How does specific heat and heat capacity differ?

Specific Heat Capacity and Heat Capacity are two related but distinct concepts in thermodynamics, differing primarily in how they account for the mass of a substance.

Specific Heat Capacity

• Definition: Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 unit of mass (usually 1 gram) of a substance by 1 degree Celsius (or Kelvin).
• Unit: Joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/g°C) or Joules per kilogram per Kelvin (J/kg·K).
• Property Type: Intensive, meaning it does not depend on the amount of substance present.
• Example: Water has a specific heat capacity of about 4.18 J/g°C, which means it takes 4.18 Joules to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1°C.

Heat Capacity

• Definition: Heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an entire object by 1 degree Celsius.
• Unit: Joules per degree Celsius (J/°C).
• Property Type: Extensive, meaning it depends on the mass and composition of the object.
• Example: A larger quantity of water will have a higher heat capacity than a smaller quantity because it requires more energy to raise its temperature by the same amount.

In summary, specific heat capacity is a property of the material itself and is independent of the amount of material, while heat capacity depends on both the material and the quantity of the material.