Sand at the beach scorches your feet by noon while the sea stays cool. Both sat under the same Sun. Water simply demands far more energy to warm each kilogram, a property captured by its specific heat capacity.
The specific heat capacity c is the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree Celsius. The energy transferred is E = mc times the change in temperature, measured in joules.
The specific heat capacity of a substance is the energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of it by 1 degree Celsius (or 1 K).
The unit is J/(kg °C). Use the temperature change, not the final temperature.
Change the material, the mass and the energy supplied, and read off the temperature rise.
Four quick checks. Each correct answer earns XP and lights this skill on your star map.
The specific heat capacity is the energy needed to raise the temperature of...
The equation linking energy, mass, specific heat capacity and temperature change is...
The unit of specific heat capacity is...
Water has a high specific heat capacity, which means it...
The equation ties together how much you heat, how much there is, and what it is made of.
How much energy is needed to raise the temperature of 2.0 kg of water by 10 degrees Celsius? Take c = 4200 J/(kg degrees Celsius).
Specific heat capacity is defined per kilogram, so always multiply by the actual mass. And use the temperature change, not the final temperature: heating from 20 to 50 degrees Celsius is a change of 30, not 50.
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The energy needed to heat 2.0 kg of water by 5.0 degrees Celsius is (c = 4200 J/(kg degrees Celsius))...
A 0.50 kg metal block gains 9000 J and rises by 30 degrees Celsius. Its specific heat capacity is...
Rearranging E = mcΔθ, the temperature change is found from...
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