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Energy - Heating and Insulating

Learn how homes lose heat, how insulation slows energy transfer, and how GCSE Physics questions test conduction, convection and radiation in everyday heating systems.

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Fascinating Fact:

Double glazing reduces heat transfer by conduction and convection, because of the insulating air or gas layer between the glass panes.

In GCSE Physics, you study how energy is transferred by heating and how insulation reduces unwanted energy loss. You apply ideas about conduction, convection and radiation to real homes and buildings.

Key Terms

Conduction: Transfer of energy through a solid when vibrating particles pass energy to neighbouring particles.
Convection: Transfer of energy in liquids or gases when warmer, less dense regions rise and cooler, denser regions sink.
Insulation: Material or method that reduces the rate of energy transfer, helping to keep objects or buildings warmer for longer.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is thermal insulation in GCSE Physics?

In GCSE Physics, thermal insulation refers to materials and methods that reduce heat transfer by conduction, convection or radiation, such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation and double glazing.

How can you reduce heat loss from your house?

Heat loss can be reduced by fitting loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing, draught excluders and thicker curtains, all of which slow down energy transfer to the outside.

What are the three main ways heat is transferred?

Heat is transferred by conduction in solids, by convection in liquids and gases, and by radiation as infrared waves, which can travel through empty space as well as air.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

What is specific heat capacity?

The amount of energy required to change the temperature of 10 g of a substance by 1^oC

The amount of energy required to change the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1^oC

The amount of energy required to change the temperature of 1 g of a substance by 1 K

The amount of energy required to change the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1^oC

Materials with high specific heat capacities can be used to store heat when it is available to be released at a later time

2 .

What was the change in temperature of a material with a specific heat capacity of 1,000 J kg^-1 ^oC^-1, a mass of 2 kg which absorbed 500 joules of energy?

0.25^oC

0.5^oC

1^oC

2.5^oC

Did you try working it out in your head first or did you reach straight for the calculator (after rearranging the equation)?

3 .

A solar panel that contains water which is heated by radiation from the sun can be used for what purposes?

Heat building

Heat domestic water supply

The heat cannot be transferred

Heat both building and domestic water supply

Solar energy can be used to obtain heat and electricity. Because the energy used comes from the Sun, after installation of the solar panels, it is free

4 .

How much energy is required to heat a block of material of mass 4 kg by 10^oC whose specific heat capacity is 800 J kg^-1 ^oC^-1?

3,200 J

32,000 J

16,000 J

1,600 J

You should be able to do this in your head ~ 10 times 800 is 8000, multiply that by 4 ~ 4 x 8 is 32, so the answer must be 32,000. If you practise working out calculations in your head as often as you can, then during the exam, it can act as a check on what you have worked out on your calculator

5 .

What are the units of specific heat capacity?

J kg ^oC

^Kg⁄_J^oC

^{J kgs}⁄_^oC

J kg^-1 ^oC^-1

You should have eliminated answers 2 and 3 immediately as the symbol for kilograms is wrong (it should never be written with a capital 'K' or have an 's' added at the end)

6 .

Calculate the specific heat capacity of a material whose mass is 1 kg which required 300 J of energy in order to be heated from 1^oC to 5^oC.

25 J kg^-1 ^oC^-1

50 J kg^-1 ^oC^-1

75 J kg^-1 ^oC^-1

100 J kg^-1 ^oC^-1

Being able to rearrange formulas is a crucial skill that you will need to have for any exam

7 .

What do U-Values measure?

How effective a material is as a conductor of heat

How effective a material is as an insulator

How effective a material is at conducting electricity

How effective a material is as at absorbing carbon dioxide

They are a measure of how much energy can pass through an insulator and are measured using a standard set of conditions so that they can be easily compared

8 .

If a material is a good insulator, what size U-Value will it have?

Small

Large

Neither large nor small

A negative value

A lower value means less heat passes through the material and it is therefore a good insulator

9 .

If a wall has a high U-value, will it allow more or less heat to flow through it than a wall with a low U-value?

The same

Less

Impossible to tell

U-values are simply a measure of how much heat can pass through a material under the same conditions

10 .

Which of the following formulas is used to calculate specific heat capacity?

E = m x c x Θ

E = ^{(m x c)}⁄_Θ

E = m x Θ

E = c x Θ

It is used to calculate how much energy would be needed to heat a substance up to a specific temperature, but you will often be required to rearrange it to carry out calculations on the higher tier paper

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Energy and heating

Author: Martin Moore