The ministry of higher education

university of Zakho
faculty of science
department of physics

Heat Capacity
Prepared By
Mohammed Gayath
Supervised by
Mrs. Sonia

2023-2024
Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
The Science of Thermodynamics ....................................................................................... 3
Heat Capacity ..................................................................................................................... 4
Heat Capacity Formula ...................................................................................................... 4
Specific Heat Capacity ....................................................................................................... 5
Molar Heat Capacity .......................................................................................................... 6
Heat Capacity Ratio ........................................................................................................... 7
Solved Examples on Heat Capacity ................................................................................... 7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 9
References ........................................................................................................................ 11

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Introduction
Heat capacity or thermal capacity is an extensive property of matter, that defines its
physical property. Heat Capacity is the amount of heat that must be applied to an object
in order to cause a unit change in temperature. Heat capacity is measured in Joules per
Kelvin (J/K), which is its SI unit. When heat capacity is divided by the mass of the
substance, gives the corresponding intensive property called Specific Heat Capacity.
Moreover, heat capacity divided by the amount of substance in volumes gives Molar Heat
Capacity. Hence, in this article, we’ll understand the important concepts of Heat Capacity
like its definition, explanation, formula, unit, specific heat capacity, molar heat capacity.

The Science of Thermodynamics

Before embarking on a discussion of heat capacity and specific heat, it is useful to first
understand the basics of heat transfer in physics, and the concept of heat in general, and
familiarize yourself with some of the fundamental equations of the discipline.
Thermodynamics is the branch of physics dealing with the work and energy of a system.
Work, energy and heat all have the same units in physics despite having different
meanings and applications. The SI (standard international) unit of heat is the joule. Work
is defined as force multiplied by distance, so, with an eye on the SI units for each of these
quantities, a joule is the same thing as a newton-meter. Other units you are likely to
encounter for heat include the calorie (cal), British thermal units (btu) and the erg. (Note
that the "calories" you see on food nutrition labels are actually kilocalories, "kilo-" being
the Greek prefix denoting "one thousand"; thus, when you observe that, say, a 12-ounce
can of soda includes 120 "calories," this is actually equal to 120,000 calories in formal
physical terms.)
Gases behave differently from liquids and solids. Therefore, physicists in the world of
aerodynamics and related disciplines, who are naturally very concerned with the behavior
of air and other gases in their work with high-speed engines and flying machines, have
special concerns about the heat capacity and other quantifiable physical parameters
related to matter in this state. One example is enthalpy, which is a measure of the internal
heat of a closed system. It is the sum of the energy of the system plus the product of its
pressure and volume:
H = E + PV
More specifically, the change in enthalpy is related to the change in gas volume by the
relationship:
∆H = E + P∆V
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The Greek symbol ∆, or delta, means "change" or "difference" by convention in physics
and math. In addition, you can verify that pressure times volume gives units of work;
pressure is measured in newtons/m2, while volume may be expressed in m3.
Also, the pressure and volume of a gas are related by the equation:
P∆V = R∆T
where T is the temperature, and R is a constant that has a different value for each gas.
You don't need to commit these equations to memory, but they will be revisited in the
discussion later about Cp and Cv.

Heat Capacity
The amount of heat required to increase the temperature of a given mass of a substance
by one unit without causing a phase change is known as the heat capacity
(C) or thermal capacity. It describes a substance’s ability to absorb thermal energy.
Being an extensive property, heat capacity is based on the sample’s mass and size. This
suggests that, for a sample containing twice as much material as another sample, twice
as much heat energy (Q) would be needed to produce the same change in temperature.
The heat capacity of various substances will determine how much their temperatures
will rise. On a hot day, a metal chair left in the direct sun may get rather warm to the
touch whereas equal amounts of water won’t heat up nearly as much when exposed to
the same amount of sunlight. This indicates that water has a high heat capacity. Metals
typically do not react well to temperature fluctuations while water does.

Heat Capacity Formula

• Heat energy is the measure of the total internal energy of a system. This includes
the total kinetic energy of the system and the potential energy of the molecules.
• It has been seen that the internal energy of a system can be changed by either
supplying heat energy to it, or doing work on it.
• The internal energy of a system is found to increase with the increase in
temperature. This increase in internal energy depends on the temperature
difference, the amount of matter, etc.
• Heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise the
temperature of a given quantity of matter by one degree Celsius.

