An engineer investigated the heating of a lithium-ion battery cell during a rapid-charge cycle using two experimental cooling plates, Plate X and Plate Y.
The mass of the battery cell was 0.85 kg0.85\text{ kg}0.85 kg. The specific heat capacity of the battery cell material is 920 J/kg ∘C920\text{ J/kg }^\circ\text{C}920 J/kg ∘C.
The table below shows the temperature of the battery cell at regular intervals during the 15-minute test:
| Time (minutes) | Temperature with Plate X (∘C^\circ\text{C}∘C) | Temperature with Plate Y (∘C^\circ\text{C}∘C) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 21.5 | 21.5 |
| 3 | 29.0 | 33.5 |
| 6 | 35.0 | 43.0 |
| 9 | 39.5 | 50.5 |
| 12 | 43.0 | 56.5 |
| 15 | 45.5 | 61.5 |
Determine the total change in thermal energy of the battery cell over the 15-minute period when Plate Y was used. Use the equation:
change in thermal energy=mass×specific heat capacity×temperature change\text{change in thermal energy} = \text{mass} \times \text{specific heat capacity} \times \text{temperature change}change in thermal energy=mass×specific heat capacity×temperature change
Practise AQA GCSE Physics Internal energy and energy transfers with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 48 questions covering Internal energy, Temperature changes in a system and specific heat capacity, and Changes of state and specific latent heat, matched to the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.