Specific Heat Capacity Units

[Nils Newman 1F]

The textbook says specific heat capacity is the heat capacity divided by the mass of the sample, but in this table it lists specific heat capacity as using the units Cs / (J * C^-1 * g^-1). How does this work, is it heat capacity per gram? If not how does it list specific heat capacity without having a mass to start with.

[Chem_Mod]

The units of specific heat capacity is J/(g*C). Specific heat capacity is the amount of heat (J) that it takes to heat up one gram of a substance one degree Celsius. Typically, specific heat is used as "q = m*c*delta t" so you will multiply the specific heat capacity by a mass.

[Gianna McNiel 1I]

Specific heat capacity is usually written as joules per gram degrees Celcius, however sometimes you will need to convert grams to moles or moles to grams, depending on the units of the other components in your calculation. Also, multiplying the mass by the specific heat will give you the heat capacity, rather than the specific heat capacity. Specific heat capacity/molar heat capacity is an intensive property, meaning it does not depend on the amount of substance. Heat capacity is an extensive property and depends on the mass.