specific heat
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: * Specific heat: A physical property of a substance. It is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of that substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin).
Usage
- "Specific heat" is a scientific term used primarily in physics, chemistry, and engineering.
- It is a constant value for a given substance under specified conditions (e.g., at constant pressure or constant volume).
- It is typically used with the verb "have" or "is" when stating a value, or with verbs like "calculate," "measure," or "determine."
Examples
- Water has a specific heat of approximately 4.18 joules per gram per degree Celsius.
- The experiment aimed to measure the specific heat of the unknown metal alloy.
- A substance with a high specific heat, like water, requires more energy to change its temperature.
Advanced Usage
- Specific heat capacity: This is a more precise and complete term synonymous with "specific heat." It explicitly includes the concept of capacity.
- The specific heat capacity of copper is lower than that of water.
- The concept is often discussed in relation to thermal inertia, where materials with high specific heat resist temperature changes.
Variants and Related Words
- Heat capacity (Noun): The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of an entire object (not a unit mass) by one degree. It depends on both the substance and the object's mass.
- Molar heat capacity (Noun): The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one mole of a substance by one degree.
Synonyms
- Specific heat capacity
- Mass-specific heat capacity
Notes on Different Meanings
- "Specific heat" has a single, precise scientific meaning. It is not used idiomatically in everyday language.
- The word "specific" in this context means "per unit mass," distinguishing it from the total heat capacity of an object.
Noun
- the heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance one degree centigrade