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Science Quiz - Physics - Rate of Heat Transfer (AQA) (Questions)

Explore how temperature difference, surface area and insulation affect the rate of heat transfer in everyday situations, from hot drinks cooling to radiators warming a room.

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Fascinating Fact:

Bigger temperature difference makes faster heat transfer, hot to cold is the only direction.

In GCSE Science (Physics), you learn how heat flows from hotter objects to cooler ones. You compare different materials, surfaces and thicknesses to see how quickly energy is transferred.

Key Terms

Rate of heat transfer: How quickly energy is transferred as heat from one place to another each second.
Insulator: A material that slows down heat transfer, helping to keep things hot or cold for longer.
Surface area: The total exposed area of an object that can lose or gain heat.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What does rate of heat transfer mean in GCSE Physics?

The rate of heat transfer is the amount of thermal energy transferred per second from a hotter region to a cooler region, often measured in joules per second.

How can you reduce the rate of heat transfer from a house?

You can reduce heat transfer by using loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing, draught excluders and thick curtains to trap warm air inside.

Why does a bigger temperature difference increase heat transfer?

A bigger temperature difference means particles at the hot end have much more energy than those at the cold end, so energy is transferred between them more quickly.

Try These Related Quizzes

1.

Which of the following would be the worst conductor of heat?

[ ]	Copper
[ ]	Wood
[ ]	Aluminium
[ ]	Brass

2.

Which way does thermal energy travel?

[ ]	From hotter to cooler
[ ]	From cooler to hotter
[ ]	From a conductor of heat to a non conductor
[ ]	It varies depending on the situation

3.

Which of the following features of a vacuum flask is designed to reduce the rate of heat transfer by radiation?

[ ]	The vacuum
[ ]	Cork base
[ ]	The lid
[ ]	Silvering the side walls

4.

Which of the features of a vacuum flask is designed to slow down the rate of heat transfer by reducing both conduction and convection?

[ ]	The vacuum
[ ]	Cork base
[ ]	The lid
[ ]	Silvering the side walls

5.

The smallest fox in the world, the fennec fox, lives in the Sahara desert. It has very large ears. How do its ears help it to keep cool?

[ ]	They can be flapped backwards and forwards creating a cool breeze over the fox
[ ]	The fox can twist and bend its ears to shade itself from the Sun
[ ]	They have a large surface area
[ ]	They don't help at all

6.

A cool box is used to keep food cooler than the surroundings. They are often used to carry chilled or frozen food home from a supermarket or to keep food fresh at a picnic. Which of the following materials would be suitable to make the walls of a cool box?

[ ]	Aluminium alloy
[ ]	Thin plastic
[ ]	Thick plastic
[ ]	Polyurethane foam (a type of plastic that contains air bubbles)

7.

18,000 J of energy was transferred from an electric heater to a 2kg block of steel. The temperature increased by 18^oC. Based on these figures, what is the specific heat capacity of the steel?

[ ]	500 J/kg
[ ]	3,600 J/kg^oC
[ ]	500 J/kg^oC
[ ]	3,600 W/kg

8.

If 18,000 J of energy was transferred from an electric heater over the course of 2 minutes, what is the rate that heat was transferred?

[ ]	150 J/s
[ ]	150 W/s
[ ]	9,000 J/s
[ ]	9,000 W/s

9.

LEDs are low energy alternatives to conventional light bulbs but they still generate a lot of heat when they are switched on. They need to be attached to a heat sink to keep them cool. Which of the following would make a good heat sink for an LED?

[ ]	A solid block of plastic
[ ]	A solid block of metal
[ ]	A block of polystyrene foam
[ ]	A metal plate with fins

10.

A group of students carried out an investigation into the rate at which different foods cool down. They measured the temperature of each food at 30 second intervals until the food had cooled from 80^oC to room temperature. They then drew graphs of the results. In each case, the graph was the same shape. Which of the following describes the shape of their graphs?

