Specific Heat from Test Data
Specific Heat from Test Data
A calorimetry test backs out a material’s specific heat from the heat added and the temperature rise it produced.
Rearranging Q = m·c·ΔT gives c = Q/(m·ΔT). where Q is the heat added, m the mass and ΔT the temperature rise.
Inputs
Q := 20000 J=20000 Nm
m := 2 kg=2 kg
dT := 24 K=24 K
Solve the sensible-heat equation for specific heat.
c := Q/(m·dT)=416.67 m^2/K/s^2
Results
Comparing the result with reference values identifies the material. A high specific heat means the material stores a lot of heat per degree — like water.
Assumptions & limitations
- No phase change or heat loss.
- Uniform heating.
- Constant specific heat over the range.