MASS AND INERTIA

Mass
Mass is defined as the amount of matter.
The SI unit of mass is kilogram (kg)
Mass is a scalar quantity.

Larger Mass - Greater Inertia

Inertia
Inertia is the property of a body that tends to
maintain its state of motion.
Newton's First Law
In the absence of external forces, an object at rest
remains at rest and an object in motion continues in
motion with a constant velocity (that is, with a
constant speed in a straight line).

Momentum
Momentum is defined as the product of mass and
velocity.
Momentum is a vector quantity. It has both
magnitude and direction.
The SI unit of momentum is kgms-1
Formula:

Jerking a Card
Example:
A student releases a ball with mass of 2 kg from a
height of 5 m from the ground. What would be the
momentum of the ball just before it hits the ground?

When the cardboard is jerked quickly, the coin will

fall into the glass.

Bucket filled with sand is more difficult to be moved.

It's also more difficult to be stopped from swinging.

It's given that the mass, m = 2kg.

Explanation:
The inertia of the coin resists the change of its
initial state, which is stationary.
As a result, the coin does not move with the
cardboard and falls into the glass because of
gravity.

Explanation:
Object with more mass offers a greater resistance to change from
its state of motion.
Object with larger mass has larger inertia to resist the attempt to
change the state of motion.

Pulling a Book

Empty Cart is Easier to be Moved

The velocity is not given directly. However, we can

determine the velocity, v, by using the linear
equation of uniform acceleration.
This is a free falling motion,
The initial velocity, u = 0
The acceleration, a = gravirational acceleration, g =
10ms-2
The dispacement, s = high = 50m.
The final velocity = ?
From the equation
p = mv =(2)(10) = 20 kgms-1
v2 = u2 + 2as
v2 = (0)2 + 2(10)(5)
v = 10ms-1
The momentum,

When the book is pulled out, the books on top will

fall downwards.
Explanation:
Inertia tries to oppose the change to the stationary
situation, that is, when the book is pulled out, the
books on top do not follow suit.

Pulling a Thread

Answer:
In order to find the momentum, we need to know
the mass and the velocity of the ball right before it
hits the ground.

An empty cart is easier to be moved compare with a cart full with

load. This is because a cart with larger mass has larger inertia to
resist the attempt to change the state of Higher Load is More
Difficult to be Controlled motion.
Car with

Principle of Conservation of Momentum

The principle of conservation of momentum states
that in a system make out of objects that react
(collide or explode), the total momentum is
constant if no external force is acted upon the
system.
Sum of Momentum Before Reaction
= Sum of Momentum After Reaction
Formula

1. Pull slowly - Thread A will snap.

Explanation:
Tension of thread A is higher than string B.
Tension at A = Weight of the load + Pulling Force
2. Yank quickly - Thread B will snap.
Explanation:
The inertia of the load prevents the force from being
transmitted to thread A, hence causing thread B to
snap.

Passengers in a Vehicle
Phenomenon 1
When a car stop, passengers in the car will be
thrown forward.
Explanation
When a car stops, the effect of inertia causing the
passengers' body maintain their motion forward. As
a result, the passengers are thrown forward.
Phenomenon 2
When a car accelerates, passengers in the car will
be thrown backward.
Explanation
When a car accelerates and moves faster, the body
of the passenger tends to maintain its state of
motion due to the effect of inertia. As a result, the
passenger is thrown backward as he moves slower
than the car.

A car loaded with more passengers is more difficult to be

controlled.
Explanation:
This is because, with more passenger, the mass increases, and
hence increase the effect of inertia. This make the car more
difficult to change its speed, more difficult to stop, and more
difficult to change direction

