Question

Question #516fc

Answer 1

To calculate the specific heat capacity of a substance, use the formula `Q = m C Delta T`

where Q is the quantity of heat (energy) needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C, measured in J;
m is the mass of the substance, in kg;
C is the specific heat capacity of the material, in `J/(kg) * ^o C`; and
`Delta T` is the temperature change, in `^oC`

If you are looking for the specific heat capacity (C), you will need to isolate it by dividing both sides by `m Delta T`.

Example:

To raise the temperature of 400 g of gold from `50^oC` to `75^oC`, 1.3 kJ of energy is needed. What is the specific heat capacity of gold?

`C = Q / (m Delta T)`

`C = 1300 / (0.4 * 25)`

`C = 1300 / 10`

`C = 130 J/(kg) * ^o C`