This graph in the figure (Figure 1) shows how the temperature of an initially solid sample changes as time goes by when it is placed above a flame that delivers a constant heating power (that is, a fixed amount of energy input in the form of heat each second). The process occurs in five distinct steps:

Increase the temperature of the solid until it reaches its melting temperature.
Melt the solid to form a liquid, maintaining a constant temperature.
Increase the temperature of the liquid until it reaches its boiling temperature.
Boil away all the liquid to form a gas, maintaining a constant temperature.
Increase the temperature of the gas (this assumes that the gaseous sample is confined).
Part A
Use the graph to rank the sizes of the following:
specific heat of the solid, cs
specific heat of the liquid, cl
specific heat of the gas, cg
Keep in mind that energy is being delivered to the system in the form of heat at a constant rate by the flame.

s

Well, let's see what the graph has to say about our specific heats.

First, we can look at the slope of each phase of the graph. The steeper the slope, the faster the temperature is changing, which means that the specific heat must be smaller.

So, looking at the graph, we can see that the slope is steepest during the phase where the solid is being heated, and the temperature is increasing. This means that the specific heat of the solid (cs) must be smaller than the specific heat of the liquid (cl) and the gas (cg).

Next, we can look at the flat regions of the graph, where the temperature remains constant. This indicates that the solid is melting to form a liquid and the liquid is boiling to form a gas. In these phases, the temperature remains constant because all the energy being supplied is being used to break the intermolecular forces holding the substance together, rather than increasing the temperature.

Therefore, since more energy is needed to break the intermolecular forces in the liquid to form a gas, the specific heat of the liquid (cl) must be smaller than the specific heat of the gas (cg).

So, to rank the sizes of the specific heats, we have:

cs < cl < cg

That's all for now, hope you found this specific heat ranking ... quite heated!

To rank the sizes of specific heat (c) for the solid, liquid, and gas, we need to consider how each substance absorbs energy and changes its temperature.

The specific heat (c) of a substance refers to the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a given mass of the substance by 1 degree Celsius.

We can make the following observations based on the information provided in the question:

Step 1: Increase the temperature of the solid until it reaches its melting temperature.
During this step, the solid is absorbing heat and increasing in temperature. Therefore, the specific heat of the solid, cs, must be higher than the specific heat of the liquid and gas.

Step 2: Melt the solid to form a liquid, maintaining a constant temperature.
At the melting temperature, the solid is absorbing heat, but the energy is being used to break the intermolecular bonds and convert the solid into a liquid, rather than increasing the temperature further. Therefore, the specific heat of the liquid, cl, would be lower than the specific heat of the solid.

Step 3: Increase the temperature of the liquid until it reaches its boiling temperature.
During this step, the liquid is absorbing heat and increasing in temperature. We do not have enough information to determine the relative values of specific heat for the liquid and gas at this stage.

Step 4: Boil away all the liquid to form a gas, maintaining a constant temperature.
At the boiling temperature, the liquid is absorbing heat, but the energy is being used to convert the liquid into a gas, rather than further increasing the temperature. The heat energy helps break the intermolecular bonds and overcome the attractive forces between liquid molecules. Therefore, the specific heat of the gas, cg, would be lower than the specific heat of the liquid.

Step 5: Increase the temperature of the gas (this assumes that the gaseous sample is confined).
During this step, the gas is absorbing heat and increasing in temperature. We do not have enough information to determine the relative values of specific heat for the liquid and gas at this stage.

Based on these observations, we can rank the sizes of specific heat as follows:

cs > cl > cg

The specific heat of the solid (cs) must be the highest, followed by the specific heat of the liquid (cl), and finally, the specific heat of the gas (cg) would be the lowest.

To determine the relative sizes of the specific heats of the solid, liquid, and gas in the given graph, we need to analyze their characteristics.

Specific heat (c) is a property that represents the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by a certain amount. It is usually given in units of joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/g°C).

Step 1: Increasing the solid's temperature until it reaches its melting point:

During this stage, the solid's temperature increases steadily until it reaches its melting point. This indicates that the solid has a non-zero specific heat, as it requires energy input to increase its temperature. Since the temperature is increasing and the heating power is constant, the slope of the graph during this stage represents the specific heat of the solid (cs).

Step 2: Melting the solid to form a liquid, maintaining a constant temperature:

For this step, the solid is being transformed into a liquid, and the heat energy is being used to convert the solid into a liquid rather than increasing the temperature. As a result, the temperature remains constant, showing that heat energy is being used solely for the phase change. Consequently, the specific heat of the liquid (cl) would be lower compared to that of the solid.

Step 3: Increasing the liquid's temperature until it reaches its boiling point:

Once the phase change from solid to liquid is complete, the liquid's temperature starts to rise. This indicates that the liquid has a specific heat (cl) greater than zero since it requires energy for its temperature to increase.

Step 4: Boiling away all the liquid to form a gas, maintaining a constant temperature:

Similar to the phase change from solid to liquid, this step involves the complete conversion of the liquid into a gas at a constant temperature. Consequently, the specific heat of the gas (cg) is lower compared to the specific heats of the solid and liquid.

Step 5: Increasing the temperature of the gas (assuming confinement):

Once all the liquid has vaporized into a gas, the temperature of the gas starts to increase again. This temperature increase signifies that the gas has a non-zero specific heat (cg).

So, based on the graph and the interpretation of the steps:

cs > cl > cg

The specific heat of the solid (cs) is the largest, followed by the specific heat of the liquid (cl), and the specific heat of the gas (cg) is the smallest.