PHY111:MECHANICS & THERM AL PRO PERTI ES O F M ATTER

LECTURE 2: Specific Heat Capacity and Latent Heat Capacity

MR. H. KHUDZE
 Sub-Topics

Internal Energy and Heat

Heat Capacity
» heat capacity
(a) specific heat capacity
(b) latent Heat
(c) cooling Laws
- Newton's Law of cooling
- The five-fourths power law
First Law of Thermodynamics
Special Processes
Internal energy is all the energy of a system that is associated with its
microscopic components
 These components are its atoms and molecules
 The system is viewed from a reference frame at rest
with respect to the center of mass of the system

Internal energy does include kinetic energies due to:

• Random translational motion (not motion through space)
• Rotational motion Vibrational motion
• Potential energy between molecules
Heat is defined as the transfer of energy across the boundary
of a system due to a temperature difference between the system
and its surroundings

The term heat will also be used to represent the amount

of energy transferred by this method

Units of Heat : historically-> the calorie

One calorie is the amount of energy transfer necessary to raise
the temperature of 1 g of water from 14.5 C to 15.5 C
o o

In the US Customary system, the unit is a BTU (British Thermal

Unit)
One BTU is the amount of energy transfer necessary to raise
the temperature of 1 lb of water from 63oF to 64oF

The SI units are Joules, as we used before !

Both heat and work can change the internal energy of a system

The internal energy can be changed even when no energy is transferred by heat,
but just by work
Example, compressing gas with a piston (we shall see this later in lecture 3)
Energy is transferred by work
 James Joule in 1843 established the equivalence
between mechanical energy and internal energy

His experimental setup is shown at right

The loss in potential energy associated with the blocks

equals the work done by the paddle wheel on the
water

• The amount of mechanical energy needed to raise

the temperature of water from 14.5oC to 15.5oC is
4.186 J
1 cal = 4.186 J
The heat capacity (C) of a particular sample is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise
the temperature of that sample by 1oC

If energy Q produces a change of temperature of T,

then
Q = C T

Specific heat (c) is the heat capacity per unit mass

The specific heat capacity (c) of a particular sample is defined as the amount of energy per unit mass needed
to raise the temperature of that sample by 1oC
Heat capacity, C is the amount of heat required to
change its temperature by one degree.
WHILE
Specific Heat capacity, c is the amount of heat that must be supplied to increase the temperature by 1 °C
for a mass of 1 kg of the substance

Q = heat absorbed / released, unit J m = mass of the substance, unit kg

θ = temperature difference , unit °C

Quantity of heat absorbed or lost by a substance is given by

Q = mcθ

What does specific heat of aluminium 900 J kg-1°C-1 mean?

900 J of heat needs to be supplied to 1 kg of aluminium to produce a 1 °C temperature
increase.
What does specific heat of water 4 186 J kg-1°C-1 mean?
4 186 J of heat needs to be supplied to 1 kg of water to produce a 1 °C temperature
increase.

The physical meaning of specific heat capacity, c

When two objects of equal mass are heated at equal rates , the object with the smaller specific heat
capacity will have a faster temperature rise.

When two objects of equal mass are left to cool down, the temperature of the object with smaller heat
capacity will drop faster.

A substance with a small value of specific heat capacity

»
1. heats up and cools at a faster rate. For example, metal like iron, steel, copper and aluminium is used as
pots and pans because they can be quickly heated up when there is only small heat absorption.

2. sensitive to temperature changes » A thermometer has low specific heat capacities so it enables heat
to be easily absorbed and released even when small quantities of heat are involved.
A substance with a high value of specific heat capacity
1. heats up and cools at slower rate. Require more heat
to raise its temperature by a specific amount.
» Poor conductor of heat – handle of pot
2. can absorb a great amount of heat without a high
increase in temperature.
» For example, water acts a heat reservoir as it can absorb a great amount of heat
before it boils.
Water is used as a cooling agent in a car radiator.
(a) Low specific heat capacity. The
pot becomes hot very quickly.
This enables quick cooking of the food in the
pot.
High density. The heavier base
ensures that the pot is stable and will not topple
over easily.
(b) Large specific heat capacity.
The handle will not become too hot when heat is
absorbed.
Poor conductor of heat.
(C) Relatively low specific heat
capacity. The pot becomes hot quickly.
Low density so it will be lighter
Does not react with the food in the pot
Land has a smaller specific
heat capacity than sea. Faster increase in
temperature, ie land is warmer than the sea
Air above the land is
heated up and rises.
Cooler air from the sea moves towards the
land as sea breeze.
At night, heat is lost from
the land and sea.
Sea has a larger specific heat capacity so sea is
warmer than land.
Warmer air above the sea
rises
Cooler air from the land moves towards the sea
as land breeze.
 The cooling system of a car engine

