Specific Heat Calculator
q = mcΔT, in joules and calories.
Work out Specific Heat. q = mcΔT, in joules and calories. Says where the approximation breaks.
4.184 for water, 0.897 for aluminium, 0.385 for copper.
Heat transferred (J)
4,184
4.184 kJ · 1,000 cal
q = mcΔT. Water's specific heat of 4.184 J/(g·K) is remarkably high — about ten times iron's — which is why coastal climates are mild, why water is the default coolant, and why a calorie was originally defined as the heat to raise one gram of water by one degree. A temperature change in kelvin and in Celsius are numerically identical, so ΔT needs no conversion even though absolute temperatures do.
How the Specific Heat Calculator works
Water's specific heat of 4.184 J/(g·K) is remarkably high — about ten times iron's — which is why coastal climates are mild and why water is the default coolant. A temperature change in kelvin and Celsius is numerically identical, so ΔT needs no conversion even though absolute temperatures do.
Also known as: q = mcat calculator · calorimetry calculator · heat capacity calculator · how to calculate heat transferred
Frequently asked questions
What is the specific heat formula?
q = mcΔT: mass times specific heat capacity times temperature change. 100 g of water raised 10 K absorbs 4,184 J.
Why is water's specific heat so high?
Hydrogen bonding. Raising water's temperature means breaking some of those bonds as well as speeding the molecules up, which takes far more energy than for a comparable liquid.
Does ΔT need converting to kelvin?
No. A change of one kelvin and one degree Celsius are the same size, so only absolute temperatures need conversion — not differences.
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