Physics · Ch 7 — Thermal Properties of Matter
Heat Capacity (Thermal Capacity)
7.6.4
Heat Capacity (Thermal Capacity)
While specific heat capacity is a per-unit-mass property of a SUBSTANCE, it is often more convenient to talk about the heat needed for a particular BODY of that substance, of whatever total mass it happens to have. Heat capacity (or thermal capacity) of a body is defined as the quantity of heat needed to raise (or lower) the temperature of the WHOLE body by 1 °C (or 1 K):
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Misc Ex.14Thermal capacity of a copper block
Worked out. A copper block of mass 0.2 kg has specific heat capacity 290 J/kg °C; using heat (thermal) capacity = m x s directly, the example computes thermal capacity = 0.2 kg x 290 J/kg°C = 58 J/°C -- the heat needed to raise this WHOLE block (not just a unit mass of copper) by one d …