Heat Capacity

Heat capacity, abbreviated as C or \(c_p\), is the amount of enerigy required to increase the temperature of a substance by 1°C.  The heat gain or loss results in a change in temperature and the state and performance of work.  The heat capacity of a substance is an important property in thermodynamics as it helps to determine the amount of energy needed to heat or cool a substance or system.  It also influences the rate at which a substance changes temperature in response to thermal energy transfer.

Different substances and systems have different heat capacities due to variations in their molecular structure and composition.  The heat capacity of a substance may also vary with temperature, particularly for materials that undergo phase transitions or exhibit other complex thermal behavior.

 

Heat capacity formula
\(\large{ C = \frac {\Delta Q} { \Delta T }     }\)
Symbol	English	Metric
\(\large{ C }\) = heat capacity	\(\large{\frac{Btu}{F}}\)	\(\large{\frac{kJ}{K}}\)
\(\large{ \Delta Q }\) = heat transfered amount	\(\large{\frac{Btu}{hr}}\)	\(\large{ W }\)
\(\large{ \Delta T }\) = temperature differential	\(\large{ F }\)	\(\large{ K }\)