Water has a high specific heat capacity and lower cost. So

water can be a useful a cooling agent. A water pump
circulates the water.
Heat produced by the engine is absorbed by the water that
flows along the space in engine walls. The hot water flows to
the radiator where heat is lost to the cooler air that flows
through the cooling fans.
 EXAMPLE-1
REASON:
A boy drinking hot soup The mass of the spoonful
with a spoon. If he soup is smaller than the
accidentally spills a mass of the whole bowl of
spoonful of soup onto his soup although both are at
hand, he would experience the same temperature and
only a slight pain. have same specific heat
However, if he spills the capacity.
whole contents of the bowl
of soup onto himself, he Q = mcθ
would suffer serious The mass is directly
injuries. proportional to the
WHY? quantity of heat.
The soup in the bowl
contains more heat
(A) Calculate the total heat that is observed by a copper block of mass 500 g and which has
been heated from 31 °C to 80°C. (specific heat capacity of copper = 390 JKg-1°C-1)

SOLUTION
Q = mcθ
One technique for measuring specific heat involves heating a material,
adding it to a sample of water, and recording the final temperature

This technique is known as calorimetry

A calorimeter is a device in which this energy
transfer takes place

The system of the sample and the water is isolated

Conservation of energy requires that the amount of energy that

leaves the sample equals the amount of energy that enters the water
Cons. of Energy : Qcold= -Qhot
A phase change is when a substance changes from one form to
another. Two common phase changes are
» Solid to liquid (melting)
» Liquid to gas (boiling)

During a phase change, there is no change in temperature of the

substance

If an amount of energy Q is required to change the phase of a sample

of mass m, we can specify the Latent Heat associated with this
transition is: L = Q /m

The latent heat of fusion is used when the phase change is from solid
to liquid
The latent heat of vaporization is used when the phase change is
from liquid to gas
An ice cube (m=0.070 kg) is taken from a freezer ( -10o C) and
dropped into a glass of water at 0o C.If no heat is gained or lost
from outside . How much of water will freeze ? (C(ice) = 2,000 J/kg
K; L(water) =334 kJ/kg)

m =4.19 g
 Latent heat
Latent heat is the heat absorbed or the heat released
at constant temperature during change of phase.
4 main Changes of phase
When a solid melts, latent heat of fusion is absorbed
but the temperature remains constant at its melting
point
•For a liquid to solidify at its freezing point, latent
heat of fusion has to be removed.
•When a liquid is boiling, latent heat of vaporization
is absorbed but the temperature remains constant at
its boiling point.
•When vapour condenses back into the liquid
phase, latent heat of vaporization is released.
How much energy is required to change a 40.0-g ice cube from ice at -10.0°C to
steam at 110°C?
The specific latent heat of fusion of ice is 336 000 Jkg-1 ,Specific latent heat of vaporization of water is 2.26x 10^6 Jkg-1 ,,Specific heat
capacity of water = 4186 J kg-1°C-1, Specific heat capacity of ice = 2000 J kg-1°C-1, Specific heat capacity of steam = 2010 J kg-1°C-1

Ans:122kJ
 Applications of Specific Latent Heat

Drinks can be cooled by adding in several cubes of ice. When ice melts a large amount of heat is
absorbed and this lowers the temperature of the drink.
================================
The freshness of fish and meat can be maintained by placing them in contact with ice. With its larger
latent heat, ice is able to absorb a large quantity of heat from the fish as it melts. Thus, food can be
kept at a low temperature for an extended period of time.
 Applications of Specific Latent Heat

Water has a large specific latent heat of

vaporization. This property enables steam
to be used for cooking by the method of
steaming. When steam condenses on the
food, the latent heat is released directly
onto the food enables the food to be
cooked at a faster rate.

Our bodies feel cool after sweating. This is because latent heat
of vaporization is absorbed from the body when sweat
evaporates. As a result, the body is cooled by the removal of
heat.
THANKS

THE END

NEXT: Gases