[ ]	A linear graph with a negative gradient
[ ]	A lineear graph with a positive gradient
[ ]	A curved line graph with a negative gradient that is steeper at higher temperatures
[ ]	A curved line graph with a positive gradient that was steeper at lower temperatures

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

Science Quiz - Physics - Rate of Heat Transfer (AQA) (Answers)

1.

Which of the following would be the worst conductor of heat?

[ ]	Copper
[x]	Wood
[ ]	Aluminium
[ ]	Brass

Materials not made from metals are poor heat conductors

2.

Which way does thermal energy travel?

[x]	From hotter to cooler
[ ]	From cooler to hotter
[ ]	From a conductor of heat to a non conductor
[ ]	It varies depending on the situation

Thermal energy always spreads out into the cooler parts of the environment around the hotter area

3.

Which of the following features of a vacuum flask is designed to reduce the rate of heat transfer by radiation?

[ ]	The vacuum
[ ]	Cork base
[ ]	The lid
[x]	Silvering the side walls

Smooth shiny surfaces reflect infrared (thermal) radiation the best

4.

Which of the features of a vacuum flask is designed to slow down the rate of heat transfer by reducing both conduction and convection?

[x]	The vacuum
[ ]	Cork base
[ ]	The lid
[ ]	Silvering the side walls

The cork base will reduce heat loss by conduction whilst the lid reduces heat loss by convection but the vacuum minimises both at the same time

5.

The smallest fox in the world, the fennec fox, lives in the Sahara desert. It has very large ears. How do its ears help it to keep cool?

[ ]	They can be flapped backwards and forwards creating a cool breeze over the fox
[ ]	The fox can twist and bend its ears to shade itself from the Sun
[x]	They have a large surface area
[ ]	They don't help at all

This is testing your knowledge of how surface area and volume affect the rate of heat transfer. Since the ears have a large surface area compared to their volume, they will lose thermal energy quickly

6.

A cool box is used to keep food cooler than the surroundings. They are often used to carry chilled or frozen food home from a supermarket or to keep food fresh at a picnic. Which of the following materials would be suitable to make the walls of a cool box?

[ ]	Aluminium alloy
[ ]	Thin plastic
[ ]	Thick plastic
[x]	Polyurethane foam (a type of plastic that contains air bubbles)

It's light and has a low U-value

7.

18,000 J of energy was transferred from an electric heater to a 2kg block of steel. The temperature increased by 18^oC. Based on these figures, what is the specific heat capacity of the steel?

[ ]	500 J/kg
[ ]	3,600 J/kg^oC
[x]	500 J/kg^oC
[ ]	3,600 W/kg

You need to rearrange the equation to isolate the specific heat capacity. It is unlikely that you would be asked to give the correct units in an exam but it is worthwhile knowing them, just in case you are.

8.

If 18,000 J of energy was transferred from an electric heater over the course of 2 minutes, what is the rate that heat was transferred?

[x]	150 J/s
[ ]	150 W/s
[ ]	9,000 J/s
[ ]	9,000 W/s

This actually gives you the power rating of the heater - 1 joule per second is 1 watt so a 150 watt heater was used

9.

LEDs are low energy alternatives to conventional light bulbs but they still generate a lot of heat when they are switched on. They need to be attached to a heat sink to keep them cool. Which of the following would make a good heat sink for an LED?

[ ]	A solid block of plastic
[ ]	A solid block of metal
[ ]	A block of polystyrene foam
[x]	A metal plate with fins

A metal plate with fins is a heat conductor which has a large surface area with a low volume. This makes it efficient at transferring heat from the LED into its surroundings - the air

10.

A group of students carried out an investigation into the rate at which different foods cool down. They measured the temperature of each food at 30 second intervals until the food had cooled from 80^oC to room temperature. They then drew graphs of the results. In each case, the graph was the same shape. Which of the following describes the shape of their graphs?

[ ]	A linear graph with a negative gradient
[ ]	A lineear graph with a positive gradient
[x]	A curved line graph with a negative gradient that is steeper at higher temperatures
[ ]	A curved line graph with a positive gradient that was steeper at lower temperatures

The bigger the temperature difference between an object and its surroundings, the faster heat is transferred, so the food cooled down faster (steep negative gradient) at hotter temperatures