Nimo

Study smarter with Nimo

Personalised revision that adapts to you. Ace your revision with unlimited practice questions that are designed to help you learn faster. We're slowly rolling out to more and more students.

Understanding specific heat capacity and calculations

Particle model of matterInternal energy and heat

Key concepts

What you'll likely be quizzed about

  • Specific heat capacity (c) is defined as the amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius.
  • It varies between substances and is an intrinsic property that influences how quickly or slowly materials heat up or cool down.
  • Materials with a high specific heat capacity can absorb a lot of heat without a significant change in temperature, while those with a low specific heat capacity heat up quickly.

Flashcards

Test your knowledge with interactive flashcards

What is specific heat capacity?

Click to reveal answer

Specific heat capacity is the heat required to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.

Key notes

Important points to keep in mind

Specific heat capacity is substance-specific

Use consistent units in calculations

Always check if mass is in kilograms

Understand heat transfer principles for applications

Carefully consider temperature changes before calculations

Built with v0