Question

Consider the heating curve below. the graph represents temperature changes for a substance as heat is added at a steady rate . From the graph what stands out about this substance?

• A. The specific heat of the substance in the liquid phase is very small
• B. The latent heat of fusion of the substance very large.
• C. The specific heat of the substance in the liquid phase is very large.
• D. The specific heat of the substance in the solid phase is very small.
• E. The latent heat of fusion of the substance is very small.

Answer 1

Answer: (A)

The specific heat of the substance in the liquid phase is very small

When substance is heated at a steady rate, the temperature increases suddenly after becoming horizontal once.

The first horizontal line represents the solid-liquid transition and second one represents liquid-vapor transition.

The line after first horizontal line represents liquid phase. In this phase, the temperature increases suddenly by giving same amount of heat. Hence the specific heat in this phase is very small.