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 • Heat capacity for a given matter depends on its size or quantity and hence it is an
extensive property. The unit of heat capacity is joule per Kelvin or joule per
degree Celsius.
Mathematically,
Q=CΔT
Where Q is the heat energy required to bring about a temperature change of ΔT and C is
the heat capacity of the system under study.
where
ΔQ is the amount of heat supplied to the substance
ΔT is the change in temperature
SI Unit of Heat Capacity
The SI unit for the heat capacity of a substance is Joule per Kelvin (J/K or J⋅K−1). When
the temperature is increased by 1°C is the same as an increase of 1 K, which is the same
unit as J/°C.
Dimension of Heat capacity is [L2 M T−2 Θ−1]

Specific Heat Capacity

Specific heat capacity is defined as the number of heat changes i.e. heat absorbed or
rejected by a substance per unit mass in order to change its temperature by one unit.
When the same quantity of heat is applied to the same mass of different substances, the
resulting temperature changes are not the same. It indicates that each substance has a
distinct value for the quantity of heat absorbed or rejected to change the temperature of
its unit mass by one unit. The specific heat capacity of a substance is the measurement
of this quantity. It is symbolized by the letter s.
If C is the amount of heat absorbed or rejected i.e. ΔQ by a substance of mass m when it
experiences a temperature change ΔT, then the specific heat capacity, of that substance
is given by
S = C/m = (1/m) (ΔQ / ΔT)
Hence, the specific heat capacity is the property of the substance which determines the
change in temperature of the given quantity of a substance which is the amount of heat
absorbed or rejected. The given substance is undergoing no phase change during
temperature change. It is dependent on the substance’s nature and temperature. J kg–
1
K–1 is the SI unit for specific heat capacity.
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Molar Heat Capacity
The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one mole of any substance by
one degree Kelvin is called the Molar Heat Capacity. Molar heat capacity and specific
heat capacity are almost the same and the basic difference between them is that specific
heat capacity is measured per gram whereas molar heat capacity is measured per mole.
Unit: Molar Heat Capacity is measured in Joule/mole.
The formula for finding molar heat capacity is,
Q = nC∆T
where,
q is the heat supplied
n is the moles of the substance
C is the molar heat capacity of the body
Molar Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure Cp
The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one mole of any substance by
one degree Kelvin at constant pressure is called the Molar Heat Capacity at Constant
Pressure and it is denoted by Cp.
The formula for calculating Molar Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure Cp is,
Cp = dH/dt (at constant pressure)
where,
Cp represents the specific heat at Constant Pressure
dH is the Change in Enthalpy
dt is the Change in Temperature
Molar Heat Capacity at Constant Volume Cv
The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one mole of any substance by
one degree Kelvin at constant volume is called the Molar Heat Capacity at Constant
Volume and it is denoted by Cv.
The formula for calculating Molar Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure Cv is,
Cv = dH/dt (at constant volume)
where,
Cv represents the specific heat at Constant Pressure

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dH is the Change in Enthalpy
dt is the Change in Temperature

Heat Capacity Ratio

The ratio between heat capacity at constant pressure (Cp) and heat capacity at constant
volume (Cv) is called the Heat Capacity Ratio.
It is denoted by the Greek symbol γ.
γ = Cp / Cv
Relation between Cp and Cv
Cp and Cv are the specific heats of an ideal gas at constant pressure and at constant
volume respectively. They indicate the amount of heat required to raise the temperature
of unit mass by one degree Kelvin at constant pressure and at constant volume. The
relation between Cp and Cv is given as,
Cp – Cv = R
where R is universal Gas Constant

Solved Examples on Heat Capacity

Example 1: A 88.3 g sample of metal at 95.24 C is added to 35.10 g of water that is
initially at 17.27 °C. The final temperature of both the water and the metal is 29.20
°C. The specific heat of water is 4.184 J/(g°C). Calculate the specific heat of the
metal.
Solution:
Given,
Mass of metal is 88.3 g
The initial temperature of the metal is 95.24 °C.
Mass of water: 35.10 g.
The initial temperature of the water is 17.27 °C.
The final temperature of the water and the metal is 29.20 °C.
The specific heat of water is 4.184 J/(g°C).

