Specific heat capacity

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/specific-heat-capacity

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the SI unit of specific heat capacity?Joule per Kelvin per Kilogram (J⋅kg⁻¹⋅K⁻¹)
2. What is the specific heat capacity of water (20°c)?Approximately 4184 J⋅kg⁻¹⋅K⁻¹
3. Why does water take so long to heat up compared to metal?Water has a very high specific heat capacity (about 4184 J/kg·K), so it needs a lot of energy to warm up, while metals like iron have a lower value (around 449 J/kg·K) and heat up quickly.
4. How do gases have different heat capacities at constant pressure and volume?When a gas is heated at constant pressure, some heat does work to expand the gas, so the heat capacity at constant pressure (cₚ) is larger than the heat capacity at constant volume (cᵥ).

Thermodynamics: The branch of physics dealing with heat and its relation to other forms of energy and work.
Calorimetry: The scientific process used to measure the amount of heat transferred during a chemical or physical process.
Latent Heat: The heat absorbed or released during a phase transition at constant temperature.
Adiabatic Index: The ratio of specific heat capacities at constant pressure to constant volume (γ = cₚ/cᵥ).