PHYS 201- Fall 202

Study Problem Set

On Temperature and Heat (Ch17)
Problem (I)
For each of the cases below, identify all modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection, or radiation)
that contribute to the cooling or heating, and describe each. Clearly state the object(s) involved in
each mode and the direction of heat transfer.

(a) A slice of bread is heated in a toaster.

(b) A kettle is filled with cold water and is heated on an electric stovetop until the water boils.
(c) A can of soda is placed in a refrigerator to cool.
(d) Cake batter is poured into a cake pan, which is placed into an oven to bake.

Answer:

(a) A slice of bread is heated in a toaster.

i. Heat transfers from heating element in the toaster to the air by convection and radiation.
ii. Heated air around the coil transfers heat to the toast by convection.
iii. Some of the heat from the toast may be lost through convection. if the air inside the toaster hasn’t
warmed up yet.
iv. Heat transfers from heating element to toast by convection.
v. In a pop-up type toaster, there is direct contact between the heat ing wire and the toast , so heat
travels by conduction from heating wire to the toast as well.
(b) A kettle is filled with cold water and is heated on an electric stovetop until the water boils.
i. Heat from the stove heating element travels to the bottom of the kettle by conduction (where
there is direct contact) and radiation (where there is no contact).
ii. Heat travels through the bottom surface of the kettle by conduction, and is transferred to the
water by convection.
iii. Water loses some heat to the side wall and top by convection, and the heat travels through the
kettle top and sides by conduction.
iv. There is convection all around the kettle – kettle loses heat to the air on the sides and top. It may
gain or lose heat on the bottom side.
(c) A can of soda is placed in a refrigerator to cool.
i. Heat from the soda travels to the can wall by convection.
ii. Heat travels through the can by conduction, and is transferred to the refrigerator air by
convection.
iii. Can loses heat through the bottom by conduction (where the can is touching the fridge rack).
(d) Cake batter is poured into a cake pan, which is placed into an oven to bake.
i. Heat travels from the heating element of the oven to air by convection.
ii. The heated air transfers heat to the cake pan and the top surface of the cake by convection.
iii. Heat travels through the cake pan by conduction.
iv. Cake batter gets heat from oven air (top surface) and hot pan (side and bottom) by conduction (if
you assume that the batter is not flowing – the cake is a solid) or convection (if you assume that
the batter is fluid).
v. The heat travels through cake by conduction or convection (depends on whether you assume the
cake to be solid or liquid).
vi. Some amount of heat is transferred from the oven heating element to the pan by radiation.

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Problem (II)

When the thermal conductivity of a medium varies linearly with temperature, is the average thermal
conductivity always equivalent to the conductivity value at the average temperature?
Answer:

Thus the average thermal conductivity is always the same as the thermal conductivity at
the average temperature if the thermal conductivity varies linearly with temperature

Problem (III)

A steel ball bearing is 4.00 cm in diameter at 20.0  C. A brass plate has a hole in it that is
3.994 cm in diameter at 20.0C. What common temperature must they have so that the ball
just squeezes through the hole? Thermal expansion coefficients of steel and brass are 1.2×10-
5 C-1 and 2 ×10-5 C-1 respectively.

𝐷𝑠 = 4 cm

𝐷𝑏 = 3.994
Answer: cm
In order for the steel ball to get squeezed into the brass plate hole, the hole's diameter has to be
increased slightly to reach the diameter of the ball at a certain time and this will occur through the
thermal expansion for the material of the plate.

The expansion happens for both the ball and the hole simultaneously, however the brass thermal
expansion coefficient is higher than the one for steel. So, we expect that the rate of expansion for
the brass will be much faster than the steel that at certain time they both will have equal diameters
that the steel ball can be squeezed into the brass plate.

Initially, the temperature of the steel and the brass was 20 0𝐶 . We heat them to temperature T,
where their diameters will become equal. Consider 𝐷𝑠 is the diameter of the steel ball , 𝐷20 𝑠 is its
initial diameter at temperature 20 0𝐶 , 𝐷𝑠 is the diameter of the brass plate and 𝐷20 𝑏 is its initial
diameter at temperature 20 0𝐶 . Since the expansion is considered happening in the diameter which
is 1-D expansion, so we are using the linear expansion coefficient to calculate the new diameters
for the steel and the brass at Temperature T as the following:

𝐷𝑠 = 𝐷20 𝑠 [1 + 𝛼𝑠 (𝑇 − 20)]

𝐷𝑏 = 𝐷20 𝑏 [1 + 𝛼𝑏 (𝑇 − 20)]

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Because the two diameters are now equal, thus we can get the temperature T as following:

4 × [1 + 1.2 × 10−5 (𝑇 − 20)] = 3.994 × [1 + 2 × 10−5 (𝑇 − 20)] ]

3.994 3.994×2× 10−5

1 + 1.2 × 10−5 (𝑇 − 20) = + (𝑇 − 20)
4 4

3.994 3.994×2× 10−5

1- = (𝑇 − 20)[ − 1.2 × 10−5 ]
4 4

1.5 × 10−3 = (𝑇 − 20)[1.997 − 1.2 ] × 10−5

(𝑇 − 20) = 188.2 0𝐶

𝑇 = 208.2 0𝐶

Another Solution:

