Soojusmahukaid

Soojusmahukaid, or 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 substance present. A larger mass of a substance will require more heat to achieve the same temperature change compared to a smaller mass. The unit for heat capacity is typically joules per Kelvin (J/K) or joules per degree Celsius (J/°C).

The concept of heat capacity is crucial in understanding thermal processes and energy transfer. For example, water has a relatively high heat capacity, which is why it is used as a coolant in engines and as a medium for regulating temperature in many biological systems. In contrast, metals generally have lower heat capacities, allowing them to heat up and cool down more quickly.

While heat capacity refers to a specific amount of substance, its intensive counterpart is specific heat capacity, which is the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of one unit of mass (usually one gram or one kilogram) of a substance by one degree Celsius or Kelvin. Specific heat capacity is an intrinsic property of a material and does not depend on the quantity of the substance. Both concepts are essential for calculations involving heat transfer and thermal equilibrium.