Specific Heat
When you apply the same amount of heat to metal and water of the same mass, the metal temperature change is greater than that of water. This is because the amount of heat required to change the temperature of an object varies from substance to substance.
The amount of heat required to increase the temperature of 1kg of a substance by 1℃ is called the specific heat of the substance, and the unit is kcal/(kg℃).
Calculation of specific heat
The specific heat of water is 1kcal/(kg℃) because the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of 1kg of water by 1℃ is 1kcal.
If the temperature change is t when a heat quantity Q is applied to an object of mass m, the specific heat C of the object can be expressed.
\[ \begin{split}Specific heat &= \frac {calories }{ (mass\times temperature change)} \\ C&=\frac {Q }{ m\Delta t} \end{split} \]
Specific Heat has a unique value depending on the type of substance, so it can be used to classify substances.