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Unit 1: What ideas explain the physical world?

Quick questions on Specific heat capacity and latent heat (VCE Physics Unit 1)

4short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.

What is forgetting the phase change?
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A problem like "ice at $-5$°C to water at $20$°C" has three stages. Missing $Q_2 = mL_f$ gives an answer about $25$ times too small.
What is using $\Delta T$ across a phase change?
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Inside a phase change, temperature is constant. $Q = m c \Delta T$ does not apply.
What is mixing units?
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Specific heats are written for SI units. A $200$ g sample is $0.200$ kg.
What is treating $L_f$ and $L_v$ as interchangeable?
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They differ by an order of magnitude. Use $L_f$ for melting/freezing, $L_v$ for boiling/condensing.

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