Final answer:
Sensible heat is the heat that causes a change in the temperature of a substance without changing its state. The specific heat is the energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by a degree, distinguishing it from heat capacity which relates to the substance's total mass.
Step-by-step explanation:
The heat that, when added or removed from a substance, causes a change in its temperature but not in its state is known as sensible heat. This contrasts with latent heat, which is energy absorbed or released by a substance during a phase change without changing its temperature.
Specific heat capacity (often simply called specific heat), which is represented by the symbol 'c' in the specific heat equation (Q = mcΔT), is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C. Conversely, heat capacity refers to the amount of heat necessary to change the temperature of a specific amount of a substance by 1°C without taking mass into account.