In the expression q = m c ΔT, which term represents the specific heat capacity?

• A. The mass
• B. The temperature
• C. The specific heat capacity
• D. The heat energy

Answer: (C)

The term that represents specific heat capacity is the one that tells you how much heat is needed to raise the temperature of a given amount of substance by a certain amount. Specific heat capacity, denoted by c, is the property of the material that describes how resistant it is to temperature change. In q = m c ΔT, c is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one unit mass by one unit of temperature. So, if you have more mass (m) or a bigger temperature change (ΔT), you need more heat, and this dependence is governed by c. A larger c means it takes more energy to achieve the same temperature rise, which is why some substances heat up slowly while others heat up quickly. For water, c is about 4.18 J/(g·°C) or 4184 J/(kg·K), illustrating a high capacity to store heat. The mass, temperature change, and total heat q are other parts of the equation: mass sets how much material you’re heating, ΔT is how much its temperature changes, and q is the total heat transferred.