Learning Area

: Heat
Learning Objective : 4.2 Understanding Specific Heat Capacity
Learning Outcomes
: A students are able to
(i)
Define specific heat capacity,
Q
(ii)
State that c
m
(iii)
Determine the specific heat capacity of liquid,
(iv)
Determine the specific heat capacity of solid,
Duration
Prerequisite
heat insulator,

: 80 minutes ( 2 periods)
: Students have previous knowledge on heat conductors and

heat absorbed and heat released in Form 1 and thermal

equilibrium ( Form 4)
STEPS
Engagement
( 5 minutes)

TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

1. Teacher ask the student using a picture and demonstration:
Situation 1 (A plate of fried noodles and a bowl of soup
picture)
-Which menu can eat faster if youre in hurry?
-Why you can eat a plate of fried noodles much faster than
a bowl of
soup?
Situation 2 (Pisang goreng hotter than its batter picture)
-Why you can hold freshly fried piece of pisang goreng and
bite into the
batter quite comfortably?
-Why the hot banana filling hotter than its batter?
Situation 3 ( Heating water and oil with equal mass using
demonstration)
-Which heats up faster if both are heated with similar
flame?
-Why oil heats up faster than water?
2. Teacher explain the task of the present lesson : to
determine a change of
temperature of the substance.

Exploration
( 20 minutes)

1. In group 2-4, students are ask to determine a change of

temperature
after heating and cooling (Activity 1) :
(i) Different mass of water
- 1 beaker of 200 ml water and 1 beaker of 500 ml
water is heated
5 minutes using an electric heater and let it cooling in
5 minutes
(ii) Same mass of water and aluminium block is heated 5
minutes using a
electric heater and let it cooling in 5 minutes
2. Teacher ask the student a result for each experiment:
-Which substance/material heat faster ?
-Which substance/material cool faster ?
-Which substance/material store heat more
-Which substance/material absorb heat faster ?
1

-Which substance/material released heat faster?

3. Teacher ask a student to make a simple conclusion from
experiment.

Explanation
(15 minutes)

1. Teacher explain base on Activity 1:

(i) heat capacity definition based on same substance but
different mass
experiment
(higher mass, higher heat capacity)
(ii) specific heat capacity definition based on both same
mass but different
substance (water has higher specific heat capacity than
aluminium) and
Q
formula , c
and its unit
m
(iii) difference between heat capacity and specific heat
capacity
(iv) factor affect heat capacity and specific heat capacity
2. Teacher introduce table consist a list of specific heat
capacity for difference
type of substances
3. Teacher ask student based on that table:
(i) Which substance has highest and lowest specific heat
capacity?
(ii) Which type of matter has average larger and smaller
specific heat
capacity? Solid, liquid or gas?
(iii) Why does a solid has average smaller specific heat
capacity
(iv) Why does a liquid has average larger specific heat
capacity

Elaboration
(30 minutes)

1. Teacher ask student in group 4-5 students to plan and do a

PEKA
experiment which to find specific heat capacity of
aluminium block
2. Teacher ask student to use formula c
find specific
heat capacity of aluminium block

Pt
in calculation to
m

3. Teacher ask student :

(i) Why in this experiment, the specific heat capacity of
aluminium is larger
than actual value?
(ii) What precaution steps can be taken to avoid this
problem?
4. Teacher ask student to complete a experiment report after
2

the class
Evaluation
(10 minutes)

1. Teacher gives a quick quiz (Quiz 1) consist of 3 questions

and discuss all the
answer
2. Teacher ask a student :
(i) Why we are not feel pain when the red charcoal ambers
at satay stall
touch our arm even though it has few hundred degrees
Celsius?
(ii) Why a water is used as a cooling agent in car radiator ?

