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Updated on 25th May, 2023 , 8 min read
Heat is a kind of energy, often known as thermal energy. Energy may be converted from one form to another (for example, a blender converts electrical energy to mechanical energy), but it cannot be generated or destroyed; rather, energy is conserved. Water has a specific heat capacity of around 4.2 J/g°C. As a result, raising 1 gram of water by 1°C requires 4.2 joules of energy. The heat required to increase the temperature of a particular substance's unit mass by a certain quantity is referred to as its specific heat capacity. Specific heat is measured in calories or joules per gram per Celsius degree.
Cp is the amount of heat necessary to alter the heat content of one mole of material by exactly 1°C. In fundamental thermodynamics, the higher a material's temperature, the more thermal energy it holds. Furthermore, at a given temperature, the more of a specific substance there is, the greater the total thermal energy the material has. On an atomic level, absorbed heat causes the atoms of a solid to vibrate, as if they were connected by springs. The energy of the vibrations increases as the temperature rises. This is the only motion conceivable in metal. Absorbing heat in a liquid or gas causes the atoms in the molecule to vibrate, causing the molecule to spin and move from one location to another. Because liquids and gases have more "storage" options for energy, their heat capacities are greater than those of metals.
The high specific heat of water plays an important role in moderating environmental extremes. For example, the fish in this pond is content because the specific heat of the water in the pond ensures that the temperature of the water remains generally constant from day to night. They do not need to switch on the air conditioner or put on their woolen flipper gloves.
One of the most important qualities of water is that it requires a lot of energy to heat. Water must absorb 4,184 Joules of heat (1 calorie) in order for the temperature of one kilogram of water to rise by 1°C. For example, It only takes 385 Joules of heat to elevate 1 kg of copper to 1°C.
Csp is the amount of heat necessary to alter the heat content of exactly 1 gram of a substance by 1°C. S.I units of Specific Heat is J. kgˉ¹ Kˉ¹.
When two materials, each at a different temperature, come into contact with one another, heat always flows from the warmer substance into the colder material until both reach the same temperature. According to the law of conservation of energy, the heat acquired by the initially colder substance must equal the heat lost by the initially warmer material. We know that absorbing heat energy causes a substance's temperature to rise. When the same amount of heat is applied to equal masses of various substances, the temperature rise for each substance differs. This is because multiple compounds have varying heat capabilities. So a substance's heat capacity is the amount of heat necessary to increase the temperature of the entire substance by one degree. If the mass of the substance is one, the heat capacity is referred to as the specific heat capacity or specific heat.
Where,
Q = amount of heat absorbed by a body
m = mass of the body
∆t = temperature rise
C = The specific heat capacity of a substance is determined by the type of the substance's material.
The following table helps to examine some common specific temperatures in both joules and calories, and compare how these things heat up-
Material Name |
Specific Heat in J/kg𝆩C |
Specific Heat in Cal/gram𝆩C |
Air |
1005 |
0.24 |
Aluminium |
900 |
0.25 |
Copper |
387 |
0.753 |
Glass |
837 |
0.84 |
Gold |
129 |
0.031 |
Ice |
2090 |
5 |
Iron |
448 |
0.108 |
Leather |
1500 |
0.36 |
Mercury |
138 |
0.033 |
Olive Oil |
1790 |
0.43 |
Paper |
1336 |
0.32 |
Quartz Sand |
830 |
0.19 |
Steam |
2010 |
0.5 |
Steel |
490 |
0.12 |
Table Salt |
880 |
0.21 |
Water |
4182 |
1 |
Wood |
1300-2400 |
0.41 |
Specific heat capacity has the following intriguing properties-
J Kˉ¹ is its S.I unit.
The specific heat capacity (Cp) value for liquid at an average temperature and pressure is approximately 4.2 J/g°C. Raising 1 gram of water by 1°C requires 4.2 joules of energy. This CP number is pretty large. This (1 cal/g.deg) is the specific heat capacity of liquid water or the specific heat of the water as a liquid.
