Thermal Properties, Temperature, and Specific Heat Capacity

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, definitions, concepts, and equations related to internal energy, heat capacity, and specific heat capacity.

Internal Energy

The sum of the random distribution of total potential energy and total kinetic energy of molecules or particles within an object.

Kinetic Energy of Particles

The energy component of internal energy associated with particle motion, which is directly related to temperature.

Potential Energy of Particles

The energy component of internal energy associated with the relative positions of particles, determined by forces of attraction, chemical bonds, and the distance between particles.

Heat Capacity

The thermal property of an object that depends on variable mass, meaning its value changes as the mass of the object changes.

Specific Heat Capacity (S.H.C)

The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a given mass of a substance by a given specific amount. It does not depend on mass and remains constant because mass is fixed.

Specific Heat Capacity Formula

$c = \frac{\Delta E}{m \Delta \theta}$, where $c$ is specific heat capacity, $\Delta E$ is energy change in $J$, $m$ is mass in $kg$, and $\Delta \theta$ is temperature change in $K$ or $^\circ C$.

Thermal Energy Transfer Formula

$\Delta E = m \times c \times \Delta \theta$, which calculates the energy change based on mass, specific heat capacity, and temperature change.