Heat Capacity vs Specific Heat Capacity | Animation | HVAC | Thermodynamics | Heat and Mass Transfer
Heat Capacity
Definition: The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of an entire object by one degree Celsius (or Kelvin).
Depends on: The object's mass and the material it's made from.
Example: A large pot of water has a higher heat capacity than a small cup of water, even if they're both made of the same material.
Specific Heat Capacity
Definition: The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one unit of mass (usually one gram) of a substance by one degree Celsius (or Kelvin).
Depends on: The material itself, not the amount of it.
Example: Water has a very high specific heat capacity (4.184 J/g°C). This means it takes a lot of energy to change water's temperature, which is why it stays cool at the beach.
