Specific Heat Capacity

Specific Heat Capacity

Heat is a type of energy that is also known as thermal energy. Energy can be converted from one form to another (for example, electrical energy can be converted into mechanical energy in a blender), but it cannot be created or destroyed; rather, it must be conserved. According to introductory thermodynamics, the higher the temperature of a material, the more thermal energy it has. Besides, the more of a particular substance there is at a given temperature, the more overall thermal energy the material has.

Absorbed heat causes the atoms of a solid to vibrate on an atomic level, much like they would if they were connected by springs. It is the only motion possible in metal.

Define the Specific Heat of the Substance

The amount of heat required to increase the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius is known as specific heat. Calories or joules per gram per Celsius degree are commonly used as units of specific heat.

We know that when a substance absorbs heat energy, its temperature rises. When the same amount of heat is applied to equal masses of different substances, the temperature rise is different for each substance. It is because different substances have varying heat capabilities.

The following method can be used to calculate specific heat values: 

When two materials with different temperatures contact each other, heat always transfers from the warmer substance to the colder one until both materials reach the same temperature. According to the law of conservation of energy, the heat obtained by the initially colder substance must equal the heat lost by the initially warmer material.

History of Specific Heat Capacity

Scottish scientist Joseph Black was the first to note that equivalent masses of different substances required varying quantities of heat to elevate them across the same temperature gap. He developed the idea of specific heat from this finding. Later, French physicists Pierre-Louis Dulong and Alexis-Thérèse Petit proved that measuring the specific temperatures of substances allows for the computation of their atomic weights.

Specific Heat Capacity Formula

The formula of specific heat capacity is as follows:

Q = C m ∆t

Here,

• Q = amount of heat absorbed by a body
• m = mass of the body
• ∆t = rise in temperature
• C = Specific heat capacity of a substance depends on the nature of the material of the substance.
• S.I. unit of specific heat is J kg-1 K-1.

Heat capacity = Specific heat * mass

Specific Heat Capacity of Water

Water’s temperature rises as it absorbs heat and falls as it releases it. However, the temperature of water declines or rises more slowly than that of other liquids. Hence, we can say that water absorbs more heat without causing a temperature increase. It keeps its temperature retained for a considerably more extended period than other substances.

The specific heat capacity of water is high, which means it can absorb a lot of heat before its temperature increases. Water’s specific heat significantly influences the Earth’s climate and helps determine the habitability of many regions across the world.

Principle of Calorimetry

Two different materials (preferably a liquid and a solid) are in contact in a calorimeter. Also, the temperatures of both bodies are different. This arrangement transfers heat energy from an object with a higher temperature to an object with a lower temperature.

Heat flow continues until the bodies reach thermal equilibrium. The “law of energy conservation” is the “principle of calorimetry”. As a result, the entire amount of heat absorbed by the cold object equals the total heat released by the hot object.

The concept of calorimetry, also known as the principle of mixes, asserts that the heat energy lost by the hot body is equal to the heat energy absorbed by the cold body in an insulated system.

m1c1 (t1−t)=m2c2 (t−t2)

Define Hypsometer

The name hypsometer is derived from two Greek words that mean “altitude meter” and refers to a device used to determine an object’s height. There are three types of hypsometers – Scale, Pressure, and Laser. Arborists use hypsometers to measure tree heights, and the equipment is widely used in the surveying and construction industries.

The simplest type of hypsometer is the scale hypsometer. It’s made out of an L-shaped frame with a straightedge that may be adjusted. Using the straightedge, the user observes the top of the object and records the angle produced by the bottom of the frame. The height of a building or other structure can be calculated using a trigonometric formula.

The boiling point falls as height increases, which is how a pressure hypsometer works. A container filled with liquid (usually water), a heating device, and a thermometer is used to make it.

Conclusion

The concept of specific heat capacity is crucial in solving the problem of calculating heat absorption. Different compounds require different amounts of energy to raise their temperature, and the specific heat capacity of the substance determines how much energy is required.