Specific Heat Capacity and Water: Heat vs Temperature, Facts, Formula, SI Unit

Specific Heat Capacity of Water Overview

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.

Specific Heat of Water: Key Points

1. Water has the largest heat capacity of any liquid.
2. Because of the enormous heat capacity of water, oceans cool more slowly than land.
3. It takes 1.00 calories to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.

Specific Heat of Water: Important Terms

1. Heat Capacity: A substance's ability to absorb heat energy.
2. Specific Heat: The amount of heat required in calories to increase the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

What is Heat Capacity?

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.

Importance of Specific Heat Capacity

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.

What is Specific Heat Capacity?

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.

• The following formula can be used to compute specific heat values-

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.

Read more about the Efficiency Formula.

Specific Heat Capacity Formula

Q = C m ∆t

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.

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Specific Heat Capacity and Water Table

The following table helps to examine some common specific temperatures in both joules and calories, and compare how these things heat up-

Properties of Specific Heat Capacity 

Specific heat capacity has the following intriguing properties-

1. The specific heat capacity of sand is smaller than that of water.
2. As a result, it remains chilly for a longer period of time.
3. At typical temperatures, water vapor has a larger specific heat capacity than most other materials.
4. Water vapor has a specific heat capacity (C) of roughly 1.9 J/g°C at normal temperature and pressure.

Specific Heat Capacity Unit

Heat Capacity = Specific Heat x Mass

J Kˉ¹ is its S.I unit.

Specific Heat of Water

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.

One calorie= 4.184 joules

1 joule= 1 kg(m)²(s)ˉ² = 0.239005736 calorie

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.

Specific Heat Capacity of Water Explanation

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.

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Benefits of Water's High Specific Heat Capacity

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-

• Water is used in the process of Fermentation

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.

• Water is used to Protect Crops

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.

• Bottled Wines and Juices are kept in Water

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.

• Land and Sea Breezes are caused by Water

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 is used to boost Blood Circulation

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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Sample Questions to Practice

1. How can you calculate how much specific heat capacity you have?
2. What is the value of water's specific heat capacity?
3. What is the formula for determining specific heat capacity?
4. A 500 gm cube of lead is heated to a temperature range of 25oC to 75oC. Calculate the energy necessary to heat lead if its specific heat is given as 0.129 J/goC.
5. A 25-gram metal ball is heated with 2330 J of energy at a temperature of 200oC. Determine the metal ball's specific heat.
6. What is the specific heat capacity International System of Units (SI)?
7. What exactly is the distinction between heat capacity and specific heat capacity?
8. Metal has a lower specific heat capacity than water. Why?
9. If we have two kg of water. If the specific heat of water is 4180 J/kgoC, how much heat capacity does it have?

Things to Keep in Mind

1. The Specific Heat Capacity Formula is Q = C m ∆t.
2. Specific heat capacity is measured in J Kˉ¹.
3. The specific heat of water is 4.186J/g°C.
4. Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a gram of a material by one degree Celsius.
5. Water absorbs heat but does not rapidly increase in temperature. As a result, it aids in the regulation of our body temperature.
6. Because of hydrogen bonding between its atoms, water has high specific heat.