This specific heat calculator works with the heat equation Q equals m c delta T, and solves it for whichever quantity you need: the heat energy, the mass, the specific heat capacity or the temperature change. The equation describes how much energy it takes to warm something up or how much it releases on cooling, and it sits at the heart of thermal physics and chemistry. Specific heat capacity, the c in the formula, is the energy needed to raise one gram of a substance by one degree, and it varies a lot between materials: water is unusually high at about 4.18 joules per gram per degree, which is why the sea and large lakes moderate the climate and why water is such a good coolant, while metals are much lower and heat up quickly. You choose what to solve for, enter the other three values, and the calculator returns the answer. It uses mass in grams, specific heat in joules per gram per degree Celsius, temperature change in degrees Celsius and heat energy in joules, and because a one degree change is the same size in Celsius and kelvin, you can use either for the change. This is the standard tool for calorimetry problems, heating and cooling calculations and energy questions. Enter your three known values to see the fourth straight away.
Mass in grams, c in J/g°C, change in °C, heat in joules. Water c is about 4.18. Estimate only.
The calculator rearranges Q equals m c delta T. Heat is mass times specific heat times the temperature change. Mass is heat over c times delta T, specific heat is heat over mass times delta T, and the temperature change is heat over mass times c. The quantity you are solving for is hidden so you enter only the other three.
Heating 100 grams of water by 20 degrees needs 100 times 4.18 times 20, which is 8360 joules, or about 8.36 kilojoules.
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