Q.Heat capacity (Cp) is an extensive property but specific heat
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Intensive and Extensive Properties
Imagine you have a cup of hot tea. You take a sip — it's hot. Now pour half of it into another cup. Is the tea in each cup still hot? Yes, it is. The temperature didn't change just because you split the tea. Now think about the volume: each cup now has less tea than the original. The volume did change.
That's the entire intuition in one sip.
Temperature is an intensive property — it doesn't care how much tea you have. Volume is an extensive property — it cares a lot.
The Precise Definition
An intensive property is independent of the amount of matter present. An extensive property depends on the amount of matter.
If you take a system and cut it into two equal halves, any property that stays the same in each half is intensive. Any property that gets halved is extensive.
| Intensive (stays same) | Extensive (gets halved) |
|---|---|
| Temperature | Mass |
| Pressure | Volume |
| Density | Energy |
| Concentration | Number of moles |
| Refractive index | Heat capacity |
| Viscosity | Entropy |
Notice something: density is mass divided by volume. Both mass and volume are extensive, but their ratio is intensive. That's a powerful pattern — ratios of extensive properties are always intensive.
Why This Matters
In thermodynamics, you cannot simply add intensive properties. If you mix two buckets of water at 30∘C and 50∘C, the final temperature is not 80∘C — it's somewhere in between. But you can add extensive properties: the total mass is the sum of the two masses, the total volume is the sum of the two volumes.
A common mistake: thinking that "intensive" means "always constant." Temperature is intensive but it can change — it just doesn't change because you change the amount.
The Decisive Test
Here's a foolproof way to classify any property. Ask yourself:
If I double the amount of substance, does this property double?
- Yes → Extensive (mass, volume, energy, charge)
- No → Intensive (temperature, pressure, density, colour) …
Concept: Extensive properties scale with amount; intensive properties do not. Specific heat is heat capacity per unit mass.
For any substance, the molar heat capacity Cp (extensive, in J mol−1K−1) relates to specific heat c (intensive, in J g−1K−1) through the molar mass M:
Cp=c×M
For water, M=18g mol−1 and the specific heat is approximately c=4.18J g−1K−1. …
Heat capacity Cp is the total heat needed per degree; specific heat c is per unit mass. For one mole of water, Cp=c×M, where M=18g mol−1 is the molar mass.
The distinction between extensive and intensive properties is central here. An extensive property scales with the amount of substance—double the water, double the heat capacity. An intensive property stays constant regardless of how much you have—the specific heat of water is the same whether you hold a drop or a lake.
Heat capacity Cp tells you how much heat energy is required to raise the temperature of the entire sample by one degree. If you have more substance, you need more heat, so Cp grows with the amount.
Specific heat c, on the other hand, is defined per unit mass. It answers: how much heat does one gram need? This ratio doesn't change when you add more grams—it's a material property.
The bridge between them is simply the mass of the sample:
Cp=m⋅c
where m is the mass in grams and c is in J g−1K−1.
For exactly one mole of water, the mass is the molar mass M:
-
Identify the mass of 1 mol of water.
Water is H₂O, so M=2(1)+16=18g mol−1.
-
Substitute into the relation. …
- AP EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-14-AN1 markMCQQ.Identify the set with only extensive properties (A) Temperature, Pressure, Number of moles (B) Heat capacity, Enthalpy, Entropy (C) Pressure, Specific heat, Molar heat capacity (D) Density, Mole fraction, viscosity
›Reveal solutionSolution
An extensive property scales with the amount of matter present; an intensive one does not. Only (B) — heat capacity, enthalpy, entropy — is a set of purely extensive properties.
Concept and Intuition
If you double the amount of a sample (at the same state), extensive properties (mass, volume, moles, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, heat capacity, Gibbs energy) double too. Intensive properties (temperature, pressure, density, molar/specific quantities, viscosity, mole fraction) stay exactly the same because they are already "per unit" or state-defining quantities, independent of how much material you have.
