What does specific heat measure?

Specific heat is a fundamental concept in thermodynamics that quantifies how much heat energy is needed to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by a certain amount, specifically by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). It reflects the heat capacity of a material per unit mass, which means it is a measure of the material's ability to store thermal energy.

For example, water has a high specific heat, which means it requires a significant amount of heat energy to increase its temperature compared to other materials. This property is critical in various scientific and engineering applications, such as climate studies, cooking, and heat transfer processes.

In contrast, other options reference different concepts: total heat refers to the overall thermal energy in a system, average kinetic energy pertains to the temperature and movement of molecules, and the relationship between pressure and volume of gas is described by gas laws, not specific heat. Therefore, option B accurately defines the concept of specific heat.