Question

Differentiate between heat capacity and specific heat capacity.

Answer 1

Heat capacity of the body is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of (whole) body
by 1 ℃ whereas specific heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of
unit mass of the body by 1 ℃.
Heat capacity of a substance depends upon the material and mass of the body. Specific heat
capacity of a substance does not depend on the mass of the body.
S.I. unit of heat capacity is `JK^-1` and S.I. unit of specific heat capacity is `Jkg^-1 K^-1`.

Answer 2

Heat capacity: It is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature by 1°C. Specific heat capacity: It is defined as the heat capacity per unit mass of that body.