Q1.A cup should keep a hot beverage warm for as long as possible.

The diagram
shows three cups designed to take on a camping trip. All three cups are the same
size and the same colour and finish.

(i) Explain why when you hold a hot drink in cup A it is likely to cool down more
quickly than a hot drink in cup B.
This question makes you think about the methods of heat travel from the drink
into the cup material (condction) and the method of heat transfer from the cup
surface to the surroundings (radiation). You are 'holding the cup' so it is not
transferring away from the cup by conduction through its base.
Both mugs will lose initially lose heat energy to the atmosphere from the space
above the liquid at the same rate. It is the rate at which heat is lost through the
body of the cup that will differ.
Hotter surfaces transfer energy to the surroundings more quickly than cooler ones
(see U-values).

Metals are good conductors of heat energy whereas plastics

are insulators.

Therefore the outer surface of cup A will get to the

temperature of the hot drink very quickly, whereas the outer suface of cup B will
be cooler for longer.

Heat will therefore be radiated

to the surroundings

much quicker from cup A, making the drink cool down more quickly.
(3 marks maximum)

(ii) Cup C is made from the same plastic as cup B. Explain why cup C is likely to keep
the drink warmer for longer than cup B.
Air is a better insulator than plastic.

Therefore the air cavity will slow down the

heat transfer rate to the outer surface of the cup.

This will reduce the rate of

heat transfer via radiation to the surroundings .

(2 marks maximum)
(c) Walkers and campers are often advsed to take a 'survival blanket' with them. A
survival blanket is made of a light, thin, shiny material.
Explain which feature of the blanket's design would enable a person to retain body
heat.
Shiny sufaces are poor radiators of heat.
blanket

Therefore the shiny surface of the

reduces the escape of body heat to the surroundings.

(2 marks)

Q2.
The U-value of a material tells you how much energy passes through the material every second,
for every square metre of material, for every degree difference between the inside and outside
temperature.

The table below shows the U-values for materials used in various parts of a house:
Material

U-value /W m-2 oC-1

brick cavity wall

1.5

brick insulated cavity wall

0.5

single glazed windows

5.0

double glazed windows

3.0

(a) Imagine your bedroom has an uninsulated cavity outside wall which measures 2.0
m by 4.0 m. Within the wall is a double glazed window which measures 1.0 m by 1.0
m.
(i) What is the area of the brick part of the wall of the room? (2 marks)
Brick area = area of wall - area of window
= 2.0 x 4.0 - 1.0 x 1.0
= 7.0 m2

(ii) What is the area of the glass part of the wall of the room? (1 mark)
1.0 x 1.0 = 1.0 m2
(iii) How much energy is lost through the walls every second when the temperature
difference between the outside and inside is 10 oC? (2 marks)
Energy Transfer per second = Area x Temperature difference x U-Value
= 7.0 x 10 x 1.5
= 105 J
(iv) How much energy is lost through the window every second when the
temperature difference between the outside and inside is 10 oC? (2 marks)
Energy Transfer per second = Area x Temperature difference x U-Value
= 1.0 x 10 x 3.0
= 30 J
(v) What is the total amount of energy lost through the wall and window? (1 mark)
105 + 30 = 135J
(vi) Explain why double glazing reduces the amount of energy escaping through the
windows. (2 marks)
The air trapped between the two sheets of glass is a very good insulator.

It

transfers energy at a slower rate than glass .

It therefore reduces the rate at
which heat energy is able to be transferred through the window to the outside.
(b) In a typical three-bedroomed semi-dateched house, the cost of Do-it-Yourself
double glazing is about 1400. If the heating system in the house uses gas, the
householder could expect to save about 50 a year on heating costs.
(i) How many years would it take for the householder to cover the cost of installing
the double glazing from the savings on heating bills? (2 marks)
1400/50
= 28
It would take 28 years for the househlder to recoup his investment.
(ii) Quite a lost of householders choose to fit replacement double glazed windows,
but fewer put in cavity wall insulation. Suggest a reason for this. (2 marks)
Windows often need replacing anyway because of rotting frames so the
householder upgrades to improve heating bills and the general look of the house
whereas cavity wall insulation, although it saves money on fuel bills is not such a
visible improvement to the property.
(The answer should mention both cavity
wall insulation and double glazing and discuss their energy saving and another
relevant point)