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How to Find Specific Heat

It takes different amounts of energy to raise the temperature of different materials. The term that defines that difference is "specific heat." Technically, the specific heat defines how much energy will be needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of a specific material by 1 degree Celsius. The higher the specific heat, the more energy required to raise its temperature.

Instructions

    • 1

      Obtain the mass of your material in kilograms, "m," and the amount of energy being transferred to the mass in joules, "q."

    • 2

      Calculate the temperature change in Celsius, "delta-t." For instance, if your material's starting temperature is 10 degrees Celsius and the final temperature is 15 degrees Celsius, then "delta-t" is 5 degrees Celsius.

    • 3

      Calculate the specific heat, "c," using the formula c=q/(m x delta-t). For example, if the energy being applied is 1,000 joules, the mass is 1.5 kg and delta-t is 10, the specific heat of your material is 1000/(1.5 x 10) = 66.66 J/kg-C.

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