Heat Capacity

Aug 26, 2022, 16:45 IST

About Heat Capacity

It is defined as the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of the system by one degree.Larger the sample, greater is its heat capacity. It is therefore, common to use specific heat capacity (specific heat) or molar heat capacity.

Specific heat

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gm of a substance by 1 degree degree is called specific heat.

Molar heat capacity 

Units of specific heat & molar heat capacity are J K1 g1 and J K1 mol1 respectively.Where CP& CV are molar heat capacities at constant pressure & constant volume respectively. The heat capacity at constant pressure (CP) is “generally” larger than that at constant volume (Cv) because at constant pressure, a part of heat added to the substance may be used in work of expanding whereas at constant volume all the added heat produces a rise in temperature. The term “generally” has been used because substances generally expand with increase of temperature at constant pressure, but in exceptional cases, there may be a contraction, e.g. water between1° & 4°C.

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