SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF SOLID AND LIQUID

The video demonstrates an experiment to find out the specific heat capacity of a given solid and a given liquid by the method of mixtures.

The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of unit mass of a substance through 1°C. A calorimeter can be used to determine the heat capacity of a substance. When the sample say a solid is added to water (or any liquid) in the calorimeter, heat is exchanged between them as well as the calorimeter. Based on energy conservation, the heat lost by hot bodies will be equal to the heat gained by cold bodies. Measurement of change in temperature of the water in calorimeter and knowledge of masses of substance involved helps in determining the heat gained or lost by each substance. This can be used to calculate the specific heat capacity of the material.