Answer: Specific Heat is: -the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1g of a substance 1C -specific heat is symbolised

as Cp or C -has units of J/g C -J stands for Joules, which is a unit of energy Most often used in equation: q = mTCp q = energy in J m = mass in g T = change in temperature Cp = specific heat

Example
How much energy is required to raise the temperature of 345.34g of Aluminium from 35.0C to 250.00C ? The specific heat of Aluminium is .90 J/Cp q = mTCp q = 345.34g(250.00C - 35.0C)0.09J/gC from there its just simple Algebra. q = 66,823.29J

However, not all problems will be as simple as the one above. Some may require up to 3+ equations that can include Enthalpy or H which leads to using a Change of State Graph.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_solve_specific_heat_problems#ixzz1LwZfMBBr

Learn It: Sample Problems - Specific Heat Capacities

Exam tip:
When solving problems involving specific heat capacities, you only need to know two equations! 1. Heat = mass specific heat capacity temperature change Q = mc Dq and

2.

Heat lost = Heat gained mc Dq = mc Dq

When reading the question, concentrate on what is losing heat and what is gaining heat - then use the above two equations to solve the problem.

Worked Examples
Question 1 Given that the specific heat capacity of water is 11 times that of copper, calculate the mass of copper at a temperature of 100 C required to raise the temperature of 200 g of water from 20.0 C to 24.0 C, assuming no energy is lost to the surroundings. Solution Heat lost by copper = heat gained by water mcuccuDqcu = mwcwDqw mcuccu(100 - 24) = 0.200 11ccu(24 20) 76mcu = 8.8 mcu = 0.116 kg Question 2 Three litres of water at 100 C are added to 15 litres of water at 40 C. Calculate the temperature of the mixture. Take the mass of 1 litre of water to be 1 kg and the specific heat capacity of water to be 4.2 103 J kg
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Solution Let the temperature of the mixture q Heat lost = heat gained m1c1Dq1 = m2 c2 Dq2 3 4.2 103 (100 q) = 15 4.2 103 (q -40) Solving for q gives q = 50C You try it!

Question 3

1 kg of water at a temperature of 45 C is mixed with 1.5 kg of alcohol at 20 C. Find the final temperature of the mixture. Take the specific heat capacity of water to be 4200 J kg be 2400 J kg Solution Let the final temperature of the mixture be q. Heat lost by water = heat gained by alcohol mwcwDqw = malcalDqal 1 4200 (45 q) = 1.5 2400 (q 20) (mcDq)w = (mcDq)al 1 4200 (45 q) = 1.5 2400 (q 20) Solving for q gives q = 33 C. You try it!
1 1

and the specific heat capacity of alcohol to

. Assume no other exchange of heat occurs.

Application of specific heat capacity: storage heaters

Some electrical heaters contain oil which has a high boiling point and a relatively high specific heat capacity. Once the oil has been heated it retains the thermal energy for quite a while, cooling down only slowly. In storage heaters, a core of high-density thermal blocks (like very hard building blocks), is heated by electric elements during the night. These blocks are preferred to water, despite having a slightly lower specific heat capacity, because they are more dense (and thus more compact) and do not leak. They are heated during the night using low-cost (off-peak) electricity and release the stored thermal energy during the day. Storage heaters maintain a steady room air temperature over long periods, warming the entire building fabric and reducing the risk of condensation.