Final answer:
The specific heat of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 °C or 1 Kelvin.
Step-by-step explanation:
The specific heat of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 °C or 1 Kelvin. It is a property that is unique to each substance and is measured in units of joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/g°C) or joules per gram per Kelvin (J/gK). The formula to calculate the amount of heat energy absorbed or released by a substance is:
Q = m * c * ΔT
- Q: Heat energy (in joules)
- m: Mass of the substance (in grams)
- c: Specific heat of the substance (in J/g°C or J/gK)
- ΔT: Change in temperature (in °C or Kelvin)
For example, the specific heat of water is approximately 4.18 J/g°C, which means that it takes 4.18 joules of energy to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C or 1 Kelvin.