Enter your known values — specific heat capacity (c), mass (m), heat energy (Q), initial temperature, and final temperature — into the Heat Capacity Calculator, choose what to calculate, and get your missing variable alongside the temperature change (ΔT) and heat capacity (C).
Calculated Value
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Temperature Change (ΔT)
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Heat Capacity (C)
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Heat capacity is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of an object by 1°C. It depends on both the material's specific heat and its mass.
Specific heat is an intensive property that depends only on the material type, while heat capacity is an extensive property that depends on both the material and the amount (mass) of substance.
Water has a specific heat capacity of 4,186 J/kg·°C, which is relatively high compared to most substances. This is why water is effective for thermal regulation and heat storage.
Use the formula Q = c × m × ΔT, where Q is heat energy (J), c is specific heat (J/kg·°C), m is mass (kg), and ΔT is temperature change (°C).
Water's high heat capacity is due to hydrogen bonding between molecules, which requires additional energy to break before temperature can increase. This makes water excellent for temperature regulation.
Heat capacity is an extensive property because it depends on the amount of material present. In contrast, specific heat capacity is an intensive property that only depends on the material type.
Heat energy is measured in joules (J), mass in kilograms (kg), temperature in Celsius (°C), and specific heat in J/kg·°C. Heat capacity itself is measured in J/°C.