Specific Heat Capacity and investigating it

Question 1

what is Specific Heat Capacity?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

what is the formula involving SHC?

Answer 2

ΔE = m x c x Δθ
- Change in thermal energy (J)
- Mass (kg)
- Specific Heat Capacity (J/kg degrees C)
- Temperature change (degree C)

Question 3

how do you investigate the SHC of a Solid Block?

Answer 3

• Measure the mass of the block
• Wrap it in an insulating layer to reduce energy losses
• Set up apparatus
• Measure the starting temp of the block
• Turn on the power supply and start a stopwatch
• Record the potential difference of the power supply and the current, they shouldn’t change
• After 10 mins, take a reading of block’s temp
• Turn off heater and work out temp change
• Calculate the power of the heater using P = VI

Question 4

how can you find the Specific Heat Capacities of Liquids?

Answer 4

• repeat the same experiment with different materials
• place the heater and thermometer into an insulated beaker with a known mass of the liquid
• carry out the rest of experiment