National 5PhysicsSQARevision NotesProperties Of MatterSpecific Heat CapacitySpecific Heat Capacity

Specific Heat Capacity (SQA National 5 Physics): Revision Note

Exam code: X857 75

Leander Oates

Written by: Leander Oates

Reviewed by: Caroline Carroll

Updated on

Specific heat capacity

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

The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the substance by 1 °C per kilogram of mass (J kg-1 °C-1)

  • Different substances have different specific heat capacities

    • If a substance has a low specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down quickly (ie. it takes less heat energy to change its temperature)

    • If a substance has a high specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down slowly (ie. it takes more heat energy to change its temperature)

Examples of specific heat capacity

Relative specific heat capacities of copper (lowest), aluminium and water (highest)
Low vs high specific heat capacity

  • How much the temperature of a system increases depends on:

    • The mass of the substance heated

    • The type of material

    • The amount of energy put into the system in the form of thermal energy

Worked Example

Two substances of equal mass are both solid at 20 degree straight C.

An equal amount of heat energy per second is supplied to both substances.

The graph shows the change in temperature over time for each substance.

Graph showing temperature over time for lines A and B. Both start at 20°C; A reaches 80°C and B reaches 50°C at 300 seconds.

Identify the substance with the greatest specific heat capacity, and explain your reasoning.

Answer:

  • A substance with a high specific heat capacity heats up more slowly than a substance with a low specific heat capacity

  • Substance B heats up more slowly than substance A

  • Therefore, substance B has a greater specific heat capacity

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Students often lose marks in the exam for not understanding that:

  • if it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature of a substance, it has a low specific heat capacity

  • if it takes a small amount of energy to change the temperature of a substance, it has a high specific heat capacity

Make sure you are clear on this and can apply it to new contexts such as graphs and data.

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Author
Reviewer
Leander Oates

Author: Leander Oates

Expertise: Physics Content Creator

Leander graduated with First-class honours in Science and Education from Sheffield Hallam University. She won the prestigious Lord Robert Winston Solomon Lipson Prize in recognition of her dedication to science and teaching excellence. After teaching and tutoring both science and maths students, Leander now brings this passion for helping young people reach their potential to her work at SME.

Caroline Carroll

Reviewer: Caroline Carroll

Expertise: Physics & Chemistry Subject Lead

Caroline graduated from the University of Nottingham with a degree in Chemistry and Molecular Physics. She spent several years working as an Industrial Chemist in the automotive industry before retraining to teach. Caroline has over 12 years of experience teaching GCSE and A-level chemistry and physics. She is passionate about creating high-quality resources to help students achieve their full potential.