Step-by-Step Solution
- (A) Temperature, Pressure — intensive; Number of moles — extensive. Mixed set, rejected.
- (B) Heat capacity — extensive (bigger sample needs more heat to raise by 1°); Enthalpy — extensive (a state function scaling with amount); Entropy — extensive (scales with amount, e.g. S=klnW scales with particle number). All three extensive — matches. …
- AP EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-26-AN1 markMCQQ.The number of extensive and intensive properties in the list given below is respectively: density, enthalpy, mass, temperature, volume, pressure (A) 4, 2 (B) 1, 5 (C) 2, 4 (D) 3, 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
This tests the classification of thermodynamic properties as extensive (mass-dependent) vs intensive (mass-independent); the split here is 3 and 3.
Concept and Intuition
An extensive property scales with the size/amount of the system — if you double the amount of matter, the property doubles. An intensive property is a 'per-unit' or ratio-like quantity and stays the same regardless of how much matter is present (e.g., density is mass per unit volume, which stays constant for a given substance no matter how much of it you have).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Density = mass/volume — a ratio, independent of amount → intensive.
- Enthalpy — a total heat content, scales with amount of substance → extensive.
- Mass — directly proportional to amount → extensive.
- Temperature — an intrinsic thermal property, same throughout a system at equilibrium regardless of amount → intensive.
- Volume — scales directly with amount of matter → extensive. …
- AP EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-21-AN1 markMCQQ.The number of extensive properties in the following list is enthalpy, density, volume, internal energy, temperature. (A) 4 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 5
›Reveal solutionSolution
Extensive properties scale with the size/amount of the system. Of the five properties listed, 3 are extensive: enthalpy, volume, and internal energy.
Concept and Intuition
An extensive property doubles when you double the amount of matter (e.g., mass, volume, total energy). An intensive property stays the same regardless of amount (e.g., density, temperature, pressure, molar/specific quantities). This is a basic but frequently tested thermodynamics classification.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Enthalpy (H) — depends on total heat content of the system, scales with amount → extensive.
- Density — mass/volume ratio, an intrinsic property of the substance, same regardless of how much you have → intensive.
- Volume — directly scales with amount of substance → extensive.
- Internal energy (U) — total energy of the system, scales with amount → extensive. …
- AP EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-18-AN1 markMCQQ.The number of extensive and intensive properties in the following list is respectively Mass, temperature, pressure, enthalpy, heat capacity, internal energy, density (A) 2, 5 (B) 3, 4 (C) 4, 3 (D) 5, 2
›Reveal solutionSolution
Sorting the seven listed properties gives 4 extensive and 3 intensive properties.
Concept and Intuition
An extensive property scales with the size/amount of the system (double the matter, double the property), while an intensive property is a "per-unit" or ratio-type quantity that stays the same no matter how much material is present.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Mass — extensive (more matter, more mass).
- Temperature — intensive (doesn't change if you take more of the same sample).
- Pressure — intensive.
- Enthalpy — extensive (a total heat content, scales with amount).
- Heat capacity — extensive (total heat capacity of the whole sample scales with amount; note this is different from specific or molar heat capacity, which are intensive).
- Internal energy — extensive.
- Density — intensive (mass/volume ratio, same for any sample size). …
- AP EAPCET 2023Set eng-2023-05-18-FN1 markMCQQ.Identify the pair in which both are not extensive properties (A) Internal energy, enthalpy (B) Mass, volume (C) Density, pressure (D) Heat capacity, Gibbs energy
›Reveal solutionSolution
Extensive properties scale with the amount of substance (mass, volume, internal energy, enthalpy, heat capacity, Gibbs energy); density and pressure do not — they are intensive — so option (C) is the pair where both properties fail to be extensive.
Concept and Intuition
An extensive property depends on how much material is present (double the amount, double the property): mass, volume, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy, heat capacity, Gibbs/Helmholtz energy are all extensive. An intensive property is a ratio or a "per unit" quantity that does not depend on the amount present: density (mass per volume), pressure, temperature, molar quantities are intensive.
