Form 3 Cycle 2 Lesson 3

Heat capacity (C) and specific heat capacity (c)

Heat capacity(C)
Heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a body
by 1o C.
C =Q/ ΔT i.e.
Q = CΔT where Q is the heat energy, C is the heat capacity and
ΔT is the change in temperature of the body.
S I unit of heat capacity is Joule/Kelvin (J/K) although J/oC is a common
unity used.
Example.
A mass of copper is given 2000J of energy and its temperatures rises by 10o
celcius, calculate its eat capacity.
From Q = CΔT
C = Q/ΔT
= 2000/10
= 200J/oC or 200J/K (K is Kelvin)
Example 2
A small copper cube is given 50J of energy. If its heat capacity is 25J/K what
will be the change in its temperature?
Q = CΔT
ΔT = Q/C
= 50/25
= 2K or 2oC
As can be seen from the examples above, the heat capacity for the same
substance is not constant but depends on the mass of the substance. The higher
the mas the greater the heat capacity(C), but different masses of copper have the
same specific heat capacity (c)
Specific heat capacity(c)
Specific heat capacity is the energy required to raise the temperature of a body
by 1 k.
Q = mcΔT
c = Q/mΔT (where m is mass and c is the specific heat capacity)
The specific of a metal block can be determined using the setup shown below.
The mass of the block is measured, the initial temperature, heat supplied, final
temperature, time of heating, as before and the specific heat capacity calculated
as before.

Question (For discussion in the lesson)

1 The boiler contains 35 kg of water at 22 °C. The specific heat capacity of
water is 4200 J / (kg °C).
(i) Calculate the thermal energy (heat) needed to raise the temperature
of the water 2from 22 °C to its boiling point.
(ii) The water in the boiler is heated with a 2600 W immersion heater.
Calculate the minimum time for the heater to bring the water to its
boiling point.