Specific Heat Capacity and Latent Heat

When thermal energy is transferred to a substance, one of two things generally happens: either its temperature rises, or it undergoes a change of phase. Two important quantities describe how much energy these processes require, namely specific heat capacity and specific latent heat. Together they let us calculate the energy involved in heating, cooling, melting, boiling, and freezing.

The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of that substance by one kelvin (or one degree Celsius). It is a property of the material and reflects how the substance stores energy internally. Substances with a high specific heat capacity, such as water at about $4200\ \text{J kg}^{-1}\text{K}^{-1}$, require a great deal of energy to warm u