Heat Capacity

[juchung7]

What is the difference between heat capacity and specific heat capacity and why is one an extensive property and the other an intensive property?

[Julian Krzysiak 2K]

And extensive property is a property that changes based on how much there is of the sample- it is based on weight, for example, mass, volume, etc.

An intensive property is a property that is an intrinsic quality of the sample- it does not change based on weight, for example, density, hardness, etc.


The heat capacity is extensive because the heat required to raise the temperature by 1 C. will change depending on how much material we are given.

The specific heat capacity is the heat capacity divided by the mass of the sample. Therefore, there is a specific heat capacity for a specific material for a specific mass. Therefore, specific heat capacity is intensive, as the value will always be the same for the material of a given weight- we took the weight into account in creating the value.

[sofiakavanaugh]

Heat capacity is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temp of something by 1 degree

Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temp of something by 1 degree per unit of mass

So basically I think one just includes the mass of the substance while the other does not.

[Kathleen Vidanes 1E]

The heat capacity is the ratio of the heat supplied over the temperature rise produced (q/delta T),whereas the specific heat capacity is the heat capacity divided by the sample's mass (C/m). The heat capacity is an extensive property, because it depends on the size or extent of the sample. The specific heat capacity is an intensive property, because it is independent of the sample's size.

[Ramya Lakkaraju 1B]

It is useful to use the specific heat capacity so that the mass becomes irrelevant. Specific heat capacity is an intensive property.