What property describes the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance?

The property that describes the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance is called specific heat capacity. Specific heat capacity, often denoted as $c$, is defined as the amount of heat $Q$ required to change the temperature $T$ of a unit mass $m$ of the substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). The formula for specific heat capacity is given by:

$c = \frac{Q}{m \Delta T}$

where:

• $c$ = specific heat capacity (J/kg·°C or J/kg·K),
• $Q$ = heat energy supplied (in joules),
• $m$ = mass of the substance (in kilograms),
• $\Delta T$ = change in temperature (in °C or K).

This property varies for different substances, meaning different materials require different amounts of heat energy to achieve the same temperature change. Specific heat capacity is a crucial concept in thermodynamics and plays a significant role in various practical applications, including heating and cooling systems, cooking, and understanding climate dynamics.