At normal temperatures, water vapor has a larger specific heat capacity than most other materials. The specific heat capacity (Cp) of water vapor at normal temperature and pressure is approximately 1.9 J/g°C. Water's temperature rises as it absorbs heat and falls as it releases heat, as it does with most liquids. The temperature of liquid waterfalls rises more slowly than that of most other liquids. It also retains heat for a much longer amount of time than other substances.
Water has a high specific heat due to hydrogen bonding. The molecules must vibrate in order to raise the temperature of the water due to the variety of connected hydrogen bonds. Because there are so many hydrogen bonds, vibrating the water molecules requires more energy. Similarly, it takes some time for hot water to cool down. The temperature drops as heat are released, and the vibrational activity of water molecules slows. The heat emitted compensates for the chilling impact of heat loss from liquid water.
Because of the specific heat capacity of water, it takes a long time to not only heat but also cool. This quality of water provides several benefits in our daily lives. The following are some benefits that explain how the large specific heat capacity of water may help us-
The utilization of the water's high specific heat capacity in fomentation is an advantage of its high specific heat capacity. Hot water bottles are used for hot/medical fomentation. It is because hot water tends to stay hot for a long period, regardless of whether it emits a lot of heat in the process. Furthermore, while having a hot bath, you have observed that the water stays hot for a longer period of time than on the bathroom floor. It's all because of water's specific heat capacity.
The utilization of water's high specific heat capacity to preserve crops, during the winter, farmers fill up their fields with water at night. Because water does not chill as quickly, it protects crops from frost. If they don't replenish this water on a cold night, the temperature surrounding the crops might drop pretty low - in certain regions, it can reach below zero degrees Celsius. Water sprayed over crops is the simplest and most cost-effective way to keep the temperature surrounding the crop from dropping below 00°C at night.
Another advantage of water's high specific heat capacity is that it may be used to store juice and wine bottles. This is especially true in colder climates. They submerge juice and wine bottles here. It keeps the contents of the bottles from freezing over an extended period of time. As a result of the high specific heat capacity of water, the contents of wine and juice bottles take a long time to cool to zero degrees Celsius or below.
Sand has a lower specific heat capacity than water. It has five times the density of sand. As a result, it takes far more time and energy to heat up than it does. It also has a hand in the land and sea winds because of its property. The land warms up quicker than the sea throughout the day when the sun gives the most heat. As the land heats up, hot air rises and flows towards the sea, while cold sea air replaces it on the land. This causes the sea breeze to blow. And this is why the air on the beach is chilly throughout the day. After sunset, the air mass above the sea loses heat at a slower rate than the air mass above land. The hotter air above the water rises and travels towards the land. The chilly air over land then replaces the warm air over the sea. This reverses what occurred earlier in the day and creates the land breeze, which blows from land to sea.
Water's ability to serve as a vasodilator is another advantage of its high specific heat capacity. When hot water comes into contact with any portion of our body, it widens blood vessels, improving blood circulation. This is one of the reasons why doctors prescribe warm water gargles for the quicker healing of oral injuries such as ulcers, cuts, and sores. Hot water compress may assist in relaxing our muscles and alleviating discomfort.
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By - Nikita Parmar 2024-09-06 10:59:22 , 6 min readAns. The specific heat capacity of a material is the amount of heat required to increase its temperature by one degree Celsius. Similarly, heat capacity is the ratio of energy supplied to a substance and the resulting temperature rise.
Ans. This is because the specific heat efficiency of the metal spoon is substantially lower than that of the soup liquid. Water has the largest specific heat capacity of any liquid.
Ans. The amount of heat energy required for one gram of a product one degree Celsius is measured as specific heat efficiency. Water has a specific heat power of 4.2 joules per gram per degree Celsius or 1 calorie per gram per degree Celsius.
Ans. Because water has a large heat capacity, each degree of increase in temperature necessitates more energy. The sun emits a relatively steady quantity of energy, which warms up sand and water more quickly.
Ans. In SI terms, specific heat efficiency (symbol: c) is the amount of heat required in joules to elevate one gram of Kelvin material. It can also be represented as J/kg. K. K. It is possible to measure specific heat capacity in calorie units per gram of Celsius.