Specific Heat Capacity

Question 1

What is Specific Heat Capacity?

Answer 1

How much energy can be stored in something.

Question 2

Materials that need to gain lots of energy to warm up also…

Answer 2

release lots of energy when they cool down. They can ‘store’ a lot of heat

Question 3

Define specific heat capacity

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What is water’s Specific heat capacity?

Answer 4

4200 J/Kg°C

Question 5

What is the equation for Specific heat capacity? What do the symbols mean? What are their units?

Answer 5

E=mcθ
Energy Transferred (J) = mass (kg) * Specific heat capacity (J/Kg°C) * Temperature change (°C)

Question 6

Heaters have [ ] specific heat capacity to store lots of [ ]

Answer 6

High

Energy

Question 7

What substance is perfect for using in heaters? Why?

Answer 7

Water - really high specific heat capacity

It’s also a liquid, so it can easily be pumped around in pipes

Question 8

Describe electric storage heaters

Answer 8

Designed to store heat energy at night (when it’s cheapest) and then release it during the day
They store heat using concrete or bricks, which have a high specific heat capacity (880 J/Kg° C)

Question 9

Why could oil heaters reach higher temperatures than water? However what is the issue with oil?

Answer 9

Oil has a higher boiling point than water.

Oil has a lower specific heat capacity though