Which of the following best describes the difference between heat capacity and specific heat of a substance?

• A. Heat capacity is always measured in J/g·K, while specific heat is measured in J/K.
• B. Heat capacity is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an entire object by 1 K, while specific heat is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 K.
• C. Specific heat depends on the mass of the substance, while heat capacity does not.
• D. Heat capacity and specific heat are identical terms and can be used interchangeably.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that heat capacity and specific heat both relate to how much heat is needed to raise temperature, but they differ in what quantity they refer to.
2. Heat capacity (C) is defined as the amount of heat (q) required to raise the temperature (T) of an entire object by 1 Kelvin (or 1 degree Celsius), expressed as \(C = \frac{q}{\Delta T}\), with units typically in joules per kelvin (J/K).
3. Specific heat capacity (often just called specific heat, \(c\)) is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 Kelvin, expressed as \(c = \frac{q}{m \Delta T}\), where \(m\) is the mass in grams, and its units are joules per gram kelvin (J/g·K).
4. Recognize that specific heat depends on the mass of the substance because it is normalized per gram, whereas heat capacity is an extensive property that depends on the total amount of substance (mass) present.
5. Therefore, the best description is: Heat capacity is the heat required to raise the temperature of the entire object by 1 K, while specific heat is the heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of the substance by 1 K.