What is specific heat defined as?

Specific heat is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). This is typically quantified in terms of BTUs (British Thermal Units) for practical applications in heating and cooling analysis. It reflects how much energy must be added to or removed from a substance to cause a particular temperature change, making it a crucial factor in understanding thermal dynamics in buildings.

In the context of building science and energy efficiency, knowing the specific heat of materials can help in calculating energy needs for heating or cooling spaces, as different materials respond differently to added heat. This understanding aids in designing systems that use energy more efficiently, supporting better thermal comfort within buildings.

The other definitions do not accurately capture the essence of specific heat: the total energy contained within a material refers more to the internal energy rather than the specific energy per degree of temperature change, the rate of heat flow relates to thermal conductivity, and the heat required to change a substance's state refers to latent heat, not specific heat.