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In simple terms I am required to know how to determine the specific heat capacity of an unknown gas through an experiment. I have looked it up online but all explanations seem complex and at a far higher level than what is required for me to know. PLEASE HELP! Thankyou in advance.
This is for a year 11 physics class.

Hi stuck,

This forum is intended for students, parents and teachers working on K-12 science projects. Is your question related to a science project? If not, there are more appropriate sites for help with homework or general science discussions.

That said, I agree with you that the derivation of the equations for specific heats seems complex. But the basic concept is fairly simple. Increasing the temperature of a gas will increase the volume (at constant pressure) or increase the pressure (at constant volume). And specific heat capacity is the amount of needed to raise the temperature of a certain mass of a substance by one degree. So the constant pressure specific heat (Cp) is related to the volume change that results from a temperature change. And the constant volume specific heat is related to the pressure change that results from a temperature change. Thus determining specific heat capacities for a gas involves measuring pressure and/or volume changes due to temperature.

A. Norman