specific heat capacity

Question 1

what is the SHC of water?

Answer 1

4200J/Kg degrees Celsius

Question 2

what is specific heat capacity?

Answer 2

the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1 degrees Celsius

Question 3

why do materials in heaters usually have a high specific heat capacity?

Answer 3

so they can store large amounts of heat energy

Question 4

why is water ideal for central heating systems?

Answer 4

it has a really high specific heat capacity and is also a liquid so it can easily be pumped around in pipes

Question 5

how do electric storage heaters work?

Answer 5

they store heat energy at night and release it during the day, they store the heat using concrete or bricks which have a high specific heat capacity

Question 6

why are some heaters filled with oil?

Answer 6

oil has a higher boiling point that water so it can safely reach higher temperatures

Question 7

a drawback of filling a heater with oil

Answer 7

oil has a specific heat capacity of 2000J/Kg degrees Celsius which is lower than water so they are often not as good