Learning Objectives
- Define heat capacity.
- Define specific heat.
- Perform calculations involving specific heat.
Examples
Which pool will warm up faster?
If a swimming pool and wading, both full of water at the same temperature were subjected to the same input of heat energy, the wading pool would certainly rise in temperature more quickly than the swimming pool. The heat capacity of an object depends both on its mass and its chemical composition. Because of its much larger mass, the swimming pool of water has a larger heat capacity than the bucket of water.
Heat Capacity and Specific Heat
Different substances respond to heat in different ways. If a metal chair sits in the bright sun on a hot day, it may become quite hot to the touch. An equal mass of water in the same sun will not become nearly as hot. We would say that water has a high heat capacity (the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an object by 1°C.) Water is very resistant to changes in temperature, while metals in general are not. The specific heat of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1°C. Table below lists the specific heats of some common substances. The symbol for specific heat is c p , with the p subscript referring to the fact that specific heats are measured at constant pressure. The units for specific heat can either be joules per gram per degree (J/g°C) or calories per gram per degree (cal/g°C). This text will use J/g°C for specific heat.
| Substance | Specific Heat (J/g°C) |
| Water (l) | 4.18 |
| Water (s) | 2.06 |
| Water (g) | 1.87 |
| Ammonia (g) | 2.09 |
| Ethanol (l) | 2.44 |
| Aluminum (s) | 0.897 |
| Carbon, graphite (s) | 0.709 |
| Copper (s) | 0.385 |
| Gold (s) | 0.129 |
| Iron (s) | 0.449 |
| Lead (s) | 0.129 |
| Mercury (l) | 0.140 |
| Silver (s) | 0.233 |
Notice that water has a very high specific heat compared to most other substances. Water is commonly used as a coolant for machinery because it is able to absorb large quantities of heat (seeTable above ). Coastal climates are much more moderate than inland climates because of the presence of the ocean. Water in lakes or oceans absorbs heat from the air on hot days and releases it back into the air on cool days.
Figure 17.5
This power plant in West Virginia, like many others, is located next to a large lake so that the water from the lake can be used as a coolant. Cool water from the lake is pumped into the plant, while warmer water is pumped out of the plant and back into the lake.
Summary
- Heat capacity and specific heat are defined.
Practice
Watch the video and answer the questions below
- What was in the first balloon?
- What was in the send balloon?
- Why did the first balloon not burst?
- Why did the second balloon burst?
Review
- What is heat capacity?
- What is specific heat?
- You have a 10 gram piece of aluminum and a 10 gram piece of gold sitting in the sun. Which metal will warm by ten degrees first?
- You have a 20 gram piece of aluminum and a 40 gram piece of aluminum sitting in the sun. Which piece will arm by ten degrees first?
Glossary
- heat capacity: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an object by 1°C.
- specific heat: The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1°C.
References
- Swimming pool: User:Mhsb/Wikimedia Commons; Wading pool: User:Aarchiba/Wikipedia. Swimming pool: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Freshwater_swimming_pool.jpg; Wading pool: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wading-pool.jpg.
- User:Raeky/Wikimedia Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Storm_Power_Plant,_Areial.jpg.
[/hidden-answer