[energy] specific heat capacity

[ BBC Bitesize 'Energy ⇢ Energy and heating' page 1-6 ]

Specific Heat Capacity

The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1°C.

Specific Heat Capacity Equation

ΔE (change in thermal energy, J) = m (mass, kg) x c (specific heat capacity, J/kg°C) x Δθ (change in temperature, °C)

Energy Transferred Equation

E (energy transferred, J) = V (potential difference, V) x I (current, A) x t (time, s)

Thermal Conductivity

A measure of how well a material conducts energy when it is heated.

How to Determine Thermal Conductivity:

• time to transmit energy indicates conductivity

• material heating quickest has high thermal conductivity

Required Practical 2

Investigating the effectiveness of different materials as thermal insulators and the factors that may affect the thermal insulation properties of a material.

1st Stage of Investigating Materials as Insulators:

1st Stage of Investigating Materials as Insulators:

Place a small beaker into a larger beaker and fill the small beaker with hot water from a kettle. Place the material being tested between the beakers.

2nd Stage of Investigating Materials as Insulators:

Put a piece of cardboard over the beakers as a lid. The lid should have a hole suitable for a thermometer.

3rd Stage of Investigating Materials as Insulators:

Place a thermometer into the smaller beaker through the hole. Record the temperature of the water in the small beaker and start the stopwatch.

System

A object or group of objects.

Required Practical 1

Determining the specific heat capacity of one or more materials.

1st Stage of Required Practical 1:

Place the immersion heater into the central hole at the top of the block.

2nd Stage of Required Practical 1:

Place the thermometer into the smaller hole and put a couple of drops of oil into the hole to make sure the thermometer is surrounded by hot material.

3rd Stage of Required Practical 1:

Place the thermometer into the smaller hole and put a couple of drops of oil into the hole to make sure the thermometer is surrounded by hot material.

4th Stage of Required Practical 1:

Record the temperature of the block.

5th Stage of Required Practical 1:

Connect the heater to the power supply and turn it off after ten minutes.

6th Stage of Required Practical 1:

After ten minutes the temperature will still rise even though the heater has been turned off and then it will begin to cool. Record the highest temperature that it reaches and calculate the temperature rise during the experiment.