What is specific heat of a substance? - Thermodynamics

Q.  The amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of substance through a unit rise in temperature is called as
- Published on 21 Aug 15

a. heat capacity of a substance
b. specific heat of a substance
c. latent heat of a substance
d. none of the above

ANSWER: specific heat of a substance
 
Specific heat of the substance is defined as the amount of heat required to raise a unit mass of substance through a unit rise in temperature. The symbol used for specific heat is 'c'.

c = Q / (m . Δt) J/kg K

Where Q is the amount of heat in J, m is the mass of substance in kg, t is the temperature in K.
For gases, if the process is at constant pressure then specific heat is

cp. If the process is at constant volume, then it is cv.

The product of mass (m) of the substance and specific heat (c) is heat capacity. The capital letters, C , Cp , Cp are used for heat capacity.

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