Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain what the sign of q means: positive when a system absorbs heat, negative when it releases heat. (Guide: “From direction to amount”)
- I can define specific heat capacity, molar heat capacity and the heat capacity of an object, with their units. (Guide: “Molar heat capacity and the heat capacity of an object”)
- I can explain why equal masses of different substances change temperature by different amounts when they gain the same energy. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q2)
- I can state the first law of thermodynamics and use it to say that energy lost = energy gained in an insulated calorimeter. (Guide: “Calorimetry: energy lost = energy gained”)
- I can name the three main ways a system changes its energy. (Guide: “From direction to amount”)
Calculation
- I can calculate q with q = mcΔT, writing ΔT as final minus initial. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q1)
- I can convert a specific heat capacity into a molar heat capacity. (Practice Q3)
- I can find an unknown specific heat capacity or a final temperature from calorimetry data. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q5)
- I can find the heat capacity of a calorimeter from a mixing experiment. (Practice Q6)
- I can give an answer to a precision that matches the temperature change. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q6(c))
Reasoning
- I can use a temperature rise or fall in a dissolution calorimeter to decide whether dissolving is exothermic or endothermic, and give q for the process the correct sign. (Guide: Worked example 3; Practice Q4, Q7(a))
- I can calculate the energy per mole of solute dissolved, and explain why it stays the same when the mass changes but ΔT does not. (Practice Q7(c)–(d))
- I can state the assumptions behind a calorimetry calculation. (Guide: “The usual assumptions”; Practice Q6(d))
All ticked? Move on to Topic 6.5, Energy of Phase Changes, or return to the course roadmap.