With the same logic, we can think of T in another way. If we consider that we made cooling for
the two metals instead of heating towards T less than 20. Although the expansion coefficient of
the brass is higher than the steel, however the rate of shrinking of the diameter depends on the
initial diameter of material as well as it depends on the expansion coefficient. Since the brass ball
has higher diameter than the hole in the brass, then the amount of decrease of the diameter for
brass will be less than that for the steel ball. Now, by running the same calculations as we did
above after changing the temperature difference in the equation to be corresponding for the cooling
case such as:

4 × [1 + 1.2 × 10−5 (20 − 𝑇)] = 3.994 × [1 + 2 × 10−5 (20 − 𝑇)] ]

3.994 3.994×2× 10−5

1- = (20 − 𝑇)[ − 1.2 × 10−5 ]
4 4

20 − 𝑇 = 188.2 0𝐶

𝑇 = −168.2 0𝐶

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Problem (IV)

Estimate the percent change in density of iron when it is still a solid, but deep in the earth
where the temperature is 2000 C and it is under 5000 atm of pressure. Take into account
both thermal expansion and change due to increased outside pressure. Assume both the bulk
modulus and the volume coefficient of expansion do not vary with temperature and are the
same as at normal room temperature of 20 C. The bulk modulus for iron is about 90  109
N/m2 and the coefficient of volume expansion 35  10-6 C-1.

Answer
𝑚 𝑑𝜌 𝑚 𝑚1
𝜌= → =− =−
𝑉 𝑑𝑉 𝑉2 𝑉𝑉
𝑑𝜌 𝜌 𝑑𝜌 𝑑𝑉
=− → =−
𝑑𝑉 𝑉 𝜌 𝑉
Effect of Pressure
∆𝑃 ∆𝑉 ∆𝑃
𝐵=− → =−
∆𝑉⁄𝑉 𝑉 𝐵
∆𝑃 = 5000 − 1 = 4999 𝑎𝑡𝑚 = 4999 × 1.01 × 105 𝑃𝑎 = 5.049 × 108 𝑃𝑎
∆𝑉 5.049 × 108
=− = −5.6 × 10−3
𝑉 90 × 109
Effect of Temperature
∆𝑉 = 𝑉𝛽∆𝑇
∆𝑇 = 2000 − 20 = 1980 °𝐶
∆𝑉
= 𝛽∆𝑇 = 35 × 10−6 × 1980 = 6.93 × 10−2
𝑉
∆𝑉
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 6.93 × 10−2 − 5.6 × 10−3 = 6.37 × 10−2
𝑉
𝑑𝜌 ∆𝑉
=− = −6.37 × 10−2
𝜌 𝑉
𝑑𝜌
Or = −6.37%
𝜌

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Problem (V)

A study shows that pet lizard makes a weird groaning noise every couple of seconds. they
noticed that the number of groans per minute is very regular, but somehow increases as the
temperature increases. Further observations reveal that the number of groans per minute
actually has a linear relationship with temperature over the normal range of temperatures
in the lizard's natural environment. So it is more like the lizard acts like a living
thermometer. They measured that the number of groans per minute at 20.0°C is 30.0, and
the number of groans per minute at 55.0 °C is 35.2. If they measured that the number of
groans per minute in the lizard's usual aquarium is 31.5, what is the temperature in the
aquarium, in degrees Celsius?

Answer

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Problem (VI)

At very low temperature, the molar specific heat of many substances varies as the cube of
the absolute temperature:

T3
C=k
T03

Which is sometimes called Debye’s law. For rock salt, T0 = 281 K and k = 1940 J/mol. K.
Determine the heat needed to raise 3.5 mol of salt from 22.0 K to 55.0 K.

Answer

𝑑𝑄 = 𝑛𝐶𝑑𝑇
𝑇3
𝑑𝑄 = 𝑛𝑘 3 𝑑𝑇
𝑇𝑜
𝑛𝑘 𝑇2 3 𝑛𝑘 𝑇 4 𝑇2
𝑄 = 3 ∫ 𝑇 𝑑𝑇 = 3 |
𝑇𝑜 𝑇1 𝑇𝑜 4 𝑇
1
𝑛𝑘 4
𝑄= [𝑇 − 𝑇14 ]
4𝑇𝑜3 2
3.5 × 1940
𝑄= [554 − 224 ]
4 × 2813
𝑄 = 682.1 𝐽

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Problem (VII)

After baking a cake in the oven, you set the cake on a rack to cool. The cake is 8 cm high, and has a 20
cm diameter. I f the surface temperature of the cake is 90 °C on all sides and the air temperature in
the room is 22 °C, calculate the rate of heat loss from the cake to the air. You may also find the
following hints useful.
o The convection coefficient can be approximated as 15 W/ m² K on the top and the side
surfaces, and 5 W/m² K on the bottom surface.
o The emissivity of the cake surface is 0.4 on all sides.
o You may neglect the effects of heat loss due to conduction.

Answer:

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Problem (VIII)

A platinum resistance thermometer is a device that allows us to determine the temperature by

measuring the resistance of a piece of pure platinum wire. In the interval between the freezing point
of water and 700.0°C, the relationship between the resistance and the Celsius temperature TC is
accurately captured by the formula R = R0 (1 + A TC + B (TC)2 ) where A and B are constants determined
by measurements at the freezing point of water, the boiling point of water, and the melting point of
lead (327.46°C).
(a) If R equals 5.000 ohms at the freezing point of water, 6.973 ohms at the boiling point of
water, and 10.80 ohms at the melting point of lead, find R0, A, and B
(b) If the resistance is measured to be 8.300 ohms, what is the temperature?
(c) Plot R versus TC in the range from 0°C to 700.0°C.

Answer