In this section you will learn the relationship and difference between specific heat capacity and heat capacity of a body.

Specific Heat Capacity

The amount of heat required to cause the same rise in temperature for a given mass of different substances is different. For Example 1kg of water requires 4,200 J of heat to increase its temperature by 1°C, but 1kg of silver requires only 234J of heat to increase its temperature by the same 1°C. Thus, every substance has a unique value of heat to increase a unit mass of it by 1°C or 1K. This quantity is known as the specific heat capacity. The heat needed to change the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree (1°) is called the specific heat capacity (c) of the substance.

The SI unit of specific heat capacity c, is J/kg.K or J kg.°C

Note that change in temperature is the same in both Kelvin and Celsius scales. For Example ΔT = 10 K= 10°C, whereas 10°C = 283K.

Key terms

• Specific heat capacity (c) is the heat energy required to raise the temperature of unit mass by one degree (°C or K).
• Heat capacity (C) is the heat energy required to raise the temperature of a body by one degree (°C or K).