Definition
Heat capacity
(T2.1.1) T2.1 · Heat Capacity →Statement
Heat required to change the temperature of a mass m by ΔT, with specific heat capacity c characterizing the material.
Symbols and units
| heat transferred | J | |
| mass | kg | |
| specific heat capacity | J/(kg·K) | |
| temperature change | K |
When it applies
No phase change occurring during the temperature change.
Don't use when
Not valid while a phase change is occurring — during melting or boiling, added heat changes phase, not temperature (see Latent heat instead).
Derivation
Specific heat capacity c is defined as the constant of proportionality between heat added per unit mass and the resulting temperature change:
Watch out for
c depends on the substance and, for gases, on whether the process occurs at constant pressure or constant volume — the two differ significantly.