13. Glossary

Capacité thermique; heat capacity

A quantity that measures the heat that must be transferred to a body to raise its temperature by one kelvin. Conversely, it quantifies the body's ability to absorb or release heat during a transformation in which its temperature varies. Formerly known as "heat capacity", it is expressed in joules per kelvin (J.K ^-1 ). It is an extensive quantity: a molar heat capacity (expressed in J.K ^-1 .mol ^-1 ) and a mass heat capacity (expressed in J.K ^-1 .kg ^-1 ) can be defined. The ratio of isobaric and isochoric heat capacities is the adiabatic index (Laplace coefficient): γ = C _p ...