Answer: The heat needed to raise the temperature of unit mass of a substance by 1 ºC; SI unit J/kg ºC, CGS unit cal/g ºC.
The specific heat capacity of a substance is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg (CGS: 1 g) of it by 1 ºC (or 1 K). It is given by \(c = \dfrac{Q}{m\Delta T}\).
SI unit: joule per kilogram per degree Celsius, J/(kg ºC). CGS unit: calorie per gram per degree Celsius, cal/(g ºC). For water, c = 1 cal/g ºC = 4180 J/kg ºC.