Heat capacity

Heat capacity, also called specific heat capacity is the amount of heat it takes to make a certain mass of a substance increase by a certain amount of temperature. The unit of calorie is defined by the heat capacity of water: 1 calorie is defined as the amount of heat it takes to heat 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. It is approximately <math>4.2 \times 10^{-3} \, \mbox{J} \ \mbox{kg}^{-1} \ \mbox{K}^{-1}</math>

A table of heat capacities of select substances is as follows:

Substance	Heat Capacity <math>\left ( \frac{cal}{g^oC} \right )</math>
Copper	0.092
Glass	0.200
Iron	0.108
Styrofoam	11.95
Water	1.00

The heat required, <math>Q</math> to heat up an object of mass <math>m</math> and heat capacity <math>c</math> by a temperature <math>\Delta T</math> is <math>Q= mc \, \Delta T</math>