Example - Both Object are in the Same

Direction before Collision
A Car A of mass 600 kg moving at 40 ms-1 collides
with a car B of mass 800 kg moving at 20 ms -1 in
the same direction. If car B moves forwards at 30
ms-1 by the impact, what is the velocity, v, of the
car A immediately after the crash?
Answer:
m1 = 600kg
m2 = 800kg
u1 = 40 ms-1
u2 = 20 ms-1
v1 = ?
v2 = 30 ms-1
According to the principle of conservation of
momentum,
m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2
(600)(40) + (800)(20) = (600)v 1 + (800)(30)
40000 = 600v1 + 24000
600v1 = 16000
v1 = 26.67 ms-1
Example - Both Object are in opposite
direction Before Collision
A 0.50kg ball traveling at 6.0 ms-1 collides head-on
with a 1.0 kg ball moving in the opposite direction
at a speed of 12.0 ms-1. The 0.50kg ball moves
backward at 14.0 ms-1 after the collision. Find the
velocity of the second ball after collision.
Answer:
m1 = 0.5 kg
m2 = 1.0 kg
u1 = 6.0 ms-1
u2 = -12.0 ms-1
v1 = -14.0 ms-1
v2 = ?
(IMPORTANT: velocity is negative when the object
move in opposite direction)
According to the principle of conservation of

momentum,

force that is acting?

m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2

(0.5)(6) + (1.0)(-12) = (0.5)(-14) + (1.0)v 2
-9 = - 7 + 1v2
v2 = -2 ms-1
Explosion

Answer:
We know that we can find the magnitude of a force
by using the formula F = ma. The mass m is already
given in the question, but the acceleration is not
give directly.

Before explosion both

object stick together
and at rest.

After collision, both

object move at
opposite direction.

We can determine the acceleration from the formula

a=vuta=2505=5ms2
From the formula
F = ma = (50)(5) = 250N

Total Momentum
before collision Is zero

Total Momentum after

collision :
m1v1 + m2v2

From the law of conservation of

momentum:
Total Momentum Before collision = Total
Momentum after collision
0 = m1v1 + m2v2
m1v1 = - m2v2
(-ve sign means opposite direction)

Example:
A man fires a rifle which has mass of 2.5 kg. If the
mass of the bullet is 10 g and it reaches a velocity
of 250 m/s after shooting, what is the recoil velocity
of the pistol?
Answer:
This is a typical question of explosion.
m1 = 2.5 kg
m2 = 0.01 kg
u1 = 0 ms-1
u2 = 0 ms-1
v1 = ?
v2 = 250 ms-1
By using the equation of conservation of
momentum principle
0 = m1v1 + m2v2
0 = (2.5)v1 + (0.01)(250)
(2.5)v1 = -2.5v1 = -1 ms-1
Elastic and inelastic collision
Elastic Collision
Elastic collision is the collision where the kinetic
energy is conserved after the collision.
Total Kinetic Energy before Collision
= Total Kinetic Energy after Collision
Additional notes:
In an elastic collision, the 2 objects separated right
after the collision, and
the momentum is conserved after the collision.
Total energy is conserved after the collision.
Inelastic Collision
Inelastic collision is the collision where the kinetic
energy is not conserved after the collision.

Application of momentum
Rocket
Mixture of hydrogen and oxygen fuels burn in the
combustion chamber.
Hot gases are expelled through the exhausts at very
high speed .
The high-speed hot gas produce a high momentum
backwards.
By conservation of momentum, an equal and
opposite momentum is produced and acted on the
rocket, pushing the rocket upwards.
Jet Engine
Air is taken in from the front and is compressed by
the compressor.
Fuel is injected and burnt with the compressed air in
the combustion chamber.
The hot gas is forced through the engine to turn the
turbine blade, which turns the compressor.
High-speed hot gases are ejected from the back
with high momentum.
This produces an equal and opposite momentum to
push the jet plane forward.

Effect of Force
A force is push or pull exerted on an object.
Force is a vector quantity that has magnitude and
direction.
The unit of force is Newton ( or kgms-2).
Unbalanced Force/ Resultant Force
When the forces acting on an object are not
balanced, there must be a net force acting on it.
The net force is known as the unbalanced force or
the resultant force.
When a force acts on an object, the effect can
change the
size,
shape,
stationary state,
speed and
direction of the object.

The force acting on the box is 250N.

