The quantity c is the specific heat of the substance and is defined as the heat capacity per gram of substance otherwise known as specific heat. For example, the specific heat of water is 1 cal/¬°C*g or 4.184 J/K*g. The higher value of C or c, the more heat is required to raise the temperature of the sample a given amount.
Example:
If 794J of heat is required to raise the temperature of a sample of 25g of Al from 255K to 290K, what is the heat capacity of the aluminum? What is its specific heat?
Heat capacities are usually given in terms of calories per Kelvin, so the first step is to convert the energy to calories.
