difference between specific heat and heat capacity
Answers
Main Difference – Specific Heat vs. Heat Capacity
Specific heat and heat capacity both describe an amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a substance. The main difference between specific heat and heat capacity is that specific heat is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a given sample by 1 K while heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of substance by 1 K.
What is Heat Capacity
Heat capacity describes the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a given sample of a substance by 1 degree Celsius or 1 Kelvin (raising the temperature by 1 oC is the same as raising the temperature by 1 K). Units for measuring specific heat are J oC-1 or J K-1.
What is Specific Heat
Specific heat (
\mathbf{c}) describes the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a kilogram of a substance by 1 oC or 1 K. In some fields, the amount of heat required to raise temperature by 1 gram is also often considered.
If a substance having a mass
m is given an energy
Q, and this results in a gain in temperature
\Delta T the specific heat
The main difference between specific heat and heat capacity is that specific heat is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a given sample by 1 K while heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of substance by 1 K.
