specific heat capacity
What specific heat capacity means in Physics GCSE, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of specific heat capacity
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Reference: OCR
The energy needed for a temperature rise depends on the mass, the temperature change and this quantity, and a larger value means more energy is needed for the same temperature rise.
The energy per kilogram to change the temperature by one degree with no change of state, unit J/kg °C, governing the sloping parts of a heating graph.
The property of the material that, together with mass and energy input, sets how far the temperature of a heated system climbs.
The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of a substance by one degree Celsius.
The energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 °C without a change of state.
The energy needed to warm one kilogram of a substance by one degree, quoted per kilogram.
Topics that use specific heat capacity
- Changes of state and specific latent heat (AQA GCSE)
- Energy changes in systems (AQA GCSE)
- Energy stores and systems (AQA GCSE)
- Temperature changes in a system and specific heat capacity (AQA GCSE)
- Changes of state (OCR GCSE)
- Work done (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- internal energy
- latent heat
- Specific latent heat
- temperature change
- Work done by forces
- braking
- Change in temperature
- change of state
Using specific heat capacity in the exam
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