Question

whats the difference between heat capacity and specific heat capacity? thanks!

Answer 1

Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one kelvin (or some other units, whatever) while heat capacity is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a whole object by one kelvin. For example, if I have one gram of water in my left hand and two grams of water in my right, then the specific heat capacity of my left and right hands are the same (because both are water) but the heat capacity of my right hand will be twice that of my left hand.

Answer 2

Think of it as the total heat capacity of an object, rather than the heat capacity per gram

Answer 3

The heat capacity (C) of a body is the amount of heat needed to raise its
temperature by 1°C. Unit: J °C1
C=Q(heat)/Change in T(temperature)
but
The thermal capacity depends on the size of the object and what it is made of. The specific heat capacity depends only on the material. Raising the temperature of l kg of water requires more heat than raising 1kg of steel by the same amount, so the specific heat capacity of water is higher than that of steel.

Answer 4

The Heat capacity \(C\) equals the specific heat capacity \(c\) per mass \(m\)

\[C=\frac cm\]

Answer 5

The Heat Capacity is an extensive variable, ie it depends on how much of the material you have.

The specific Heat Capacity is an intensive variable it depends on the material, but not on how much you have.