Activity 1
Aim : To determine a change of temperature after heating and cooling
(a) (i) Heating of water with difference mass or volume

Immersion
heater

thermomete

Experiment

Volume of water, V
(ml)
Time of heating, t
(minute)
Initial temperature,0
(oC)
Final temperature,
1(oC)
Change of
temperature (1 0) / (oC)
Conclusion

Immersion
heater

thermomete
r

200 ml

500 ml

water

water

thermomete

Immersion
heater

thermomete
r

(a)(ii) Heating of water and aluminium with same mass

3
1 kg water

Immersion
heater
1 kg aluminium

Experiment

Mass,m (kg)
Time of heating, t
(minute)
Initial temperature,0
(oC)
Final temperature,
1(oC)
Change of
temperature (1 0) / (oC)
Conclusion
(b)(i) Cooling of water with difference mass or volume

thermomete

Experiment

Volume of water, V
(ml)
Time of cooling, t
(minute)
Initial temperature,0
(oC)
Final temperature,
1(oC)
Change of
temperature (1 0) / (oC)

Immersion
heater

thermomete

Immersion
heater

200 ml

500 ml

water

water

Conclusion

(b)(ii) Cooling of water and aluminium with same mass

4

Immersion
heater

thermomete

Immersion
heater

Experiment

thermomete

1 kg water

1 kg aluminium

Mass, m (kg)
Time of cooling, t
(minute)
Initial temperature,0
(oC)
Final temperature,
1(oC)
Change of
temperature (1 0) / (oC)

block

Conclusion
Quiz 1
1.

Diagram 1 shows heat supplied to the substance to increase a temperature

= 30
o
C
m = 1 kg

= 31
o
C
Heat supplied

m = 1 kg

Substanc
Substanc
Diagram 1
e
e
Based on Diagram 1, heat is required to raise a temperature of the substance
by .........................
per .................. is known as .....................................................
2. Based on Diagram 2, write down specific heat capacity of water.

water
m = 1 kg
= 40 oC

4200 J of
heat
supply

water
m = 1 kg
= 41 oC

Diagram 2
5

Answer:

3. Diagram 3 shows a graph of heating of 500 g water

Temperature, ( oC
)
90

40

21
Diagram
3
0

Time, t ( s )

What is power of immerse heater is used in this experiment if c water = 4200 J kg-1

-1

Answer:
Learning Area
: Heat
Learning Objective : 4.2 Understanding Specific Heat Capacity
Learning Outcomes
: A students are able to
(i)
Describe application of specific heat capacity,
(ii)
Solve problem involving specific heat capacity
Duration
Prerequisite
thermal
STEPS
Engagement
( 5 minutes)

: 80 minutes ( 2 periods)
: Students have previous knowledge on specific heat capacity,
equilibrium
TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES
1. Teacher show an electric iron picture and ask the student:
(Teacher can used real thing):
-Which part of electric iron should be has high specific heat
capacity?
Why?
- Which part of electric iron should be has low specific heat
capacity?
Why?
2. Teacher show a cooking port picture and ask the student
(Teacher can used real thing)::
-Which part of cooking port should be has high specific
heat capacity?
Why?
- Which part of cooking port should be has low specific
heat capacity?
Why?
3. Teacher show a mercury in glass thermometer picture and
ask the
student:
- Why a mercury is use as a liquid in thermometer ?
- Why a glass is used as solid in thermometer
6

Exploration
( 20 minutes)

1. In group 2-4, students are given a task about application of

specific heat
capacity:
(i) cooking utensils
(ii) Cooling system
(iii) Sea and land breeze
2. Teacher ask a student :
(i) What the others applications of specific heat capacity?
(ii) Why insulator is made from substance that has high
specific capacity?

Explanation
( 15 minutes)

1. Teacher ask a student to explain all application of specific

heat capacity
base on:
(i) material/substance with low specific heat capacity
(ii) material/substance with high specific heat capacity
2. Teacher bring student outside to observe car radiator
1. Teacher to explain the uses of specific heat capacity in terms
thermal equilibrium by using this equations and example:
Heat gain = Heat lost
Heat absorb = Heat released
m1c1 = m2c2
2. Teacher distributes handout (Exercise 1)of SPM like
questions and gives a
student a time to answer .
3. Teacher discuss all question given.

Elaboration
(15 minutes)

Evaluation
(25 minutes)

Application of Specific heat capacity

Choose a correct answer given and fill the empty box
1.
Cooking pot
Lid

Body

Handle
Base

Made from large specific

Made from low specific heat
heat capacity (plastic), poor capacity (metal), poor heat
heat conductor, low density conductor, low density

Made from large specific heat

capacity, poor heat conductor
(plastic), low density

Made from low specific heat

capacity (metal), poor heat
conductor, high density for
stability

2.

