Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of energy required to:

Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of energy required to:

• A. Increase the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1°C
• B. Increase the temperature of a substance by 1°C for the entire sample
• C. Change its phase at constant temperature
• D. Remove heat at a constant rate

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested is what specific heat capacity means. Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a given mass by a certain amount, specifically 1 gram by 1°C. This is captured by the relation Q = m c ΔT, where Q is the energy put in, m is the mass, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the change in temperature. The unit is joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/(g·°C)). For example, water has a high c (about 4.184 J/g·°C), so it takes a relatively large amount of energy to raise the temperature of a gram of water by 1°C; a 100 g sample would need about 418.4 J for a 1°C rise. The other statements describe related but different concepts: the energy to raise the temperature of the whole sample corresponds to heat capacity (not specific heat), changing phase at constant temperature involves latent heat, and removing heat at a constant rate describes cooling, not the definition of specific heat.

The main idea tested is what specific heat capacity means. Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a given mass by a certain amount, specifically 1 gram by 1°C. This is captured by the relation Q = m c ΔT, where Q is the energy put in, m is the mass, c is the specific heat capacity, and ΔT is the change in temperature. The unit is joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/(g·°C)). For example, water has a high c (about 4.184 J/g·°C), so it takes a relatively large amount of energy to raise the temperature of a gram of water by 1°C; a 100 g sample would need about 418.4 J for a 1°C rise. The other statements describe related but different concepts: the energy to raise the temperature of the whole sample corresponds to heat capacity (not specific heat), changing phase at constant temperature involves latent heat, and removing heat at a constant rate describes cooling, not the definition of specific heat.