Specific Heat Tutoring/Small Group

​Specific Heat

By Marissa Brown

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Specific Heat

You reach for a slice of pizza fresh from the hot oven. You take a
bite and the crust is nice and warm but when the sauce reaches
your tongue it burns!

If the sauce and crust were
at the same temperature,
why do you think the sauce
burned your tongue but the
crust did not?

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The sauce required more thermal energy to reach the same temperature
as the crust because it had a higher specific heat capacity than the
crust.

Specific Heat

The sauce transferred more thermal energy to your tongue raising
your tongue's temperature.

But why did the sauce have more thermal energy than the crust? Click
HERE for the answer.

79

Specific Heat

Specific heat describes the amount of energy in Joules (J)
needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.

table: electron9.phys.utk.edu

Different substances have different specific heat capacities.
What do those values tell you about the substance?

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Specific Heat

Differences in specific heat require different amounts of energy
for the same change in temperature.

1kg
It takes about 800 Joules of
energy to raise the
temperature of 1 kg of rock
by 1°C.

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1kg

Specific Heat

It takes about 1,700 Joules of energy to raise the temperature of 1 kg
of wood by 1°C.

Which has the
higher specific
heat capacity, the
rock or the wood?

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lowest specific heat

specific heat is in between

highest specific heat

temperature will be in between

highest temperature

lowest temperature

lowest specific heat

specific heat is in between

highest specific heat

Specific Heat

What happens if the same amount of thermal energy is transferred
to substances of the same mass but different specific heats?

For example, if equal
masses of water, sand and
air each recieve 1000 Joules
of energy how do their
temperatures compare?

Click the picture
for the answer.

The substance with a lower specific heat will heat up way faster

than the substance with a higher specific heat. (higher = slower to heat)

Multiple Choice

Specific heat describes the energy needed to raise the
temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1°C.

• True

• False

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30 Which substance requires the least amount of energy to
change its temperature by the same amount?

A 1 kg of ice

B 1 kg of lead

C 1 kg of water

D 1 kg of copper

table: electron9.phys.utk.edu

Answer

lowest specific heat so easiest to heat

Multiple Choice

Which substance requires the least amount of energy to
change its temperature by the same amount?

• 1 kg of ice

• 1 kg of water

• 1 kg of lead

• 1 kg of copper

Multiple Choice

Exactly 200 Joules of thermal energy are transferred to
the following substances. Which undergoes the least
amount of temperature change?

• 1 kg of ice

• 1 kg of water

• 1 kg of lead

• 1 kg of copper

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31 Exactly 200 Joules of thermal energy are transferred to
the following substances. Which undergoes the least
amount of temperature change?

A 1 kg of water

B 1 kg of copper

C 1 kg of iron

D 1 kg of aluminum

table: electron9.phys.utk.edu

Answer

B 1kg of water
Since it has the highest heat
capacity, it requires a lot more
energy to change its temperature by
the same amount.

highest specific heat =takes longest to change

86

Specific Heat

Identical substances with the same mass and the same specific
heat will undergo different temperature changes if they receive
different amounts of thermal energy

.

Use a red marker tool to illustrate on the thermometers the
differences in water temperature between the two flasks of water.

87

Specific Heat

Identical substances with different masses and the same
specific heat will undergo different temperature changes if they
recieve the same amount of thermal energy.

Use a red marker tool to illustrate on the thermometers the
differences in temperature between the two rocks.

Multiple Choice

Suppose two identical rocks of different masses are
heated. After they each receive 200 Joules of thermal
energy. Rock "A" has a hotter temperature than rock "B".
Which rock is more massive?

• Rock A

• Rock B

89

33 Suppose two identical rocks of different masses are
heated. After they each receive 200 Joules of thermal
energy. Rock "A" has a hotter temperature than rock "B".
Which rock is more massive?

A

B

Rock

Rock

Answer

If rock A was hotter, that means

it was easier to heat up so it was

the smaller rock. This makes B

the bigger rock which takes longer

to heat.

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Temperature Changes

To summarize, the temperature changes a substance undergoes:

Are inversely proportional to the specific heat of the substance

higher specific heat smaller temperature change

lower specific heat
greater temperature change

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Are directly proportional to the amount of energy transferred
to the substance.

Temperature Changes

More energy greater temperature
change
less energy
smaller temperature change

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Are inversely proportional to the mass of the substance

1kg

2kg

Temperature Changes

more mass smaller temperature change

less mass
greater temperature change

Fill in the Blank

How much energy would it take to raise the temperature of a 25kg piece of concrete from 5°C to 25°C?

Fill in the Blank

How much energy would be released if the temperature of a 5 kg piece of glass cooled 50 degrees Celsius?