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Cambridge (CIE) A Level Physics Your notes

Specific Heat Capacity & Specific Latent Heat

Contents
Specific Heat Capacity
Specific Latent Heat Capacity

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Specific Heat Capacity

Your notes
Defining specific heat capacity
The specific heat capacity of a substance is defined as:
The amount of thermal energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C
This quantity determines the amount of energy needed to change the temperature of a substance
The specific heat capacity is measured in units of Joules per kilogram per Kelvin (J kg-1 K-1) or Joules per
kilogram per Celsius (J kg-1 °C-1) and has the symbol c
Different substances have different specific heat capacities
Specific heat capacity is mainly used in liquids and solids

Specific heat capacity of different materials

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Low v high specific heat capacity.

From the definition of specific heat capacity, it follows that: Your notes
The heavier the material, the more thermal energy that will be required to raise its temperature
The larger the change in temperature, the higher the thermal energy will be required to achieve this
change

Calculating specific heat capacity

The amount of thermal energy Q needed to raise the temperature by Δθ for a mass m with specific heat
capacity c is equal to:
ΔQ = mcΔθ

Where:
ΔQ = change in thermal energy (J)

m = mass of the substance you are heating up (kg)

c = specific heat capacity of the substance (J kg-1K-1or J kg-1 °C-1)
Δθ = change in temperature (K or °C)

If a substance has a low specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down quickly
If a substance has a high specific heat capacity, it heats up and cools down slowly
The specific heat capacity of different substances determines how useful they would be for a specific
purpose eg. choosing the best material for kitchen appliances

Table of values of specific heat capacity for various substances

Substance Specific heat capacity / J kg-1K-1

Aluminium 910

Copper 390

Lead 126

Glass 500 - 680

Water 4200

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Mercury 140
Your notes
Good electrical conductors, such as copper and lead, are also excellent conductors of heat due to
their low specific heat capacity

Worked Example
A kettle is rated at 1.7 kW. A mass of 650 g of a liquid at 25°C is poured into a kettle. When the kettle
is switched on, it takes 3.5 minutes to start boiling.
Calculate the specific heat capacity of the liquid.
Step 1: Calculate the Energy from the power and time
Energy = Power × Time
Power = 1.7 kW = 1.7 × 103 W
Time = 3.5 minutes = 3.5 × 60 = 210 s
Energy = 1.7 × 103 × 210 = 3.57 × 105 J
Step 2: Thermal energy equation
ΔQ = mcΔθ

Step 3: Rearrange for specific heat capacity

∆Q
c=
m∆ θ
Step 4: Substitute in values
m = 650 g = 650 × 10-3 kg
Δθ = 100 - 25 = 75oC

3 . 57 × 105
c= = 7323.07... = 7300 J kg-1 oC-1 (2 s.f)
650 × 10−3 × 75

Examiner Tips and Tricks

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The difference in temperature Δθ will be exactly the same whether the temperature is given in Celsius
or Kelvin. Therefore, there is no need to convert between the two since the difference in
temperature will be the same for both units. Your notes

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Specific Latent Heat Capacity

Your notes
Defining latent heat capacity
Energy is required to change the state of a substance
Examples of changes of state are:
Melting = solid to liquid
Evaporation/vaporisation/boiling = liquid to gas
Sublimation = solid to gas
Freezing = liquid to solid
Condensation = gas to liquid

Changes of state

The example of changes of state between solids, liquids and gases

When a substance changes state, there is no temperature change
The energy supplied to change the state is called the specific latent heat and is defined as:
The thermal energy required to change the state of 1 kg of mass of a substance without any change
of temperature
There are two types of latent heat:
Specific latent heat of fusion (melting)

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Specific latent heat of vaporisation (boiling)

It is important to recognise the difference between latent heat and specific latent heat
Your notes
latent heat is the energy required to change a materials state
specific latent heat is the energy required to change the state of 1 kg of a material
Types of latent heat

The changes of state with heat supplied against temperature. There is no change in temperature during
changes of state.
The specific latent heat of fusion is defined as:
The thermal energy required to convert 1 kg of solid to liquid with no change in temperature
This is used when melting a solid or freezing a liquid
The specific latent heat of vaporisation is defined as:
The thermal energy required to convert 1 kg of liquid to gas with no change in temperature
This is used when vaporising a liquid or condensing a gas

Calculating specific latent heat

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The amount of energy Q required to melt or vaporise a mass of m with latent heat L is:

Q = Lm Your notes
Where:
Q = amount of thermal energy to change the state (J)
L = latent heat of fusion or vaporisation (J kg-1)
m = mass of the substance changing state (kg)
The values of latent heat for water are:
Specific latent heat of fusion = 330 kJ kg-1
Specific latent heat of vaporisation = 2.26 MJ kg-1
Therefore, evaporating 1 kg of water requires roughly seven times more energy than melting the same
amount of ice to form water
The reason for this is to do with intermolecular forces:
When ice melts: energy is required to just increase the molecular separation until they can flow
freely over each other
When water boils: energy is required to completely separate the molecules until there are no
longer forces of attraction between the molecules, hence this requires much more energy

Worked Example
The energy needed to boil a mass of 530 g of a liquid is 0.6 MJ.
Calculate the specific latent heat of the liquid and state whether it is the latent heat of vaporisation
or fusion.
Step 1: Write the thermal energy required to change state equation

Q = Lm
Step 2: Rearrange for latent heat

Q
L=
m
Step 3: Substitute in the values

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m = 530 g = 530 × 10-3 kg

Q = 0.6 MJ = 0.6 × 106 J Your notes
0 . 6 × 106
L= = 1 . 132 × 106 J kg −1 = 1 . 1 MJ kg −1 (2 s . f . )
530 × 10−3
L is the latent heat of vaporisation because the change in state is from liquid to gas (boiling)

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Use these reminders to help you remember which type of latent heat is being referred to:
Latent heat of fusion = imagine ‘fusing’ the liquid molecules together to become a solid
Latent heat of vaporisation = “water vapour” is steam, so imagine vaporising the liquid
molecules into a gas

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