Concept

Specific heat capacity

Summary
In thermodynamics, the specific heat capacity (symbol ''c'') of a substance is the heat capacity of a sample of the substance divided by the mass of the sample, also sometimes referred to as massic heat capacity. Informally, it is the amount of heat that must be added to one unit of mass of the substance in order to cause an increase of one unit in temperature. The SI unit of specific heat capacity is joule per kelvin per kilogram, J⋅kg−1⋅K−1. For example, the heat required to raise the temperature of 1kg of water by 1K is 4184joules, so the specific heat capacity of water is 4184J⋅kg−1⋅K−1. Specific heat capacity often varies with temperature, and is different for each state of matter. Liquid water has one of the highest specific heat capacities among common substances, about 4184J⋅kg−1⋅K−1 at 20 °C; but that of ice, just below 0 °C, is only 2093J⋅kg−1⋅K−1. The specific heat capacities of iron, granite, and hydrogen gas are about 449 J⋅kg−1⋅K−1, 790&nbsp
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