Free Thermal Equilibrium and Heat MCQs with Answers

277 Thermal Equilibrium and Heat MCQs from Physics, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

Thermal equilibrium means that bodies in contact have the same temperature and no net heat flows between them. The topic distinguishes heat from temperature, uses the zeroth law of thermodynamics, and covers heat transfer, specific heat capacity, thermal expansion and the conditions for reaching equilibrium.

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277 questions · page 1 of 14

Fairly easy
  • A. they have the same mass
  • B. they are at the same temperature, so there is no net flow of heat between them
  • C. they contain the same amount of heat
  • D. they are made of the same material

Explanation: Temperature is what decides the direction of heat flow, so equal temperatures mean no net transfer even if the two bodies hold very…

Correct answer: they are at the same temperature, so there is no net flow of heat between them
Fairly easy
  • A. the total energy contained in a body
  • B. the temperature of a body
  • C. energy in transit from a hotter body to a cooler one because of the temperature difference
  • D. a fluid that flows between bodies

Explanation: Heat is a process word: it names energy while it is being transferred, which is why a body is said to contain internal energy rather than…

Correct answer: energy in transit from a hotter body to a cooler one because of the temperature difference
  • A. 0 degrees Celsius
  • B. minus 100 degrees Celsius
  • C. minus 273 degrees Celsius
  • D. minus 373 degrees Celsius

Explanation: Zero kelvin is minus 273.15 degrees Celsius, the temperature at which the pressure of an ideal gas would extrapolate to zero and molecular…

Correct answer: minus 273 degrees Celsius
Moderate
  • A. mass times specific heat capacity times temperature change
  • B. mass divided by specific heat capacity
  • C. specific heat capacity times temperature change only
  • D. mass times temperature change only

Explanation: The formula Q equals mc times delta T holds whenever there is no change of state, and specific heat capacity is the heat needed to raise…

Correct answer: mass times specific heat capacity times temperature change
Hard
  • A. raises its temperature steadily
  • B. breaks the bonds of the solid structure without changing the temperature
  • C. is lost to the surroundings entirely
  • D. lowers the internal energy

Explanation: The latent heat of fusion goes entirely into overcoming the forces holding the lattice, so the temperature stays at the melting point…

Correct answer: breaks the bonds of the solid structure without changing the temperature
Moderate
  • A. the block with more mass becomes hotter
  • B. both reach the same temperature
  • C. both reach the same internal energy
  • D. the hotter block loses all its energy

Explanation: Transfer continues only while a temperature difference exists, so equilibrium is reached when the temperatures match, not when the…

Correct answer: both reach the same temperature
  • A. 760 torr
  • B. 760 mmHg
  • C. 101.3 kPa
  • D. all of the above

Explanation: The standard atmospheric pressure is 1 atm = 760 torr = 760 mmHg = 101.3 kPa.

Correct answer: all of the above
  • A. Base quantities
  • B. Derived quantities
  • C. Prefixes
  • D. Quartile quantities

Explanation: Length, mass, time, luminous intensity and amount of substance are SI base quantities because their units are fundamental and are not…

Correct answer: Base quantities
  • A. ΔL = αLΔT
  • B. ΔL/LΔT
  • C. LΔT/ΔL
  • D. αLΔT-ΔL

Explanation: From linear expansion, ΔL = αLΔT, so the coefficient is α = ΔL/(LΔT), with unit K^-1.

Correct answer: ΔL/LΔT
  • A. Decreases
  • B. Increases
  • C. Remains same
  • D. Becomes Zero

Explanation: A liquid boils when its vapour pressure equals the surrounding pressure.

Correct answer: Increases
  • A. momentum
  • B. mass
  • C. velocity
  • D. kinetic energy

Explanation: The mean translational kinetic energy of a gas molecule is 3kT/2, so at the same temperature it has the same average value for all ideal…

Correct answer: kinetic energy
  • A. double
  • B. one half
  • C. four times
  • D. one fourth

Explanation: Boyle's law at constant temperature states PV = constant, so P1V1 = P2V2.

Correct answer: one half
  • A. 460°C
  • B. 280°C
  • C. 360°C
  • D. 160°C

Explanation: Use F = (9/5)C + 32 and set the Fahrenheit reading equal to twice the Celsius reading: 2C = (9/5)C + 32, so (1/5)C = 32 and C = 160°C.

Correct answer: 160°C
  • A. 76cm 0°C
  • B. 760mm 273K
  • C. 1atm 273K
  • D. all of the aboveTracking Hyperlocal Weather Forecasts

Explanation: These are equivalent descriptions of standard temperature and pressure: 76 cm Hg = 760 mm Hg = 1 atm, and 0°C = 273 K.

Correct answer: all of the aboveTracking Hyperlocal Weather Forecasts
  • A. One degree of Fahrenheit scale
  • B. 1.8 degrees of Fahrenheit scale
  • C. 3.2 degrees of Fahrenheit scale
  • D. 2.12 degrees of Fahrenheit scale

Explanation: The interval conversion is ΔF = (9/5)ΔC. Hence, a change of 1°C corresponds to (9/5) × 1 = 1.8°F, so it is 1.8 degrees on the Fahrenheit…

Correct answer: 1.8 degrees of Fahrenheit scale
  • A. 37°C
  • B. 42°C
  • C. 55°C
  • D. 410°C

Explanation: Convert using C = (5/9)(F - 32): C = (5/9)(98.6°F - 32°F) = (5/9)(66.6°F) = 37°C. Thus normal body temperature is approximately 37°C.

Correct answer: 37°C
  • A. 1.38 x 10^-31JK-1
  • B. 3.18 x 10^-31JK-1
  • C. 3.18 x 10^-23JK-1
  • D. 1.38 x 10^-23JK-1

Explanation: Boltzmann's constant has the value k = 1.38 x 10^-23 J K^-1, linking temperature with the energy of individual particles.

Correct answer: 1.38 x 10^-23JK-1
  • A. Over a wide range of temperature its expansion is uniform
  • B. It does not stick to thermometer glass
  • C. It opaque to light
  • D. All of above

Explanation: Mercury is useful in thermometers because it expands nearly uniformly over a useful temperature range, does not wet or stick to glass, and…

Correct answer: All of above
  • A. Mercury takes a long time to contract
  • B. The amount of mercury use is very small
  • C. The capillary tube has a small constriction near the bulb
  • D. The capillary tube is very narrow

Explanation: A clinical thermometer has a narrow constriction near the bulb that prevents the mercury column from returning immediately when the…

Correct answer: The capillary tube has a small constriction near the bulb
  • A. its pressure is constant
  • B. its pressure rises
  • C. its pressure falls
  • D. any of above

Explanation: At constant volume, the ideal-gas relation P/T = constant applies, so pressure increases directly with absolute temperature.

Correct answer: its pressure rises

Thermal Equilibrium and Heat MCQs: common questions

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