Specific Heat Capacity (OCR A Level Physics): Revision Note

Specific Heat Capacity

• The specific heat capacity of a substance is defined as:

The amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C

• This quantity determines the amount of energy needed to change the temperature of a substance

• The specific heat capacity is measured in units of Joules per kilogram per Kelvin (J kg^-1 K^-1) or Joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J kg^-1 °C^-1) and has the symbol c

  • Different substances have different specific heat capacities

  • Specific heat capacity is mainly used when considering liquids and solids

• From the definition of specific heat capacity, it follows that:

  • The greater the mass of the material, the more thermal energy that will be required to raise its temperature

  • The greater the change in temperature, the higher the thermal energy required to achieve this change

Low v high specific heat capacity

• If a substance has a low specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down quickly

• If a substance has a high specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down slowly

• The specific heat capacity of different substances determines how useful they would be for a specific purpose eg. choosing the best material for kitchen appliances

Table of values of specific heat capacity for various substances

Determining Specific Heat Capacity

• The amount of thermal energy Q needed to raise the temperature by ∆θ for a mass m with specific heat capacity c is equal to:

E = mc∆θ

• Where:

  • E = change in thermal energy (J)

  • m = mass of the substance (kg)

  • c = specific heat capacity of the substance (J kg⁻¹K⁻¹ or J kg⁻¹ °C⁻¹)

  • ∆θ = change in temperature (K or °C)

Procedures to Determine Specific Heat Capacity

• In these experiments, the following equation is used to determine the specific heat capacity of the substance:

$\text{specific heat capacity}=\frac{\text{heat supplied to substance}}{\text{mass}\times \text{change in temperature}}$

Methods to Determine the Specific Heat Capacity of a Solid and a Liquid

Equipment List for a Solid:

• A block of the substance (preferably 1 kg in mass)

• A thermometer

• An appropriate heater (e.g., an immersion heater)

• A power source

• A joule meter or a voltmeter, ammeter and stop-clock

Apparatus to determine the specific heat capacity of a 1 kg Aluminium block

Method for a Solid

1. Assemble the apparatus as shown in the diagram above

2. Measure the initial temperature of the substance

   • Record the value

3. Turn on the power supply and start the stop-clock

4. Take readings of the voltage and current

   • Record these values

5. After 5 minutes (300 seconds) switch off the power supply, stop the stop-clock

6. Monitor the thermometer

   • Record the highest temperature reached

   • This may be a few minutes after the power supply is switched off

Equipment List for a Liquid:

• A beaker of liquid (ideally containing 400 ml liquid)

• A thermometer

• An appropriate heater (e.g., an immersion heater)

• A power source

• A joule meter or a voltmeter, ammeter and stop-clock

• A digital balance

Apparatus to determine the specific heat capacity of 400 ml of water 

Method for a Liquid

1. Assemble the apparatus as shown in the diagram above

2. Measure the mass of the liquid 

   • Record the value

3. Measure the initial temperature of the substance

   • Record the value

4. Turn on the power supply and start the stop-clock

5. Take readings of the voltage and current

   • Record these values

6. After 10 minutes (600 seconds) switch off the power supply, stop the stop-clock

7. Monitor the thermometer

   • Record the highest temperature reached

   • This may be a few minutes after the power supply is switched off

Analysis of the Results

• Calculate the change in temperature

  • This is the final temperature minus the initial temperature

• The heat supplied to the substance can be calculated using the equation:

energy = current (A) × voltage (V) × time (s)

• The equation for specific heat capacity can be used to calculate specific heat capacity

E = mc∆θ

• Where:

  • E = change in thermal energy (J)

  • m = mass of the substance (kg)

  • c = specific heat capacity of the substance (J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ or J kg⁻¹ °C⁻¹)

  • ∆θ = change in temperature (K or °C)

Evaluation

• Not all of the heat supplied by the heater will go into the substance

  • Some heat will be lost to the surroundings 

  • This means that the value for energy supplied will be too large

  • This results in too high a value for specific heat capacity

• There may be fluctuations in the power supply

  • Take several periodic measurements of the voltage and current

  • Calculate an average of these values