Specific heat capacity

• Calculating Specific Heat Capacity

  • Specific Heat Capacity describes the energy required to raise the temperature of a substance 
  • The 'specific' part refers to raising the temperature of specifically 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree
  • Changes to the internal energy of a substance is usually due to transfer of thermal energy 
  • The amount of thermal energy transferred ΔQ is related to the change in temperature Δθ by the equation:

  Change in thermal energy  = Mass × Specific heat capacity  × Change in temperature

  ΔQ = mcΔθ
• ΔQ = mcΔθ

  Where:

  • ΔQ = change in thermal energy, in joules (J)
  • m = mass, in kilograms (kg)
  • c = specific heat capacity, in joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/kg °C)
  • Δθ = change in temperature, in degrees Celsius (°C)