Specific Heat Capacity Flashcards – GCSE Physics
Test definitions, the energy equation, the required practical and interpretation of results. Try each prompt before opening its answer.
Card 1. What does specific heat capacity mean?
Reveal answer
Energy needed to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.
Card 2. What is the specific heat capacity equation?
Reveal answer
ΔE = m × c × Δθ; energy change = mass × specific heat capacity × temperature change.
Card 3. What are the units of specific heat capacity?
Reveal answer
J/kg°C (joules per kilogram per degree Celsius).
Card 4. How do you calculate temperature change?
Reveal answer
Δθ = final temperature − initial temperature.
Card 5. How do you rearrange the energy equation to find c?
Reveal answer
c = ΔE ÷ (m × Δθ).
Card 6. How can electrical energy supplied by the heater be calculated?
Reveal answer
ΔE = V × I × t, with V in volts, I in amperes and t in seconds.
Card 7. Which practical measurements are needed to determine c?
Reveal answer
Mass of the block, electrical energy supplied and its temperature rise.
Card 8. What does a steep temperature-rise-versus-energy gradient mean?
Reveal answer
For the same block mass, a steeper gradient means a smaller specific heat capacity.
Card 9. Why can heat loss give a calculated c that is too high?
Reveal answer
Not all electrical energy heats the block, so Δθ is too small for the energy counted in c = ΔE ÷ (mΔθ).