lesson

Temperature change depends on mass and material

1 · Learn

Energy transferred to raise temperature is E = mcΔT when the stated model applies and no change of state occurs. Specific heat capacity c gives energy per kilogram per degree of temperature rise.

In a real heating experiment, some supplied energy may reach the container or surroundings. A calculation assuming all input heats the sample should state that simplification.

E = mcΔTNo phase changeAccount for losses
Key words and supplied examples.

2 · Worked example

For 2 kg, c = 400 J/(kg °C) and a 5°C rise, E = 4,000 J.

3 · Your turn

Using c = 500 J/(kg °C), find energy for 3 kg rising by 4°C.

Check your answer

6,000 J.

4 · Apply your learning

Identify controls and possible energy losses in a supplied experiment description; do not conduct heating without supervision.

Adult guidance and safety

Use supplied data and approved diagrams. Laboratory work requires qualified supervision, suitable equipment and a risk assessment. No independent chemical, electrical, heating, radiation or biological-culture experiments. Human biology is general education, not personal diagnosis or treatment.

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Check a calculation · Year 5 onward

Use this only when your teacher or adult allows a calculator for the task. Show your thinking first. It does not replace mental or written arithmetic and does not mark your lesson answer.

Powers, roots and trigonometry · Year 7 onward

Use only when the task allows a calculator. Choose one operation at a time and record your working. Trigonometry here always uses degrees (DEG), not radians. Inverse sine, cosine and tangent return an angle, not a reciprocal. Keep exact fractions and π in answers when requested.

Approximate numerical results use up to 12 significant digits. Inverse sine returns −90° to 90°, inverse cosine 0° to 180°, and inverse tangent −90° to 90°; these are principal values, not every possible solution of a trigonometric equation.

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Follow your teacher's approved method and safety instructions. Record the sample or supplied dataset, conditions, measurements with units and uncertainties where appropriate. Distinguish observations from explanations. A described experiment is not permission to carry it out; do not improvise equipment or invent missing results.

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