Impulsive Force
Impulsive force is defined as the rate of change of
momentum in a reaction. Mathematically, we write
F=mvmut
It is a force which acts on an object for a very short
interval during a collision or explosion.
Example:
A car of mass 1000kg is traveling with a velocity of
25 m/s. The car hits a street lamp and is stopped
in0.05 seconds. What is the impulsive force acting
on the car during the crash?
Answer:
m = 1000kg
u = 24 m/s
v=0
t = 0.05s
F=mvmutF=(1000)(0)(1000)(24)0.05F=480,000N
Effects of impulse vs Force
A force determines the acceleration (rate of velocity
change) of an object. A greater force produces a
higher acceleration.
An impulse determines the velocity change of an
object. A greater impulse yield a higher velocity
change.
Examples Involving Impulsive Force
Playing football
Playing badminton
Playing tennis
Playing golf
Playing baseball
Long Jump

Newton's Second Law

The rate of change of momentum of a body is
directly proportional to the resultant force acting on
the body and is in the same direction.
Implication:
When there is resultant force acting on an object,
the object will accelerate (moving faster, moving
slower or change direction).

The long jump pit is filled with sand to increase the

reaction time when atlete land on it.
This is to reduce the impulsive force acts on the leg
of the atlete because impulsive force is inversely
proportional to the reaction time.
High Jump

Formula of Force

Additional notes:
In a perfectly elastic collision, the 2 objects attach
together after the collision, and
the momentum is also conserved after the collision.
Total energy is conserved after the collision.
Example - Perfectly Inelastic Collision:
A lorry of mass 8000kg is moving with a velocity of
30 ms-1. The lorry is then accidentally collides with
a car of mass 1500kg moving in the same direction
with a velocity of 20 ms-1. After the collision, both
the vehicles attach together and move with a speed
of velocity v. Find the value of v.
Answer:
(IMPORTANT: When 2 object attach together, they
move with same speed.)
m1 = 8000kg
m2 = 1500kg
u1 = 30 ms-1
u2 = 20 ms-1
v1 = v
v2 = v
According to the principle of conservation of
momentum,
m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2
(8,000)(30) + (1,500)(20) = (8,000)v+ (1,500)v
270,000 = 9500v
v = 28.42 ms-1

From Newton's Second Law, we can derived the

equation
(IMPORTANT: F Must be the net force)
Summary of Newton's 1st Law and 2nd Law
Newton's First Law:
When there is no net force acting on an object, the
object is either stationary or move with constant
speed in a straight line.
Newton's Second Law:
When there is a net force acting on an object, the
object will accelerate.
Example:
A box of mass 150kg is placed on a horizontal floor
with a smooth surface; find the acceleration of the
box when a 300N force is acting on the box
horizontally.
Answer:
F = ma
(300) = (150)a
a = 2 ms-2

Example:
A object of mass 50kg is placed on a horizontal floor
with a smooth surface. If the velocity of the object
changes from stationary to 25.0 m/s in 5 seconds
when is acted by a force, find the magnitude of the

During a high jump, a high jumper will land on a

thick, soft mattress after the jump.
This is to increase the reaction time and hence
reduces the impulsive force acting on the high
jumper.
Jumping
A jumper bends his/her leg during landing. This is to
increase the reaction time and hence reduce the
impact of impulsive force acting on the leg of the
jumper.

If the 2 atoms are brought closer, the repulsive

force will dominate, produces a net repulsive force
between the atoms.
If the 2 atoms are brought furhter, the attractive
force will dominate, produces a net attractive force
between the atoms.
Graph of Forces Between 2 atoms

Ways to Reduce Impulsive Forces

The Design of a car
1. A car is mainly designed for the safety of the
driver.
2. The front and the rear parts of the car are made
of soft metal so that the car is easily crumpled
during an accident.
a) During collision, the time taken for the change in
speed (from a high speed to zero) is prolonged.
Since the impulsive force
= Distance / Time , the force will decrease when the
time increase.
b) This will decrease the impulsive force on the
passengers and the driver.
3. The seats of the passengers are strengthened to
protect the passengers.
4. Safety belts:
a) Passengers have to fasten the safety belts. When
the car stops suddenly, the inertia of the
passengers will result in the passengers being flung
to the front and hitting the windscreen of the car.
b) Hence, safety belts will slow down the motion of
the passengers.
5. Airbags are built in some cars. When an accident
happens, the airbags will be filled with air. This will
prolong the time of action and reduce the impulsive
force on the passenger.

x0 = Equilibrium Distance

Arrangement in
series:

Arrangement in
parallel:

Extension = x
number of spring
Stiffness decreases
Spring constant =
k/number of spring

Extension = x
number of spring
Stiffness increases
Spring constant = k
number of spring

When the particles are compressed, x < x0, the

attractive force between the particles increases.
If the distance x exceeds the elastic limit, the
attractive force will decreases.

