This Physics quiz is called 'Physics - Heating and Insulating Buildings' and it has been written by teachers to help you if you are studying the subject at senior high school. Playing educational quizzes is one of the most efficienct ways to learn if you are in the 11th or 12th grade - aged 16 to 18.
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Keeping the warmth inside a home is an important consideration for many people. The architect who designs buildings needs to know how good different materials are at insulating them, so they can work out what sort of heating system will work the best. For whoever pays the bills, knowing where the most heat is being lost, and how to slow down that heat loss, will help them to save money on their heating bills. For anyone keen on environmental issues and keeping their carbon footprint as low as possible, knowing which environmentally friendly materials are the best insulators is essential.
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This is the point that U-values step in! These are a measure of how fast heat can pass through a material. Building materials have been tested and their U-values worked out. A lower U-value indicates that heat only passes through the material slowly, therefore the material is better at insulating than one with a high U-value, and vice-versa. You don't need to know any specific U-values or how they are calculated.
Heating well insulated buildings requires less energy overall and so saves money on the heating costs. It also helps to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. Unless the building is heated by a non-polluting supply of electricity or by geothermal energy, somewhere down the line carbon dioxide will be released into the air. Let's take for example using electric storage heaters. These transfer electrical energy into heat, taking their electricity from the National Grid. Most National Grid electricity is produced in conventional power stations which release large quantities of carbon dioxide into the air. Using gas or oil fired central heating systems puts carbon dioxide into the air directly.
Using wood fired heating is more environmentally friendly as the carbon dioxide released is called current carbon. In other words, it is carbon from the present time rather than being from millions of years in the past, as happens when burning fossil fuels. For hot water, solar panels on the roof of a building use the Sun's heat instead of burning fuels.
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1.
|
What are U-values? |
|
[ ] |
A measure of the thickness of an insulator |
[ ] |
A measure of the temperature of an insulator |
[ ] |
A measure of how fast heat can pass through an insulator |
[ ] |
A measure of the surface area of an insulator |
|
|
2.
|
The best insulators have what sort of U-value? |
|
[ ] |
A low U-value |
[ ] |
A high U-value |
[ ] |
A constant U-value |
[ ] |
A variable U-value |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following is not a good reason for having solar hot water panels fitted? |
|
[ ] |
They do not release any gasses into the air as they heat the water |
[ ] |
They reduce the bill for heating and hot water |
[ ] |
On cloudy days, the water is not very hot |
[ ] |
They work all year round |
|
|
4.
|
How do solar hot water panels work? |
|
[ ] |
Heat radiation from the sun warms the water which is then pumped to a storage tank |
[ ] |
The light from the Sun is used to generate electricity that powers a water heater |
[ ] |
They absorb heat from the air |
[ ] |
They use heat escaping through the roof from inside the house to heat the water |
|
|
5.
|
What is meant by payback time in the context of insulating a building? |
|
[ ] |
The time taken to pay off any loans that you needed |
[ ] |
How long it takes you to get your revenge on the builder after they have done a poor job |
[ ] |
How long it takes to get a grant from the government for the insulation work |
[ ] |
A measure of how cost-effective the insulation is |
|
|
6.
|
If it costs £2,000 to insulate the walls and roof of a house, how long will the payback time be if it saves £250 per year? |
|
[ ] |
2 years |
[ ] |
4 years |
[ ] |
8 years |
[ ] |
16 years |
|
|
7.
|
During the day, the Sun transfers energy to an outdoor swimming pool. The mass of water in the pool is 5,000 kg. The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg °C. How much energy needs to be supplied to increase the water temperature by 5oC? |
|
[ ] |
105,000,000 J |
[ ] |
10.5 kJ |
[ ] |
21,000,000 J |
[ ] |
210 kJ |
|
|
8.
|
At night, a storage heater transfers electrical energy into thermal energy which is stored. During the day, the heat is released to warm the room. Which of the following would store the most thermal energy per kg? |
|
[ ] |
Aluminum - specific heat capacity 913 J/kgoC |
[ ] |
Water - specific heat capacity 4,200 J/kgoC |
[ ] |
Oil - specific heat capacity 3,850 J/kgoC |
[ ] |
Concrete - specific heat capacity 880 J/kgoC |
|
|
9.
