Which sentence correctly defines the specific heat capacity?

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Multiple Choice

Which sentence correctly defines the specific heat capacity?

The concept being tested is how we define specific heat capacity: it’s the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree. The best sentence is the one that states energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. Using per gram shows it is per unit mass, which is the essential idea of specific heat capacity. If you talk about raising the temperature of the entire substance, that would depend on how much substance you have—that’s heat capacity, not specific heat capacity. The energy released when a substance cools isn’t a standard definition of a property like this. And the rate at which heat is transferred describes how quickly heat moves, not how much energy is needed per degree of temperature change.

The concept being tested is how we define specific heat capacity: it’s the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree.

The best sentence is the one that states energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. Using per gram shows it is per unit mass, which is the essential idea of specific heat capacity. If you talk about raising the temperature of the entire substance, that would depend on how much substance you have—that’s heat capacity, not specific heat capacity. The energy released when a substance cools isn’t a standard definition of a property like this. And the rate at which heat is transferred describes how quickly heat moves, not how much energy is needed per degree of temperature change.

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