Thermal Physics - s.h.c.

Right... as I said in my last post, I will cover the factors that affect specific heat capacity and the symbols in specific heat capacity.

The Factors that Affect Specific Heat Capacity.

They are namely: degree of freedom, Molar mass, Hydrogen bonds and Impurities.

1. The degrees of freedom

The degree of freedom actually refers to the amount of space an atom has to move in a molecule. As the space an atom has in a molecule increases, the amount of kinetic energy posessed by the molecule increases, thus it is an undeniable fact that the thermal energy a substance posesses increases as the degree of freedom increases. As the thermal energy of a substance increases, its specific heat capacity will definitely decrease.

2. Molar mass

er... pretty obvious... right? As the mass of a substance increases, diffrent values for specific heat capacity will arise, as diffrent masses used to measure c will give rise to diffrent values, because of the rounding errors and the accuracy when the thermometer measures the temperature of the substance. Thus it is always advisable to use quantities that are easily convertible to the standard kilogram with minimal, or even zero discrepancy (e.g. 100g).

3. Hydrogen bonds

There are powerful intermolecular bonds between the molecules in a substance, thus providing another place where kinetic energy is stashed up.

4. Impurities

Impurities will affect virtually anything... I think that this is the only explanation i will give regarding this part.

Symbols Used in Specific Heat Capacity

Water (liquid): c-p = 4.1855 J g–1 K–1 (15 °C), and…
Water (liquid): C-vH = 74.539 J mol–1 K–1 (25 °C)

not really of any help, but anyway, c stands for specific heat capacity.

This is all I have to say for today. Thank You.