What's the difference between heat capacity and specific heat capacity?

What units are each measured in?

specific heat capactiy is the heatcapacity of a substance PER mass

Heat capacity is the heat absorbed per degree temperature.

Heat capacity and specific heat capacity are both measures of the ability of a substance to store and transfer heat energy. The main difference between them lies in the quantities they describe.

Heat capacity, often denoted as simply "C," is a measure of the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of an entire object or system by a certain amount. It is a measure of the total heat energy the object can absorb. Heat capacity depends on both the mass and intrinsic properties of the object, such as the type of material it is made of.

Specific heat capacity, denoted as "c" or "Cp," is an intensive property that specifically measures the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by a certain amount. It is a measure of how much heat energy is required to change the temperature of a given amount of the substance, regardless of the object's overall size. Specific heat capacity is a characteristic property of the material and is independent of mass.

In terms of units, heat capacity is measured in joules per degree Celsius (J/°C) or joules per Kelvin (J/K) in the International System of Units (SI). Specific heat capacity is expressed in joules per kilogram-degree Celsius (J/(kg·°C)) or joules per kilogram-Kelvin (J/(kg·K)).

To determine the heat capacity of an object, you would typically need to know the mass of the object and the specific heat capacity of its material. The heat capacity can then be calculated by multiplying the specific heat capacity by the mass of the object.

In summary, heat capacity refers to the total energy required to raise the temperature of an entire object, while specific heat capacity refers to the energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance.