Deck 4: Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why Is It Easier to Make an Omelet From an Egg Than to Make an Egg From an Omelet

Question 1

Efficiency is

A) the ratio of energy output to energy input.
B) the ratio of energy input to energy output.
C) the term used in describing heat energy.
D) a rating scale for combustion engines.
E) directly proportional to radiation.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In the summer, the shimmering of a hot road surface is caused by

A) radiation.
B) convection.
C) entropy.
D) waste heat.
E) conduction

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Radiation is heat transfer by

A) electromagnetic radiation.
B) kinetic energy of molecules.
C) stopping atomic motion.
D) conduction.
E) convection.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Insulation in the attic is used to reduce heat loss by

A) conduction.
B) convection.
C) radiation.
D) efficiency.
E) heat death.

Question 5

Where are the combustion products released in a car engine?

A) radiator
B) gasoline tank
C) atmosphere
D) piston
E) cylinder

Question 6

Which of these best defines maximum theoretical efficiency?

A) Efficiency (%) = [(T_hot -T_cold) /T_hot] x 100.
B) Efficiency compares the difference in temperature between two reservoirs with the temperature in the colder temperature reservoir.
C) Efficiency defines the amount of energy available to do work.
D) Efficiency (%) = [T_hot - T_cold] x 100.
E) Efficiency relates the final temperature to the initial temperature as a percent.

Question 7

The heat island effect in cities creates convection cells

A) by drawing in cool moist air from the suburbs.
B) from cool concrete, which conducts heat from the Earth.
C) which are usually too small to affect temperature.
D) which result in less rain falling in cities than in the surrounding areas.
E) which do not affect the weather in any way that can be measured.

Question 8

What do all thermometers have in common?

A) digital display mode
B) having some mercury inside
C) work only when upside down
D) measure temperature by radiation
E) materials inside expand when heated

Question 9

At which temperature does all atomic motion stop?

A) -273 °F
B) -460 °C
C) -273 °C
D) 460 °F
E) -273 K

Question 10

Which type of heat transfer occurs in a fluid?

A) convection
B) conduction
C) radiation
D) convection and conduction
E) conduction and radiation

Question 11

Which statement is true about both heat and temperature?

A) Heat and temperature are not synonymous to scientists.
B) A large quantity of boiling water and a small quantity of boiling water contain the same amount of heat energy.
C) The larger the temperature difference between two objects, the more slowly heat energy will be transferred from one to the other.
D) A large quantity of boiling water and a small quantity of boiling water cannot ever be at the same temperature.
E) Heat and temperature are basically the same thing, even in the world of science.

Question 12

Calculate the efficiency of a coal-fired generating plant if the high-temperature steam is 800 K and the low-temperature reservoir is 500 K.

A) 42.5%
B) 60.0%
C) 5.0%
D) 37.5%
E) 100.0%

Question 13

In which situation below does conduction take place?

A) burning wood by placing a log on the fire
B) when boiling water in a kettle
C) while getting a suntan
D) in the formation of hot and cold currents in an ocean
E) while having an X-ray made at a medical clinic

Question 14

Where within a pot of boiling water would you find the coolest water?

A) at the bottom
B) just above the bottom
C) in the center
D) at the top center
E) along the top sides

Question 15

The phrase "heat death of the universe" refers to

A) the burning of fuel in the Sun and all the stars.
B) the never-ending upward spiral of life.
C) everything in the universe eventually becoming the same temperature.
D) the greenhouse effect as it spreads out into space.
E) the waste heat that was present in the universe when it formed.

Question 16

At which of the following temperature of ice cream, is it best served?

A) 0° K
B) 10° F
C) 100° C
D) 32° C
E) 10° K

Question 17

Which statement best represents the second law of thermodynamics?

A) Heat will not flow spontaneously from a hot to a cold body.
B) Every isolated system becomes more disordered with time.
C) Scientists have constructed an engine that does nothing but convert heat to useful work.
D) The total amount of energy in the universe is constant.
E) Energy may change from one form to another over and over again.

