SPECIFIC HEAT Definition & Meaning

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specific heat

noun

Physics.

the number of calories required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance 1°C, or the number of BTU's per pound per degree F.
(originally) the ratio of the thermal capacity of a substance to that of standard material.

specific heat

See under heat capacity

specific heat

The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius , or to raise the temperature of one pound of a substance by one degree Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit ).

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of specific heat¹

First recorded in 1825–35

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Example Sentences

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“Without a specific heat standard, it makes it more challenging for regulators to decide, ‘OK, this employer’s breaking the law or not.’”

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The panel finds that these specific heat events, as well as others, would have been “extremely unlikely to occur without human influence on the climate system.”

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They have a high “specific heat capacity” — it takes a lot of energy to raise their temperatures by just a degree.

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Rapid attribution analysis attempts to answer two questions about a specific heat event: how much worse, and how much more likely, did climate change make it?

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Known as the Breathing Shoe, the sneaker material is home to microorganisms that can learn a user’s specific heat emissions and opens up ventilation based on those patterns.

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