Heat Transfer and Specific Heat
Heat energy can be transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation. Specific heat capacity describes how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a substance.
What You Need to Know
Key Concept Diagram
Conduction transfers heat through direct contact; best in solids with closely packed particles
Convection transfers heat through fluid movement as warm fluid rises and cool fluid sinks
Radiation transfers heat as electromagnetic waves, without requiring a medium
Specific heat capacity (c) is the energy needed to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree C
Key Vocabulary
Conduction
Transfer of heat through a material by direct contact between particles
Convection
Transfer of heat through a fluid via the movement of warm, less dense fluid rising
Radiation
Transfer of heat as electromagnetic waves (infrared); does not need a medium
Specific heat capacity
The energy required to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (J/kg/degrees C)
Knowledge Check
Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.
Question 1
A metal spoon in hot soup quickly becomes hot to touch. Which heat transfer method is responsible?
Question 2
Hot air rises from a heater and circulates around a room. This is:
Question 3
Water has a specific heat capacity of 4200 J/kg/degrees C. How much energy is needed to heat 2 kg of water by 10 degrees C?
Key Concepts Summary
- ●Conduction transfers heat through direct contact; best in solids with closely packed particles
- ●Convection transfers heat through fluid movement as warm fluid rises and cool fluid sinks
- ●Radiation transfers heat as electromagnetic waves, without requiring a medium
- ●Specific heat capacity (c) is the energy needed to raise 1 kg of a substance by 1 degree C