, e.g. choosing the best material for kitchen appliances.
- Good electrical conductors, such as copper and lead, are excellent conductors of heat due to their low specific heat capacity.
- Water has a very high specific heat capacity, making it ideal for heating homes as the water remains hot in a radiator for a long time.
Diagram of apparatus for investigating specific heat capacity

Latent Heat
- The energy needed for a substance to change state is called latent heat.
- When a change of state occurs, the energy transferred to or away from a substance changes the internal energy of the substance but not its temperature.
- Whilst the substance is changing state (e.g. from liquid to gas), the temperature of the substance remains constant, despite the fact that energy is still being transferred to the substance.
- This is because the energy is being used to overcome intermolecular forces of attraction between the molecules instead of increasing the kinetic energy of the molecules (and hence the temperature).
- Molecules in a solid are tightly bound together, whereas, in a liquid, they are free to flow over one another.
- To change the state from solid to a liquid, the molecules need to gain enough energy to overcome intermolecular forces of attraction holding them in their rigid solid structure.
- Molecules in a liquid are less tightly bound together, whereas, in a gas, they are free to move completely apart from one another.
- To change the state from a liquid to a gas, the molecules need to gain enough energy to overcome the intermolecular forces of attraction holding them close together in their liquid structure.
Specific Latent Heat
- Specific latent heat is defined as the amount of energy required to change the state of 1 kg of a substance with no change in temperature.
- There are two types of specific latent heat: specific latent heat of fusion (solid to liquid, or liquid to solid) and specific latent heat of vaporisation (liquid to gas, or gas to liquid).
- Latent heat is represented by the symbol L with units joules per kilogram (J/kg).
- The amount of energy E required to melt or vaporise a mass m with latent heat L is: E = mL.
- In this equation: E = thermal energy required for a change in state (J), m = mass (kg), L = specific latent heat (J/kg).
- The specific latent heat of fusion is the energy required to convert 1 kg of a substance between a solid and a liquid state with no change in temperature.
- The specific latent heat of vaporisation is the energy required to convert 1 kg between a liquid and a gaseous state with no change in temperature.
- For water: specific latent heat of fusion = 330 kJ/kg; specific latent heat of vaporisation = 2.26 MJ/kg.
- Evaporating 1 kg of water requires roughly seven times more energy than melting the same amount of ice to form water.
Heating & Cooling Graphs
- Heating and cooling graphs summarise how the temperature of a substance changes when energy is transferred to or away from it, and where changes of state occur.
- Heating is when energy is transferred to the system, increasing the internal energy of the molecules.
- Cooling is when energy is transferred away from the system (or dissipated to the surroundings), decreasing the internal energy of the molecules.
- On a heating curve, the sections where the temperature is constant (plateaus) represent a change of state.
- During a plateau, energy is still being transferred, but it is used to overcome intermolecular forces of attraction rather than increasing kinetic energy.
- For heating: solid → melting → liquid → boiling → gas.
- For cooling: gas → condensing → liquid → freezing → solid.
- The temperature remains constant during melting and boiling, despite energy being transferred to the substance.
Specific Heat Capacity vs Specific Latent Heat
- Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain amount; the substance remains in the same state.
- Specific latent heat is the amount of heat energy needed to cause a change of state; the substance changes state but stays at the same temperature.
- Example of specific heat capacity: a liquid heated from 5 °C to 20 °C.
- Example of specific latent heat: a liquid evaporating into a gas.
- Do not confuse the two: specific heat capacity involves a temperature change, specific latent heat involves a change of state with no temperature change.
स्लाइड्स
Sign up free to view the lesson slides
Step through every slide for this topic — plus flashcards and revision notes — with a free account.
प्रैक्टिस सवाल
फ्री प्रीव्यू — 63 में से 8 सवाल। सभी देखने के लिए साइन अप करें।
1.Which of the following best defines the internal energy of a system?
Easy- AThe total kinetic and potential energy of all the particles in the system
- BThe average kinetic energy of the particles in the system
- CThe energy transferred to the system by heating
- DThe energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the system by 1 °C
2.The temperature of a substance is related to the average kinetic energy of its particles.
EasyTrue or false?
3.Which of the following is the correct unit for specific heat capacity?
Easy- AJ/kg
- BJ/kg °C
- CJ/°C
- DJ
4.Which of the following is the correct unit for specific latent heat?
Easy- AJ/kg °C
- BJ
- CJ/kg
- DJ/°C
5.Which of the following statements about a heating curve are correct? (Select all that apply)
Medium- AThe plateaus on the curve represent changes of state.
- BDuring a plateau, the temperature remains constant.
- CThe temperature always increases steadily as energy is added.
- DThe sloped sections represent an increase in kinetic energy of the particles.
- EDuring a plateau, no energy is being transferred to the substance.
6.Which of the following is the correct definition of specific latent heat of fusion?
Medium- AThe energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C
- BThe energy required to change 1 kg of a substance from solid to liquid with no change in temperature
- CThe energy required to change 1 kg of a substance from liquid to gas with no change in temperature
- DThe energy required to change the state of a substance without changing its temperature
7.During a change of state, the temperature of a substance remains constant even though energy is being transferred to it.
EasyTrue or false?
8.Match each term with its correct definition.
Medium- Internal energy
- Specific heat capacity
- Specific latent heat of vaporisation
- The energy required to change 1 kg of a substance from liquid to gas with no change in temperature
- The total energy stored by the particles in a system due to their motion and positions
- The energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C
Unlock all 63 questions, flashcards & more
इस टॉपिक के हर सवाल, स्लाइड्स, फ्लैशकार्ड और रिवीज़न नोट्स देखने के लिए फ्री अकाउंट बनाएं।