P1.4 Specific Heat Capacity

• What is specific heat capacity (in words?)

  Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1 °C.

  It can also be thought of as the amount of energy released as 1kg of a substance cools by 1 °C.
• What is internal energy and what are its two components?

  Internal energy (also known as 'thermal energy') is the total energy stored by the particles in a substance or system. It includes the kinetic energy stores and potential energy stores of particles.
• Will an object with a higher specific heat capacity require more or less energy to raise its temperature?

  An object with a higher specific heat capacity will require more energy to raise its temperature.
• What is the formula that uses specific heat capacity to find an energy change?

   ΔE = mcΔT