What does the term "specific heat" refer to?

The term "specific heat" refers specifically to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of a unit mass of a substance by one degree Celsius. This property is fundamental in thermodynamics and plays a critical role in understanding how substances react to heat energy.

Specific heat is crucial for various applications, including heating systems, refrigeration, and even understanding environmental processes. For example, water has a high specific heat capacity, which means it requires a significant amount of energy to increase its temperature. This property is important in weather patterns and climate control because it helps regulate temperatures in our environment.

In contrast, the other options do not correctly define specific heat. The energy required to evaporate a liquid describes latent heat rather than specific heat, while the heat energy lost during conduction refers to thermal conduction principles. Lastly, the total energy in a closed system relates to the first law of thermodynamics, encapsulating the concept of energy conservation, but it does not pertain specifically to the definition of specific heat.