What is the unit of measure for specific heat capacity?

Specific heat capacity is defined as the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius (or one Kelvin). The unit for specific heat capacity quantifies this relationship and reflects both the heat energy involved and the mass of the substance.

In the metric system, specific heat capacity is commonly expressed in joules per gram per degree Celsius (J/(g·°C)), which directly indicates the amount of heat energy (in joules) needed to increase the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius. It's important to note that since a change in temperature by one degree Celsius is equivalent to a change of one Kelvin, the units can also be expressed as J/(g·K). However, in many educational contexts, the J/(g·°C) notation is more frequently used, leading to common recognition of this format as the standard unit for specific heat capacity.

The other choices represent different measures that do not correctly define specific heat capacity for common contexts used in chemistry. For instance, joules per mole per Kelvin (J/(mol·K)) is used for molar heat capacity, which applies to the heat required for a mole of substance rather than per unit mass. Jou