Hooke's Law
Hooke's Law states that if a spring is not stretched
beyond its elastic limit, the force that acts on it is
directly proportional to the extension of the spring.

Factors Affecting the Stiffness of Spring

Elastic Limit
The elastic limit of a spring is defined as the
maximum force that can be applied to a spring such
that the spring will be able to be restored to its
original length when the force is removed.
Equation derived from Hooke's Law
From Hook's Law, we can derived that

Stiffer

Less stiff

Material type of
spring
(A steel spring
is stiffer than a
copper spring)

Ways to utilize impulsive force

Material arts player break a few pieces of bricks
- A martial arts player ia able to break a pile of
bricks with ease.
- This is because the hand of the player moves very
fast and stops when it hits the top brick.
- Hence, the time of contact of the hand with the
brick is short and this will increase the impulsive
force on the bricks.
- The bricks are easily broken because of the big
impulsive force.

Spring Constant

The pestle and mortar

- The pestle and mortar are made of hard materials.
- During pounding or grinding, the pestle moves
very fast. The mortar stops the motion of the pestle
in a short time.
- A strong impulsive force is produced and the food
can be broken into pieces easily.

It is a measure of the stiffness of a spring or elastic

object.

Diameter of
wire of spring
(The greater
the diameter of
the wire, the
stiffer the
spring)

Spring constant is defined as the ratio of the force

applied on a spring to the extension of the spring.

Graph of Streching Force - Extension

The pile and the pile driver

- A pile driver is made of hard steel alloy.
- The pile driver is released very fast hit the hard
pile.
- The time taken to hit the pile is short because both
surfaces are hard.
- Hence, a big impulsive force is produced on the
pile and it will be driven into the ground to support
the foundation of the structure of a tall building.

Diameter of the
spring
(The smaller
the diameter of
spring, the
stiffer the
spring)

Length of the
string
(Shorter spring
is stiffer)

Gradient = Spring constant

Elasticity

Area below the graph = Work done

Elasticity is the ability of a sub-stance to recover its

original shape and size after distortion.
Forces Between Atoms

F-x graph and spring constant

Work
Work done by a constant force is given by the
product of the force and the distance moved in the
direction of the force.
The unit of Nm(Newton metre) or J(Joule).
Work is a scalar quantity.
Formula

The higher the gradient, the greater the spring

constant and the harder (stiffer) spring.
The intermolecular
forces consist of an attractive force and a repulsive
force.
At the equilibrium distance d, the attractive force
equal to the repulsive force.

For example, the stiffness of spring A is greater than

spring B.

SPRING

When the direction of force and motion are same,

= 0o, therefore cos = 1

Work done,
W=Fs

Example:

Note

Example:

Displaced volume of fluid = volume of the object

that immerse in the fluid.
If weight of the object > upthrust, the object will
sink into the fluid.
If weight of the object = upthrust, the object is in
balance and therefore float on the surface of the
fluid.

A force of 50 N acts on the block at the angle shown

in the diagram. The block moves a horizontal
distance of 3.0 m. Calculate the work being done by
the force.
Answer
Work done,
W = F s cos
W = 50 3.0 cos30o = 129.9J
Example:

Diagram above shows a 10N force is pulling a

metal. The friction between the block and the floor
is 5N. If the distance travelled by the metal block is
2m, find
the work done by the pulling force
the work done by the frictional force

If the weight of the object > upthrust, the object will

sink into the fluid.

Forces Acted on Objects Immersed in Liquid

The graph above shows the force acting on a trolley

of 5 kg mass over a distance of 10 m. Find the work
done by the force to move the trolley.

