Energy, temperature and specific heat capacity

• • If energy is absorbed by a block of lead, the particles gain energy.
  • Since lead is a solid and the particles are vibrating, they vibrate faster after being heated.
• Different substances require different amounts of energy to gain temperature.
• a change in temperature of a system depends on:

  • the mass of the material
  • the substance of the material specific heat capacity
  • the amount of energy put into the system
• specific heat capacity of a material


  the energy required to raise one kilogram (kg) of the material by one degree Celsius (°C)
• • brick = 840 J/kg/°C
  • copper = 385 J/kg/°C
  • lead = 129 J/kg/°C
• • brick will take much longer to heat up and cool down
  • because its specific heat capacity is higher than that of lead
  • so more energy is needed for the same mass to change the same temperature
  • this is why bricks are sometimes used in storage heaters
  • as they stay warm for a long time.
• The amount of thermal energy stored or released as the temperature of a system changes can be calculated using the equation

  • change in thermal energy = mass × specific heat capacity × temperature change
  • ΔE = m X c X ∆θ
• • change in thermal energy is measured in joules (J)
  • mass is measured in kilograms (kg)
  • specific heat capacity is measured in joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg°C)
  • temperature change is measured in degree Celsius (°C)