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Therefore, the expression where the energy from the hotter metal transfers to the cooler
water is
−moCoΔTo = mwCwΔTw
where
mo = mass of a metal object
ΔTo = temperature change of metal object
Co = specific heat capacity of metal object
mw = mass of water
ΔTw = temperature change of water
Cw = specific heat capacity of water
Rearrange the above expression,
Co = (mwCwΔTw)/(moΔTo)
Substitute the values in the above expression,
Co = [35.10 4.184(29.20−17.27)]/[88.3(29.20-95.24)]
= 0.301 J/g°C
Example 2: A 30.5 g sample of an alloy at 93.0 °C is placed into 50.0 g of water at
22.0 °C in an insulated coffee cup with a heat capacity of 9.2 J/K. If the final
temperature of the system is 31.1 °C, what is the specific heat capacity of the alloy?
Solution:
Heat absorbed = heat lost
then the specific heat capacity, of that substance is given by
s = (1/m)(ΔQ/ ΔT)
Rearrange the above expression,
ΔQ=smΔT
ΔQalloy = ΔQwater+ΔQcup
Temperature of the water is equal to the temperature of the cup = 22.0 °C.
Temperature of the alloy is 93.0 °C.
Final Temperature is 31.1 °C.
30.5×(93.0 – 31.1)s = 9.2×(31.1-22.0) + 50.0×4.2×(31.1-22.0)
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1887.95×s = 1994.72
s = 1.057 J/gK
Example 3: The specific heat of water is 4.18 J/(g°C). Calculate the molar heat
capacity of water. Express your answer to three significant figures and include the
appropriate units.
Solution:
Specific Heat of water is 4.18 J/(g°C).
Expression to convert gram into mole is
4.18 J/gC x (18.0 g / mole) = 75.24 J/mole C
Hence, the molar heat capacity of water is 75.24 J/mole C

Conclusion
Heat capacity is a measure of the amount of heat energy required to raise the
temperature of a substance by a certain amount. It is typically expressed in terms of the
amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one unit mass of the substance
by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin).
The conclusion regarding heat capacity depends on the context in which it is being
discussed. Here are a few possible conclusions based on different aspects of heat
capacity:
1. Specific Heat Capacity:
• The specific heat capacity of a substance is a key property that
characterizes its ability to store or release heat. Water, for example, has a
high specific heat capacity, making it effective in moderating temperature
changes.
2. Relation to Temperature Changes:
• Heat capacity is directly proportional to the mass of the substance. This
means that substances with higher mass generally have higher heat
capacities. It also implies that more energy is needed to raise the
temperature of a larger quantity of a substance.
3. Materials and Applications:

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 • Understanding the heat capacity of materials is crucial in various fields,
such as engineering and physics. Different materials have different heat
capacities, and this knowledge is applied in designing systems that involve
heat transfer, like heating and cooling systems.
4. Calorimetry:
• Heat capacity is often used in calorimetry experiments to measure the heat
released or absorbed during a chemical or physical process. Calorimetry is
an important technique in studying thermodynamics and chemical
reactions.
5. Thermal Properties:
• Heat capacity is closely related to other thermal properties, such as thermal
conductivity and thermal expansion. Together, these properties provide a
comprehensive understanding of how a substance responds to changes in
temperature.
In conclusion, heat capacity plays a crucial role in understanding and manipulating heat
energy in various processes and systems. Its applications range from designing efficient
heating and cooling systems to studying the thermodynamic behavior of substances. The
specific conclusion will depend on the specific context and aspects of heat capacity that
are being considered.

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References
• Emmerich Wilhelm & Trevor M. Letcher, Eds. (2010). Heat Capacities: Liquids,
Solutions and Vapours, Cambridge, U.K.:Royal Society of Chemistry, ISBN 0-
85404-176-1.
• Halliday, David; Resnick, Robert (2013). Fundamentals of Physics. Wiley. p. 524.
• Kittel, Charles (2005). Introduction to Solid State Physics (8th ed.). Hoboken,
New Jersey, USA: John Wiley & Sons. p. 141. ISBN 0-471-41526-X.
• Landau, L. D.; Lifshitz, E. M. (reprinted 2011). Statistical Physics Part 1, Ch.II
§21, 3rd edition, Elsevier ISBN 978-0-7506-3372-7
• D. Lynden-Bell; R. M. Lynden-Bell (Nov 1977). "On the negative specific heat
paradox". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 181 (3): 405–419.
Bibcode:1977MNRAS.181..405L. doi:10.1093/mnras/181.3.405.
• Lynden-Bell, D. (Dec 1998). "Negative Specific Heat in Astronomy, Physics and
Chemistry". Physica A. 263 (1–4): 293–304. arXiv:cond-mat/9812172v1.
Bibcode:1999PhyA..263..293L. doi:10.1016/S0378-4371(98)00518-4. S2CID
14479255.
• Schmidt, Martin; Kusche, Robert; Hippler, Thomas; Donges, Jörn; Kronmüller,
Werner; Issendorff, von, Bernd; Haberland, Hellmut (2001). "Negative Heat
Capacity for a Cluster of 147 Sodium Atoms". Physical Review Letters. 86 (7):
1191–4. Bibcode:2001PhRvL..86.1191S. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.86.1191.
PMID 11178041. S2CID 31758641.
• See e.g., Wallace, David (2010). "Gravity, entropy, and cosmology: in search of
clarity" (preprint). British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. 61 (3): 513.

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