ABSTRACT
SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY The specific heat capacity relates changes in the temperature of a certain amount of a particular substance to changes in its thermal energy content, i.e.,
∆Q =M C∆T .
On the RHS,M denotes the mass of the material comprising the system, C is the specific heat capacity of the substance, and ∆T is the change in its temperature, in C. Since the LHS, ∆Q, is the change in the heat content of the given amount of the particular substance it must have units of J. As mass is conventionally measured in kg, the SI units of specific heat capacity are [
C ] =
A common alternative unit is calorie [or Calorie] per gram per Celsius.