In order to solve the problem related to object

immerse in water, it's important to know the all
forces acted on the object.
Case 1:

Answer:
In a Force-Displacement graph, work done is equal
to the area below the graph. Therefore, work done
W=12(10)(8)=40Nm=40J

Relationship between energy and work done

During a conversing of energy,

Answer:
(a) The force is in the same direction of the motion.
Work done by the pulling force,
W = F s = (10)(2) = 20J
(b) The force is not in the same direction of motion,
work done by the frictional force
W = F s cos180o= (5)(2)(-1) = -10J

Amount of Work Done = Amount of Energy

Converted
Example:
A trolley of 5 kg mass moving against friction of 5 N.
Its velocity at A is 4ms-1 and it stops at B after 4
seconds. What is the work done to overcome the
friction?

Work Done by/Against the Gravity

Work Done Against the Force of Gravity

Answer:
In this case, kinetic energy is converted into heat
energy due to the friction. The work done to
overcome the friction is equal to the amount of
kinetic energy converted into heat energy, hence
WorkDone=KineticEnergyLoss=12mv2112mv22=12(5)

The density of the object is lower than the density

of the liquid. The object floats on the surface of the
water.
The forces acting on the object is
the weight of the object(W)
the upthrust (F)
Forces are in equilibrium, hence
F=W
Case 2:

(4)212(5)(0)2=40J

Example:
Ranjit runs up a staircase of 35 steps. Each steps is
15cm in height. Given that Ranjit's mass is 45kg,
find the work done by Ranjit to reach the top of the
staircase.
Answer:
In this case, Ranjit does work to overcome the
gravity.
Ranjit's mass = 45kg
Vertical height of the motion, h = 35 0.15
Gravitational field strength, g = 10 ms-2
Work done, W = ?
W = mgh = (45)(10)(35 0.15) = 2362.5J

Archimedes Principle
Archimedes Principle states that when a body is
wholly or partially immersed in a fluid it experiences
an upthrust equal to the weight of the fluid
displaced.
Upthrust/Buoyant force is an upward force exerted
by a fluid on an object immersed in it.
Mathematically, we write
F=Vg
F = Upthrust/Buoyant Force
= Density of the liquid
V = Volume of the displaced liquid
g = Gravitational field strength

The density of the object is greater than the density

of the liquid. The object sink to the bottom of the
water.
Lying on the bottom of the water, there is a normal
reaction acted on the object.
The forces acting on the object is
the weight of the object(W)
the upthrust (F)
Normal reaction (R)
Forces are in equilibrium, hence
F+R=W
Case 3:

Finding Work from Force-Displacement Graph

The density of the object is greater than the density

of the liquid. The object is hold by a string so that it
does not sink deeper into the water.
The forces acting on the object is
the weight of the object(W)
the upthrust (F)
Tension of the string (T)
Forces are in equilibrium, hence
F+T=W
Principle of Floatation

Case 4:

The principle of floatation states that when an

object floats in a liquid the buoyant force/upthrust
that acts on the object is equal to the weight of the
object.
As shown in the figure above, if the weight of the
object (W) = upthrust (F), the object is in balance
and therefore float on the surface of the fluid.

The density of the object is lower than the density

of the liquid. The object is hold by a string so that it
does not move up to the surface of the water.
The forces acting on the object is
the weight of the object(W)
the upthrust (F)
Tension of the string (T)
Forces are in equilibrium, hence

In a Force-Displacement graph, work done is equal

to the area in between the graph and the horizontal
axis.

F=W+T
Application of achemidals principle
Plimsoll Line

The Plimsoll line is an imaginary line marking the

level at which a ship or boat floats in the water.
It indicates how much load is allowed at different
types of water.
Airship

To lower down the centre of gravity of the

hydrometer. The hydrometer will topple if the centre
gravity of the hydrometer is above the surface of
the liquid.
Thermal Equilibrium
Two objects are in thermal contact when heat
energy can be transferred between them.
Two objects are in thermal equilibrium when
there is no net flow of heat between two objects
that are in thermal equilibrium.
Two objects in thermal equilibrium have the same
temperature.
Example:
Figure below shows 2 blocks in thermal contact with
each other. Initially, the temperature of the 2 blocks
are different, and there is a net flow of thermal
energy from higher temperature to lower
temperature.
After some time, thermal equilibrium achieved,
where the temperature of the 2 blocks become the
same, and there is no net flow of thermal energy
between the 2 blocks.
Before

Air ship is filled with helium gas.

