Specific heat capacity

Question 1

What is an object’s internal energy?

Answer 1

• The total energy stored by the particles making up an object
• Consists of potential energy (gravitational, elastic) and kinetic energy

Question 2

How does heating an object affect its internal energy store?

Answer 2

• When you heat up an object, you are transferring energy to the kinetic energy store of all of the particles therefore, it increases the internal energy of the object

Question 3

What is temperature (in terms of internal energy)?

Answer 3

• Temperature is a measure of the average internal energy of a all of the particles in a substance

Question 4

What is specific heat capacity?

Answer 4

• The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1 degrees celcius