Lämpötilapitoisuus

Lämpötilapitoisuus, often translated as thermal capacity or heat capacity, is a fundamental physical property of a substance that quantifies the amount of heat energy required to raise its temperature by one degree Celsius or Kelvin. It is an extensive property, meaning it depends on the amount of substance present. A larger mass of a substance will have a higher thermal capacity than a smaller mass of the same substance.

The concept is closely related to specific heat capacity, which is an intensive property. Specific heat capacity is the thermal capacity per unit mass of a substance. Therefore, specific heat capacity is independent of the amount of substance. The unit for thermal capacity is typically Joules per Kelvin (J/K) or Joules per degree Celsius (J/°C), while specific heat capacity is measured in Joules per kilogram per Kelvin (J/(kg·K)) or Joules per kilogram per degree Celsius (J/(kg·°C)).

Substances with high thermal capacity require a significant amount of heat energy to change their temperature. Conversely, substances with low thermal capacity will experience a rapid temperature change with the addition or removal of a smaller amount of heat. This property plays a crucial role in various natural phenomena and engineering applications, such as in climate regulation, the design of heating and cooling systems, and the understanding of thermodynamic processes. For example, large bodies of water have a high thermal capacity, which helps moderate coastal climates by absorbing and releasing heat slowly.