Helium gas has density lower than the surrounding
air, hence an upthrust which higher than the weight
of the airship can be produced and cause the
airship float in the air.
Hot Air Balloon

Initially, the temperature of block A is higher than

block B.
The rate of thermal energy transfer is higher from
block A to the block B (1000J/s).
There is also thermal energy transfer from the block
B to block A, but with lower rate (only at 200J/s).
Therefore, there is a net heat flow of thermal energy
from the block A to block B.
As a result, the temperature of block A decreases
whereas the temperature of B increases.
Hot air in the balloon has lower density than the
surrounding air.
As a result, when the buoyant force produced is
higher than the weight of the balloon, the balloon
will start rising up.
The altitude of the balloon can be controlled by
varying the temperature of the air in the balloon.

Hydrometers

Hydrometer is used to measure relative density of

liquids.
How deep the hydrometer sink into the liquid is
affected by the density of the liquid.
The lower the density of the liquid, the deeper the
hydrometer will sink.
This is used as the indicator of relative density of a
liquid.
Submarine

A submarine use ballask tank to control its

movement up and down.
To get submerge, water is pumped into the ballast
tank to increase the weight of the submarine.
To surface, the water is pumped out to reduce the
weight of the submarine.
Q&A
Q: The diagram shows a picture of a hydrometer.
What is the function of the lead shot at the bottom
of the hydrometer?
A:

After

The SI unit of heat capacity is joules per Kelvin (J/K).

The heat capacity of an object depends on the type
of the material the object is made and also the
mass of the object. An object with larger mass has
higher heat capacity.
An object with higher heat capacity need more heat
supplied to change 1 unit of the temperature.
Specific Heat Capacity
Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of
heat required to change the temperature of 1 kg of
a substance by 1C.
Specific heat capacity is a physical quantity used to
compare the heat capacity of a given material of
the same mass.
It is the measure of how much energy can be store
in 1 kg of mass of a substance.
Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of
heat required to change the temperature of 1 kg of
a substance by 1C.
Mathematically,
c=Qm
[Q = heat, c = specific heat capacity, m = mass,
= change of temperature]
The SI unit of specific heat capacity is J/kg/C.
For example, the specific heat capacity of water is
4200 J/kg/C means 4200J of heat energy is needed
to change the temperature of 1kg water by 1C.
The amount of heat transferred in an object when
temperature change can be calculated by using the
following equation.

Thermal energy gain and loss

When 2 objects/substances are in thermal contact,
there will be a net flow of thermal energy from the
object/substance with higher temperature to the
object/substance with lower temperature. If we
assume there is no thermal energy loss to the
surrounding
Thermal energy loss = Thermal energy gain
m1c11=m2c22

Thermal Equilibrium Achieved.

The temperature of the 2 blocks become the same.
Heat flow is still goes on between the blocks.
However, the rate of flow of heat are equal in both
direction. As a result, the net heat flow is equal to 0.
Applications of Thermal Equilibrium
Oven
When food such as meat or cake is put in the oven,
the heat of the oven is transferred into the food.
This process will continue until the food is in
thermal equilibrium with the air in the oven.
This happen when the temperature of the food is
equal to the temperature of the air in the oven.
Refrigerator
When food is put in the refrigerator, the heat from
the food is transferred into the air of the
refrigerator.
This process is continued until the temperature of
the food equal to the temperature of the air in the
refrigerator, when thermal equilibrium is reached
between the food and the refrigerator.

Thermometer
Thermometer is placed in contact with the patients
body.
If both the body temperature of the patient and that
of the mercury (or alcohol) in the clinical
thermometer have reached thermal equilibrium,
then the temperature of the thermometer is the
same as the body temperature, hence the reading
of the thermometer shows the body temperature of
the patient.
Heat Capacity
Heat capacity is the measure of the ability of an
object to store heat as its temperature changes.
It is the measure of the amount of heat required to
change the temperature of an object by 1C.