|
To heat the water in a domestic hot water storage tank from 42°C to 50°C, an immersion heater transfers 4,536 kJ of energy to the water. How much water is in the tank? The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kgoC |
|
[ ] |
100 kg |
[ ] |
135 kg |
[ ] |
0.135 kg |
[ ] |
10 kg |
|
|
10.
|
A homeowner has part of the outside brick wall of her house demolished and fits double-glazed glass doors in the gap. The U-value of the wall was 0.4 and the U-value of glass doors is 1.8. What does this mean? |
|
[ ] |
Her house is now better insulated |
[ ] |
She will save money on heating bills |
[ ] |
More heat will be lost from the house |
[ ] |
There will be no change to the amount of heat lost from the house |
|
|
1.
|
What are U-values? |
|
[ ] |
A measure of the thickness of an insulator |
[ ] |
A measure of the temperature of an insulator |
[x] |
A measure of how fast heat can pass through an insulator |
[ ] |
A measure of the surface area of an insulator |
|
|
2.
|
The best insulators have what sort of U-value? |
|
[x] |
A low U-value |
[ ] |
A high U-value |
[ ] |
A constant U-value |
[ ] |
A variable U-value |
|
|
3.
|
Which of the following is not a good reason for having solar hot water panels fitted? |
|
[ ] |
They do not release any gasses into the air as they heat the water |
[ ] |
They reduce the bill for heating and hot water |
[x] |
On cloudy days, the water is not very hot |
[ ] |
They work all year round |
|
|
4.
|
How do solar hot water panels work? |
|
[x] |
Heat radiation from the sun warms the water which is then pumped to a storage tank |
[ ] |
The light from the Sun is used to generate electricity that powers a water heater |
[ ] |
They absorb heat from the air |
[ ] |
They use heat escaping through the roof from inside the house to heat the water |
|
|
5.
|
What is meant by payback time in the context of insulating a building? |
|
[ ] |
The time taken to pay off any loans that you needed |
[ ] |
How long it takes you to get your revenge on the builder after they have done a poor job |
[ ] |
How long it takes to get a grant from the government for the insulation work |
[x] |
A measure of how cost-effective the insulation is |
|
|
6.
|
If it costs £2,000 to insulate the walls and roof of a house, how long will the payback time be if it saves £250 per year? |
|
[ ] |
2 years |
[ ] |
4 years |
[x] |
8 years |
[ ] |
16 years |
|
|
7.
|
During the day, the Sun transfers energy to an outdoor swimming pool. The mass of water in the pool is 5,000 kg. The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg °C. How much energy needs to be supplied to increase the water temperature by 5oC? |
|
[x] |
105,000,000 J |
[ ] |
10.5 kJ |
[ ] |
21,000,000 J |
[ ] |
210 kJ |
|
|
8.
|
At night, a storage heater transfers electrical energy into thermal energy which is stored. During the day, the heat is released to warm the room. Which of the following would store the most thermal energy per kg? |
|
[ ] |
Aluminum - specific heat capacity 913 J/kgoC |
[x] |
Water - specific heat capacity 4,200 J/kgoC |
[ ] |
Oil - specific heat capacity 3,850 J/kgoC |
[ ] |
Concrete - specific heat capacity 880 J/kgoC |
|
|
9.
|
To heat the water in a domestic hot water storage tank from 42°C to 50°C, an immersion heater transfers 4,536 kJ of energy to the water. How much water is in the tank? The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kgoC |
|
[ ] |
100 kg |
[x] |
135 kg |
[ ] |
0.135 kg |
[ ] |
10 kg |
|
|
10.
|
A homeowner has part of the outside brick wall of her house demolished and fits double-glazed glass doors in the gap. The U-value of the wall was 0.4 and the U-value of glass doors is 1.8. What does this mean? |
|
[ ] |
Her house is now better insulated |
[ ] |
She will save money on heating bills |
[x] |
More heat will be lost from the house |
[ ] |
There will be no change to the amount of heat lost from the house |
|
|