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The Romans had underfloor heating over 2,000 years ago.

Physics - Specific Heat Capacity (AQA)

Explore how heating curves link temperature, state changes and energy, and see how specific heat capacity explains why some materials warm up faster than others.

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Fascinating Fact:

Heating curves rise during temperature change and flatten during a state change while latent heat is supplied.

In GCSE Physics, you study how energy affects the temperature and state of a substance. Heating curves and specific heat capacity help you link energy input to changes you see on a graph.

Key Terms

Specific heat capacity: The energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius.
Heating curve: A graph that shows how the temperature of a substance changes as it is heated over time.
Latent heat: Energy transferred during a change of state, such as melting or boiling, without any change in temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is specific heat capacity in GCSE Physics?

Specific heat capacity in GCSE Physics is the energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius, measured in joules per kilogram per degree.

How do you read a heating curve graph?

To read a heating curve, follow the temperature line as time passes. Sloping sections show temperature changing, while flat sections show a change of state where latent heat is being transferred.

What is the difference between specific heat capacity and latent heat?

Specific heat capacity is about energy needed to change temperature, while latent heat is the energy needed to change state without changing the temperature.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Substances with a low specific heat capacity can store how much thermal energy?

They can not store any thermal energy

They can store some thermal energy

They can store a lot of themal energy

They can store an unlimited amount of thermal energy

The greater the specific heat capacity, the greater the quantity of thermal energy the material can store

2 .

As well as the specific heat capacity, what else affects the amount of thermal energy a material can store?

Nothing - it's just the specific heat capacity that matters

The temperature change

The mass

Both temperature change and mass

Applying a higher temperature and using more of the material will increase the amount of thermal energy stored (and vice versa of course)

3 .

What symbol is used to represent the specific heat capacity of a material?

shc

c is also used to represent the speed of light

4 .

What are the units of specific heat capacity?

J/kg^oC

Jkg^oC

J^-1kg/^oC

W/kg/^oC

This needs to memorised for the exam

5 .

In a laboratory experiment, a group of students used a copper block with a hole drilled in for a thermometer and a second hole in for the heater. Which of the following is not required to calculate the specific heat capacity?

Joulemeter reading at the start and end

Time taken

Starting temperature

Mass in kg of the copper block

This question tests if you know that the equation for specific heat capacity is Energy = Mass x Specific heat capacity x Temperature change. There is no mention of time

6 .

The specific heat capacity of water is 4,200 J/kg^oC. The specific heat capacity of mineral oil is 2,100 J/kg^oC. Based on this information, which statement is correct?

Mineral oil would be of little use for storing heat

Water would be no use for storing heat

Kilogram for kilogram, mineral oil can absorb more thermal energy than water

Water can store more heat than the same mass of mineral oil

You should know from your studies that both water and mineral oil are used for storing heat (oil filled radiators and central heating systems), so the first two statements are incorrect. Water has a greater specific heat capacity than the mineral oil so that rules out the third answer

7 .

How much energy must be transferred to raise the temperature of 2 kg of water from 27^oC to 40^oC? Water has a heat capacity of 4,200 J/kg^oC

109,200 kJ

10,920 kJ

1,092 kJ

109.2 kJ

Straighforward use of the specific heat capacity equation. The specific heat capacity is given in joules but the units of the answers are in kilojoules, so you needed to divide your answer by 1,000

8 .

A homeowner uses a wood burning stove to heat his house. The casing of the stove gets hot when the wood inside is burning and is made from 120 kg of cast iron. It took 3,276 kJ of energy to raise the temperature of the stove casing from 18^oC to 70^oC. What is the specific heat capacity of the cast iron in J/kg^oC?

0.525

525

1.904

1,904

This is testing how well you understand units. The calculation using 3,276 kJ will give you the answer in kJ/kg^oC but the question asks for the answer expressed in J/kg^oC

9 .

When a particular car engine is working normally, 1.5 kg of coolant at a temperature of 114^oC with a specific heat capacity of the of 3,800 J/kg^oC passes through the radiator each second. If 91.2 kJ of energy is transferred to the surroundings, what is the temperature of the coolant leaving the radiator?

16^oC

98^oC

0.016^oC

120^oC

Four things here - did you pay attention to the units, did you rearrange the equation correctly and did you remember that the answer is the temperature difference and that the temperature will go down because a radiator is designed to get rid of heat from a coolant? Well done if you did!

10 .

A block of copper was heated from 18^oC to 33^oC using 35 thousand joules of energy. The specific heat capacity of copper is 385 J/kg^oC. What was the mass of the block of copper?

6.06 kg

0.385 kg

385 kg

It can't be worked out without more information

Dividing the energy by the specific heat capacity multiplied by the temperature rise gives the answer

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Energy and heating - AQA

Author: Kev Woodward (PGCE, Science & Chemistry Teacher, Quiz Writer)