Step-by-Step Solution
- (A) Internal energy, enthalpy — both extensive (both scale with amount of substance). Not the answer.
- (B) Mass, volume — both classic extensive properties. Not the answer.
- (C) Density, pressure — density = mass/volume (a ratio, intensive); pressure is force per unit area, independent of the total amount of gas/liquid present (intensive). Both are intensive, i.e., neither is extensive — this matches what the question asks for. …
- AP EAPCET 2022Set ap-2022-07-12-FN1 markMCQQ.Which of the followings is not an extensive property? (A) Enthalpy (B) Heat capacity (C) Volume (D) Temperature
›Reveal solutionSolution
Extensive properties depend on the amount of substance present; temperature does not, making it the odd one out.
Concept and Intuition
Thermodynamic properties are classified as extensive (dependent on the size/amount of the system, e.g. doubling the mass doubles the property) or intensive (independent of the amount, a bulk characteristic of the substance itself, like density or temperature).
Step-by-Step Solution
- Enthalpy: doubling the amount of substance doubles its enthalpy content → extensive.
- Heat capacity: doubling the mass doubles the heat capacity (more material needs proportionally more heat for the same temperature rise) → extensive.
- Volume: doubling the amount of substance doubles the volume it occupies → extensive. …
- AP EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-04-AN1 markMCQQ.Observe the following properties: Volume, enthalpy, density, temperature, heat capacity, pressure, internal energy. The number of extensive properties in the above list is (A) 4 (B) 5 (C) 6 (D) 3
›Reveal solutionSolution
Sorting seven thermodynamic quantities into extensive (scale with amount) vs. intensive (independent of amount) categories; 4 of the 7 are extensive.
Concept and Intuition
An extensive property's value depends on the size/amount of the system (doubling the system doubles the property), while an intensive property is a "per-unit" or ratio-type quantity that stays the same regardless of how much material is present. Volume, enthalpy, (total) heat capacity, and internal energy all scale directly with the quantity of matter, whereas density (mass/volume, a ratio), temperature, and pressure are bulk properties that don't change when you simply take more of the same substance at the same state.
Step-by-Step Solution
- Volume — extensive (doubling matter doubles volume).
- Enthalpy — extensive (a state function that scales with amount, H=U+PV).
- Density — intensive (mass/volume ratio stays fixed for a given substance/state).
- Temperature — intensive (a measure of average kinetic energy per particle, not total).
- Heat capacity — extensive (total heat capacity of a sample scales with the amount of substance; note this differs from specific heat capacity, which is intensive). …
- AP EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-07-FN1 markMCQQ.Which of the following are extensive properties? (A) Heat capacity (B) Entropy (C) Gibbs Energy (D) Concentration (E) Vapour pressure. (A) A, B, C and E (B) A, B, and D (C) A, B, C only (D) D and E only
›Reveal solutionSolution
Sorting the five listed quantities by whether they scale with the amount of substance: heat capacity, entropy, and Gibbs energy are extensive; concentration and vapour pressure are intensive.
Concept and Intuition
An extensive property's value depends on the size/amount of the system (e.g. doubling the mass roughly doubles the property), while an intensive property is a per-unit or ratio-type quantity that stays the same regardless of how much material you have. The key test: if you split the system into two equal halves, does the property halve (extensive) or stay the same (intensive)?
Step-by-Step Solution
- Heat capacity (total, not specific/molar): more substance requires proportionally more heat to raise its temperature by 1°C — scales with amount — extensive.
- Entropy: total entropy of a system scales with the amount of substance (more moles, more accessible microstates) — extensive.
- Gibbs energy: as a state function tied to total enthalpy and entropy, it scales with amount of substance — extensive.
- Concentration: a ratio (amount per unit volume) — unchanged if you simply take a larger or smaller sample at the same concentration — intensive. …
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