Sea breeze
During the day, the land and
sea receive the same amount

This causes the air above the

land to be hotter than the air
The movement of air causes
wind to blow from the sea,
therefore a sea breeze is
produced

3.

The land is heated to a higher

temperature than the sea because sea
water has
higher specific heat capacity
Land
breeze
than earth/land

The hot air above the land flows up and leaves empty
space (low pressure). While the cool air above the sea
(high pressure) flows towards the land

During the night, the land and

sea released heat to

The land becomes colder than

sea
The land breeze is produced due
to the movement of air from the
land towards the sea
The temperature of the sea decreases more
slowly than the land because water has
higher specific heat capacity

The hot air above the sea flows upwards

and leaves low pressure area. While cool air
above the land (high pressure) flows
towards the sea

4. Car Radiator (Cooling System)

Water is normally used as cooling agent in a car radiator because
(i) Water has high specific heat capacity, it can store a lot of heat energy
(ii) Water is easy available
(iii)Water does not react with the engine components
8

the cold water is then

pumped back to the
engine block to cool
the engine

Water carries the heat

out of the engine and
release it to the
surrounding
pump

radiator

Heat from the

engine is
transferred to
the water

incoming
hot air
fan
engine

Exercise
A fan is used to cool the hot
solid
blocks M and N of equal mass,
are being
Heatwhich
released
water
heated. The initial temperature of M and N is the same and heated by the same
amount of energy.

cooling fins (low specific

1 The Diagram 1 shows
heat capacity)

Diagram 1
It observed that M is hot faster than N. This observation is due to the difference
in
A
B
C
D
2

Which of the following is true?

A
B
C
D
3

density
melting point
latent heat of fusion
specific heat capacity

Specific heat capacity

of cooking utensil
high
low
high
Temperature
/ oC
low

Specific heat of the handle

of the cooking utensil
high
high
low
low

7
6
0
5
0
4
0
3
0
2
0
1
0
00

9
1

t/

minute

The graph shows the heating curve of a 500 g liquid P by a 60 W immersion

heater.
The specific heat capacity of the liquid Q is
220 J kg-1 oC-1
720 J kg-1 oC-1

A
B

C
D

1260 J kg-1 oC-1

1680 J kg-1 oC-1

The table below shows the specific heat capacity for two types of plates,
both of similar mass.
Type of plate

Specific heat capacity ( J kg

-1o

C -1)
Silver plate

235

Aluminium

900

plate

Both plates are placed in an oven for 10 minutes.

Choose the correct statement .
A

Both plates will have the same temperature rise

B The aluminium plate has a larger temperature rise

C The silver plate has a larger temperature rise
5

Heat is applied at the same rate to liquids A, B, C and D of the same mass
and initial temperature. Which liquid will boil first?
Liquid
A

Specific heat capacity (kJ kg

o
C -1)
1.74

-1

Boiling point (oC)

80

2.45

78

4.20

100

0.14

356

A mechanic dropped a steel nut of mass 0.02 kg and with temperature of 90

o
C into 0.25 kg of water at 24 oC in a polystyrene cup. What is the final
10

temperature when the steel nut and water have become thermal equilibrium?
[ cwater = 4200 J kg -1 o C -1 , csteel = 450 J kg -1 o C -1]

A woman intends to serve ice cream to her children on a hot afternoon.

Diagram below shows four different types of cups that are possible containers
for the ice cream. The physicals properties of the cups are labelled on the
base of each cup
Type of cup

Physicals properties

mass = 80 g
Specific heat capacity = 500 J kg
Very good conductor of heat
High rate of thermal expansion

-1 o

-1

Cup A

mass = 100 g
Specific heat capacity = 1200 J kg

-1 o

-1 o

-1 o

-1

Poor conductor of heat

High rate of thermal expansion

Cup B

mass = 300 g
Specific heat capacity = 1090 J kg
-1

Good conductor of heat

Low rate of thermal expansion

Cup C

mass = 20 g
Specific heat capacity = 2300 J kg
-1

Poor conductor of heat

Low rate of thermal expansion

Cup D
Choose the most suitable cup. Explain the suitability of your choice.
11