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 say what it means for two systems to be in thermal contact, and use “heating” and “cooling” for energy moving into and out of a system. (Guide: “Systems in thermal contact”; Practice Q1)
- I can explain the difference between temperature, internal energy and heating. (Guide: “Systems in thermal contact”; Practice Q3)
- I can describe conduction, convection and radiation, and say which of them need matter. (Guide: “Three thermal processes”; Practice Q2)
- I can state that net energy moves spontaneously from the higher-temperature system to the lower-temperature one, whatever their internal energies. (Guide: “Why energy flows from hot to cold”; Practice Q3, Q7b)
- I can describe thermal equilibrium as no net energy transfer, while atoms keep colliding. (Guide: “Thermal equilibrium”, Worked example 3; Practice Q7d)
Calculation and skills
- I can check momentum and kinetic energy in a collision between two atoms, and find the energy transferred. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q5)
- I can use K_avg = (3/2)k_B T to compare the average energy of atoms in two systems. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q7)
- I can find the final temperature and the energy transferred when two samples of the same gas reach equilibrium. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q4, Q7c)
- I can sketch the speed distributions of a gas at two temperatures and at the final equilibrium temperature. (Guide: Figure 2; Practice Q6)
- I can sketch temperature against time for two systems approaching equilibrium. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q7e)
Reasoning
- I can explain, using collisions, why net energy flows from hot to cold even though single collisions can go either way. (Guide: Worked example 1b; Practice Q5d, Q6b)
- I can correct the claim that energy flows from the system with more internal energy. (Practice Q3, Q7b)
- I can explain why a vacuum gap allows only radiation. (Guide: “Three thermal processes”; Practice Q2)
All ticked? Move on to the Topic 9.4 study guide on the first law of thermodynamics, or return to the course roadmap.