Specific Heat Capacity Simplified Revision Notes for GCSE AQA Physics

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3.2.2 Specific Heat Capacity

Specific Heat Capacity

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Specific heat capacity (c) refers to how well a substance stores heat.

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It is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C.

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This depends on the material of the substance, its mass, and the energy added. The formula for calculating the change in thermal energy is: change in thermal energy = mass × specific heat capacity × temperature change

\Delta E = m \times c \times \Delta \theta

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Where ∆E is the change in thermal energy, in joules J, specific heat capacity, c in joules per kilogram per degree Celcius $Jkg−1^°C−1$ , mass m in kilograms kg and temperature change ∆T in degrees Celcius °C.

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Rearranged Formula:

\Delta E = {m \times c \times\Delta \theta}

c = \frac{\Delta E}{m \times \Delta \theta}

Table of Variables

Variable	Symbol	Units
Change in Energy	$\Delta E$	Joules (J)
Mass	$m$	Kilograms (kg)
Specific Heat Capacity	$c$	J/kg°C
Change in Temperature	$\Delta \theta$	Degrees Celsius (°C)

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