Question 18

Which of these represents the coldest temperature?

A) 0°Celsius
B) 0 Kelvin
C) 0°Fahrenheit
D) freezing temperature of pure water
E) -100°Celsius

Question 19

In the language of physics, what is a high-temperature reservoir?

A) a place where exhaust gases are released
B) an explosion of hot gases
C) pistons in the open position.
D) a piston taking in air-fuel mixture.
E) air and gas at a stable equilibrium.

Question 20

Most biologists think that feathers were evolved to help birds

A) fly.
B) attract mates.
C) float in water.
D) hide from enemies.
E) retain heat.

Question 21

On a cold winter night, what would be the best source of radiant energy?

A) hot water bottle
B) baked potato
C) cup of coffee
D) down comforter
E) fire in fire place

Question 22

How are urban heat islands responsible for extra rain in the city?

Question 23

Explain why radiation is the only form of heat transfer energy that can travel through the emptiness of space.

Question 24

Why does a piece of metal at room temperature feel colder than a piece of wood at the same temperature?

Question 25

How does the human body maintain its temperature?

Question 26

Is the arrangement of chairs or desks within the classroom an ordered or disordered system? Explain your answer.

Question 27

How does a thermos bottle (a bottle that uses a partial vacuum layer for insulation) keep warm things warm and cold things cold?

Question 28

How is thermal conductivity important to the comfort of living in either an igloo or a brick house?

Question 29

How is the dimension of time different from the dimensions defining space?

Question 30

The melting and boiling temperatures of what pure substance are used as standards in the main scales of temperature?

A) mercury
B) copper
C) water
D) oil
E) ice cream

Question 31

Some creationists contend that the development of life through gradual evolution is inconsistent with the second law of thermodynamics. Explain how their reasoning is faulty.

Question 32

Contrast the high-temperature reservoir and the low-temperature reservoir in a combustion engine.

Question 33

Which would be the least effective insulation for your house?

A) a meter-thick layer of trapped air
B) a thin sheet of metal
C) thick bundles of straw or wool
D) a thin layer of wood
E) a single wall of cinder block

Question 34

Is all the energy in gasoline used to run the car? Explain your answer.

Question 35

Which of the following is most like an ordered system?

A) billiard balls after the "break"
B) location of fish in a river
C) the spacing of eggs in a full carton
D) cars in a multi-car collision
E) the diffusion of perfume molecules through a room

Question 36

Describe what happens at absolute zero.

Question 37

Which of these things is in the highest entropy state?

A) a crystal
B) an ice cube
C) an old body
D) boiling water
E) snow flake

Question 38

How did the study of heat in the nineteenth century lead to the discovery of the second law of thermodynamics?

Question 39

What is the primary difference between Newton's laws of motion and the second law of thermodynamics?

Question 40

In a convection heat transfer situation, why does the heated fluid (air, water, etc.) rise in the convection cell?

Question 41

Under what circumstances is a high-temperature area at 700 K considered to be low-temperature reservoir.

Question 42

What is the nature of molecular motion at absolute zero?

Question 43

Why is convection a more efficient way to transfer heat versus conduction?

Question 44

How can a freezer make ice if heat will not spontaneously flow from a cold body (freezer air) to a warm body (water in ice cube trays)?

Question 45

Why, after you get sunburned and you enter an air-conditioned building do you feel especially cold? Your answer should take into account the fact that blood vessels near the surface of your skin have dilated, allowing blood to move to the area of skin damage and begin repairs.

Question 46

What was the Greek engineer Rudolf Clausius' rational for naming entropy?

Question 47

What is the dominant form of energy transfer within the solid earth, within the oceans, and within the atmosphere?

Question 48

What two theories (based in the entropy concept of the second law of thermodynamics) explain in part the effects of human aging?

Question 49

Describe the effect of entropy on dissolving salt, sugar, or any similar substance in water.

Question 50

How many different ways are there to arrange 10 colored balls in a row?