Soojusmahtu

Soojusmahtu, often translated as heat capacity, is a fundamental physical property of matter that describes the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius (or Kelvin). It is an extensive property, meaning it depends on the amount of the substance. A larger object with the same material will have a higher soojusmahtu than a smaller object. The unit for soojusmahtu is typically joules per degree Celsius (J/°C) or joules per Kelvin (J/K).

The concept is distinct from specific heat capacity, which is an intensive property. Specific heat capacity refers to the heat capacity per unit mass of a substance. Therefore, soojusmahtu can be calculated by multiplying the specific heat capacity of a substance by its mass. This relationship highlights that while the material itself has a characteristic specific heat capacity, the total amount of heat needed to change its temperature depends on how much of that material is present. Materials with high soojusmahtu can absorb or release significant amounts of heat with only a small change in temperature, making them useful for applications like thermal energy storage. Conversely, materials with low soojusmahtu will experience a larger temperature change for the same amount of heat added or removed.