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Describe what happens to the wasted energy - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 3 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 3
Describe what happens to the wasted energy. (b) Explain one way the experiment can be improved to reduce the amount of wasted energy. (c) The initial mass of the w... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Describe what happens to the wasted energy - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 3 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe what happens to the wasted energy.
Answer
Wasted energy typically escapes into the surrounding environment, often as heat, sound, or light. In a heating experiment, much of the energy produced by the electric heater may not be utilized for heating the water effectively, leading to losses. This wasted energy can increase the surrounding air temperature, contributing to inefficiencies in the heating process.
Step 2
Explain one way the experiment can be improved to reduce the amount of wasted energy.
Answer
One way to improve the experiment is by using insulation around the heater and the beaker. This would help to minimize heat loss to the environment, ensuring that more of the energy generated by the heater is used for heating the water instead of being wasted.
Step 3
Use an equation from the formula sheet to calculate the specific latent heat of the water.
Answer
To calculate the specific latent heat (L), we can use the formula:
where is the thermal energy transferred (270000 J) and is the mass of the water that changed state (0.72 kg - 0.60 kg = 0.12 kg).
Thus, substituting the values:
This means the specific latent heat of the water is 2250000 J/kg.