Heat Capacity and Specific Heat Capacity

 Heat Capacity:

Heat Capacity, C, of a body is defined as the amount of heat (Q) required to raise its temperature (θ) by one degree, without going through a change of state. 

• Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of an object depends on the mass of the object.
• Heat capacity also depends on the material of the object. Some materials are harder to heat up than others. In order to record 1°C increase in temperature, liquids would require more heat energy than solids.
• SI. unit of heat capacity is joule per kelvin (J K^-1) or joule per degree Celsius (J °C^-1).

C=QΔθ
 , where
C = heat capacity (JK^-1, J°C^-1)
Q = heat or thermal energy absorbed or released (J)
Δθ = change in temperature (K or °C)

 Specific Heat Capacity: 

Specific heat capacity, c, of a body is defined as the amount of heat (Q) required to raise the temperature (θ) of a unit mass of it by one degree, without going through a change in state.

• When the mass of an object is greater, the object will contain more atoms or molecules than a less massive object made up of the same material. Hence, when the temperature of the objects are raised, the more massive object will require a larger thermal energy than the less massive object. (Analogy: The more massive object has more “mouths” to feed) It is thus more common to consider the heat capacity per unit mass or specific heat capacity of the body.

SI unit of specific heat capacity is joule per kilogram per kelvin (J kg^-1 K^-1) or joule per kilogram per degree Celsius (J kg^-1 °C^-1)
Q=mcΔθ