Lesson Plan: Specific Heat Capacity Physics
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to use the formula 𝐸 = 𝑀𝑐𝚫θ to calculate the amount of energy needed to increase the temperature of a material or an object by a given amount.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- use the formula in all permutations,
- understand that as an object is heated, the increase in its internal energy is directly proportional to the increase in its temperature (as long as it is not undergoing a phase change),
- understand that for materials, we can define their specific heat capacity, which is their heat capacity per kilogram of the materials.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- what temperature and energy are,
- the Kelvin temperature scale,
- converting between the Kelvin, Celsius, and Fahrenheit temperature scales,
- the three most common states of matter on Earth: solid, liquid, and gas,
- the terms for phase changes between solids, liquids, and gases.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- phase changes,
- the energy required for a material to undergo a change of phase,
- latent heat.