Specific Heat Capacity

• What is specific heat capacity?

  Energy required to raise 1 kg by 1°C
• What is the method to investigate specific heat capacity?

  1. Set up apparatus with electric heater and insulated block.
  2. Turn on power supply and record current and voltage.
  3. Record temperature every minute for 10 minutes.
  4. Calculate energy transferred using:

  • Energy transferred = current x voltage x time.

  1. Plot graph of energy transferred (x-axis) vs temperature (y-axis).
  2. Find specific heat capacity from the gradient of the graph.
• How do you calculate energy transferred by the heater?

  Energy transferred = current x voltage x time
• How often should the temperature be recorded during the experiment?

  Every minute for 10 minutes
• How can the specific heat capacity be found from the graph?

  By taking the gradient of the graph
• What is a main source of error in this method?

  Heat loss due to insufficient insulation
• What does the initial curve produced by the heater indicate?

  The heater warms up over the first 1-2 minutes
• Why is insulation important in this experiment?

  To minimize heat loss to the environment
• What factors can affect the accuracy of the specific heat capacity measurement?

  Insulation quality and measurement precision
• If the current is 2 A, voltage is 5 V, and time is 10 minutes, what is the energy transferred?

  Energy transferred = 2 A x 5 V x 600 s
• What is the unit of specific heat capacity?

  J/kg°C
• How does the specific heat capacity relate to temperature change?

  It determines how much energy is needed
• What happens if the insulation is insufficient during the experiment?

  It leads to inaccurate specific heat capacity results
• If the gradient of the graph is 0.5, what is the specific heat capacity?

  Specific heat capacity = 1/gradient
• What is the formula for calculating specific heat capacity from the graph?

  Specific heat capacity = 1/gradient
• What does a steeper gradient on the graph indicate?

  Higher specific heat capacity of the material
• How does the specific heat capacity affect energy storage in materials?

  Higher specific heat capacity means more energy storage