Example 1:
A 0.5 kg block of aluminium at a temperature of 100
C is placed in 1.0 kg of water at 20 C. Assuming
that no thermal energy is lost to the surroundings,
what will be the final temperature of the aluminium
and water when they come to the same
temperature? [The specific heat capacity of water is
4200 Jkg-1K-1 and The specific heat capacity of
aluminium is 900 Jkg-1K-1]
Answer:
Let's say the final temperature for both aluminium
block and water =
For aluminium,
m1 = 0.5 kg
c1 = 900 Jkg-1K-1
1 = 100 C -
For water,
m2 = 1.0kg
c2 = 4200 Jkg-1K-1
2 = - 20 C
m1c11=m2c22(0.5)(900)(100)=(1)(4200)
(20)45000450=42008400045000+84000=4200+450
4650=129000=27.7oC

Example 2:
What will be the final temperature if 50 g of water
at 0 C is added to 250 g of water at 90 C?

radiator is then warm the air of the

house.

Answer:
For water at 90 C,
m1 = 250g
c1 = c2 = c
1 = 90 C -

3.

The cold water is then flows back to

the water tank. This process is
repeated continuously.

For water at 0 C,
m2 = 50g
2 = - 0 C =
m1c1=m2c2m11=m22(250)(90)=(50)

4.

Water is used in the radiator because

it has high specific heat capacity.

()22500250=5022500=50+250300=22500=2250030

Figure to the right shows how, by reflecting light, a

plane mirror forms an image of a point source of
light such as a small light bulb.
The image forms in a mirror is
Upright
Virtual
Laterally inverted
Same size as the object

Sea Breeze

0=75oC
Example 3:
How much water at 10 C is needed to cool 500 g of
water at 90 C down to 30 C?

Steps to draw a ray diagram for an image in a plane

mirror
Step 1

Answer:
For water at 90 C,
m1 = 500g
c1 = c2 = c
1 = 90 - 30 = 60 C
For water at 10 C,
m2 = ?
2 = 30 - 10 = 20 C
m1c1=m2c2m11=m22(500)

1.

Land has lower heat capacity than

sea water. Therefore, in day time, the
temperature of the land increases
faster than the sea.

2.

Hot air (lower density) above the land

rises. Cooler air from the sea flows
towards land and hence produces sea
breeze.

(60)=m2(20)30000=20m2m2=3000020=1500g

Application of specific heat capacity

1 ) COOKING POT
Different part of a cooking pot are made up of
different material.
The base of a cooking pot is usually made up of
copper because
copper has low specific heat capacity so that it need
less heat to raise up the temperature.
copper is a good heat conductor.
copper has high density. The heavier base can make
the pot become more stable.
The handles of cooking pot is usually made up of
plastic or wood because
plastic and wood have high specific heat capacity.
Their temperature wont become too high even it
absorbs large amount of heat.
plastic and wood are good heat insulator.
plastic and wood have low density hence they do
not add much to the total weight of the pot.
The body of the cooking pot is usually made up of
stainless steel because
steel has low specific heat capacity and hence
need need less heat to raise up the temperature.
steel does not react chemically with the food
2) Car engine
Water is used to cool down the car engine.
Water is used as the cooling agent in the car cooling
system because
it has high specific heat capacity. It can absorb a
large amount of heat without a high increase in
temperature.
it is cheap and can be obtained easily.
Water is pumped through the channels in the
engine block to absorb heat.
The hot water flows to the radiator and is cooled by
the air flows through the fins of the radiator.
The cool water flows back to the engine again to
capture more heat and this cycle is repeated
continuously.

( Draw the virtual image. Distance of object =

Distance of image )
Step 2

( Draw 2 reflected rays, one from the image to the

top of the eye and the other one from the image
from the bottom of the eye. )
Step 3

Land Breeze

( Draw the respective incident rays for the reflected

rays you draw in step 2. )
1.

2.

Land has lower heat capacity than

sea water. During night time, the
temperature of the land drops faster
than the sea.

Rules in Drawing Ray Diagram

Rule No. 1

Hot air (lower density) above the sea

rises. Cooler air from the land blows
towards sea and hence produces land
breeze.

A ray towards C is reflected back along its own path.

Rule No. 2

Thermal Radiator
A ray parallel to the principal axis is reflected as if it
came from F.
Rule No. 3

1.

Thermal radiators are always used in

cold country to warm the house.

2.

Hot water is made to flow through a

radiator. The heat given out from the

Plane Mirror
Images in plane mirrors

A ray towards F is reflected parallel to the principal

axis