Question

Which principle is used to measure the specific heat capacity of a substance?

Name and state the principle used to measure the specific heat capacity of a substance.

Answer 1

The principle of heat exchange is used to measure the specific heat capacity of a substance. This principle is as follows: If the system of both the objects is isolated from the environment by keeping it inside a heat resistant box (meaning that the energy exchange takes place between the two objects only), then no energy can flow from inside the box or come into the box. In this situation, we get the following principle:

Heat energy lost by the hot object = Heat energy gained by the cold object. This is called as ‘Principle of heat exchange’.