Question

Why is heat capacity different for different materials?

Answer 1

Because `1g` of one substance does not contain the same number of atoms in another substance.

Explanation:

Specific heat capacity by definition is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of `1g` of a substance by one degree.

Raising the temperature of a substance means changing the average kinetic energy of its particles.

Since all substances are made from different particles (atoms) that have different masses, therefore, `1g` of one substance will not contain the same number of particles in `1g` of another substance.

For example, the molar mass of copper is 63.55 g/mol and the molar mass of sulfur is 32.07 g/mol, therefore, in `1g` of sulfur there will be twice as many atoms as in `1g` of copper, and therefore, the specific heat capacity of sulfur will be higher (`0.73 J/(g.""^@C`) than the specific heat capacity of copper (`0.385 J/(g.""^@C`).