Verified Solution • 2025–26 Session moderate

QPages 96-97: Q8: HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2 Heat Transfer Pages 96-97: Q8 Solution: The temperature of the atmosphere at a high altitude is around…

⚠️ Common Exam Traps & Conceptual Pitfalls

Students often equate a high ambient temperature reading with a large amount of heat available to an organism, ignoring that heat transfer depends on air density and convection; in thin, rarefied air even a hot temperature cannot supply enough energy, and a sign error (‑50 °C vs 500 °C) compounds the mistake. Remember to consider both the actual temperature sign and the medium’s ability to convey heat.

The temperature of the atmosphere at a high altitude is around 500�C. Yet an animal there would freeze to death and not boil. Explain.

Step-by-Step Verified Solution

**Answer:** An animal at high altitude would freeze because the air is too thin to transfer heat effectively. **Step-by-Step Explanation:** At high altitudes, the atmospheric temperature is very low (around _50�C, not 500�C as sometimes misunderstood). The air is thin and rarefied, so it cannot transfer heat efficiently to the body. Additionally, the low pressure lowers the boiling point of water, but the extreme cold and poor heat transfer cause the animal to freeze rather than boil [citation:13].

All Questions in this Chapter

QPage 97: Q1 QPage 97: Q2 QPage 97: Q3 QPage 97: Q4 QPage 97: Q5 QPage 97: Q6 QPage 97: Q7 QPage 97: Q8 QPage 97: Q9 QPage 97: Q10 QPages 96-97: Q1 QPages 96-97: Q2 QPages 96-97: Q3 QPages 96-97: Q4 QPages 96-97: Q5 QPages 96-97: Q6 QPages 96-97: Q7 QPages 96-97: Q8 QPages 96-97: Q9 QPages 96-97: Q10 QPages 96-97: Q11 QPages 97-98: Q1 QPages 97-98: Q2 QPages 97-98: Q3 QPages 97-98: Q4 QPages 97-98: Q5 QPages 97-98: Q6 QPages 98-102: Q1 QPages 98-102: Q2 QPages 98-102: Q3 QPages 98-102: Q4 QPages 98-102: Q5 QPages 98-102: Q6 QPages 98-102: Q7 QPages 98-102: Q8 QPages 98-102: Q9 QPages 98-102: Q10 QPages 98-102: Q11 QPages 98-102: Q12 QPages 98-102: Q13 QPages 98-102: Q14 QPages 98-102: Q15 QPages 98-102: Q16 QPages 98-102: Q17 QPages 98-102: Q18 QPages 98-102: Q19 QPages 98-102: Q20 QPages 98-102: Q21 QPages 98-102: Q22 QPages 98-102: Q23 QPages 98-102: Q24 QPages 98-102: Q25 QPages 98-102: Q26 QPages 98-102: Q27 QPages 98-102: Q28 QPages 98-102: Q29 QPages 98-102: Q30 QPages 98-102: Q31 QPages 98-102: Q32 QPages 98-102: Q33 QPages 98-102: Q34 QPages 98-102: Q35 QPages 98-102: Q36 QPages 98-102: Q37 QPages 98-102: Q38 QPages 98-102: Q39 QPages 98-102: Q40 QPages 98-102: Q41 QPages 98-102: Q42 QPages 98-102: Q43 QPages 98-102: Q44 QPages 98-102: Q45 QPages 98-102: Q46 QPages 98-102: Q47 QPages 98-102: Q48 QPages 98-102: Q49 QPages 98-102: Q50 QPages 98-102: Q51 QPages 98-102: Q52 QPages 98-102: Q53 QPages 98-102: Q54 QPages 98-102: Q55

Related Learning Resources & Exam Preparation

Chapter Practice Bank
Practice all topic-wise questions from Heat Transfer
Reference Textbook Solutions
Explore complete chapter exercises for HC Verma: Concepts of Physics - Volume 2
Competitive PYQ Question Bank
Browse year-wise authentic previous years' questions with solutions
Authentic CBT Mock Tests
Simulate official exam environment with live timer and percentile scoring